K-1 Packaging Group Ups Capacity with New Press

DALLAS—April 16, 2014—K-1 Packaging Group, a designer and manufacturer of high-end, graphic packaging materials for retail items located in City of Industry, CA, is anticipating the arrival of its new eight-color, 41" KBA Rapida 105 press with coater and UV capabilities this spring. Due to extraordinary growth and the need for added capacity, the new KBA Rapida 105 will join two existing KBA Rapida 105 presses on its pressroom floor.

“To keep up with our dramatic sales growth, increase our capacity, and have the latest in offset printing technology, we made the decision to purchase a new KBA Rapida 105 press,” noted Mike Tsai, president of K-1 Packaging Group. “While there are many new features that come with the press, the technology that we look forward to the most is the KBA QualiTronic ColorControl system. This is an inline color measurement and control camera system that monitors and maintains color consistency by taking a snapshot of every printed sheet. We intend to direct the most color critical jobs to the new press where the QualiTronic ColorControl could really help us to monitor and maintain color consistency.”

K-1 specifically configured its new KBA press based entirely on the type of work it encounters on a regular basis and its customer’s needs. UV capabilities were added to offer K-1 the most flexibility in terms of the wide range substrates in which it can print on. Said Tsai, “Most customers do not know what UV printing is; however, the kind of result they seek frequently requires UV printing. The addition of this new press will certainly facilitate our effort to grow market share. We plan to aggressively target the kind of work that the press is most capable of producing—high-end carton work.”

The purchase and installation of its new KBA press represents only a portion of a larger investment plan for K-1, which includes upgrades to its facility as well as additional equipment. Last winter, K-1 began preparation on its facility before the scheduled arrival date of the new press. To accommodate the new press the company had to reposition many pieces of existing equipment. “The new press is scheduled to become operational as we ramp up for our busy season which typically starts in May,” relayed Tsai. “The addition of this third press will increase the output of our pressroom. This means that processes upstream and downstream of the pressroom will also need to increase its respective output. As a result, new equipment is being added in these areas as well. We look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on our throughput, as well as on our quality efforts.”

When considering a new press for its facility, K-1 and its management team did not look any further than KBA for new equipment. Tsai explains that his firm has had a very positive experience with the reliability and performance of its two existing KBA presses. “We have been working with KBA for over ten years now. Our overall experience with our KBA presses as well as with KBA’s technical support has been positive. In our overall consideration of technology and reliability, we feel that KBA makes the best sheetfed presses,” he added.

Source: KBA.