Malaysia installs three KBA presses

MALAYSIA – Since its introduction to the Malaysian printing market 18 months ago at a special open house, three local companies have installed KBA’s B2 Rapida 75 for both commercial and packaging printing.

Globac Printing (formerly Dragon Hitech Printing) was the first of three printers in Kuala Lumpur to install the space- and energy-saving Rapida 75. The 30-employee company prints commercial products on paper, film and lightweight board. They range from promos, magazines and books to CD box sets and high-grade packaging.

Sales and marketing director Tony Fong says, “We opted for a six-colour Rapida 75 with coater some months ahead of the open house in KL, after researching the market and visiting KBA in Germany. We were convinced that, for us, a Rapida 75 with this configuration would be the best guarantee of growth.”

Shortly after the press went live, Globac added a UV package to maximise utilisation and profits.

“The Rapida 75 joined a four-colour coater press from a Japanese vendor, and is far superior. This is evident during print runs and make-ready,” explains Fong. “It can handle substrates from 0.04 to 0.6 millimetres thick, and thus our entire product range. Our customers are the ad agencies of prominent manufacturers in the food-processing and electronics industries, and with the Rapida 75 we have shown them that our technological capabilities have been hugely enhanced.”

The Rapida 75 at Globac prints 15 to 20 jobs a day in runs from just 300 to several thousand copies. Longer runs of 30,000 or even 50,000 impressions are an exception. So fast job changes are more important than a high output.

Fong adds, “We are happy to print 12,500 sheets per hour and are delighted with the press, job changes and KBA’s service. We are already considering further investments.”

Lian Yik: Rapida 75 the press of choice
Another Malaysian company that decided to invest in KBA’s technology is Lian Yik, a family business with 14 employees and annual of sales of 6 million ringgits ($1.87m).

A five-colour Rapida 75 with coater came on stream in March 2011 at Lian Yik. A commercial enterprise serving the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area, Lian Yik recently expanded into packaging and will use the Rapida for both business lines.

Lian Yik proprietor Lim Soon Huat says, “We were at the KBA open house last year and found just what we were looking for to upgrade production. The Rapida 75’s design, footprint, energy efficiency, output and flexibility ticked all the boxes. We kept a careful eye on the first installation, at Dragon Hitech, maintaining close contacts with the company.”

Lim already runs various small-format presses and found KBA to be a reliable vendor: “This became obvious during commissioning, training and in the quality of the service provided. Our Rapida 75 is in action twelve hours a day printing a wide range of jobs in runs of 500 to 100,000 copies. It is fast, flexible and reliable.”

Percetakan Kencana: Rapida 75E drives growth
The most recent of the three B2 installations in Kuala Lumpur is a four-colour Rapida 75E whose official inauguration at Percetakan Kencana on 12 November 2011 was attended by a large number of trade professionals.

Located in the city centre, Kencana has been a one-stop commercial printer for more than 25 years, with design and pre-press services provided by subsidiary Matahari. The 20-employee firm can print a huge range of products including business forms, brochures, books, magazines, catalogues, calendars, annual reports and packaging.

The company was looking for quality and speed, and found both features in the new KBA Rapida 75E.

Thin Ten Lai, one of Kencana’s general managers, says, “We switched from another German vendor because we had kept a weather eye on advances in the Rapida 75 and knew that we could rely on KBA’s innovative technology and outstanding service.

“The press offers real value for money and an array of features that have paid dividends. We have been able to enhance and expand our product range substantially while boosting productivity. The press runs for twelve hours a day and is always in top form thanks to the 24-hour service provided by KBA Asia-Pacific.”