Ipex 2010: Cutting-edge web press
technology for Saudi Arabian Koran printer

Av Ratanaporn B. Jakobsen

Lining up for the camera at Ipex in Birmingham (l-r): Maher Ghandour, production manager of the King Fahd Complex; Ali Saleh Al-Sanie, general manager of KBA’s Saudi agency Graphic Supplies; Christoph Müller, KBA executive vice-president for web press sales; Talal Al-Rehaili, technical director (Ministry), King Fahd Complex; Helge Hansen, president and CEO of KBA; and Professor Mohammad Salim Al-Oufi, general secretary of the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an

Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an has awarded KBA one of the biggest-ever commercial web press contracts in the Middle East.  

Scheduled to come on stream in Medina in the autumn, the installation will comprise two 16pp KBA Compacta 217 press lines with a total of four reelstands, twelve double printing units, four dryers and two folders. The deal was finalised during a visit by the Saudi delegation to Ipex.

Professor Mohammad Salim Al-Oufi, general secretary of the King Fahd Complex, is looking forward to a huge capacity boost: "The performance of Compacta 217 press lines at Kunst- und Werbedruck in Bad Oeynhausen and Vogel Druck und Medienservice in Höchberg confirmed our initial impression of premium quality press engineering and print production. The 217 came out top in every one of the challenging print tests we conducted. The dedication and competence of the KBA project team and Graphic Supplies, KBA's Saudi agency, also played a major role. The two high-automation Compacta press lines will enable us to optimise the quality and cost efficiency of our print production."

The two KBA Compacta 217 press lines with integrated Gämmerler finishing systems will substantially boost capacity at Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an

10 million copies per year
Founded some 25 years ago by King Fahd Bin Abdel Aziz to disseminate religious publications in the Islamic world, the King Fahd Complex is run by the Ministry for Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da'wah and Guidance, and has established a global reputation for quality. In addition to promoting Islamic studies, printing the Koran and translating it into other languages (50 to date), the King Fahd Complex's primary function is to print the Prophet Mohammed's Sunna and over 90 other religious publications, and to produce audio books (CDs and cassettes).

It has printed more than 251 million copies, of which 236 million have been distributed worldwide, a large proportion to the many millions of visitors to the holy shrines. The Complex covers around 250,000m² (62 acres) and alongside the printing plant includes a mosque, administration and maintenance buildings, warehouses, accommodation, entertainment, a dispensary, library and restaurants. Of the 1,700 employees over half are engaged in text, quality and final control.

Flexibility and output
The two identical Compacta 217 press lines, which will have a 630mm (24.8in) cut-off and a maximum web width of 1000mm (39.37in), will be engineered to deliver the highest possible quality within a tight production schedule. They will feature cutting-edge control technology, a suite of presetting software to minimise start-up waste, automatic folder conversion and plate-changing to minimise makeready times, and colorimetry and washing systems. Each press will have two KBA Pastomat C reelstands with Patras M manually assisted reel loading, six printing units, two Megtec dryers and one P3 pin folder so support a wide range of products. Softening and remoistening devices will ensure optimum finishing.