KBA UK managing director Kelvin Lowe is leaving the firm after four years to set up his own business.


He will be replaced by MAN Roland high-flyer Christian Knapp, who is extremely well connected in the UK web market through his time as regional sales director for the UK, Ireland and South Africa.


While KBA has enjoyed success in niche areas of the UK market like large-format sheetfed and newspapers, its presence in commercial web has been almost non-existent.


Lowe is scheduled to leave KBA at the end of December. His new business, Press Systems, will act as an agent selling reel handling and other ancillary equipment to web press manufacturers.


I knew Knapp was being considered but Ive had no official communication that hes been appointed, admitted Lowe. Ive worked with him in the past and hell fit in very well.


Lowe said that during his time at KBA he had found that some sub-suppliers failed to offer a full service.


Ive been in sales since I was 25 and Im now 42, so I felt if I was going to go out on my own it needed to be now, he added.


I will be making more announcements in January but some contracts for sub-suppliers are not in place yet.


Knapps appointment will undoubtedly lead to speculation about the future of Norman Revill, sales manager for httprint europe.


Revill and Knapp enjoyed a close relationship and made several high-profile sales together at MAN Roland when Revill headed up UK commercial web sales at PPS.


Story by Gordon Carson