Poligrafici Printing is expanding its Bologna production plant with a Commander CT heatset press from Koenig & Bauer (KBA). The compact four-high tower with heatset dryer will come on stream in autumn next year. Poligrafici Printing is the print-specific holding of one of Italy’s biggest media groups, Poligrafici Editoriale, whose interests also include publishing, advertising, multimedia, real estate and hotels. The new press purchase continues a longstanding alliance between the Poligrafici group and KBA.

Poligrafici Printing’s Bologna subsidiary, Poligrafici Editoriale Printing, started printing commercials over one hundred years ago and already runs a 48-page KBA Compacta 618 commercial press, a KBA Commander T heatset tower press and a KBA Colora newspaper press. Rotopress International in Loreto, in which Poligrafici Printing has a 33 per cent interest, prints newspapers and commercials on a fleet of KBA Comet coldset and heatset presses. Newspapers are printed on KBA Coloras in Florence and Milan.

Focus on commercials and newspapers

With the new Commander CT Poligrafici Printing is aiming to expand its heatset activities by producing quality flyers, catalogues and magazines faster and more cost-effectively to address market demand. The 80,000cph press with a cylinder circumference of 1,197mm (47.1in) will have an unusual 5/2 plate configuration and will print tabloid newspapers as well as commercials. Its uniquely compact design and array of additional features mean that fan-out will not be a problem, even on the maximum web width of 1,920mm (75.5in).

Alongside a KBA reelstand with automatic reel loading, automatic colour and cut-off register controls and a thermal air dryer with integrated afterburning the press will boast a P5 high-performance 2:5:5 folder and a KBA ErgoTronic console with motion logic controllers.