The final decision to select KBA over Goss followed months of exhaustive tests by NJP's technical team and comes with the approval of key clients.
"Our team made the decision on the press they thought was best. We are not buying the cheapest option I wish some of the rumours about what we are/are not paying were true," stated managing director Bob Pitts.
HSBC is backing the capex element of NJP's plan to the tune of some 25m.
Delighted KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp said: "Four years ago my brief was to put KBA on the map in commercial. It's taken me slightly longer than I'd hoped for, but we are getting there."
Last year Knapp sold KBA's first commercial web in the UK for almost a decade, a 48pp model to Witham-based Woodford Litho.
This week NJP also revealed that it had selected a 27-acre site to the west of Norwich at Wymondham as the site for its new factory. Planning permission to build a state-of-the-art 24,154m2 facility is now being sought.
The first of the highly specified double circumference, long-grain Compacta 818s will be commissioned in the second half of next year, and is likely to be installed at NJP's existing Whitefriars site unless the new factory is ready early enough to accommodate it.
Pitts anticipated that all of the firm's 326 staff will be required at the new site, as NJP is currently negotiating a switch to 24/7 working: "With prices as keen as they are you can't just run these presses five days a week."
The Compactas will be fitted with a dual folder superstructure that incorporates technology from KBA's gravure presses. The kite can be moved aside if a former fold is not required, in which case the ribbons run directly into the folder. KBA claimed this eliminated the crow's foot effect "enabling NJP to print crease-free on virtually all paper grades and grammages." One press will also have double parallel fold capability.
The full press spec includes: KBA Pastomat reel stands, semi-automatic plate loading and alcohol-free inkers, Technotrans dampening, VITS hot air dryers with integrated afterburners, Grafikontrol colour and register controls, GMI closed loop colour control and Baldwin blanket washing. A single Patras automatic reel supply system will deliver paper to both presses. Each has a web width of 1,905mm and a top speed of 45,000rph.
[o] The disposal of their loss-making printing business has cost the Jarrold family almost 12m, just-filed accounts reveal. Jarrold & Sons' figures for the year to 1 February 2004 include an exceptional item related to the sale. It includes 10.2m for impairment of printing assets, 616,000 in redundancy costs, 800,000 to cover the deficit in the pension scheme of the staff that transferred to New Jarrold Printing and other associated costs of 344,000. The exceptional charges wiped out profits and resulted in a loss of just over 11m for the year (2003 loss: 676,000), on turnover that slipped slightly to 59.7m. However, the exceptional costs are likely to be dwarfed by the amount that Jarrold & Sons realises when the Whitefriars print site is redeveloped.
The story so far
January Jarrold & Sons sells 70% stake in its print division to an MBI team led by Bob Pitts
June New Jarrold Printing announces 20m investment plan and is considering two greenfield sites.
July KBA tipped to win press order
November Total spend, including capex and new site, now estimated at 40m. Confirms order for two 64pp KBA webs and selects new site. Jarrold & Sons makes 11.9m exceptional charge relating to the disposal.
Story by Jo Francis
