Press manufacturing giant KBA will raise prices for its sheetfed offset presses by 2.5 per cent from April 15, in response to the increased purchasing costs for materials, energy and other resource inputs.
Dave Lewis, general manager, KBA Australasia told Australian Printer, “Prices will increase in Australia also, this is a worldwide thing.”
This step to increase the price of its sheetfeed offset presses is viewed as part of an extensive programme of measures by KBA to support stronger and sustainable profitability across all fields of business.
KBA says that since 2009 the Group has been the only major press manufacturer returning a positive overall bottom line, and has now declared the same goal specifically for the sheetfed offset segment, after considerable streamlining of the workforce, comprehensive cost reduction measures and development of an innovative new press generation.
KBA says it is now the world’s second biggest manufacturer of sheetfed presses, behind Heidelberg but ahead of manroland and Komori.
Ralf Sammeck, executive vice-president for sheetfed sales, KBA says, “With the Rapida 106 and Rapida 145 which we presented at drupa 2012, we offer users the most modern and efficient sheetfed offset presses on the world market for the medium and large formats. The innovative technology of our highly automated presses, and their many features in terms of automation, fast makeready and inline processes, bring economic benefits for the user and enhance the long-term value of an investment, but they naturally also cost money.”
Sammeck says, “The market, however, has recognised this added value. We were able to record a significant increase in both orders received and turnover in the sheetfed offset segment in 2012, and have further reinforced our position as the second-largest manufacturer in the world. In our opinion, the competition in this market is too price-driven. Needing to utilise excessive capacities, some manufacturers in the industry have for a long time concentrated blindly on securing market shares, regardless of any losses and to the detriment of their external investors. That hardly makes sense. The moderate price increase for our sheetfed presses is justified by their technical features and will contribute to sustainable improvement of our profitability.”
Sheetfed orders were up 10 per cent on 2011 thanks to drupa, but overall order intake including web presses of €826m failed to achieve last year’s record high of €1,155.7m, which was boosted by several major orders for special presses.
