new 41inch conventional and uv ink press increases product options and enhances efficiency for premium packaging and display needswith an eye toward continually meeting the current and future needs of its customers, mclean packaging corporation, an awardwinning highend designer of premium packaging and displays for a variety of consumer industries, is partnering with kba north america for the first time to leverage the unique technology found on its new speciallyconfigured kba rapida 106 41inch hybrid eightcolor press. this new investment will increase mclean&rsquos product options and enhance its efficiency for premium packaging and display needs. the firm will install the new press in february 2015 at its 100,000 square foot, stateoftheart folding carton manufacturing site in moorestown, nj.&ldquoour success is built upon continually exceeding the expectations of our customers, both for premium packaging and carton production,&rdquo says joe fenkel, chairman and ceo of mclean packaging. &ldquowe differentiate ourselves from competitors by taking projects that are challenging and delivering a superb product. our new kba rapida 106 hybrid press is a key investment for our current customers as well as our future growth. our vision is to leverage the unique technology on this speciallyconfigured press to create shelf appeal on our packaging products that outperforms any competitor.&rdquothe new hybrid kba rapida 106 41inch eightcolor press being installed at mclean packaging is configured with seven litho units, a coater, two drying stubs, an eighth litho unit, and second coater. the press can run both conventional and uv ink, providing a level of comfort for certain customers, and allowing mclean to be more cost effective as it enters into new markets. mclean&rsquos management put special emphasis on sheet inspection and inline color density measurement by adding the kba qualitronic colorcontrol system to ensure that the quality of every sheet is monitored. with this system in place, the press operators can scan in the approved drawdown, set tolerances, and the press will automatically adjust color as it runs. other impressive features include the gatf awardwinning kba sensoric infeed, an electronicallycontrolled feeding that allows for color consistency and less makeready and waste a touchscreen console allowing operators to view all sheets and reports during and after production and fullyautomated plate loading and plate clamping.&ldquoafter doing our due diligence among a number of press manufacturers, we chose kba due to their commitment to support our vision and help us grow our business,&rdquo says fenkel, who visited the kba factory in germany armed with five different test substrates and coating applications to test print. &ldquothis is our first kba press. the decision to switch to a rapida was clinched by the overall package of innovative solutions, such as the sidelayfree infeed, ability to use both conventional and uv inks, and the lighteningfast press speed . we found that kba has a wonderful, very knowledgeable support team that caters to midsize independent firms like ours. our kba sales rep, ed heffernan, and chris travis are very wellinformed and have helped us tremendously with the technological features that we needed on our press.&rdquonot only does the new kba rapida 106 bring additional flexibility and new techniques, it also offers increased production and capacity by having two offset presses on the moorestown pressroom floor. &ldquoour reputation is as the top set box manufacturer in the country,&rdquo says jeff besnick, vice presidentgeneral manager of the moorestown facility, &ldquoand we&rsquore growing our folding carton market niche. a second press with these unique capabilities provides our customers with faster turnaround and speedtomarket and allows us to be more innovative.&rdquobuilt in 2007, the moorestown facility boasts a sparkling ergonomic workflow with oneofakind printing and converting equipment. &ldquomany of our customers come in to approve their jobs in person,&rdquo says rob watts, pressroom manager in moorestown. &ldquowe are press proofing all of the time. we have some of the most demanding customers in the world and we get the toughest jobs that not many printers can fulfill. the unique configuration on the rapida 106 opens the door for many different ink and coating combinations done more precisely than ever before. we&rsquore excited to see what new challenging designs our customers and our staff will create.&rdquothose most demanding and intricate jobs produced by mclean have been recognized by highlyrespected organizations. the association of independent corrugated converters aicc recently awarded mclean with a total of six awards, for both folding cartons and set boxes, ranging in categories from women&rsquos and men&rsquos cosmetics to selfpromotion. mclean received the first place award in women&rsquos and men&rsquos cosmetics for the gucci g9 set box and the first place award in confections for the godiva holiday collection. mclean has also been garnished with the new jersey packaging executives club njpec package of the year awards. recently, mclean won the gold award in food and beverage for their godiva holiday gift box.mclean&rsquos environmental commitment also helped drive their choice of the rapida 106. with its extensive automation and inline color control, the press saves a considerable amount of waste material and allows mclean to be more efficient. being deeply committed to minimizing the impact of their activities on the environment, mclean is constantly evaluating operations and ensuring their maximum efficiency and actively promoting recycling. mclean also minimizes materials added to the waste stream by offering a product range that includes a percentage of postconsumer recycled content and sources and promotes a sustainable and recyclable product range. mclean packaging is chain of custody certified by the forest stewardship council fsc, the sustainable forestry initiative sfi and the programme for the endorsement of forest certification schemes pefc which are nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations recognized globally for promoting responsible forest management.the new rapida 106 press is expected to be in full production as mclean&rsquos busiest season begins in the spring of 2015. &ldquowe are excited to begin working with the new press,&rdquo says besnick. &ldquokba has done a great job preparing us for its installation and we are ready to hit the ground running with our new technology.&rdquomclean packaging corporation is a designer and manufacturer of premium packaging and item displays for a variety of industries including consumer packaged goods cpg, food and beverage, cosmetics, and health and beauty aids. mclean packaging offers the finest quality rigid paper boxes, folding cartons, thermoform trays and corrugated cartons and displays, using the most sustainable materials available. founded in 1961, the privatelyheld company has three specialized manufacturing facilities in new jersey and pennsylvania, and generates more than 65 million in annual revenue. for more information visit mclean&rsquos website at www.mcleanpackaging.com. 
