Baker Al Nasser, general manager of the Salman Group, said the new TouchTronic console in particular is an ‘outstandingly intuitive’ system and made familiarisation so much easier for the operators. Further tools such as automated colour measurement and control based on optical densities and Lab values contribute to ultra-short makeready and stable, reproducible production.

“There are many presses which deliver good and saleable quality. And we ourselves grew with other presses until 2014. But the reality on the market is today unfortunately different to a few years ago. Today, it is imperative for us to use only the most productive presses with the highest levels of technical availability. That is the only way to grow further. In this connection, the Rapida series leaves no technical wishes unanswered. Furthermore, Koenig & Bauer and Kharafi convinced us with the best advice and service concept.”

Noureddine Amalou, MENA sales manager at Koenig & Bauer, said it was an exciting challenge to plan a printing plant from scratch.

“For the Saudi Arabian market and for the target group of Noor Carton, productivity and integration were essential aspects. Many very long repeat jobs are printed, which is why all the presses are configured with automatic non-stop pile changing and extended logistics. The vision is to automate board transport from the stores, via the printing press and die-cutting machine, through to shipping to the customer. This is an innovative solution which is unique in the MENA region, based on the models of existing Koenig & Bauer partners in Europe. After all, labour costs are also increasing dramatically in the Middle East and must thus be taken into account in major investment projects.”

Source:  PackagingNews  ||  January 30, 2018   |||