Imagine! Print Solutions Adds Ninth KBA Press, a Rapida 105, to Support Growth
SHAKOPEE, Minn.—November 11, 2015—KBA North America is proud to announce that Imagine! Print Solutions, North America's foremost independent commercial and packaging printing company, has just completed its installation of a new seven-color, 41-inch KBA Rapida 105 press with fully automated in-line quality control and inspection systems in the fall of 2015 at its Shakopee facility, outside of Minneapolis. This is the ninth KBA press installed at an Imagine! Print Solutions facility.
"Imagine! continues to post explosive growth because of our laser focus on clients and the markets we serve," said Bob Lothenbach, president of Imagine! "We truly partner with our clients by listening to what they need and anticipating market demand. Due to this phenomenal double-digit growth, we decided to invest in a new press with smarter technology and more automation. We looked to KBA and found that one new KBA Rapida 105 press can replace two of our existing presses from a different manufacturer and add 50 percent more productivity and better quality, for less money, and faster speeds. Installing this new KBA press is a solution for our customers and that’s what we do. At Imagine! we are 100 percent customer-driven; we meet deadlines and exceed expectations.”
The new KBA Rapida 105 press, designed to produce packaging, point of purchase, and commercial printing work at Imagine!, is configured with a raft of unique KBA technology that drives more sheets through the KBA press than its competitors with more consistent quality at lower operating and maintenance costs. The press is configured with seven colors plus coater and KBA VariDry UV system as well as a KBA inline color control system.
The newly-installed 41-inch KBA Rapida 105 press in Shakopee joins eight more KBA Rapida presses at Imagine’s facility located in Shakopee, Minnesota: a giant 81-inch Rapida 205, two 64-inch Rapida 162 presses, and four 41-inch Rapida presses, as well as a new 41-inch Rapida 105 press at Imagine! Express Minneapolis. All presses are fully equipped with KBA’s advanced technology from quality control to fully automated processes including a host of drying solutions.
“KBA has been our press partner for 10 years,” explained Lothenbach. “In 2005, we purchased the first six-color, 81-inch Rapida 205 press in North America. Since then we have added several additional KBA presses to maintain the quality level and provide us with the best possible performance from our litho department. Its commitment to our market and sheet size requirements is what sets KBA apart from its competition.”
Steve Korn, KBA director of national and key accounts, commented, "This new KBA Rapida 105 press investment made by Imagine! signals that the largest independent printing company in North America is once again making investments for its clients to drive further improvement in the production of branded materials and retail offerings across the country." He continued, “We at KBA appreciate the genuine partnership that we’ve created over many years with Imagine! We congratulate Bob and his entire Imagine! team on what they’ve accomplished, their extraordinary growth in both sales and physical facilities, but most importantly their continued relentless customer-focused solutions approach. We are certain that this new KBA press will help to efficiently move more projects through production, fuel future growth, and continue Imagine's flawless execution of high quality printing and on-time service for many years to come."
About Imagine! Print Solutions
Imagine! Print Solutions is headquartered in Minneapolis, and is North America's foremost independent large format and commercial printing company. Imagine! has more than 1,300 employees and celebrated its 25th anniversary in April, 2013. Imagine! has grown to be a $305 million company serving seven national print segments: point-of-purchase, packaging, UV print, commercial, flexography, digital and screen print. Imagine! sets the pace in its core markets for service, capacity, flexibility and on-time delivery. The company's capabilities and services include: temporary and permanent display design; folding carton design; electronic pre-press; one- to 7-color sheetfed and UV printing; one- to 10-color flexography; complete finishing and carton converting; kitting and fulfillment and fully integrated e-commerce services—including online product ordering, inventory reporting and job tracking tools.
About KBA
KBA North America is located in Dallas, and is a member of the KBA Group. Established almost 200 years ago in Wuerzburg, 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, commercial and newspaper web presses, inkjet systems and presses, flexographic presses, special presses for banknotes, securities, metal-decorating, smart cards, glass and plastic decorating.
Source: KBA.
