König & Bauer AG - High-volume commercial web press for the South of France

Provence is famous for the outstanding beauty of its countryside and the excellence of its red wine. Only a few industry insiders are aware that in the heart of this popular tourist spot, in Rognac, a number of commercial web presses and one sheetfed offset press from Koenig & Bauer (KBA) print high-volume runs of value-added products at Imprimerie Rockson. Now Rockson is expanding its fleet with an 80pp KBA Compacta 818 and has taken an option on a second, identical press. Rockson’s longstanding business relations with KBA, and the strong position it has established with its KBA fleet in the fiercely competitive French publications market, were major factors influencing the choice of press. Following a recent big order from Saudi-Arabia for two KBA Compacta 217 commercial presses this is a further boost for a sector still reeling from the economic crisis.

Successful and profitable
Imprimerie Rockson was founded in 1970 and now employs over 100 people. Special-interest magazines and periodicals on fashion, sport and cultural activities account for a large proportion of its output, along with advertising leaflets, supplements and catalogues for the tourist trade. Its customer base includes publishing houses, advertising agencies and other print buyers from all over France, Germany and the UK. Headed by Henri Papazian and Michel Toti it is one of the most successful and profitable print providers in the country.

The Compacta 818 replaces a 48pp Compacta 618 destroyed in a fire, and joins two 16pp Compacta 215s and a 24pp Compacta 318. It will not only deliver a huge capacity boost but will also enhance productivity and flexibility, enabling Rockson to provide a complete range of services from short-run, low-pagination to high-volume, high-pagination products.

“We had been planning a major investment before the fire,” explains Henri Papazian, “and even wanted to establish a new production base, but the economic crisis put paid to that.” However, nothing could quench the company’s dynamism and determination to corner a bigger share of its competitive market. “A major market like France means long print runs and a high page count. Unlike Italy, France is poorly equipped for this. We offer market prices yet still battle against Italian and Spanish competitors who have the benefit of a better production environment. Having said that, being well equipped is no longer adequate. We must also address more sophisticated customer demands with regard to labelling and certification. That’s not always easy, but we are ready.”

Performing to order
The time and waste savings delivered by KBA EasyTronic during press start-up and stop, and the enormous reduction in maintenance input and roller abrasion achieved with RollerTronic automatic roller locks, will make production with the Compacta 818 exceptionally cost-effective, while a Patras A automated reel-logistics system optimises the materials flow.

The Compacta 818 for Rockson is engineered for a web width of 2,060mm (81in) and a cylinder circumference of 1,197mm (47in). It will feature a V5 gripper folder which is unique in its ability to deliver both short- and long-grain products. For even greater versatility the press incorporates a gluing and softening device and a section stitcher.

LogoTronic Professional allows job and presetting data to be transferred directly to the press. This well-proven system converts press, production and administrative data into meaningful statistics, promoting transparency throughout the enterprise.

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.