HP Collaborates with KBA to Develop High-volume Inkjet Solutions

At Graph Expo 2014, HP announced its collaboration with Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA) to develop new roll-to-roll inkjet solutions for the high-volume corrugated packaging market. The co-developed solutions will be marketed under the HP brand and will help packaging converters increase productivity, scalability and versatility.
 
With an addressable market of $2.5 billion, the corrugated package printing industry is steadily increasing worldwide due to brand globalization, population growth and a resurging economy. In parallel, trends such as stock keeping unit (SKU) proliferation, micro-segmentation and shorter product lifecycles are driving demand for the shorter run lengths enabled by digital print.
 
“Addressing the enormous digital opportunity in the corrugated market requires best-in-class technology innovation, portfolio scale and market leadership,” said Aurelio Maruggi, vice president and general manager, Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions, HP. “HP brings this unique combination as well as proven customer success and upgradability to this challenge, and together with KBA, HP can bring even greater value to high-end converters.”
 
To help corrugated converters and print service providers (PSPs) take advantage of these trends, HP and KBA intend to deliver high-speed roll-to-roll thermal inkjet solutions that provide value chain cost savings while meeting brands’ rigorous quality and volume requirements.
 
“KBA has a rich heritage of developing innovative solutions that meet or exceed customers’ quality expectations,” said Christoph Müller, executive vice president, Web Press Business Unit, KBA. “In working with HP, we will combine our complementary technological strengths to meet the needs of packaging converters.”
 
This year, HP announced its intent to enter the corrugated packaging segment with its inkjet web press technology, followed by its first offering, the HP High-speed Inkjet Corrugated Packaging Solution, and the solution’s first customer installation at Obaly Morava, a.s. The agreement with KBA demonstrates HP’s continued pursuit of corrugated packaging opportunities and intention to broaden its portfolio of inkjet products and solutions.
 
A 197-year-old company and the second-largest press manufacturer worldwide, KBA brings its strengths in paper handling, manufacturing scale and wide knowledge of the packaging market to the joint initiative. As HP celebrates its 75th anniversary and its 30th year of inkjet innovation, the collaboration will benefit from its inkjet and IT leadership as well as unmatched digital press go-to-market capabilities.