Dana Industries Adds Koenig & Bauer Rapida 75 LED Press

Dana Industries, which was established 25 years ago, recently added a Koenig & Bauer Rapida 75 PRO with LED-UV drying to its 35,000-square-foot facility outside of Toronto.

The company’s portfolio includes custom shelf talkers, retail store fixtures and displays, large format printing and product packaging.

“We’re seeing trends in which brands are requesting more pop, more vibrant color, more messaging, and customization,” said John Ricci, president of Dana Industries. “In today’s world, there is a wider age group of shoppers and niche groups, such as those who seek a healthy living, low salt, vegan; or senior citizens, pet owners, and craft beer drinkers, who are busier than ever and are time-sensitive. Our mandate is to reach these shoppers with effective, engaging campaigns – similar to a mini billboard.”

Management decided that the company needed a larger press than its current pressroom models, which includes a Koenig & Bauer Genius 52 14 x 20-inch press.

Dana built a 4,000-square-foot humidity-controlled print room within its facility to self-contain the new Rapida 75 PRO.

“We now have a 2 ½ bigger sheet size with the Rapida 75 PRO compared to the Genius,” Ricci said. “Its standard print format has grown to 20.4 x 28.9-inches. We’ll now be able to produce 80% of our work in-house compared to 20% before.”

The Rapida 75 PRO features a One-Button-Job-Change feature, which provides a reduction in makeready times by up to 50%. It also has the same ColorTronic ink ducts as those found in medium- and large-format Rapidas. Just like the other Rapidas, the ink keys are 1.18-inches and there are now 25 keys. 

“Let’s talk about the advantages of the LED-UV curing process,” Ricci said. “Not only does it bring tangible economic benefits, such as reduced energy consumption and significant material savings, but we’re able to print our shelf signage using plastic substrates and it will run cooler, and, due to the lower temperatures, the substrate won’t crack peel, or split. In the past, if we had to run the job through a press in two or three passes, the substrate would be more brittle. With the Rapida 75 PRO, we won’t face that challenge anymore.”