History

1951 - 1975

1951 Würzburg

Dr. Hans-Bernhard Schünemann joins the firm.
At the first Drupa in Düsseldorf Koenig & Bauer exhibits a sheetfed letterpress press with an output of 6,000 s/h, the Pax.

1952 Würzburg

Agreement with the Giori Organisation in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the joint production of security presses.
Construction of the first multicolour intaglio press for printing banknotes.

1952 Frankenthal

The Super-Albertina and Albertina are the most popular webfed gravure presses worldwide.

1954 Würzburg

Dr. Schünemann designs a new version of the Rembrandt convertible multicolour sheetfed gravure press.

1958 Würzburg

Shipment of the first Condor press - the fastest two-revolution press of its day.

1960 Planeta

Planeta causes a sensation at the Leipzig Autumn Fair with its PVO 6, a four-colour press with an output of 9,000 s/h.

1962 Würzburg

Shipment of the first letterpress newspaper press, the Courier.

1964 Würzburg

A branch factory is built in Trennfeld and the Rotafolio put into serial production.

1965 Planeta

Launch of the world's first unit-type litho press, the Variant 4 -- a press design has since become the accepted norm.

1967 Würzburg

Drupa premiere of the Rapida 0 sheetfed offset press.
Koenig & Bauer's 150th jubilee. the company's workforce of 1,960 generates a turnover of DM64 million.
Koenig & Bauer endows a cultural fund.

1967 Planeta

Planeta registers a patent for a convertible perfecting facility for unit-built presses. Merger with two other press manufacturers, Ramasch and Cocima.

1969 Würzburg

Koenig & Bauer ships the first Commander web offset press to Gérard in Verviers, Belgium.

1971 Würzburg

Dr. Hans Bolza-Schünemann is appointed president.

1972 Würzburg

Construction of the first Compacta commercial web offset press.

1972 Planeta

Completion of a new 42,000m2 assembly hall in Radebeul.

1974 Würzburg

Shipment of the world's biggest newspaper web press, the Jumbo-Courier, to Gazet van Antwerpen.
With an output of 15,000 s/h the Rapida SR III becomes the fastest 40-inch sheetfed offset press in the world.

1974 Planeta

Planeta launches another world first: a sheetfed offset press with eight printing units.