Report 36 d,e,f,s,i.qxd:Report - KBA

Web Offset | Latin America Website: www.editorialprimavera.com
In 2008 Editorial Primavera’s
workforce of around 220 generated
sales worth approximately
38.6 million bolivar (US$18m). The
Compacta 215 represents the
biggest investment in technology
since the company was founded by
Don Armando De Armas Melendez
in 1967. From a modest printshop
in Caracas it has evolved into a highpowered
full-service provider.
Laying the foundations for growth
The total investment package,
which cost the equivalent of $15m,
included a technology upgrade in
both the pre-press and finishing departments.
Editorial Primavera is
part of Bloque De Armas, a familyowned
trade federation whose
interests encompass television
broadcasting, publishing and commercial
printing as well as daily
newspapers (2001) and sports titles
(Meridiano).
The Compacta 215 press lines
have been in operation since the
middle of last year in a new building
on the 10,000m² (110,000ft²)
site that has been the company’s
base in the satellite town south of
Caracas since 1979. The Compactas
joined an existing fleet of six 16pp
web presses. Primavera has made
the most of this formidable production
capacity to become one of the
top ten commercial printers in Latin
America.
The two new Compactas,
which replaced two much older
presses in a fleet dominated by
American and Swedish brands, underscore
the high reputation that
KBA commercial web presses enjoy
in Latin America. There are already
a number of Compacta installations
in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
Broad product spectrum
The left-hand Compacta 215 is a
standard press line with four double
printing units, a heatset dryer
and an F3 gripper folder, while the
right-hand one has six printing
units, a UV coater, a dryer and a
Vits-Rotocut sheeter. It supports the
production of copies featuring spot
colours, special-effect coatings and
scents etc. A transverse link be-
Catalogues, magazines and supplements for the Venezuelan market
make up the bulk of Editorial Primavera’s broad product spectrum
30 Report 36 | 2010
Editorial Primavera deputy managing director Benjamin de Armas (l), who is pictured here with one of his press operators and Francisco Beaz (centre)
of KBA’s agency Pack Print, is delighted with his new duplex press
Editorial Primavera holds pole position in Venezuela
Duplex Compacta opens up
new options
Editorial Primavera in Guarenas, near Caracas, has reaffirmed its position as the leading commercial and magazine
printer in Venezuela with the production launch of a new Compacta 215 duplex installation totalling ten printing
units. The mirror-image constellation of two 16pp web presses is the only one of its kind in Latin America.
tween the two presses allows both
webs to be guided through a single
folder to produce 32pp sections
which are generally collated into
catalogues. The two Compactas can
be operated separately as well. The
sheeter also allows the right-hand
press to print covers in heavier
grades of stock.
Surpassing all expectations
For Editorial Primavera’s deputy
managing director Benjamin de
Armas, the Compacta 215 project
was an unqualified success. “The
award of the contract at Drupa
2008 was the culmination of an exhaustive
screening process. Our objective
was clear: we were looking
for a high-output press at the very
cutting edge of technology, capable
of delivering a superior print quality
and handling a wide range
of products, yet still within our
budget.”
He continues: “We didn’t just
rely on manufacturers’ demonstrations
– we set about gaining a com-