(August 10, 2008) At Drupa KBA was awarded a contract by 07 Gruppen in Oslo, Norway, for four Rapida 106 presses with a total of 26 printing units. Three of these high-performance presses – a four-colour straight version, a five-colour with coater and an eight-colour perfector for four over four – will ship in November and December this year. The fourth, a further eight-colour perfector for four over four, will follow in spring 2009.

All the presses will incorporate automatic plate changing, DriveTronic SIS sidelay-free infeed, a board-printing capability and modifications to allow alcohol-free print production. They will also and be linked in pairs to DensiTronic Professional density and spectral imaging control systems complete with DensiTronic PDF Scanner, a new software package unveiled at Drupa. In addition the two eight-colour press lines will boast DriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives to allow simultaneous changing of all sixteen plates. Their specifications are thus similar to those of the Rapida 106 which at Drupa in May compellingly substantiated its claim to be the world makeready champion in medium format. 

A specialist printer of books and commercials, 07 Gruppen also provides web-based printing and design services. It is the product of a merger last year of four independent printing companies, hence the name. Today the group runs two production plants in Oslo and one in Aurskog. The four- and five-colour Rapidas will be installed in Oslo, the two eight-colour presses in Aurskog.  

For 07 Gruppen, environmentally friendly print production is a prime objective, and to this end it has achieved FSC accreditation. Not only that, it is a vigorous promoter of ecological book production, campaigning tirelessly against the import of books from eastern Europe and Asia, the transport of which generates twice the volume of carbon emissions as production in Norway. The new Rapidas’ alcohol-free production, inline quality control and advanced level of automation, which help trim both makeready times and waste, represent a further decisive step towards ecologically sustainable print production.