KBA installs third Rapida 145 in Italy

- Large-format sheet-fed offset press platform launched at Drupa 2012

 

- Three installed in Italy in under a year

 

German press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer (KBA) said its new Rapida 145 series of large-format sheet-fed offset presses, which were launched at Drupa 2012, is attracting strong interest from Italian packaging printers.

 

Six- and seven-color variants have already been installed at A. De Robertis & Figli in Bari, with a further six-color coater model installed at Maserpack in Cisterna di Latina near Rome.

 

The new Rapida 145 (pictured, top), in a 106 x 145cm format, is the fourth KBA unit installed at Maserpack, including Varimat 142 and Rapida 142 presses – each in a six-color configuration with in-line coating units.

 

Alongside its 20,000 sq m production site with a highly automated workflow combining pre-press, print and post-press operations in Cisterna di Latina, Maserpack maintains a sales office in Inzago near Milan.

 

When the company was first founded in 1989, it began with the production of folding boxes for the packaging of salt and sugar. In 2000, the portfolio was extended to cover packaging solutions for the whole food and beverages sector, which is still today the largest target group. Print orders for the fashion market and other industries are also important segments.

 

The products it manufacturers (pictured, above) range from folding boxes to clusters and display stands using solid and corrugated boards between 200 and 500 grams per sq m.

 

Around half of the packaging it products is destined for export, with France a key market., and the Maserpack client base includes Barilla, Danone, Coca-Cola, Schweppes, British American Tobacco, San Pellegrino, Nestlé, Parmalat, Giorgio Armani and Gruppo La Perla.

 

Maserpack president Massimo Tramontano said: ‘As can be seen from our numerous certifications relating to product quality and safety, for example to EN 9000, 9001, 14001 and BRC/IoP (British Retail Consortium/Institute of Packaging), quality and reliability stand at the focus of our work at all stages of the process.

 

‘It is our constant endeavour to further develop both technologies and our human inputs, and in this way to be able to guarantee the final customer fast and flexible supplies of the highest quality.

 

‘When it comes to production speed, make-ready times, ease of operation and energy consumption, the Rapida 145 sets new standards. The enlarged print format also enables us to offer our clients additional creative design options.’

 

Tramontano added: ‘The Rapida 145 is in many ways revolutionary, and we are proud to be one of the first users of this new press generation. The smooth production start-up in summer 2012 was an immediate indication that our investment decision was the right one.

 

‘And the first big order which we printed for our client Danone France in September already demonstrated the performance potential of the new press. Our expectations have been met in every way.’

 

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