In the new rooms of HTWK Leipzig’s media faculty Ulrike Herzau-Gerhardt, professor for printing processes, and Frank Roch, professor for measuring technology and coordinator for international relationships, gave the students a tour of their cutting-edge laboratory and presented the broad array of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes on offer at the university located in the 1,000-year old media metropolis. Highlights of studying in Leipzig include an extensive range of fundamental science classes and 30 per cent of the degree is dedicated to internships.

Jan Korenc, managing director of KBA CEE, welcomed the students to Koenig & Bauer’s sheetfed offset plant in Radebeul. Sascha Fischer, head of product management, told the visitors more about the company and its Rapida sheetfed offset press portfolio with a focus on automation. The participants were then treated to live demonstrations of KBA press technology from half to large format. Demos included LED-UV printing with and without coating on a Rapida 75, the highest finishing quality including cold-foil finishing and coating on a twin-coater Rapida 106, various print jobs at speeds of up to 17,000sph on a Rapida 145 and fast anilox sleeve changes at a DriveTronic SFC coater. Fast job changes and inline quality control were a main focus of commercial and packaging print demos. LED-UV printing in all format classes was just one of many KBA winning features presented. The print demos were rounded off by a tour of the site.

In the evenings the students explored Leipzig and Dresden. On their way home they stopped at Werner Kenkel in Krzycko Wielkie and took a closer look at its KBA Rapidas, flexo presses and the production of corrugated board in a cutting-edge packaging plant. Everyday 100 to 160 trucks leave the company that was founded in 1979. Werner Kenkel employs some 700 staff.