Koenig & Bauer (KBA) is able to report on an extremely successful China Print in Beijing. This year’s show was placed under the motto “Origin & Future – 200 Years Koenig & Bauer”, and visitors to the 1,000 m² stand from China and numerous other countries in the region were treated to a raft of offset, flexo, screen printing and digital solutions for the commercial, publication and packaging markets. Practice-oriented press demonstrations and vivid presentations of products which could not be exhibited directly were undisputed crowd-pullers.  

Walter Zehner, CEO of KBA Greater China, summed up: “It was a very successful show. The interest and sales results far exceeded our expectations.” Dietmar Heyduck, sales director at KBA-Sheetfed, was equally enthusiastic: “KBA-Sheetfed already recorded a very positive business result on the Chinese market in 2016. Our revenue increased by 10 per cent, not least because we placed a clear focus on the growing packaging segment. The aim must now be to maintain the upward momentum of last year, and this successful China Print is definitely an important step in that direction.”

Ralf Sammeck, CEO of KBA-Sheetfed: “Over the past years, KBA has established a firm reputation as a specialist catering for individual printing needs. Our customers are looking for special or complete solutions – for example for high-quality finishing. The sheetfed offset presses supplied by KBA are becoming longer and longer, and incorporate more and more practice-oriented automation. That is the technology which the market demands. The key to our success is that we concentrate on making our customers successful.”

Rapida 106 handed over to packaging printer

The official hand-over of the Rapida 75 PRO on the stand to its future owner, the Hucai Group, already on the first day of the show was followed up by a similar ceremony for the Rapida 106 on 10th May. The five-colour press which was to be seen in Beijing is now on its way to Liuyang Shuangfu Packaging Printing in Hunan Province. General manager Zhao Bang: “We will certainly benefit from simultaneous plate changing with DriveTronic SPC. Job changeover times will be shortened dramatically, and the pre-registration facility will also help to reduce waste. Everyone is really excited about the high production speeds and print quality of the Rapida 106. We are pursuing automation to enhance our production efficiency and to reduce labour costs. With this high-performance press, we are continuing the restructuring of our company and will be increasing our production capacity by more than 100 per cent.”  

The products in greatest demand at the show were medium- and large-format sheetfed presses. Alongside the Rapida 106 for Liuyang Shuangfu Packaging Printing, a further press of this high-end series was sold with seven printing units, inline coater and extended delivery. Several buyers opted for the Rapida 105, including two eight-colour coater presses, one of which was also configured with the cold foil module Vinfoil Optima. In large format, KBA lived up to its role as market leader with several new orders, and a number of sales contracts for the Rapida 75 PRO are also close to completion. In total, the orders received matched the figures achieved at Print China two years ago. 

200 years Koenig & Bauer – 200 years of innovation

“We are all very proud of the 200-year history of our company,” says Ralf Sammeck. “Over the whole course of those two centuries, KBA has always been a pioneer of new trends and solutions for the print industry. This innovative strength, the continuous development of new technologies and close customer orientation are the foundations for our success and have also helped us to master difficult situations along the way.”  

And Dietmar Heyduck adds: “We have always been a reliable partner for our customers, and we can work from a sound financial basis. This trustful cooperation is to be continued. KBA is not only about history, KBA also has its eye on the future. We will continue to set trends, recognise and respond to emerging developments, and serve our users as an innovative partner.”

KBA is looking forward to brisk post-show business and increased demand from the Chinese market over the coming months.