Describe your business
We’re totally unique. We do everything and I’d go as far to say that things are going very well at the moment. Business is good.
What does the machine do?
It can print a maximum sheet size of 1,510x2,050mm at speeds of up to 9,000 sheets per hour (sph).
Why did you choose this particular machine?
We were doing a lot of point-of-sale work for a customer, but we had to send that out to other trade printers. We realised that point-of-sale was one of the few parts of the print industry with a profit left in it and those printers do not budge on price, they stand their ground. So that’s why we made the investment in this refurbished press.
Did you look at any other similar machines?
KBA is probably the best name in big presses, so if you’re going into that market, you may as well go with them. We did look elsewhere, but KBA has proven itself to us. It was difficult to move into a different camp, but it was the right decision.
Why did you make the purchase?
It adds another string to our bow. We’ve always invested, in and out of recessions, and in this case it was no different. Keeping work in-house gives you greater control on time and costs.
What features do you particularly like?
What has impressed me most is the automatic plate loading. These plates are more than 2m wide and the speed at which each plate is changed is fantastic. It’s exceptionally quick.
Is there anything that you dislike?
Not that I can see. It’s a very robust machine and it might take at least two lifetimes to wear it out.
How fast is it?
It prints at speeds up to 9,000sph.
How reliable is it?
It has been very reliable. We’ve had it for nine months and not had a problem.
What’s the quality like?
We always look for quality and even from a distance, the comments on the quality from the KBA Rapida have been incredibly positive. People have been astounded at the quality even up close.
How much time or money has it saved?
It’s definitely saved us money and it’s allowed us to grow our point-of-sale offering. We’ve not had it a year yet but we’ve definitely taken on more work by having it.
Has it won you any new work?
Oh yes, very much so. Being able to print on such a large sheet size has been the main question asked of us and we can fulfil that.
Would you say that it offers value for money?
As there are no competitors that can fulfil that space on the market, I would have to say that it is definitely value for money.
What about the pre and after-sale service?
We’ve had it for nine months now and haven’t needed service on it once.
Who do you think the machine is right for?
I suppose, I could only say a competitor, but I don’t know if I’d want to see one of our competitors buying one. With this press, we’re now producing some work for printers we used to send work out to and we’re very happy to work in that reverse manner.
Conclusion
User’s verdict
Speed 5/5
Quality 5/5
Reliability 5/5
Value for money 5/5
Supplier’s response
Mark Nixon KBA UK executive sales director says: These sheetfed litho flagships are rich with production and time-saving software. Aldersons is reaping the benefits of years of innovation with features such as controlling the dot gain at pre-press and no repeat marks with the massive ink roll. The quick makeready enables the operation to steal the march on its competitors. It has high-quality UV and impressive registration at the edge of the plate too.
Price circa £2.8m
(205 5+L UV)
Contact KBA UK
01923 0819922
