Five KBA Commander presses for Ciner Group

A major contract late last year from India’s Dainik Bhaskar Group for seven Prisma 4/1 presses has been followed by an even bigger order from Turkey. Printer and publisher Ciner Matbaacilik (Ciner Printing Inc.) has signed up for five KBA Commander press lines, totalling 27 towers, for its Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Adana operations. The presses will print in-house daily and weekly titles along with semi-commercials and external products. The company is part of the Ciner Group, whose interests encompass mining, energy, tourism, hotels, trade and industry, and which also has a strong social agenda.

Group president Turgay Ciner says: "Our growth strategy demands high-performance, cutting-edge technology that will give us that vital competitive edge in national newspaper and semi-commercial print markets. Following a rigorous selection procedure we opted for Commander presses because they deliver an outstanding print quality, a high level of productivity and an exceptionally good ROI. Koenig & Bauer’s reputation as a driver of innovation in newspaper press engineering also played a major role, as did the glowing reports from the various reference sites we visited. KBA offered us highly automated presses custom-configured to our precise specifications and with plenty of capacity to handle current and future market demands."

Christoph Müller, KBA executive vice-president for web press sales, marketing and service, says: "It is a great honour for us to be chosen by the Ciner Group as best provider. The inauguration of the five Commander press lines with their hybrid coldset/heatset capabilities represents a further landmark in our 190-year history as the pioneer of mechanised printing. This major contract strengthens our presence in the Turkish market and underscores our position as the industry leader in newspaper and hybrid technology."

High level of flexibility and productivity

With a maximum rated output of 90,000 copies per hour the five KBA Commander press lines will be the fastest newspaper presses in Turkey. Press features include KBA RollerTronic automatic roller locks, automatic ink pumping, blanket washing and colour and cut-off register controls to maximise productivity and print quality. Control technology for the four printing sites is supplied by EAE.