Cerutti
Hall 16, Stand B3
Italian manufacturer Cerutti is the last man standing in publication gravure presses, and will show a  unit of its latest-generation Aurora press, which Cerutti believes can compete against web offset presses, on its stand. A Flexotecnica flexo press will be among the products on show targeted at the packaging market.

Fischer and Krecke
Hall 10, Stand A4-1
Situated on the Bobst stand, the company will highlight its wide-web flexographic printing machines, the CI presses, including the Flexpress 16-Series.

Goss
Hall 17, Stand A59 and C59
Goss International’s Sunday Vpak flexible packaging, label and folding carton press will be shown for the first time outside North America at Drupa, where it will have its official worldwide launch. Built on Goss’s Sunday press technology, the Vpak uses quick-change sleeves to allow for variable repeat lengths and is available in narrow and wide web widths from 510-1,905mm (see Must-see). Goss believes it has “game-changing” potential. While the new packaging press will form the centrepiece of its theatre-style demonstration, also on display on Goss’s 1,820sqm stand will be a tower from the Goss Colorliner CPS compact-tower newspaper press, and a plate and blanket change on its giant 96-page Sunday 5000 web will also be shown. A static unit of the M600 commercial web will be on display, along with information on the latest products from Contiweb and Vits. Goss parent Shanghai Electric Group will exhibit a range of technologies on an adjacent stand, including a new Akiyama sheetfed press.

Heidelberg 
Hall 1 and 2
Heidelberg may have retrenched the focus of its own exhibit into Hall 1 (its partner companies including Gallus, Polar and Technotrans will be in Hall 2), but a jaw-dropping exhibit of ink-on-paper power can still be anticipated. The press giant will have no less than 60 new equipment and service innovations on show, and it will lay out its wares by creating five different fully-integrated printshops – all displayed against a background of graphics created from used printing plates. Key among the launches is the new Speedmaster SX series of presses, which follows on from the launch of the Speedmaster CX 102 at Ipex. Stephan Plenz, board member for equipment, describes the SX range as a new “professional” class of presses which sits squarely in between its established SM and XL ranges. SX models will be available in all formats, and with more than 1,000 printing units sold since the CX 102’s launch, Heidelberg obviously has high hopes for the expanded offering. It points to “expected and proven productivity improvements of up to 30%” over SM models due to a host of XL-type technologies incorporated in the press. Heidelberg has developed its ‘HEI’ theme for the show, and will exhibit under the overall banner of ‘Discover HEI’. It has added new topics to the theme, including HEI Emotions to reflect the haptic, engaging qualities of print. The HEI Eco area will encompass a number of products including the new Drystar low-energy UV system. All Heidelberg’s machines from Drupa onwards can be delivered as carbon neutral – and Anicolor presses will be carbon neutral as standard. A larger-format Anicolor is also widely anticipated. There will also be an innovation gallery allowing visitors a glimpse of potential future technology advancements from Heidelberg, but the main focus of its exhibit will be on products that are a commercial reality and offer customers “stable and sustainable production”. The press giant isn’t taking its large-format presses along to Drupa this time around, Plenz says visitors with a specific interest can see them in at Heidelberg’s permanent demonstration facility. “These presses take up a lot of space. If people want to see it they can come to Wiesloch.”

KBA  
Hall 16, Stands C47 1 and 2
KBA says its careful selection of presses for the show incorporates some creative new features designed to address the key challenges impacting printers on a daily basis, from faster turnaround times to varied run lengths and the ability to produce a wider product mix. They include the large-format Rapida 145 eight-colour longer perfector for the magazine and commercial market, as well as the new Rapida 145 five-colour plus coater for packaging applications. A brand new feature will be the new coating forme roller system, as well as the newly developed anilox roller loader. Fast makeready and job changeover features from KBA’s B1 range are being incorporated into its large-format presses for increased productivity. Also on show will be the recently launched Rapida 105, which the company says is aimed at B2 printers looking to move into the B1 market and take full advantage of the economies of a larger press that can in some instances replace two B2 machines. 

Komori 
Hall 15 , Stand D04
As well as demonstrating the fruits of its new partnership with Konica Minolta, in the form of three as yet unnamed Digital OnDemand presses, including Komori will also be showcasing its conventional press line-up, including a new ‘high performance’ packaging press the Lithrone GX40 Carton. Targeted at package and special printing applications, this press will be running on the stand. Wide-range printability with innovative H-UV UV curing on heavy stock and special substrates will be shown, says the company, and many case studies of UV package printing will be introduced. Visitors will need to get to grips with a blizzard of technology abbreviations, including PQAS, a print quality assessment technology ported from Komori’s currency division, which scans both sides of every sheet and spots defects. In addition, a new press geared to the A1 market, the Lithrone A37 (four-color 37-inch sheetfed offset press), will make a debit at Drupa. This is Komori’s first A1 format press, and as well as a space-saving design the company says it is packed with the basic technologies and high basic performance of the Lithrone Series. Representing the Enthrone Series presses first seen at Ipex in 2010, the Enthrone 29P (five-colour 29-inch convertible perfecting sheetfed offset press), will also be making its Drupa debut.

Manroland Sheetfed
Hall 6, Stand D27-1 and D29-2
No information has yet been forthcoming about what Manroland Sheetfed, now owned by British engineering group Langley Holdings, will be showing. We imagine lots of existing customers will be beating a path to the booth to see what’s what and if there are any clues regarding the future sheetfed focus for the business.

Manroland Web Systems
Hall 6, Stand D27-1 and D29-2
Drupa will mark the international debut for the web offset side of the Manroland business, now owned by German industrial group Possehl. Unsurprisingly, Manroland Web Systems doesn’t plan to have any presses running on its booth, but it will showcase its large-format 96pp web for those interested in wide web production. Vice president of sales, service and marketing Peter Kuisle says the main topic for the company, aside from establishing its new identity as an independent, will be automation and it will be highlighting its Autoprint technology for newspapers and commercial printing. Also look out for a new one-touch operating system that simplifies press operation. “For us Drupa is about less equipment and more talking,” says Kuisle. There’s a hint of some surprises to be announced at the show itself, too.

Mitsubishi
Hall 6, Stand B79
Mitsubishi will be majoring on its Diamond Eye-s system for sheetfed presses, which controls colour on-press without the need to remove sheets and also combines quality inspection too in one unit – a feature Mitsubishi considers unique.  Eco UV will also be demonstrated.  It will also use Drupa as an opportunity to showcase its commercial web technology that the company claims simplified press makeready and enhanced press operations for its Diamond 8, 16MAX, 32MAX and 48MAX presses.  Also highlighted will be the company’s newspaper presses, including the Diamond Star.

Ryobi
Hall 17, Stand Co1-1 and Co1-2
Ryobi will be using its 812 square metre stand to showcase products for B3, B2, SRA1, and B1. Ryobi’s 1050 press will feature in-line casting and foiling, as well as in-line coating, while the 920 series will be represented by an eight-colour perfecting version of the machine that will feature the LED-UV ink curing solution pioneered by Ryobi. The 750 series, meanwhile, will be showcased by a five-colour 755G, which will have inline coating and LED-UV ink curing as well. Finally, the 525GX(D) model with in-line coater will also be on show.

Sakurai
Hall 3, Stand A90
The Japanese manufacturer will provide an insight into its Oliver series of offset presses on its stand, including the two-colour Oliver 2102/SIP. Also showcased will be the company’s screen press portfolio, including the MS series.

Shanghai Electric Group
Hall 17, Stand A41
Goss International’s parent company will have information about its own offerings for web printing, including YR420 web flexographic press. Information on the JPrint and PZ series of offset presses will be available at the show, with the emphasis on the low cost but high quality of the machines.  A new Akiyama sheetfed press will also be launched.

Soma
Hall 17, Stand A39
Czech manufacturer Soma has a range of flexographic presses that it will provide a preview of at Drupa 2012. The company offers the Imperia, Midi and Mini ranges which range from an 850mm web width to a 1,700mm web width.

TKS
Hall 15, Stand B55
Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho (TKS) will showcase its Colormaster and ColorTop web offset presses including the CT7000 type and the newest ultra high speed Century (100,000 copies per hour). The company says the presses are finding a market with the newspaper printing sector – it recently installed its first newspaper press in India.

Updates on Drupa 2012