German press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA) (www.kba.com) has reorganized and streamlined its technical infrastructure to address customer needs in the web press sector more effectively.

A new subdivision has been created as a central point of contact for customers and subcontractors in all matters relating to the planning details and fulfilment of commercial and web press orders placed with KBA. All the technical staff dealing directly with customers (project managers, installation and commissioning personnel, printing instructors) have been assigned to this subdivision to ensure fast, smooth project implementation from order placement to press acceptance, with no “awkward competence overlaps.”

The new subdivision encompasses project-related activities that were separate: engineering (mechanical, hardware, software) and assembly of the main components comprising web leads (reelstands, superstructures, substructures), printing units and folders. This is expected to make the internal technical processes involved in manufacturing new web presses much leaner and faster. The number of different versions available has been reduced to cut costs. There are five other subdivisions headed by Stefan Hessler (web leads), Bernhard Harant (printing units), Klaus Christmann (folders), Jürgen Weippert (scheduling) and Dr Andreas Göttker (manufacturing). Lothar Hohmann has been appointed head of security press engineering, also in Würzburg. All subdivisional heads report directly to KBA’s deputy president Claus Bolza-Schünemann.