Leaving a special mark: KBA-Metronic AG

What sounds like “garage to global player” fairy tale that might have been scripted by a Hollywood director is actually a very real success story. Starting in 1972 with basic marking equipment put together in a rented basement, KBA-Metronic today boasts a product portfolio consisting of some ten technology groups with more than fifty individual products. Hot stamping devices, first made in the company´ s basement headquarters, are still part of the product palette, along with cutting-edge device like laser, ink jet and thermotransfer printing systems, sorting equipment for folding and blister packaging, and state-of-the-art offset printing technologies. This latter category is particularly illustrative of KBA-Medtronic’s know-how and expertise.

Major companies around the world use offset machines “made by KBA-Medtronic’s AG” to print on smart cards (including phone cards), CDs, DVDs, plastic and paper sheets in A3+ sizes. As an expert in UV offset printing, the company’s portfolio ranges from standard 4-color printing to complete solutions offering special colors, automatic feed, integrated white basic unit and varnishing unit. More than 2.000 KBA-Metronic waterless offset short inking units have been installed world-wide since the mid-90s. A new innovation, the KBA-Metronic GENIUS 52UV is a high quality B3 offset printing solution aimed at the growing small print run market. Advanced automation features, short setup times, low startup waste and excellent print quality make it the ideal solution for small print shops and digital printers who sell to a discerning customer base. In addition to smart cards, mouse pads, stickers and many other creative products, the GENIUS 52UV also handles lenticular sheets (e.g. 3D images), which are lucrative and profitable new niche application.

Printing isn’t the only technology in KBA-Medtronic’s portfolio. Coding and marking are another core expertise and KBA-Medtronic’s ink jet printers, laser systems, thermal transfer printers, hot stamping systems and feeding systems UDA, let customers place high-precision markings on their products, including sell by dates, barcodes and data matrix codes. In combinations with the company’s printing technologies, users can also apply spoilage markings, numbering and specific customer data for sheet personalization. The resulting traceability along the entire process and production chain enhances safety and optimizes customer communications.

Products like these are developed at a 14,000 sqm facility in which specially trained development teams transform customer whishes into standard-setting hardware and software solutions. The range of technologies in play requires an exceptional level of know-how, something attested to a variety of successful patents. KBA-Metronic transforms these solutions into hardware ready for the rough-and-tumble life of the shop floor with a machinery park and logistics system that clearly makes the company a technology leader. Never one to rest on its laurels, the company took important steps just this year to secure its technological edge for the future, adding several new machining centers and further optimizing workflow. A state-of-the-art ERP system makes the company’s internal processes transparent and controllable, giving it an exceptionally sharp focus when it comes to important strategic decisions. On the marketing side of things, KBA-Metronic is expanding its international presence in a consistent, deliberate way. Convinced that precuts “Made in Bavaria” will continue to enjoy a excellent reputation and marketing potential well into the future, the company is weaving a farflung network of OEMs, trading partners and service centers well beyond Europe’s borders. The company is perhaps most tightly focused on the booming markets of Asia and South America, but without losing sight of fast-moving developments in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. Whatever the international location, a close working relationship with customers I at the top of KBA-Medtronic’s list of priorities.

Much the same can be said for Western Europe, where KBA-Micronics’s direct approach has made it one of the top performers in the German marketplace. With sales growth of roughly 35% in the last four years, the company is clearly a leader in the German machine industry. The company’s future success seems secured by the very same philosophy that has made it successful thus far: Develop innovative products manufactured by highly-qualified employees and supported by a close working relationship with customers in developing markets. KBA-Metronic enjoys extra-ordinarily close ties with the people of the region and its employees play an essential role in the company’s corporate philosophy. Out of this close relationship with the region and its people, the company puts special emphasis on training both existing and new employees for the jobs of the future. In 2007 alone, the company welcomed eleven young apprentice trainees, to its family. This, along with the company’s many other successes, have helped it make a special mark on Veitshöchheim, its people, and the economic livelihood of the entire Bavarian region of Germany.

Readers interested in more detailed information are encouraged to contact KBA-Metronic directly or to visit the company’s website at www.kba-metronic.com.

KBA-Metronic welcomes inquiries and is pleased to provide more detailed info upon request.

KBA-Metronic Aktiengesellschaft
Benzstrasse 11
D-97209 Veitshöchheim
T: +49 931 9085 0
F: +49 931 9085 100
E: info@kba-metronic.com
www.kba-metronic.com