König & Bauer AG - L.N. Schaffrath orders new commercial press from KBA

Bucking the recession, major German media provider L.N. Schaffrath in Geldern am Niederrhein recently signed up for a capacity- and productivity-boosting 16pp commercial web offset press from KBA. Schaffrath, whose customers include a raft of prominent publishing houses, offers a complete range of services from concept, design and layout to print production and distribution.

At present its primary focus is on periodicals, magazines and supplements, but it is keen to expand its offerings still further. The new press line will join a fleet of web and sheetfed presses in a modern, well-equipped production plant.

Founded over 250 years ago in 1743, Schaffrath employs some 300 staff and in 2009 posted sales exceeding €43m ($60m). Also known in the trade as Schaffrath DruckMedien, the company is owned jointly by Dr Alex and Klaus Schaffrath and their respective families in Geldern and publishing houses Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag in Cologne and Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft in Düsseldorf.

Automation from paper logistics to folder
The press line will comprise four double printing units with a 620mm (24.5in) cut-off and a maximum web width of 1000mm (39.37in). Its advanced level of automation will extend from reel logistics with KBA Patras A, including reel loading and reel-stub ejection in the Pastomat C reelstand, to plate changing with PlateTronic and fast conversion of the P3 folder to support high-speed job changes. The infeed unit with its environmentally friendly regenerative braking system will be integrated in the reelstand to save space. Shaftless drives throughout will ease operation and trim makeready times. Other kit will include closed-loop colorimetry, cut-off register controls and a Contiweb hot-air dryer.

The press will be controlled from a KBA ErgoTronic console, with a convenient operating display panel at the folder. LogoTronic Professional production management software will capture and store operating and job data for press preset and rapid conversion to both new and repeat jobs. KBA EasyTronic and its one-button control will shorten start-up and slowdown times while minimising waste.

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.