Drupa 08 Provides KBA Vast Sales Orders and Capacity Booth Crowd

WILLISTON, VT—07/01/08—KBA North America, a global press manufacturer, pronounced Drupa 2008 a resounding success with a capacity crowd and sales success at the KBA booth during each of the 14 show days. Attendance figures soared and KBA’s spacious show booth surrounded by four litho presses was often so packed that it was almost impossible to push one’s way through.

“Drupa 2008 exceeded our expectations in many ways,” says Holger Garbrecht, president and CEO of KBA North America. “According to group president and CEO Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, the 14-day print media trade fair held in Düsseldorf in late May to early June, has brought in orders worth more than €200 million, surpassing the figure for the previous Drupa in 2004. Despite the current business climate in certain key markets, the attendance figures and the proportion of both foreign visitors and trade professionals was higher than expected,” he continued. “The ambitious sheetfed sales targets laid down by executive vice-president Ralf Sammeck were even surpassed. Judging by the response to KBA’s product launches, post-Drupa business also promises to be brisk.”

Demonstrations of the world makeready champion KBA Rapida 106 41-inch sheetfed press with its many unique features met with a positive response among members of the trade. The exceptional versatility of KBA’s new Rapida 105 also attracted a string of sales. In large format and among packaging printers, KBA underscored its leadership position in the global market with a succession of contracts.

North American customers sign for new presses

KBA signed a number of North American customers to new presses. Unimac Graphics, a sheetfed and web printer based in Carlstadt, New Jersey, purchased a new Rapida 106, the world makeready champion in medium format. The six-color coater version with extended delivery and perfecting after the second unit will also sport DriveTronic SPC dedicated cylinder drives and no-sidelay infeed. The press is slated to ship in October.