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Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint has reported a strong run of sales in China, a market that continues to anchor global demand for metal packaging decoration. The German engineering specialist has secured orders for two 10-colour MetalStar 4 metal decorating lines and completed the first sale of its newly developed MetalKing press, a machine built specifically to meet the operational and economic realities of printers in China and India.
The two MetalStar 4 installations will go to very different but equally ambitious customers. Qingdao-based Beiqi Group, recently honoured at METPACK as High Performance Metal Decorator of the Year, is adding capacity for high-end can and closure decoration. Tianjin Daman Canmaking has selected its line together with integrated MetalCure UV drying technology, a combination that shortens curing cycles and tightens colour control across long production runs. Both investments underline a clear trend: Chinese metal decorators are willing to pay for automation that delivers faster throughput, shorter makeready times and repeatable colour accuracy.
The MetalKing represents a different strategic move. Rather than shipping a fully German-built press, Koenig & Bauer has paired German-developed technology with local manufacturing in China. The goal is to bring the cost structure and service responsiveness of a regional supply chain to printers who need high productivity but operate under different margin and lead-time pressures than their European counterparts. Ralf Hipp, Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint, called the first MetalKing sale a strong message that the technological concept works and the company’s strategic direction is paying off completely.
Taken together, the MetalStar 4 and MetalKing sales slot directly into Koenig & Bauer’s IMPACT strategy, the group-wide programme that emphasises market expansion, competitiveness and disciplined cost management. By aligning product development, manufacturing cost and local service capability, the company is reinforcing its position in the Asian metal packaging market at a moment when that market is both growing and consolidating.
For MetalStar 4 customers, the attraction is proven performance. The platform is built for the high-speed, high-colour-count work that modern beverage, food and aerosol cans demand. Ten-colour configurations allow printers to layer brand colours, coatings and special effects in a single pass, while MetalCure UV drying removes a traditional bottleneck by curing inks inline rather than in a separate oven. That capability is especially valuable for decorators chasing shorter lead times and lower energy consumption.
The MetalKing, by contrast, is about accessibility without compromise. Local manufacturing lowers the entry price and shortens delivery and commissioning timelines, while the underlying engineering inherits the reliability Koenig & Bauer is known for. For printers in India and China weighing their first step into high-end metal decoration, that combination can be the difference between a project that gets approved and one that stalls in a procurement review.
Beyond the individual deals, the news reflects a broader structural shift in the metal decorating industry. As brand owners push for more customisation, faster promotional cycles and sustainability improvements, metal decorators need presses that are both flexible and efficient. UV curing, inline coating and smarter automation all contribute to lower waste and energy use per can, aligning capital investment with environmental targets.
There is also a service dimension that should not be underestimated. A press is only as productive as the support behind it; local manufacturing implies local spares, local technical knowledge and shorter response times. For operations running around the clock, that proximity can protect uptime in ways a distant supply chain cannot.
Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint’s China momentum is therefore more than a handful of orders. It signals that the company has found a two-track formula: premium MetalStar 4 lines for decorators who want maximum performance, and regionally built MetalKing presses for those who need the same engineering philosophy at a more attainable cost. If the first MetalKing sale is any indicator, the approach is resonating with exactly the customers Koenig & Bauer hoped to reach, and it positions the business to capture further share as Asian metal packaging continues its steady expansion.
Source: Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint via inkish.news
