The wave of investment by German newspaper printers in new production kit – which contributed greatly to KBA’s strong financial result – is continuing with an order placed by Verlagsgruppe Nordkurier in Neubrandenburg for a Commander CT pressline.

The compact 32-page press with two Pastomat reelstands, two towers and a KF 5 folder, will address more sophisticated demands for quality, productivity and flexibility.

‘Nordkurier’, which has 13 regional editions, is a regular member of WAN-Ifra’s International Newspaper Color Quality Club. It has one of the largest catchment areas for a regional newspaper in Germany.

The new press will be installed early next year at subsidiary Nordost-Druck in Neubrandenburg, 130 km north of Berlin, and will replace a 64pp KBA Express that is almost 20 years old. As well as the daily ‘Nordkurier’, the Commander CT will print the weekly ‘Anzeigenkurier’ – which has eight editions totalling 321,000 copies – plus diverse other publications and contract work.

Features of the 45,000cph double-width press two reelstands for 7/8 and 3/8 ribbons for spadia production, automated reel logistics, cut-off register and sidelay controls, a pre-former web guidance system and skip slitter, a half-cover capability, KBA’s Zip’n’Buy system and a ribbon stitcher.

An ErgoTronic console will be linked to an EAE Print production scheduling and press presetting system that is currently being upgraded.

Managing director of Nordost-Druck Lothar Prehn says that despite having only half the page capacity of its predecessor, practical automation features, higher productivity and fast job changes of the new press will make it possible to give local editions an even tighter focus.

“Extensive pre-investment research produced some compelling arguments in favour of the concept and technology,” he says.