Porth based, high quality carton printer Beatus Cartons has purchased a highly specified Rapida 106 7 colour with double coating facility.
The new press, which will be installed in Autumn 2017 will replace an existing Heidelberg CD 102 5 plus coater. The new press is the latest stage in an exciting investment programme that has seen a brand new, state of the art innovation centre constructed to house a new carton design studio and their recently purchased digital proofing equipment.
Beatus Cartons (originally known as Jacob Beatus after its founder) is a proud, family owned business which was established in 1940. Based in Porth in the Rhondda Valley they specialise in providing folding printed cartons in solid board, litho laminated flute and plastic packaging for the food, pharmaceutical, confectionery, motor, glassware, health and beauty industries. Many of the 55 employees at the 77 year ‘young’, £5million turnover business have been with the company for many years (some in excess of 40 years!). It is this level of dedication and commitment which has helped the business to thrive and maintain a very loyal customer base as well as regularly attracting new clients.
Managing Director Clive Stinchcombe states: ‘We may be 77 years old but we prefer to think of the business as 77 years young. We are a forward thinking company, proud of our longevity, but equally excited by the future that lies ahead.’ He continues ‘With our investment in the Rapida 106 we will now be able to offer seven colour printing for the first time, greater running speeds, significant reductions in make ready times and waste and in addition, we are able to offer a great range of special coating finishes for our clients. We believe the new press with all its automation and the move to one pass productivity has the potential to increase our turnover by at least 50%.’
The press was extensively specified to the meet the exact requirements of the Beatus Cartons technical team following testing at KBA’s sheet-fed solutions facility in Dresden. KBA also arranged reference visits and discussions with several new users who have switched to Rapida 106 technology from other manufacturers.
Mr Stinchcombe saw this as a real positive in the evaluation process ‘A distinct factor was the success KBA have enjoyed in recent years with folding carton printers. They appear to be the “go to company” for carton manufacturers like us. They are completely focussed on carton print technology and their overall levels of service and support are with this in mind. This is what we need from our print machinery supplier; a good product, and a company with a good back up service which puts training and development on an equal footing.”
Fastest Changeovers
The new press will provide the highest levels of productivity with a top speed of 18,000 SPH and fully automatic plate changing technology (FAPC) which allows all the plates to be changed in less than 3 minutes. The press is also equipped with KBA’s unique sensoric infeed system (SIS) and roller declutching which are standard items on the 106 Rapida range. In addition, the press is being shipped with simultaneous roller washing which allows a set of rollers to be washed whilst the press is running ensuring rapid change overs for special colours.
Ultimate Flexibility
More efficient production on a broad range of substrates is possible with the new press as it is equipped with both a CX package and a plastics package; this will allow printing of a great variety of materials of up to 1.2mm thick. The press is being supplied with capability for production with both conventional and U.V. inks and coatings, and is equipped with a water cooling facility which greatly reduces heat in the press hall and reduces wear and tear on the peripheral components. The UV lamps (including a special white cure lamp) are equipped with UV sensors which monitor the levels of UV energy directly from the lamp.
Unrivalled Quality Control
Beatus Cartons will be the first company in the UK to have a Rapida 106 supplied with KBA’s QualiTronic PDF system. This feature allows automatic, inline comparison with customer supplied PDF’s. With a resolution of 300 DPI and fully automatic fault logging, this system provides the ultimate in sheet inspection.
The company supplies products for the pharmaceutical industry which places extremely high demands for quality compliance on printers. The QualiTronic PDF system has ensured they can now provide an unrivalled, high resolution inspection solution with extensive reporting for their clients which will also reduce waste in both time and materials.
Mr Stinchcombe states: ‘The inline quality control of this machine is one of its biggest attractions and will allow us to achieve a more consistent and reliable level of quality without having to compromise on running speeds.
For inline colour control at the highest speeds with the lowest waste count on every make ready, the press is equipped with QualiTronic ColorControl; KBA’s inline colour measurement system, alongside the Ergotronic Colour control desk for standardised print, quality analysis and reporting.
The performance data of the press will be automatically captured for analysis via KBA’s LogoTronic Professional which will provide detailed reports on every activity taking place on the press. The Logotronic system has also been extended to include Logotronic Cockpit which provides detailed reports on the presses OEE performance. The LogoTronic system also provides the link to pre-press, an MIS system and allows the storage of the colour quality data produced by the press via KBA’s Qualitronic QualityPass and QualiTronic ColorView.
Personal Approach
Reflecting on the decision to purchase a press from KBA Mr Stinchcombe adds ‘During the investment process we looked at both Heidelberg and Komori. However, we were bowled over by the inline quality system and KBA gave us a huge degree of confidence. It was a very personal approach but conducted in highly professional manner from the outset. We were particularly impressed by the level of personal service afforded to us by KBA UK Area Sales Manager Peter Banks, who not only held our hand throughout the whole process. He also possesses an additional likeability factor which mirrors the philosophy of personal service we have with our own customers. We hope that this is the start of a long and happy relationship.’
KBA (UK) Ltd. Sales Director Chris Scully added: ‘We are delighted to welcome Beatus Cartons to our ever growing band of printers who are selecting the Rapida 106 as their press of choice for carton manufacturing. They are a proud company with a long history and the exciting features for both quality control and efficient make ready on this press will help to truly set them apart from their competition and to ensure that their business continues to thrive and grow.
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