Tags: Kodak Electra / Kodak Magnus / Kodak MatchPrint / Kodak Prinergy / Kodak Staccato / Kodak Sword Ultra

Based in Stavanger, Norway, Kai Hansen Trykkeri AS is a printing business, serving an area with a large concentration of oil companies. The company competes in the high-end market and price competition and overcapacity in the print industry are the biggest challenge facing Kai Hansen.

To set itself apart from the competition, Kai Hansen has recently invested in a raft of KODAK technology: a KODAK MAGNUS 800 QUANTUM Platesetter V Speed with a multi-cassette unit; the KODAK PRINERGY CONNECT Workflow System; the KODAK MATCHPRINT Inkjet Proofing System and KODAK ELECTRA XD Thermal Plate and the KODAK SWORD ULTRA Thermal Plate.

Ronny Hansen, Production Manager at Kai Hansen comments: “Our business was in need of the speed and automation that the MAGNUS 800 Platesetter can offer. Our presses run 24/7 most of the time and for our prepress department to keep up, they had to work overtime and on weekends. And previously the plates had to be punched offline before going to press, which was very time-consuming. Now we are getting up to 34 plates an hour, all punched and ready for the press.”

The MAGNUS 800 QUANTUM Platesetter provides exceptional imaging quality using KODAK SQUAREspot Imaging Technology and KODAK STACCATO Screening Technology, and the latest Z speed model can produce up to 60 plates per hour. The modular design enables advanced automation, with an autoloader and a single cassette unit holding up to 100 plates or a multi-cassette unit that can hold up to 500 plates. “Job turnaround times have dramatically improved – plus we’ve essentially eliminated the overtime in prepress.”

Staying ahead of the competition

Kai Hansen has also recently invested in the Rules Based Automation option of the KODAK PRINERGY CONNECT Workflow System, which it anticipates will bring time and money savings. “It will put us ahead of our competitors and will help us use our prepress personnel more effectively,” adds Hansen. “After installation and training have been completed, we’re hoping to move one person from prepress to the digital printing department.”

The KODAK PRINERGY CONNECT Workflow System features an easy-to-use dashboard that enables customer service representatives, production planners and supervisors to view job information and check real-time status as they work. The PRINERGY CONNECT System Version 4 offers support for transparencies, digital printing automation to expand into the KODAK Web to print solution, and digital job notes and custom fields.

The PRINERGY CONNECT System also drives Kai Hansen’s digital printing department, which consists of a KONICA MINOLTA Printer driven by the CREO Color Server.

For hard-copy proofs, Kai Hansen uses the KODAK MATCHPRINT Inkjet Proofing System. The MATCHPRINT Inkjet Proofing System is the first DOD proofing solution to be based on powerful Kodak-developed software, including innovative screening and calibration technologies and a new Certified Process for Color Confirmation.

For added peace of mind, Kai Hansen has opted for a maintenance contract that includes Remote Support: “We’re very impressed with the Remote Support from Kodak in Belgium over the last 11 years and it’s a great way to guarantee maximum uptime. Stavanger is nine hours’ drive from Oslo, so Remote Support is essential to the success of our business.”

What’s next for Kai Hansen? The company intends to focus on what it does best by investing in the most advanced technology available and automating its production processes as much as possible. Kai Hansen has just purchased a HiFlex MIS system that will be connected to its PRINERGY Workflow System via the KODAK PRINERGY Business Link Software option: “Our next challenge is to get the MIS up and running so that we can ensure our job costing is as accurate as possible and offer our customers even more competitive prices.”

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