König & Bauer AG - Gran Canaria: printing where others soak up the sun

The Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa are not just a holiday paradise where you can relax and soak up the sun at any time of the year. They are also a place where top-quality prints are pumped out all year round.

One of the most prominent printers on Gran Canaria island is Litografica Gonzales, a family enterprise based in the capital city of Las Palmas, which with just under 400,000 inhabitants is the biggest city in the Canaries.

Litografica Gonzales has been printing commercials since the late 1970s, and in recent years these have mainly been promos for supermarkets and the tourist industry. In 1995 Litografica Gonzales bought a second-hand Albert A101 eight-page web press, followed by a 16-page KBA Compacta 214 in 1998 and again in 2001. Now the 1998-vintage Compacta is to be replaced by a new 16-page version of KBA’s universally popular Compacta 215.

The new press will have four printing units a 620mm (24.5in) cut-off on a maximum web width of 1000mm (39.37in), and shaftless drives throughout. It will be configured with an F3 gripper folder, gluing and softening devices and a KBA Pastomat C reelstand for a maximum reel weight of 1.8 tonnes (2 US tons). Reel feed will be manual with Patras M. The KBA ErgoTronic console will feature LogoTronic production management and a CIPLink interface to pre-press.

The Koenig & Bauer Group is one of the largest press manufacturers worldwide and has the broadest press range in the industry. The parent company is Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) with facilities in Würzburg, Radebeul, Frankenthal and Trennfeld (all in Germany).

The other core members of the Group are Maschinenfabrik KBA-Mödling AG in Mödling, near Vienna (Austria), KBA-Grafitec s.r.o. in Dobruška (Czech Republic), KBA-Metronic AG in Veitshöchheim, near Würzburg (Germany), KBA-MetalPrint GmbH in Stuttgart (also Germany) and KBA-GIORI S.A. in Lausanne (Switzerland). KBA North America Inc. in Dallas, Texas (USA), is our sales and service subsidiary for the US and Canada. In addition we have sales and service outlets in the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Brazil, Russia, Poland, Australia, China, Malaysia and Singapore, plus a global network of dealers. The core companies in the Group employ some 7,500 people.