Rattpack makes KBA investment

The Rapida 106 at Rattpack is a 6-color press with coater and CXboard handling kit, and is equipped with automatic pile logistics with nonstop feeder and delivery, automatic plate changing, QualiTronic Color Control in-line color measurement, QualiTronic Professional in-line sheet inspection and CleanTronic blanket washing systems. It can also print without or with little alcohol, and features an ErgoTronic console with wallscreen.

Rattpack Group’s product spectrum is broad and varied, with 31 percent of sales generated in the folding carton – 20 percent with blanks, 19 percent with laminated corrugated and 18 percent with package inserts for pharmaceutical products. The rest is spilt between displays, service pre-press, commercial work and labels. This equates to 900 million folding boxes, 650 million dosage instructions and 40,000 tonnes of carton.

As well as the KBA Rapida 106, the new production area also features a Bobst die-cutting unit, an Expertfold 110 gluer from Bobst with Cartonpack GT and a robotic palletiser.

Rattpack Group managing director Stephan Ratt (pictured) said: ‘KBA did very well in the tests we carried out in 2012, we just needed to convince our staff. But the decision in favour of KBA was made relatively quickly after the printers saw how easy and comfortable the KBA Rapida is to handle. The press nearly always runs at a top speed of 18,000sph.

‘We normally process between 300 and 500 sq m of board per hour. The press runs stably and I would even go as far as to say that in this respect it beats the competition.’

Ratt added: ‘It is our opinion that our ability to compete has again been significantly improved with this investment in a KBA press and we are able to deliver production stability which is required by the industry’s big players.’