Koenig & Bauer moves to a new site which is still the company headquarters and site of the holding of the Koenig & Bauer Group.
1902 Radebeul
Dresdner Schnellpressenfabrik registers the first patent for its planet drive. This new, reliable drive lays the foundation for the company's worldwide reputation.
1910 Würzburg
Development of the Iris - the first four-colour sheetfed press - and the Rollrenner, a cranked-movement press.
1911 Würzburg
The Hexe (witch), a high-speed letterpress press, goes into production in Würzburg.
1911 Radebeul
Dresdner Schnellpressenfabrik moves to Naundorf (Radebeul), to the site now occupied by Koenig & Bauer Sheetfed AG & Co. KG.
1911 Frankenthal
Albert & Cie. starts building sheetfed offset presses.
1912 Würzburg
Shipment of the first rotogravure press. Development of the Sturmvogel two-revolution press. Establishment of the Benno Bolza fund, forerunner of the company suggestion scheme.
1913 Würzburg
Acquisition of Schnellpressenfabrik L. Kaiser's Söhne, Vienna, now called KBA-Mödling GmbH.
1913 Frankenthal
The first webfed rotogravure press off the Frankenthal production line.
1919 Würzburg
Dr. Hans Bolza (1889 - 1986), Friedrich-Koenig's great-grandson, joins the firm.
1920 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer operates as an AG (public limited company) for the first time.
1922 Radebeul
The first Planeta sheetfed offset press leaves the factory.
1922 Frankenthal
Frankenthal starts manufacturing web offset presses.
1923 Würzburg
Construction of the first collect press for coloured banknotes.
1924 Radebeul
The company merges with Leipziger Schnellpressenfabrik and brings out the world's first convertible perfecting press, the Dresden.
1928 Würzburg
Production starts on the Egli, a three-colour sheetfed gravure press.
1928 Frankenthal
The Europa, a new cylinder press available in 15 different formats, goes into production.
1931 Würzburg
Dr. Hans Bolza becomes managing director of Koenig & Bauer.
1932 Würzburg
The company adds two sheetfed gravure presses, the Frankonia and Tiepolo, plus a high-speed letterpress machine, the Rex, to its product range.
1932 Radebeul
The Radebeul company launches the world's first four-colour sheetfed offset press, the Planeta-Deca.
1932 Frankenthal
Shipment of the first 32-page newspaper press, to Ullstein, a Berlin publishing house.
1935 Radebeul
The Planeta Super Quinta is upgraded to 6,000 sph.
1945 Würzburg/Frankenthal/Radebeul
The factories in Würzburg, Frankenthal and Radebeul are completely destroyed.
1945 Radebeul
The manufacturing equipment is dismantled and Planeta Druckmaschinenwerk virtually ceases to exist.
1948 Radebeul
On July 1 Planeta makes a fresh start under a new name, VEB Druckmaschinenwerk Planeta.
Dr. Hans-Bernhard Schünemann joins the firm. Koenig & Bauer exhibits a sheetfed letterpress press with an output of 6,000 sph, the Pax, at the first drupa in Düsseldorf.
1952 Würzburg
Agreement with the Giori Organisation in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the joint production of security presses. Construction of the first multicolour intaglio press for printing banknotes.
1958 Würzburg
Shipment of the first Condor press - the fastest two-revolution press of its day.
1960 Radebeul
Planeta causes a sensation at the Leipzig Autumn Fair with its PVO 6, a four-colour press with an output of 9,000 sph.
1962 Würzburg
Shipment of the first letterpress newspaper press, the Courier.
1964 Würzburg
A branch factory is built in Trennfeld and the Rotafolio put into serial production.
1965 Radebeul
Launch of the world's first unit-type litho press, the Variant 4 -- a press design that has since become the accepted norm.
1967 Würzburg
Drupa premiere of the Rapida 0 sheetfed offset press. Koenig & Bauer's 150th jubilee. The company's workforce of 1,960 generates a turnover of DM64 million. Koenig & Bauer endows a cultural fund.
1967 Radebeul
Planeta registers a patent for a convertible perfecting facility for unit-built presses. Merger with two other press manufacturers, Ramasch and Cocima.
1969 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer ships the first Commander web offset press to Gérard in Verviers, Belgium.
1971 Würzburg
Dr. Hans Bolza-Schünemann is appointed president.
1972 Würzburg
Construction of the first Compacta commercial web offset press.
1972 Radebeul
Completion of a new 42,000m² assembly hall in Radebeul.
1974 Würzburg
Shipment of the world's biggest newspaper web press, the Jumbo-Courier, to Gazet van Antwerpen. With an output of 15,000 sph the Rapida SR III becomes the fastest 40-inch sheetfed offset press in the world.
1974 Radebeul
Planeta launches another world first: a sheetfed offset press with eight printing Units.
1976 Würzburg
Inauguration of a high assembly hall for giant presses. The first Express newspaper presses go into production.
1980 Würzburg
Production of the first Colortronic electronic system for the remote adjustment of inking and dampening units and plate register. Factory II in Grombühl, a suburb of Würzburg, is closed down; a 5,000m² assembly hall is erected on the main factory site.
1982 Radebeul
The Varicontrol remote ink control system and the Varidamp film dampening unit are introduced for all Planeta presses.
1985 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer goes public. Capital resources exceed DM100 million for the first time. The Guardian in London orders three Anilox-Courier keyless letterpress machines.
1985 Frankenthal
The Frankenthal factory ships the TR 7B, the first publication rotogravure press for a web width of more than 3m.
1986 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer launches the first Rapida 104 sheetfed offset press with a unit-type design. Output: 15,000 sph. It also raises its stake in Maschinenfabrik Koenig & Bauer AG Mödling to 97%.
1986 Radebeul
Planeta ships a ten-unit version sheetfed offset press line to the USA.
1988 Würzburg
The Daily Mail in London takes delivery of the largest flexo newspaper press in the world. The minority interest in Albert-Frankenthal is increased to 74.99%. The biggest order placed until that time - for six Commander web offset presses worth over DM150 million – goes to a customer in England. Koenig & Bauer posts a turnover of more than DM500 million and publishes a Group balance sheet for the first time, showing a consolidated external turnover of more than DM800 million.
1989 Frankenthal
The world's first anilox offset press for full-colour newspaper printing - Albert-Frankenthal's Alfra CX - goes into operation.
1989 Radebeul
A customer showroom, complete with training and demonstration facilities, is inaugurated in Radebeul.
1990 Würzburg
t drupa in Düsseldorf Koenig & Bauer and Albert-Frankenthal exhibit jointly for the first time as the Koenig & Bauer-Albert group (KBA). Acquisition of a majority interest in the Motter Printing Press Company in York, Pennsylvania, and its change of name to KBA-Motter Corp. A collaborative agreement is signed with Planeta Druckmaschinenwerke, Radebeul. Koenig & Bauer acquires the remaining shares in Albert-Frankenthal, making it a full subsidiary.
1990 Radebeul
Planeta takes over Royal Zenith Corp. in the USA and renames it Planeta North America Inc. Planeta is reconverted from a state enterprise to a public limited Company.
1991 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer increases its stake in Planeta to 75.2% and renames it KBA-Planeta AG. Two new newspaper presses - the KBA Journal and the KBA Colora - are launched on the market. The company posts a turnover of DM686 million. Group turnover (excluding KBA-Planeta) tops one billion Deutschmarks for the first time.
1992 Würzburg
Transfer of the entire Rapida division to KBA-Planeta. Market launch of the Rapida 72 sheetfed offset press (format: 52 x 72cm). Sale of the first anilox offset press to a US customer. 175th jubilee celebrations with guests from all over the world.
1994 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer acquires the remaining 24.8% interest in KBA-Planeta AG.
1994 Radebeul
Shipment of the first eight-colour Rapida press for 4-over-4.
1995 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer merges with Albert-Frankenthal to create Koenig & Bauer-Albert AG (KBA). Dr. Hans B. Bolza-Schünemann retires as company president and is appointed deputy chairman of the supervisory board. Shipment of the first shaftless newspaper press.
1995 Radebeul
KBA demonstrates an all-digital printshop workflow at drupa. Market launch of the Rapida large-format series. Shipment of the first ten-colour Rapida for 5-over-5.
1996 Frankenthal
Shipment of the world's first publication rotogravure press for a web width of 3.6m, a TR 10B.
1997 Radebeul
KBA and Israeli pre-press specialist Scitex enter a joint venture to develop the 74 Karat, a digital offset press for short-run colour which is previewed at Imprinta in Düsseldorf. Karat Digital Press GmbH is established in Radebeul.
1997 Frankenthal
Frankenthal launches the world's first totally shaftless commercial web offset press, the Compacta 215.
1998 Würzburg
Koenig & Bauer-Albert merges with KBA-Planeta and reverts to the name Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft (KBA). The Radebeul facility remains the group profit centre for sheetfed offset. Group turnover exceeds DM1.6 billion.
1998 Radebeul
Planeta celebrates its centenary with guests from throughout the world. 20,000 locals pack the halls on the open day. A new press is unveiled: the KBA Rapida 105, a high-performance B1 press. The sheetfed division in Radebeul generates sales worth DM578 million, more than twice the total for 1992.
1999 Würzburg
At Ifra 99 in Amsterdam Koenig & Bauer previews the KBA Cortina, a revolutionary new press for newspaper production in the 21st century. A new, high-speed double-width, single-circumference press, KBA Prisma, is added to the KBA press range.
2000 Würzburg/Frankenthal/Radebeul
The 74 Karat digital offset press goes into serial production. At drupa KBA demonstrates new advances in every product line, including a new B2 sheetfed offset press, the Rapida 74, and the biggest web press at the show, the 64pp Compacta 818 for high-quality commercial offset. It also unveils a working prototype of the KBA Cortina. Group turnover in 2000: DM2.1bn.
KBA takes over computer-to-press 74 Karat and enters the A3 format class with the 46 Karat. To safeguard its pole position in the global security printing market in the long term KBA acquires its partner of fifty years´, De La Rue Giori in Lausanne.
2002
Market launch at Ipex 2002 of the Genius 52 – a B3 press developed jointly by KBA and Metronic. Unveiling of the world’s first large-format, eight-colour perfector press, the Rapida 162. Inauguration of the first two-across Cortina at Reiff Zeitungsdruck in Offenburg, Germany. Annual group turnover in 2002 was at an all-time high of €1.35bn.
2003
The economic downturn that hit many markets in 2001 continues to impact on sales of KBA newspaper presses, though sheetfed sales remain firm. Far-reaching restructuring measures initiated at our web press facilities result in the closure of our assembly plants in Berlin and Kusel. The plant in Kusel closed at the end of 2003. In spring 2003 KBA acquires a 100% stake in Bauer+ Kunzi, a specialist manufacturer of metal-decorating presses based in Ditzingen, near Stuttgart. The acquisition of this long-standing alliance partner propels KBA to the pole position in metal-decorating technology.
At IfraExpo in Leipzig KBA announces the sale of the first Cortina waterless newspaper offset press. Our engineers in Radebeul successfully conclude the first series of print tests on a new generation of super-large sheetfed presses, the Rapida 205 and Rapida 185. Nine of these new presses are sold to printers in Europe and North America within just a few months.
At the end of November KBA agrees to take a majority stake in Metronic, based in Veitshöchheim near Würzburg. Metronic manufactures UV offset systems electronic data-storage devices and plastic cards as well as and coding devices incorporating inkjet, hot-stamping, laser and/or thermal transfer Technology.
2004
A succession of new products are unveiled at drupa. These include the new medium-format Rapida 105 with a sidelay-free infeed as a world first, a waterless, keyless version called the Rapida 74 G and the enhanced superlarge Rapida 205 press for a sheet 2 metres (79in) wide.
Our web press division presented the high-performance Compacta 217 commercial web press, the TR12B gravure press for a web width of 4.32m (170in) and the installation of the world’s first triple-width satellite newspaper press, the KBA Commander 6/2, at Tamedia in Zürich. Group sales of €1.42bn set a new record. KBA quickly returned to profitability with a net profit of €11.9m.
2005
Grafitec, a Czech manufacturer of small-format presses based in Dobruška, becomes a KBA subsidiary. The biggest gravure contract in KBA’s history is placed by Prinovis for its new gravure printing plant in Liverpool, England.
The medium-format Rapida 105 sheetfed press takes top honours in the print category of the German Printing Industry Innovation Awards. At €1.77bn the volume of new orders is the highest in KBA’s history. A total of 200 patent applications places KBA first among German press manufacturers in the national league table.
2006
Expansion into a new high-growth market – decorative gravure printing – with the inauguration of the first KBA TR5D at German printer Decopress, Soest,. The acquisition of Stuttgart-based LTG Print Systems Holding continues KBA’s successful strategy of acquisition in high-potential niche markets and moves it up to the pole position in the metal-decorating press sector.
2007
KBA sets a milestone with DriveTronic SPC dedicated cylinder drives for the sheetfed offset Rapida 105. KBA reaffirms its innovative credentials in newspaper technology with two revolutionary presses: the future-orientated, ultra-compact Cortina and Commander CT.
Under the banner "The future is Compact", KBA Würzburg invites members of the international newspaper industry to the inauguration of the first compact Commander CT newspaper press, the product of an innovative alliance between KBA and the Main-Post media group. With unfavourable future prospects in the rotogravure sector, in September KBA sells off the entire business to Italian manufacturer Cerutti.
2008
KBA’s stand at drupa is a showcase for new advances in sheetfed and commercial web press technology, newspaper production, digital printshop networking, web2print and green printing. The Rapida 106 on the KBA stand printed 15 jobs, each with 520 saleable sheets, in just 59 minutes and 36 seconds. But the knock-on effects of the smouldering financial crisis forces prospective buyers to postpone or cancel many of the contracts inked at drupa. Following the sale of multi-unit Commander CT and Cortina newspaper press lines, autumn sees declining ad revenues and the growth in online media impacting on investment in large web presses.
As a result Group sales slide by around 10% to €1.53bn. A substantial charge for adjusting capacity to the smaller global market volume anticipated for the medium term contributes to a pre-tax loss of €87.1m.
2009
Our Austrian subsidiary KBA-Mödling, near Vienna, celebrates its 160th anniversary. The economic recession triggered by the financial crisis, and seismic shifts in the media landscape, cause a dramatic slump in demand for printing presses. The management board approves a raft of initiatives aimed at realigning capacity with the diminished market volume anticipated in coming years. Despite a market-related slide in turnover and an unrelentingly challenging business environment, KBA’s rapid and rigorous realignment enables it to transform a heavy prior-year loss into a modest pre-tax profit (EBT) of €2.7m.
2010
On 23 July Dr Hans-Bernhard Bolza-Schünemann, a former longstanding president of KBA, dies at the age of 84. It is a sad loss both for the KBA Group and for the German engineering industry, which bids farewell to a technological pioneer and internationally respected representative.
KBA’s Radebeul facility books its 100th order for a medium-format Rapida 106 with DriveTronic SPC dedicated plate-cylinder drives supporting simultaneous plate changes.
West Ferry Printers orders 22 Commander CT towers for its new printing plant in London. At the end of November the C16, a new commercial web offset press for the popular 16pp market, is launched with many unique Features.
2011
KBA’s Frankenthal facility celebrates its 150th jubilee. In November, KBA Frankenthal is split into two independent entities: Albert-Frankenthal GmbH is assigned responsibility for the production of prismatic and rotationally symmetrical parts, while KBA-FT Engineering GmbH concentrates on the provision of demanding technological and engineering services to KBA and external clients. The new medium-format Rapida 105 PRO is presented for the first time at the “All In Print China” trade show in Shanghai; it is based on the same technological platform as the Rapida 106. At IFRA Expo 2011 in Vienna at the beginning of October, KBA unveils the Commander CL, a new newspaper web press with facilities for retrospective expansion of its automation features.
2012
Under the banner “sprinting ahead”, KBA showcases a raft of innovations at the industry’s leading trade show, drupa, in Düsseldorf in May, including – for the first time – an inkjet web press, the KBA RotaJET 76 for high-volume digital printing. In large-format sheetfed offset, the Rapida 145 redefines performance parameters with speeds of up to 17,000 sph and minimal makeready times. The fast Rapida 164, with speeds of up to 15,000 sph supersedes the Rapida 162 and Rapida 162a. At the Bavarian Print Media Awards 2012, Koenig & Bauer receives the Bavarian prime minister’s honorary award as an “innovative Bavarian showcase company”.
2013
At the Hunkeler Innovation Days in Lucerne, Switzerland, the now market-ready KBA RotaJET digital web press wins over industry experts with the printing of a daily trade show newspaper. Parallel to the majority takeover of Kammann Maschinenbau, the global market leader for the direct decoration of hollow glass containers, the acquisition of Flexotecnica S.p.A gives KBA access to the growth market for flexible packaging, and enables further expansion of its already broad portfolio for high-quality packaging printing. In November, the supervisory board adopts a comprehensive restructuring programme under the heading “Fit@All”. Its key points embrace the adjustment of production capacities to market developments, including closure of the branch factories in Trennfeld and Ternitz/Austria, a redistribution of production responsibilities between the individual group locations (requiring also the relocation of numerous machine tools), and reorganisation of the parent company Koenig & Bauer AG as a central holding, spinning off not only the operatively independent press business divisions, but also the production facilities in Würzburg and Radebeul, which are to become an independent service provider serving both the group and external clients.
2014
Implementation of the Fit@All programme progresses rapidly; considerable personnel adjustments at the Würzburg, Frankenthal and Mödling locations contribute to significant improvement of the annual result on the year's balance sheet. KBA Radebeul again adopts a pioneering role in sheetfed offset with the market launch of its future-oriented LED-UV technology for commercial printers. KBA-MetalPrint launches two new metal-decorating presses, the MetalStar 3 and Mailänder 280. KBA Würzburg delivers the largest RotaJET VL inkjet web press to date, with a web width of 1.68m (66.1in), to German decor printer Interprint.
2015
The annual general meeting approves the new group structure with Koenig & Bauer AG as a management holding and the operating subsidiaries KBA-Sheetfed Solutions AG & Co. KG (sheetfed offset), KBA Digital & Web Solutions AG & Co. KG (web offset and digital printing), KBA-NotaSys AG & Co. KG (securities printing activities), and KBA-Industrial Solutions AG & Co. KG and its associated foundry KBA-Gießerei GmbH (production in Würzburg and Radebeul). In cooperation with US partner HP Inc., KBA-Digital & Web unveils the world's largest inkjet web press, the HP T1100S PageWide Web Press for corrugated packaging, a joint development manufactured on behalf of HP at the Würzburg works. The Fit@All programme is completed successfully at the end of the year. With group revenues still exceeding the €1bn mark, the annual financial reports show a much improved pre-tax result (EBT) of almost €30m.
2016
At the drupa trade show, the KBA group presents not only further developed sheetfed offset presses for the medium and large formats, but also a brand-new half-format press, the Rapida 75 PRO, and the rotary die-cutter Rapida RDC, as an entry-level machine for postpress activities. With the new NEO XD LR from KBA-Flexotecnica, a CI flexo web press for flexible film packaging is shown in production for the first time. Digital printers are convinced by the excellent print quality of the new, flexibly scalable RotaJET L series. KBA-Sheetfed unveils the VariJET 106 - Powered by Xerox, showcasing the concept of a digital sheetfed press for folding carton production developed jointly with the US technology group. KBA-Digital & Web delivers the first RotaJET VL with a web width of 225cm (88.6in) to a European decor printer. Group revenue and profits continue to increase. All segments post a positive result at the end of the business year 2016.
A year marked by a momentous jubilee: Koenig & Bauer celebrates the 200th anniversary of its founding with a commemorative gala event, a public open day and an evening get-together for its employees. At the same time, the group retires the name KBA and returns to the traditional brand name Koenig & Bauer. The relaunch modernises the entire visual identity of the group of companies – accompanied by a new machine design. A new demo centre is erected within the space of a few months at the group headquarters in Würzburg, and is then inaugurated over the course of the jubilee celebrations. The anniversary is also marked by a number of technical innovations. The CS MetalCan defines new standards in beverage can decoration and represents a new addition to the product portfolio. With development of the Rapida LiveApps, console functions used to control sheetfed offset presses are brought directly to the operator’s smartphone, alongside efficient inventory management and a batch tracking functionality. Successes that pay dividends: Koenig & Bauer records the best group results in its entire history in 2017.
2018
The new Koenig & Bauer machine design wins several design awards. The brand relaunch continues with the change of name being rolled out to the business units as well as all subsidiaries and sales companies. The factory vocational school at Koenig & Bauer – the first of its kind in the world – celebrates its 150th anniversary. As a pioneer of digitalisation in business processes, Koenig & Bauer organises an open house to show how digital transformation optimises everyday printshop practices, creates new customer experiences and makes companies even more profitable. In the field of coding and marking systems, the first application based on artificial intelligence is unveiled under the name Kyana. A development partnership for the CorruCUT heralds Koenig & Bauer’s return to the market segment for corrugated board processing. The acquisition of Duran Machinery adds a range of folder-gluers to the group portfolio and means that Koenig & Bauer now caters for the entire packaging production workflow.
2019
The first CorruJET and the first CorruCUT are installed. At the same time, Koenig & Bauer presents the Evo XC as a new, ultra-compact flexo printing press. Cooperation with Durst Phototechnik leads to the founding of a joint venture to develop digital printing systems for the packaging industry. There is also extensive construction work going on: the customer centre in Radebeul is extended and a complete new factory is set up in Löhne for subsidiary Koenig & Bauer Kammann.
2020
Just as preparations for the upcoming drupa are entering their final phase, the turmoil triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic also arrives at Koenig & Bauer: activities all over the world are subject to massive restrictions and drupa is eventually cancelled. In its place, Koenig & Bauer organises its first online trade fair and showcases a new Rapida generation for the half and medium formats, as well as high-performance post-press technologies for packaging production. Security printing business is finally integrated into the Koenig & Bauer brand family, completing the brand relaunch initiated in 2017. Claus Bolza-Schünemann, the last representative of the founding family, retires from his position on the management board.
2021
The industry’s flagship trade fair drupa is held as a virtual event. Koenig & Bauer presents several new press and machine generations with the Rapida 105 and 145, the alphaJET5 X and the MetalStar 4, and the VariJET is also unveiled to the world as the first product to emerge from the joint venture with Durst. Developments serving to reduce resource consumption become an ever greater focus of attention: Koenig & Bauer joins the Healthy Printing network and supports the sustainability initiative UN Global Compact. The future direction of the company is outlined in its new ‘Exceeding Print’ strategy.
2022
Koenig & Bauer continues to expand its presence in the growth market for corrugated printing and converting with a partnership investment in the Italian Celmacch Group.
