Mastercolour installs UK's first six-colour KBA Rapida 75E

The £500,000-plus B2 press, which was delivered to the £6.4m-turnover print company earlier this month, took 10 days to commission at its Tunbridge Wells site including four days of staff training.

Mastercolour managing director Philip Exall said: "We are running the machine around the clock and although it produces up to speeds of 15,000sph, that is not as critical as the fast makeready times.

"Run lengths are falling and the Rapida 75E makes ready in a third of the time of the machines it is replacing."

Mastercolour’s latest addition will be its tenth KBA machine in 30 years, prompting Exall to brand his company a "KBA house".

According to Exall, the environmental credentials of the press were extremely important to the company, which is one of a handful of elite UK printers to possess EMAS certification. The Rapida features environmentally friendly washing systems for its rollers, blankets and impression cylinders, also benefits from KBA’s Ergotronic control console enabling users to preset ink metering for specific jobs.

The inbuilt Techkon Spectrodrive colour measurement scanner also uses 50% less energy than comparable presses.

Exall said: "The on-press systems cut down run-up waste and consumables – and that’s before you take into account the energy savings."

KBA UK managing director Christian Knapp said: "It is clear that Mastercolour and KBA have the same business philosophy based on product excellence, regeneration and loyalty to our customers and that is why our long partnership has been mutually rewarding."

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