Dobruška/Prague-Uhříněves / After Grafitec integration into the KBA group, the external design of the printing presses manufactured in Dobruška also changed. The green colour of the Polly Performer 66 and Polly Prestige 74 printing presses was substituted by the blue finish of the Performa 66 and Performa 74 line, which is the typical external appearance of all KBA products.

After finishing the semi-finished presses in the original colour, the manufacturing plant in Dobruška began sending out Performa presses of both format lines in the unified KBA design. One of the first users of the KBA Performa 74 printing press in the Czech Republic was the SWL company in Prague-Uhříněves. In the printshop, the five-colour Performa 74-5 substituted the Polly Prestige 474 printing press.

SWL Since 1990

Mr. Luboš Werich, along with his two associates, became entrepreneurs in 1990. Nowadays, the SWL printshop is owned by Mr. Werich and Mr. Jan Lank. Fifteen years ago, the company began virtually from scratch. The founders put together CZK 21 000 and bought their first printing press. SWL has been using the printing presses from Dobruška since 1992. In the beginning, the printshop purchased mostly used presses. The quality of the service made them switch to the Polly presses. Gradually, the company grew and its production transferred from small-format printing presses to the SRB2 format.

In 2000, the Polly Prestige 474 printing press was the first machine in the SRB2 format the company was using. Before that it only used the SRA2 format. The structure of orders, in which especially jobs for foreign customers required the extended 520 x 740 mm format, caused them to transfer to the SRB2 format. For three years the printshop was using the Polly Prestige 474 prototype that was originally used as an exhibit in the reference printshop of Mr. Libor Losenický in Nové Město nad Metují.

Challenging Orders

Design of the Performa printing presses allows for the selection of flexible configurations prepared according to the requirements of the printshop. Out of the wide choice of standard, as well as optional equipment for the Performa SRB2 format printing presses, the SWL printshop opted for the configuration that best suits its needs. When it comes to orders, the SWL company focuses on demanding prints; therefore, it especially values the options it has with quality prints produced by the new KBA Performa 74-5 machine. “Due to automation, make-ready time has been shortened extensively. Before, we used to process three preparations during a single shift.  Now, we can do eight and still have the capacity to do more,“ says Luboš Werich as he characterizes the use of the Performa 74-5 printing press. Another machine from Dobruška that serves the company is the Polly 266. It has been used in the company since 2000.

The SWL company is certainly one of those customers who demand the most from the producer. In the production profile of the printshop, the bulk of the orders is made up of low-quantity prints. Before sending out the machine, the company performed a printing test with its own printing plates in the production plant.

“There were no problems encountered during the test of the Performa, and printing quality on our new machine is perfect,“ said Mr. Luboš Werich. There is a two-year warranty guaranteed by the manufacturer, unless there are 15 million print-outs before the two-year period, in which case it expires. “Under current conditions, when the majority of orders are short-run jobs, it is more probable that the entire warranty will be used up,“ added Jan Lank, the co-owner of the SWL printshop.

Service Decides

“In the past few years, Grafitec has managed to build an excellent reputation in the printing community. Even though other manufacturers offer similar printing presses, it was the level of service that solidified our loyalty to the Grafitec brand,“ observed Mr. Werich, and added that “the manufacturer has some truly competent servicemen at his disposal. If we need something, I just pick up the phone and a serviceman comes the same day, even at night.“ The experience of the SWL company confirms the known fact that through service the manufacturer establishes a long-term relationship with the end-user of his printing presses. The supplier has to share the hardship with his customer and quickly remove potential problems.

The SWL company has 15 employees, for which there are six printers. The printshop has its own studio. Printing plates are manufactured externally in Prague using the CtP technology. The printers were trained during installation of the press. There were “absolutely no problems“ during the launch of the new KBA Performa 74-5 printing press. The press is now being used during two shifts. Due to automation, a single printer is needed to run the press.