Over the next few months a new, highly automated printing plant with cutting-edge technology and integrated workflows will go live in Coblenz, Germany, printing a raft of titles including the Rhein-Zeitung. The core component in the press room will be a triple-width KBA Commander CT with four reelstands, four 6/2 towers and two folders. The 96-page Rhine-format press with a maximum web width of 2,100mm (82.6in) and a 510mm (20in) cut-off will be embedded in a KBA Patras automated reel-logistics system with AGVs and reel-data tracking. An integrated processing system from Beil-Registersysteme will feed plates to the towers. At IFRA Expo in Vienna, Coblenz-based Mittelrhein-Verlag, publisher of the Rhein-Zeitung, signed a long-term service agreement with KBA.

KBA specialists permanently on-site

Under the terms of the agreement, all maintenance work on the new 6/2 KBA Commander CT, all press inspections and production monitoring will be carried out jointly by Mittelrhein staff and KBA specialists with intimate knowledge of this specific press type. The service contract will run for an initial ten years, after which it can be extended. The assistance of highly skilled KBA technicians for preventive maintenance and regular press inspections can deliver substantial productivity and efficiency gains.