KBA Shows Its RotaJET Inkjet Web Press for Newspaper, Book, and Decor Markets

At drupa 2016, Eric Frank, KBA senior VP of marketing and product management, held aloft a piece of laminate flooring produced on the KBA RotaJET 168 high-speed inkjet solution.

DALLAS — December 13, 2016 — During the busy fall months, KBA executives solidified strong relationships with the newspaper, book, and decor markets and promoted the short-run cost-effective inkjet solutions of its popular RotaJET inkjet web press for a number of exciting markets. High-level KBA experts attended industry events catering to these diverse industry segments to discuss the newest innovations and solutions.

At Graph Expo 2016 in Orlando in late September, KBA took advantage to meet with attendees from the newspaper and web offset fields. Prior to the show opening, KBA participated in the International Newspaper Group (ING) as a Gold Sponsor. Over a day and a half, newspaper operations executives and industry suppliers exchanged information and discussed the latest technology impacting the industry. Winfried Schenker, sales director of web presses at KBA AG, and Bruce Richardson, KBA national sales manager of web presses, met with high-level executives to discuss the challenges in the industry, listening to vibrant discussions with positive attitudes toward the market. Afterwards, KBA had very many encouraging discussions with newspaper executives about the RotaJET and its capabilities.

KBA remained busy during Graph Expo as it met with its KBA web offset users group over two days at the Orlando Convention Center. Stefan Prohaska, KBA’s director of customer support for the web division, led the meeting with newspaper executives and was supported by Michael Hetterich, senior manager of spare parts management/supplier management at KBA AG and Thomas Potzkai, head of division for after sales service and project management at KBA AG.

In late October, KBA introduced itself and its RotaJET press to the Book Manufacturing Conference on Marco Island, Fla., as a first-time attendee and new member of the organization. Winfried Schenker along with Bruce Richardson met with a dozen book manufacturers who enthusiastically learned about the superior capabilities and solutions offered by the KBA RotaJET such as its ability to economically produce short-run, high-volume black-and-white books on coated stock.

Another interesting digital solution solved by the KBA RotaJET is its ability to print directly onto diverse surfaces or décor paper including wood. At the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Richardson spoke to the audience on the RotaJET’s capability of producing décor and floor laminate. He discussed how this capability was demonstrated at this year’s drupa, the international trade fair held in Germany in early summer, where the RotaJET 168 high-speed inkjet solution produced laminate flooring that included augmented reality to demonstrate the integration of digital printing with smart phone technology. The demonstration drew large crowds that clustered around the digital press to see its high print quality and enormous performance on a variety of substrates. Not only could attendees see how the laminate flooring was printed, added Richardson, but they could also walk across the actual flooring in the booth.

About KBA North America
KBA North America is located in Dallas and is a member of the KBA Group. Established almost 200 years ago in Würzburg, Germany, Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) is the oldest and second largest press manufacturer worldwide. KBA's banner, 'People & Print', reflects its dual focus as a leading innovator for print entrepreneurs. The group's product range is the broadest in the industry; its portfolio includes sheetfed offset presses in all format classes, inkjet presses and systems, flexographic presses, commercial and newspaper web presses, special presses for banknotes, securities, metal-decorating, smart cards, glass and plastic decorating.

Source: KBA.