Platypus orders first Rapida 106 X in Aus

Queensland packaging and commercial printer Platypus Print Packaging has ordered Australia’s first Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X, as part of a major modernisation drive at the Geebung factory.

The major new press investment will see the new six-colour plus single coater B1 press replace an 11 year old Koenig & Bauer, and join another six-colour with double coater from the German manufacturer. The new Rapida 106 X will ship in January and be installed in March.

Tom Lusch, CEO of the family-owned business, which has around 100 staff, said, “We are investing strongly, with new plant and equipment throughout the business, as we automate and upgrade. The new press will ensure our customers receive all the benefits of the latest technology.”

Platypus is now mainly a packaging printer, although it does some commercial work. Its customer base comes from the length of the eastern seaboard, and it also services Pacific islands.

It has had Koenig & Bauer presses as the core of its production power for the past decade. Tom Lusch said, “We did analyse the press market, and for our needs it was apparent the new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X was the standout, it is a highly advanced machine, and clearly robust for industrial scale printing. The engineering quality is well known.”

The new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X is a highly automated 20,000sph press with simultaneous plate changing, automated pile logistics, and a host of software upgrades.

The modernisation programme has also seen a new folder gluer installed in July, and a new laminating system that Lusch says is “five times faster” than the previous machine. The company is also now a hot foiling specialist thanks to a recent investment.

Dave Lewis, managing director of Koenig & Bauer Australasia said, “Platypus Print Packaging is a business with real vision, and which is backing itself strongly. Its investment in the new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X will enable it to more than meet the needs of a demanding market for quality, consistency and rapid turnaround.”