KBA Innovation Drives Catalent’s European Expansion
A next-generation 10-colour KBA RAPIDA106 is helping Catalent Pharma Solutions maintain its market-leading position by increasing productivity while ensuring the faultless accuracy and integrity demanded in the pharmaceutical print sector. 

Not content with eating up the 50% pressroom productivity previously handled by two 40” Komori’s, the Rapida now produces over 60% of the Dublin operation’s work and, according to print manager Norman Ross, there’s more to come: “It hasn’t even hit its full capability yet. We have been gradually moving work over to the KBA and we are seeing further productivity gains than first expected.” 
The providers of advanced technologies and outsourced services to the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consumer health industry, installed the press at its Printed Components facility to support its expansion in the UK and European market. 
Aside from the increased quality, the press’s makeready has also enabled Catalent to hold less stock. Aaron Riley, production manager, explains: “Having specified a press to cope with super short runs we have been 100% satisfied that the decision was the right one. Our runs start at as few as 500 sheets on specialised cartons and the KBA helps keep costs down by doing this in less than 10 minutes.” 
This is possible thanks to Plate Ident, which recognises the plate’s position and pre-registers before the first pull, and the record-breaking DriveTronic Simultaneous Plate Changing system. The latter can replace all 10 plates and wash all 10 blankets in less than 3 minutes. With this technology KBA set a world makeready record at Print 09 when an eight-colour B1 Rapida 106 produced a total of 17 unique four over four-colour jobs, each with 500 saleable sheets, in one hour. The performance included a total of 136 plate changes. 
Lead minder Gary Fry, who has run all other popular press brands, adds: “The KBA is from outset better built and more solid than the others. It’s the quickest I have experienced at changing varnish types, Anilox rollers and UV lamps. On top of that the feeder is a simple system that needs little or no interference from the minder. Little things that make a big difference and are features that save not only the format settings in the central memory but every little air setting from start to finish allowing us to repeat jobs at a fraction of the time it used to take. I had never run a KBA before but I have to say that I am a convert!” 

Capable of printing 15,000 sheets per hour, the press features a unique combination of advanced systems for transparent assurance of print quality and product integrity throughout the run. 
As well as Plate Ident and DriveTronic SPC there is QualiTronic full-sheet scanning system, developed by KBA for its currency printing presses. The QualiTronic camera scans each sheet at over three million pixels of resolution in full production speed. The image is then inspected and compared to an approved master sheet for any inconsistencies or deviations. If any deviations are found, the sheet is marked for removal downstream. The system can also detect any minute color changes and automatically adjust the press in a closed-loop sequence, without the need for operator intervention. 
The press’s innovative 2-over-8 configuration also offers the ultimate in efficiency, enabling for the first time the concurrent production and make ready of alternate jobs on a single press, reducing downtime to a minimum. This provides the flexibility needed to effectively service both high and low volume jobs without sacrificing the superb quality, resolution and colour of true offset printing. The press runs at low energy consumption levels, too, which supports Catalent’s efficiency goals and benefits its customers through improved carbon footprint audits. 
KBA (UK) Ltd Sales Director, Mark Nixon, comments: “This combination of highly developed systems ensures every printed sheet is right time after time in terms of both quality and content. Without proven on-board quality controls that are able to react in real-time you are in a position of uncertainty and will only be printing more waste. It is the practical application of KBA innovation that defines sector-leading printers such as Catalent through the excellence of their product.
Catalent’s KBA RAPIDA 106 is part of an ongoing investment to support the growth of European Printed Components business at the Dublin plant which has served the pharmaceutical and healthcare market since it opened in 1989. It also follows investment in similar technology upgrades at the global operation’s plants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.