The deal gives KBA additional manufacturing
capacity and expertise for its burgeoning range of small offset presses. The
new KBA Rapida 75 launched last month at the company's Open House in Radebeul
is a primary example of the co-operation the two companies have already been
engaged in. That new Rapida 75 is not a bells and whistles press, it is aimed
at printers on a budget who need high quality at an economical pric
According to the contracts signed by the
two companies on April 23 in Dobruska, Adast will discontinue the development,
production and marketing of its own branded products in order to focus on
providing KBA-Grafitec with parts and subassemblies. In return KBA-Grafitec
will source a major proportion of its components from Adast. Where possible,
other KBA production sites will also purchase from Adast.
KBA-Grafitec will acquire Adast's entire
portfolio of product, patent and trademark rights, and while Adast will
continue to honour current guarantees for its presses, once these expire all
further services and spare parts will be provided by KBA-Grafitec. No details
of the financial arrangements were revealed.
Jens Junker, CEO of KBA-Grafitec says,
"This strategic alliance will furnish KBA-Grafitec with the additional
manufacturing capacity it needs to maintain the dynamic growth rates of the
past three years. With Drupa in the offing, and following the successful debut
at the pre-Drupa open house in early April of the Rapida 75 B2 press developed
jointly with our colleagues at KBA Radebeul, we anticipate a huge boost in
sales of our small-format presses. The rapid growth of the past three years has
pushed us to the limit – neither we nor our suppliers have any capacity to
spare. The alliance with Adast will give us both the extra capacity and the qualified
personnel we need for future growth."
For Adast, which was acquired a few years
ago by a Prague
investment company, the agreement represents a fresh start. Radovan Macek,
Adast CEO says, "What Adast brings to the table is a long tradition of
press engineering, and highly skilled staff. We have just come through an organisational
shake-up that saw the payroll cut to 220. This alliance with KBA, one of the
world's foremost press manufacturers, will enable us to keep skilled jobs in
this region and raise our profile as a specialist manufacturer of subassemblies
and parts for KBA presses."
