Redacción Alabrent
The eight-colour press, equipped with perfecting for 4-over-4 production and an additional coating unit, complements the high-performance machinery, which already includes a five-colour Rapida 145 with a coater, as well as an eight-colour Rapida 106 with perfecting for 4-over-4 production. Through this targeted expansion, the family-owned enterprise, which currently employs 115 permanent staff, continues to combine its craft expertise with the pinnacle of technological innovation."An eight-colour Rapida 106 can replace two older presses," explains Managing Director Anton de Groot, contextualising the performance of the Koenig & Bauer machinery. "Given declining print runs and growing price pressure, make-ready efficiency is a clear competitive advantage for us. Furthermore, it is arduous to find the right personnel today. Therefore, it is extremely important to work with highly automated printing technology that is understandable and safe for operators to handle."
Short job changeover times, more saleable sheets
The technological focus of the Rapida 106 X lies in the consistent minimisation of make-ready times and process steps. It starts with the DriveTronic SIS infeed system, which ensures reliable, precise, and mark-free sheet alignment even at the highest print speeds. The true leap in productivity during job changes is achieved through DriveTronic SPC, which enables simultaneous plate changing including paper stretch compensation. This is supported by an integrated camera system: it fully automatically detects the printing plates using their data matrix codes and checks for flawlessness, which drastically shrinks changeover times in dynamic daily operations. The press maximises the resulting make-ready time advantages through simultaneous washing processes – the blanket, impression cylinder, and rollers are cleaned in parallel at the same time thanks to CleanTronic Synchro.
The fact that the use of unbent printing plates additionally eliminates an upstream work step is a further efficiency gain. As soon as the press enters production, the integrated high-speed package ensures printing speeds of up to 20,000 sheets/h in straight printing as well as in perfecting mode. Automatic ink supply and coated EasyClean ink duct foil frames reduce the manual effort for operators to an absolute minimum.
Maximum flexibility from commercial to packaging production
The market demands versatility, and production at De Groot reflects this. The primary focus of the new Rapida 106 X is both commercial printing and book production. In addition, the company serves the rapidly growing general packaging segment – predominantly with the large-format Rapida press, but increasingly also with the Rapida 106 X. To master this technological spread without a loss of quality, the press is equipped with a board-printing package. This ensures highly precise sheet guiding during the printing of packaging as well as on thin papers. Raising the press by 555 millimetres allows for higher piles, which significantly eases logistics in packaging printing. A tab inserter and fully automated pile logistics round off the seamless material flow.
“We paid very close attention to how the next press had to be equipped during this follow-up investment to make it even more efficient”, explains Anton de Groot. “The fact that we raised the press again offers us significantly better reliability and flexibility. This allows us to switch highly profitably between complex packaging jobs and high-quality commercial printing.”
Unique large-format expertise and make-ready record on the Rapida 145
The highly efficient medium format is complemented by a distinct specialisation in large format, giving De Groot an absolutely unique selling point as the sole provider in the Netherlands. The Rapida 145 is used to produce posters, displays, POS advertising, board games, as well as large-format books and brochures. Just how perfectly the operating concept and automation platform from Koenig & Bauer harmonise across format classes was proven by the Rapida 145 press crew with a spectacular internal record: in a mere seven hours, 121 print jobs were successfully produced with pure job changeover times of under three minutes.
Measurable sustainability through 100 per cent green electricity
Sustainable business practices are not an empty phrase for the family-run enterprise De Groot, but rather a daily reality. The technological equipment of the Rapida 106 X proves that high performance and ecology can complement one another: the press prints with reduced alcohol and utilises a special Eco-Package, which, for instance, optimises the energy efficiency of the combi cooling unit and air supply through water cooling located outside the building. VariDryBlue drying in the delivery and delivery extension further reduces energy requirements during the drying process. The company operates on 100 per cent green electricity, works completely carbon-neutral through corresponding compensations, and relies on electric mobility. Extensive solar technology and three planned wind turbines for the future ensure that a large portion of the green energy required to operate the printing company is generated on-site.
To achieve colour certainty from the first to the last sheet, De Groot uses the QualiTronic ColorControl measuring and control system, including QualityPass for seamless colour measurement reports. This performance is controlled and analysed via the LogoTronic system, which provides management with real-time reports, including OEE metrics.
“You don't buy a printing press for one, two, or three years. Therefore, a long-term partnership with suppliers is so crucial,” Anton de Groot concludes. “Koenig & Bauer actively incorporates the experiences of us printers into its own ongoing development to make the presses even better. In truth, these presses never get tired. We are highly satisfied with the technology and the collaborative partnership with Koenig & Bauer, as well as with Wifac here locally.”