April 18, 2002 -- The KBA stand at Ipex was busy throughout the show, with an exceptionally high attendance by trade representatives and decision-makers. Although, as was to be expected, most of the visitors were from the UK and the Commonwealth, a surprisingly large number made the trip from Europe, Scandinavia, the Far East and South America, relatively few from North America. Perhaps the biggest attraction on the KBA stand was the debut of the KBA Genius 52, a new challenger in the GTO format and the only genuinely new conventional press at the show. But other technological novelties also drew the crowds: 5/5 printing on G-flute with a 10-unit Rapida 105 B1 commercial sheetfed press, a new aqueous coater for the 74 Karat B2 DI offset press and a new three-drum perfector for the Rapida 74 conventional offset, also B2. In Birmingham, representatives from German, British and French HSE's could see for themselves that the technology in the new waterless KBA Genius 52 is as green as in the unit-type Rapidas (4) More than 170 Printing Units Ordered All the KBA presses exhibited were snapped up during the show. The ten-unit Rapida 105 by Buxton Press in Derbyshire and the 46 Karat by the NCS group in Newcastle upon Tyne. The 74 Karat with integrated coater is earmarked for Germany and the 2/4 Rapida 74 for Hungary. The first serially produced Genius 52 will be shipped in September to German printing house Johnen-Druck. Altogether KBA inked contracts worth 40m euros for digital and conventional offset presses totalling more than 170 printing units for its complete range of formats from small to large, with plenty more in the pipeline. So the group is confident that post-Ipex business will be brisk.