Constant product innovation and continuous process optimization are the fundamentals of lasting commercial success. Success of this kind depends upon a holistic methodology for analyzing, evaluating and designing the “product – technology – factory” complex and for implementing the results. The Koenig und Bauer AG (KBA) plant in Radebeul and the Steinbeis Transfer Center Production Technology and Waste Handling Logistics (STPE) in Dresden join forces to meet these exacting standards applying an identical principle: “from technical issues to times – from times to costs”.
At its Radebeul plant, KBA manufactures sheetfed offset presses in all formats. The printing press industry is under constant pressure to innovate. To manage this trend actively rather than simply reacting to it, KBA carries on a continuous and systematic program of innovation and optimization throughout all areas of the business. Thanks to its capability to deliver technically sound and commercially applicable outcomes, STPE’s input perfectly matched KBA’s requirements.
This was the underlying premise for a partnership which has endured since the year 2000 and successfully implemented projects in many different departments of the company. A broad range of issues has been addressed, from time and motion studies for various stages of printing tower component production, pre-assembly, final assembly and staff assignment planning, to analysis and optimization of tool deployment and technical parameters for machining processes in production, to benchmarking in diverse areas and the redesign of the shipping department. An ever-growing appreciation of the company’s processes and their interrelatedness now supports the current project, the design of a new production plant, its integration into the company’s layout and the organization of the corresponding technological processes.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Günther
Steinbeis Transfer Center Production Technology and Waste Handling Logistics (Dresden)