They may not have known it at the time, but when Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Bauer's rotary printing press allowed The Times of London to become the first mechanically printed newspaper 200 years ago, the industry would be forever changed.
One day before PRINT 13 opened, the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) inducted 15 industry leaders into the Soderstrom Society, named for the late Walter E. Soderstrom, one of the founders of NAPL. The Soderstrom award recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants, and educators.
Here's a look at some of the new printing and binding equipment and software that will be shown at PRINT 13, taking place in Chicago, September 8-12.
KBA President and CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann, addressed shareholders at the 88th annual general meeting in Würzburg, Germany. Bolza-Schünemann, painted a mixed picture of the current situation in the printing press market, whereas the sheetfed division benefitted from numerous orders placed at the well-attended trade shows China Print in Beijing and Printtek in Istanbul, Turkey.
According to Mark Hischar, president and CEO of KBA North America, KBA maintains its strong position in the worldwide package printing market by introducing new products that specifically address the needs of packaging printers.
KBA Japan has retrofitted its first press installation with an Eco-Eagle Cold Foil system solution from Graphic Art Systems at Taisei Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based packaging printer. Taisei can now offer its clients an in-house, value-added finishing technique for cold foil applications.
A recent episode of "Manufacturing Marvels" on the FOX Business Network highlights Huston Patterson’s KBA packaging technology and unique customer service. The segment was shot on location at Huston Patterson’s 110,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Decatur, IL, and shows the firm’s KBA sheetfed presses in action.
Commercial printing industry supplier company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ April 2013 edition, featuring Diversified Graphic Machinery (DGM), KBA North America, Mohawk, Prime UV Systems, Vecoplan LLC, ILFORD and CMA Graphix Group, Sakurai and Scodix Ltd.
Preliminary sales for printing press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) for 2012 rose by over 10 percent to nearly €1.3bn; and a positive operating profit of over €30m before special items, more than triple that of 2011 (€9.9m). Operating and free cash flow were also significantly positive.
Following the entry into the promising digital print market at drupa 2012 with an inkjet web press produced at KBA’s main plant in Würzburg, the takeover of Flexotecnica in Tavazzano, near Milan, signals the entry into the growing print market for flexible packaging (especially films).
