The magazine for Muller Martini customers
Many Customers at Muller Martini’s drupa Stand Found Solutions Not Only for Today, But Also for Tomorrow and the Day after Tomorrow
Fall 2012
Editorial
Muller Martini Ensures a High Level of Investment Protection
Felix Stirnimann, Member of the Board of Directors of Muller Martini
E Demonstrating service solutions based on specific, practical examples during a trade fair is one of the demanding challenges for any machine manufacturer. “That is nearly impossible to do,” some experts recently said to me at a service seminar. We at Muller Martini responded: “Then we’ll make the impossible possible.” That is how we came up with the idea to put a PrimaPlus built in 2006 on display at this year’s drupa to demonstrate how a six-year old saddle stitcher can be brought up to date, that is, to the state of the art, by carrying out 23 upgrades. Of course, at the beginning there was a bit of skepticism (“can we really display an old machine at a trade fair among all our other modern solutions?”). Indeed, the green PrimaPlus surrounded by laser-blue machines at our booth at the drupa took some getting used to. However, the old saddle stitcher quickly became a major attraction. The visitors to the drupa showed that our efforts to present a current topic in an unconventional way were worth their while. During our PrimaPlus demonstrations, not only did numerous visitors to our booth witness how to get more out of an existing machine. We also exceeded expectations by concluding several service
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agreements – almost all of them were negotiated directly at our booth. The service aspect was particularly important at this year’s drupa as many graphic arts companies are not thinking in terms of new investments right now given the difficult economic circumstances. That is why it was so important to show graphic arts companies how to optimize their machinery or adapt it to meet new requirements. With the extensive MMServices Life Cycle Program, Muller Martini meets all the customers’ needs throughout the lifetime of a machine – whether it is increasing performance and quality of the end product, reducing set-up times, optimizing production security or demonstrating new possibilities for production. With our service program that encompasses seven modules we ensure that our customers have a high level of investment protection. Even our current cutting-edge systems will start to shown signs of age at some point. However, later on they will be upgraded or expanded with technologies that have yet to be developed. A good example of how customers can benefit from our high level of service expertise is Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. in Plymouth, England. The successful book-
bindery put into operation a second-hand Bolero machine, under the instruction of Muller Martini England, only 19 days after it had been decommissioned in Scotland, for more on this event, see page 50. Not only did our English service specialists provide for the smooth transport of the perfect binding line, they also inspected the entire machine, cleaned it, upgraded it to the state of the art, in addition to training the machine operators, all of which facilitated the installation of the machine. “Without this professional support, we would have never considered purchasing a secondhand perfect binder,” Ian Crocker, Managing Director of Latimer, told “Panorama”. The example of Latimer is an impressive demonstration of how the life cycle of a machine – even after relocation – can be extended with the right measures, thereby allowing it to remain productive for many years to come. You don’t always have to invest in a new machine in order to ensure that production facilities provide for an optimal position of print media. Thanks to their modular structure, existing systems from Muller Martini can be expanded step by step and enhanced with new functions at the lowest possible cost, which allows you to be more successful in your daily production. It is important for us to remain in contact with you so that we can assess your potential together and develop concrete solutions. Our aim is to support graphic arts companies, so that you can operate your systems optimally throughout their life cycles. We will therefore continue to increase our activities in this important area of services by providing the best possible support to our many customers worldwide in order to optimize their production equipment. Yours sincerely,
Felix Stirnimann, Member of the Board of Directors of Muller Martini Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Contents
Imprint
Volume 27 Muller Martini “Panorama” Editor Dr. Markus Angst markus.angst@ch.mullermartini.com Publisher Muller Martini Marketing AG Untere Brühlstrasse 13 CH-4800 Zofingen, Switzerland Telephone +41 62 745 45 75 Fax +41 62 751 55 50 www.mullermartini.com Publication frequency Appears three times a year in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish editions. Reproduction with reference to source is permitted. Printed in Switzerland.
neutral Printed Matter No. 01-12-375924 – www.myclimate.org
10 Four Customers Decided at Drupa in Favor of the New Alegro Perfect Binder Featuring Motion Control Technology
22 The Saddle Stitcher Setup Wizard from Muller Martini is Extremely Convenient and Greatly Reduces Setup Times
46 With its New Alprinta 52, the Mailshot Specialist SDV Winter Can Set Up Jobs up to 50 Percent Faster
drupa Interview with Bruno Müller – “Feedback from Visitors to the Stand was Extremely Positive” Photographs of the Highly-frequented Muller Martini Stand Alegro – the New Perfect Binder for Offset and Digitally Printed Products Diamant MC Hybrid/Ventura MC Compact – Pioneering Hardcover Innovations MM Services – Many Customers Spontaneously Decided to Purchase a Service Contract HP/KBA – the SigmaLine at the HP and KBA Stands Pulls In Visitors FlexLiner/FlexPack – New Solutions for Innovative Insert Marketing VSOP – Modern Control Technology Simplifies Printing Press Operation Presto II – Even More User-friendly Thanks to the Setup Wizard
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News
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Forum Setup Assistant – Short Paths Thanks to Local Operating Panels
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Connex Data and Process Management System – One Click and the New Job is Running
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Saddle Stitching Systems Merkhofer, Morangis – 28 Saddle Stitchers from Muller Martini Double Printing, Budapest – the Primera C110 Also Enables Two-up Production Pratiyogita Darpan, Agra – High Quality Enhances Print Products Consolidated, Seattle – Duo of Primera C130/Bravo for Short and Long Runs
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Hardcover Production Lovely, Sivakasi – Indian’s First Diamant MC 35 Specializes in Diaries fgb, Freiburg – Diamant MC and Ventura MC Ensure High Quality
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Digital Solutions buch bücher, Birkach – a Diamant MC 35 for Print Runs of 1 to 500 CDS, Medford – Acoro A5/Diamant MC 35 as a Perfect Digital-ready Team
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Printing Presses SDV Winter, Weidenberg – the Alprinta 52 Ensures Higher Productivity
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Newspaper Mailroom Systems “Diario Libre”, Santo Domingo – Three AlphaLiners Unveiled
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Services Latimer, Plymouth – How a Perfect Binder Found a New Home in Just 19 Days
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© myclimate – The Climate Protection Partnership
Sales and Service Muller Martini Ltd. Ridgeway Industrial Estate Iver, Buckinghamshire SLO 9JQ Phone Iver 0845 345 3588 Telefax 65 56 58 (Std Code 01753) info@gb.mullermartini.com www.mullermartini.co.uk Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
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“We Are Counting on the Coexistence of Offset and Digital Printing in the Future” Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini, drew a positive balance of the company’s performance at the drupa 2012 in Düsseldorf.
E “Panorama”: The drupa 2012 is now in the books. What are your impressions after the 14-day trade fair? Bruno Müller (CEO Müller Martini): I am extremely satisfied with our performance. We had a constantly high volume of visitors to our booth, which displayed many innovations and in particular, featured practical demonstrations led by our specialists. Over the two-week period we produced attractive newspapers, magazines, softcover and hardcover books as well as film wrap4
ping in over 600 demonstrations, using 45 tons of paper and 6 tons of film. Our main focus was on demonstrating how quickly jobs can be changed over as well as how to ensure the high quality of the products. We received excellent feedback from visitors to our booth. Speaking of feedback: You spoke personally with many customers. What were the main points that emerged from these conversations?
One key point was the cost-effective manufacture of products in small and ultrasmall quantities. The people I spoke with were very interested in the innovations in digital printing. It was also obvious that integrated complete solutions are increasingly in demand instead of individual machines. We were able to take this into account in our exhibits. I also observed that many customers are not only looking for solutions for today, but they are also thinking about tomorrow and beyond. Our cusMuller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
tomers want investment protection in an environment that is changing faster than ever before. Due to the rapidly changing market requirements, longer investment cycles and the influence of new technology, flexibility and expandability of the systems has become a central issue. One part of the rapidly changing market requirements is the increasing import ance of digital printing methods. How has the trend towards digital printing developed between the drupa 2008 and 2012? The range of printing technologies and the number of printing press manufacturers have increased significantly. Great advances have also been made in terms of performance and quality. Of course, industrial high-performance printing systems are of particular interest to us. With our ‘digital solutions’ on the SigmaLine we offer excellent solutions in this area. In addition, we
1 Bruno Müller (at the press conference on the Muller Martini booth): «Our customers want investment protection in an environment that is changing faster than ever before.»
also presented machines that are ‘digital ready’, as they can be installed right away as a standard system and can be expanded later on directly on site downstream of a digital printing press. We are counting on the coexistence of offset and digital printing in the future.
Whenever you make such a great effort to show your power of innovation and market performance, of course you want to see some sales take place. This year’s drupa was a great success in this regard as well. We were able to conclude sales agreements on all continents – in particular in emerging markets such as China or Brazil. This year’s drupa had roughly 20 per- We also saw new investments in Muller cent fewer visitors than in 2008. Did Martini systems in our traditional markets you feel this negative trend at Muller of North America and Europe. Another Martini’s booth? positive development was the great interWe were very pleased with the volume of est in our MMServices modules. Many cusvisitors to our booth, which was only slight- tomers decided on the spot to purchase a ly lower than in 2008. Our booth had plen- service package. ty of visitors and all of our demonstrations were full – even on the last day of the trade Muller Martini also presented attractive printed products in the “Product Innov fair. ation Lounge”. How did visitors react to The measure of success at a trade fair is this premiere at the drupa? not only how many visitors you had to The “Product Innovation Lounge” proved your booth, but also the volume of sales. to be an ideal way to display the wide range of products and services from Muller MarHow did you do in this area? tini by showing the finished products produced on our systems. It was also an ideal starting point to emphasize the advantages and the innumerable possibilities offered by printed products. Many conversations with customers focused more on the finished products than on our systems 2 Muller Martini’s booth at this year’s themselves. That is why we will continue drupa was very popular, and all of the to develop our idea of the product lounge. demonstrations were full even on the last day of the trade fair (image: Milan Živic from Muller Martini Serbia with the Diamant MC).
At the conclusion of the two-week long drupa, how would you describe the current state of the graphic arts industry? The structural change in our industry is inevitable. However, at the same time it also presents chances and risks. The drupa was inspiring for anyone who sees the new application possibilities as a chance and want to actively pursue this chance. The numerous sales agreements concluded at the trade fair show that confidence in our industry is slowing returning.
2 Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
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Muller Martini’s drupa Stand Attracts Stream of Visitors Under its “fitness” slogan, Muller Martini showed graphic arts companies at drupa in Düsseldorf how they can stand out from the competition. The trade fair stand attracted visitors from all over the world on all 14 days, finding solutions not only for today, but also for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
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Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Muller Martini  Panorama Fall 2012
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Impressions from the Muller Martini Stand at drupa
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Muller Martini  Panorama Fall 2012
Muller Martini  Panorama Fall 2012
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Motion Control Technology Puts the New Alegro in a Class of Its Own Shorter setup times, faster production and higher quality – the new Alegro perfect binder from Muller Martini with Motion Control Technology unveiled at the drupa is optimally equipped for offset and digital printing.
Thanks to Motion Control Technology, all stations of the Alegro are driven directly and controlled individually.
E Walsh Colour Print, located in the Irish town of Castleisland, entered digital printing two years ago with two HP Indigo 5500 machines. It previously produced books, with print runs of just one copy in extreme cases, using an aging Starbinder from Muller Martini. In order to optimize the production of ultra-short runs, the company decided at the drupa to replace the Starbinder with an Alegro. “We wanted a solution allowing us to finish products printed using both sheet-fed offset and digitally,” says company owner Tony Walsh. “Although we print many ultra-short runs digitally, in offset printing there can be runs of several tens of thousands of copies.” Extremely Short Processing Times The new Alegro ensures quicker setup times, faster production and higher product quality thanks to Motion Control Technology. It facilitates extremely short processing times, resulting in maximum profitability. The Alegro, which stands out due to special sizes (from ultra-small to A3; products in the DIN A4 format can even be run perpendicular in two-up production) and production methods, also provides the basis for a large range of uses. At the heart of the intelligent machine concept is the fact that all stations of the Alegro, which has 70 percent fewer chains than traditional perfect binders, are driven directly and controlled individually thanks to Motion Control. That means the settings have a direct effect on the product, leading to maximum quality. Motion Control optimizes the individual process steps, reduces setup times and allows for maximum production performance in the shortest time. With Motion Control, the readjustment of settings is reduced to a minimum.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
“Light Years Ahead” The high degree of automation was also the key factor that convinced Bell & Bain, located in the Scottish city of Glasgow, to purchase the Alegro as a replacement for the Acoro A5 at the drupa. “We also shopped around the competition during our evaluation period and found that the Alegro is light years ahead,” says Director Stephen Docherty. Bell & Bain changes over the perfect binder roughly 20 times a day. The print runs of the numerous medical books and journals it produces vary anywhere between 400 and 22,000 copies. According to Managing Director Ian Walker, he Alegro provides two other key advantages in addition to the fast setup times. “First, compared to the Acoro we now have a higher production rate of 2000 cycles per hour, which we hope will enable us to avoid our usual overtime shifts in the future. Second, we can also use the Alegro for digitally printed products.” When the new perfect binder begins operation at the end of this year, it will initially be used to bind offset products only. “However, we are also planning to use the machine for binding digitally printed signatures at a later date,” says Walker. As the second company in the world to do so, Bell & Bain has had in operation a SigmaLine digital book production system from Muller Martini since 2005 and in the future will be able to transport products offline into the Alegro as well as inline into the SigmaBinder machine. Connex Optimizes Processes While Bell & Bain has years of experience in perfect binding, Samson Druck in the Austrian town of St. Margarethen is entering softcover production this year for the first time – with an Alegro. “First of all, the number of jobs we receive has increased. Second, we want to keep our value added in-house. Third, this way, we are able to provide optimal quality.
And fourth, it gives us better control of logistics,” says Gerhard Aichhorn, Managing Director of Samson Druck, which until now has outsourced the perfect binding of their products. Samson Druck decided in favor of the Alegro at the drupa not least because of the Connex data and process management system. With Connex, it is possible to optimally automate all Muller Martini systems, from a stand-alone machine to complex production lines (see article on page 26). Thanks to this standardization, all machines can communicate with one another and, using Connex, can also be connected to a management information system (MIS). “This is an important aspect for us, as we already have a MIS system in operation,” emphasized Aichhorn. Faster Support with MMRemote An additional advantage of the new Alegro is that it is remote-compatible, which enables Muller Martini to connect to the machine at the customers’ site online from the factory at any time and quickly resolve faults through the MMRemote service module. “That solution is really convenient because we can save a lot of time, especially in the initial phase following commissioning,” says Trond Erik Isaksen, founder and General Director of Livonia Print. The successful company in the Latvian capital of Riga (see “Panorama” 1/12) decided on the installation of an Alegro to expand its existing machine line-up.
Three-knife Trimmer Solit with SmartPress Technology The Alegro perfect binding line is complemented by the new Solit three-knife trimmer, which is equipped with the patented SmartPress technology. Thanks to this unique, servo-controlled technology, the air in the book block can be released optimally. In addition, the pressing automatically adjusts to fluctuations in the product thickness, ensuring excellent trim quality. The Solit three-knife trimmer can be changed over in less than three minutes without any tools.
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Two Pioneering Innovations for Hardcover Producers At the drupa Muller Martini surprised visitors with two pioneering innovations in the hardcover segment – the Diamant MC Hybrid bookline as an ideal solution for photo books and on-demand production, as well as the space-saving Ventura MC Compact book sewing machine.
E The Diamant MC Hybrid enables companies to meet the challenges of digital production and equips them optimally for both large and ultra-short print runs. Motion Control Technology ensures top quality from the very first book, which is vital for one-off production. For books with straight spines, the variable rounding irons ensure short changeovers. For rounded spines, the preheatable rounding irons save a lot of time. Courier Invests in Diamant MC Digital The leading American book manufacturer Courier Corporation decided at the drupa to purchase a Diamant MC Digital for its factory in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts and can now also produce hardcover books in short runs. “We are pleased to see our digital printing business continue to grow,” says Joseph L. Brennan, Vice President Engineering at Courier Corporation in North Chelmsford. “The new Diamant MC Digital now enables us to offer our customers digitally printed hardcover books as well.” Courier works solely in the digital printing segment, printing books chiefly for schools and universities, as well as manuals and operating manuals under the Courier Digital Solutions (CDS) brand. In addition to three HP T300 digital printing presses, CDS also uses a SigmaBinder/ tower/trimmer, an Acoro A7 perfect binder and three SigmaFolders/collators with SigmaControl (see “Panorama” 2/11). A Compact Ventura The Ventura MC Compact uses the very same successful book sewing concept as the tried and tested Ventura MC book sewing machine, ensuring the high quality of the stitching as well as cost-effective production. The excellent quality is reflected in the deep stitching, the short ends of the threads and the reliable connection of the 12
Joseph L. Brennan (second from left), Vice President Engineering at Courier Corporation: “The new Diamant MC Digital now enables us to offer our customers digitally printed hardcover books as well.” Left: Jürgen Noll (Marketing Director Muller Martini Book Technology). Second from left: Frank Donnelly (Sales Manager Muller Martini USA). Right: Werner Naegeli (Managing Director Muller Martini USA).
first and last signatures. Consistent use of the servo concept ensures short changeover times and optimized movements at all production speeds. Feeder hopper, delivery and touchscreen are located close to one another, making the machine compact and user-friendly. The machine requires just one operator. Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Experts from Muller Martini used the six-yearold PrimaPlus to demonstrate live at drupa by means of various service modules how a saddle stitcher can be analyzed and have its potential for optimization pinpointed.
A Six-year-old Saddle Stitcher Pulls in Visitors Muller Martini used a six-year-old saddle stitcher at drupa to demonstrate in practice the extension and optimization options open to graphic arts businesses looking to improve the cost-effectiveness of their machine line-ups. Many customers were so impressed that they signed a service contract right there and then.
E At first glance the green PrimaPlus at Muller Martini’s drupa stand in Düsseldorf looked out of place among the other laser blue systems. Yet the saddle stitcher from 2006 quickly became a major draw. That was because experts from Muller Martini were using the six-year-old PrimaPlus to demonstrate live by means of various service modules how a saddle stitcher can be analyzed and have its potential for optimization pinpointed. “Visitors were very interested and very enthusiastic,” says Patrick Treyer, MMServices Program Manager in Muller Martini’s Global Services & Marketing division, with satisfaction. Wolfgang Kurz, Project Manager at Muller Martini Germany seconded that: “We really struck home with this professional service presentation. That is how Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
to sell service solutions: in a hands-on way using specific customer demos.” Spontaneous Sales Abound Both customers’ interest and the number of service contracts signed exceeded expectations. What is more, most of the contracts were concluded spontaneously. “Customers were so impressed by what they can get out of their existing machines that they chose right there and then to purchase a service solution from us at our stand,” say Patrick Treyer and Wolfgang Kurz. Wolfgang Kurz sold over 20 MMInspect contracts to German customers at drupa. The module covers the preventive Muller Martini inspection service, which is designed to analyze the state of equipment as
well as its optimization potential in terms of production security, productivity and production options. MM Uptodate, whereby regular updates prolong the life span of the machines and ensure that their high performance characteristics are maintained for many years, also proved a hit with customers. The ridge caliper (simpler operation) and the infeed of the three-knife trimmer (increase on product quality) of saddle stitchers were particularly sought after.
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When Digital Printing and Print Finishing Merge Seamlessly With a joint appearance at HP’s drupa stand, the leading manufacturer of digital printing presses and Muller Martini showcased an inline solution for the production of digitally printed books to the amazement of many trade fair visitors.
E “Visitors to our stand showed great interest in the joint HP/Muller Martini solution right from the first day of drupa,” says Aurelio Maruggi, Vice President & General Manager Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions at HP: As the market is continually moving away from conventional printing to digital printing, our customers are realizing that we offer them entirely new options, especially in terms of print quality, production speed and flexibility. That opens up new business segments in inkjet printing.” A Drupa Premiere For that reason Aurelio Maruggi considers it important that drupa visitors were shown the great advantages of inline systems. “They saw that we offer our customers a joint solution allowing digital printing and print finishing to merge seamlessly.” Aurelio Maruggi explains that Muller Martini was chosen as partner "because Muller Martini has an excellent understanding of the digital business”. According to Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini, that understanding extends in particular to the Connex data and process management system from Muller Martini, which optimizes and automates the finishing of offset and digital printed materials and is the world-leading solution of its kind in digital book printing. “The increasing importance of digital printing makes an intelligent workflow crucial,” says Bruno Müller. “It is only possible to produce products directly and cost-effectively in one operation if the entire process is totally automated and integrated. It is exactly here that Muller Martini serves as a reliable partner to ensure the security of investments. Whether offset or digital, every business determines the corresponding degree of automation and networking that is required.” Color and black/white books were produced live at the HP stand using the T410 digital printing press from HP and the fully 14
integrated SigmaLine complete solution from Muller Martini for the production of digitally printed books with a SigmaFolder and SigmaCollator (for 42-inch web width). In addition, four pallets of books were
printed daily at the HP stand for an Italian publishing house. The books were then bound using the Alegro perfect binder at the Muller Martini stand shortly before the close of the trade fair each day.
Aurelio Maruggi (Vice President & General Manager Inkjet High-speed Production Solutions at HP): “HP and Muller Martini offer their customers entirely new options in inkjet printing, especially in terms of print quality, production speed and flexibility, which enables them to enter new business segments.”
KBA and Muller Martini Showcase Customer-focused Inline Solution With a joint appearance at KBA’s drupa stand, KBA and Muller Martini showed an inline solution for digitally printed products on the SigmaLine with the Primera Digital saddle stitching system. The solution proved a hit with visitors.
E KBA had shown its commercial web presses together with Muller Martini at drupa in the past. “In other words, both companies had experience of joint trade fair appearances,” says Klaus Schmidt, Director of Marketing/Communication at the KBA Group. However, drupa 2012 was a special occasion. KBA presented a digital printing press for the first time, and is seeking to enter a new business segment with the brandnew Rotajet 76. “Naturally our live demos at drupa only made sense by also showing inline print finishing,” says Klaus Schmidt. Four Different Color Products For Muller Martini, the partnership was an “excellent opportunity allowing us to show that we are the leader in inline solutions for digital printing and how digital printing can be seamlessly integrated into print finishing thanks to our Connex data and process management system,” says Dragan Volic, Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Klaus Schmidt (right), Marketing/Commu nication Director of the KBA Group: “Production ends not with printing, but with the finished product.” Center: Alexander Blank (prepress technician). Left: Klaus Behnisch (Muller Martini service technician).
Director of Marketing for Print Finishing Systems at Muller Martini. At the KBA stand, four different color 48-page print products with various types of paper were produced using the Rotajet 76 and Muller Martini’s SigmaLine consisting of the SigmaFolder and the Primera Digital. The four print products were “KBA Daily”, a university magazine, a technology magazine and a cook book, variously with and without an additional cover.
Industry Needs to Join Forces “Muller Martini is a global company like us,” says Klaus Schmidt, explaining the cooperation with the Swiss machine manufacturer at the KBA stand. In the view of the experienced printing press expert, it is clear that the industry needs to join forces in order to be able to offer such customer-oriented inline solutions. “Production ends not with printing, but with the finished product,” says Klaus Schmidt. 15
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From left: Christian Basse (Publisher and Managing Director of SKN Druck u. Verlag GmbH & Co. KG), Matthias Kandt (Sales Representative Muller Martini Deutschland), Volker Leonhard (Managing Director Muller Martini Germany), Bruno Müller (CEO Muller Martini) and René Podien (electronics engineer in Muller Martini’s testing workshop) in front of the new FlexLiner inserting system at Muller Martini’s drupa stand.
The First FlexLiner Goes to East Frisia “The FlexLiner is the ideal machine for inserts in inserts,” says Christian Basse, publisher and managing director of SKN Druck u. Verlag GmbH & Co. KG in Norden (East Frisia/Northern Germany). The insert and magazine printer is the first company to purchase the inserting system unveiled as a world first by Muller Martini at the drupa for that reason.
E “I’ve been searching for three years for the optimal solution for inserting inserts into inserts,” says Christian Basse (Dipl.Kfm.), publisher and managing director of SKN. Matthias Kandt, sales representative of Muller Martini Germany, hinted to him that Muller Martini had an inserting machine in the pipeline for the drupa 2012 that would suit his needs exactly. He was so convinced by the demonstration of the new FlexLiner at the Muller Martini stand in Düsseldorf that he decided to invest in the new system immediately. Founded in 1861, SKN originally started out as a newspaper operation, but has focused on the printing of inserts and magazines for three decades. The company produces inserts, 80 percent of which are placed in newspapers, for numerous bigname customers. 16
Innovative Insert Marketing The new FlexLiner increases efficiency in the mailroom, creates reliability in traditional newspaper production and offers new product make-up possibilities. It can be expanded in any number of ways thanks to its open system architecture. Additional possibilities are created by individual addressing in the delivery transporter and the integration of a labeling system or a card gluer. With selective main product feeding, customers have entirely new opportunities to set themselves apart. With the use of up to three feeding positions, which can be fed manually, from the FlexiRoll or directly from the web printing press, inserts can be placed as FlexAds on the front or back pages of a main product, in addition to normal insert production.
FlexPack: High Functionality At the drupa Muller Martini also unveiled its FlexPack bundle building system for the first time. It impresses with its compactness, flexibility and process reliability, and provides for low investment costs together with high functionality. FlexPack combines all processes including stacking, feeding of the bottom sheet, bottom sheet labeling, top sheet printing, top sheet run and strapping into a single compact machine.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Hammer Packaging Soon to Print Shrink Sleeves Using the New VSOP from Muller Martini With its volume of shrink sleeves orders continuously growing, Hammer Packaging in Rochester, located in the U.S. state of New York, decided to purchase the new VSOP web printing press from Muller Martini.
E Since the 40s, Hammer Packaging, founded in 1912, has been printing labels including 360-degree labels, pressure sensitive labels and in-mold labels produced using an injection molding procedure for the food and beverages industry. Six years ago, the long-standing company entered the shrink sleeves business segment with two VSOP printing presses from Drent Goebel. The segment is growing dynamically and Hammer Packaging is constantly gaining new customers, prompting its President and CEO James E. Hammer to invest in a third web printing press. At the drupa in Düsseldorf, the greatgrandson of the company founder signed a purchase agreement for the new VSOP from Muller Martini with nine printing units, plus an additional flexo unit, hot air drying and EB drying. It will be put into operation towards the end of the year. “Compared to the predecessor models of Drent Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Goebel, Muller Martini has made some important technological upgrades,” says Jim Hammer, explaining his choice of the latest investment. Modern Control Technology One particular innovation is modern control technology. Thanks to the integration of Muller Martini control topology in the VSOP, the reliability of the machine has been increased and considerably fewer components are in use. That simplifies both operation and maintenance. The sleeve positioning improvement in the printing units reduces wear and tear on the air shaft in the case of frequent size changes. In addition, remote diagnosis tools such as MMRemote Access and MM Remote Online are also available in the new VSOP. That increases the availability of the machine and reduces downtime. “The new printing press fulfills our requirements
From right: Werner Naegeli (Managing Director Muller Martini USA), James E. Hammer (President and CEO Hammer Packaging), Hart Swisher (Director of Technology Hammer Packaging), Martin Karpie (Vice President of Operations Hammer Packaging), Louis Iovoli (Vice President Strategic Partnership/Marketing Hammer Packaging), Mark Rauth (Sales Manager Muller Martini USA), Doug Weiss (Business Development Muller Martini USA) in front of the VSOP printing press at Muller Martini’s drupa stand.
exactly,” says a visibly satisfied Jim Hammer in summary at Muller Martini’s drupa stand. 17
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Presto II and Primera: Even More User Friendly The Presto II saddle stitcher first unveiled at Muller Martini’s drupa stand now features the tried and tested setup wizard familiar from the Primera models, greatly reducing changeover times.
At the drupa, the new Presto II saddle stitcher was used to produce a small product in a size of 60 x 93 mm in two-up production.
E Since Muller Martini introduced the setup wizard at the launch of the Primera models at the drupa 2008, customers worldwide have appreciated the convenient operation of the new saddle stitcher generation (see also article on page 22). The setup wizard offers simple and practical navigation. Now even relatively inexperienced Presto machine operators can set up a job step by step using the intuitive user interface and gather, stitch, cut and stack the sections. In addition, the Presto II, the entry-level saddle stitcher model from Muller Martini with up to 9000 cycles per hour, can now be connected to the Connex data and process management system (see page 26). The Presto II is also fully remote-compatible, which means Muller Martini can get in contact with the machine at the customers’ site online from the factory at any time 18
The Primera E160 saddle stitcher presented at the drupa 2012 is a highperformance all-rounder with up to 16,000 cycles per hour for a wide range of sizes.
and quickly resolve faults through the Remote service module.
MM
Primera E160: Inline with Sitma Inserting Machine At Muller Martini’s drupa stand, the most powerful saddle stitcher in the mid-size output range, the Primera E160 from Muller Martini, impressed visitors with its speed, flexibility and production reliability. With 16,000 cycles per hour for mid-sized print runs coupled with a wide range of sizes, it is a high-performance all-rounder. Products ranging in size from A7 to A3 can be produced using various customized options, including two-up and three-up production. The clearly laid out setup wizard significantly reduces changeover times in just seven simple steps. As a result, the average setup time for the automated Primera is re-
duced to about six minutes. Connex also lowers production costs. From the Primera E160 presented at drupa, saddle stitched products were transported to the Sitma inserting machine, which film-wrapped the products also at a speed of 16,000 cycles.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
News from Muller Martini Chinese Printing House Artron and Muller Martini Deepen Cooperation
Jie Wan (right), CEO Artron, and Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini, seal an agreement at drupa con cerning a strategic partnership between the two companies, as well as the installation of a Dia mant 60 bookline and a Ventura MC book sewing machine.
The leading Chinese art book printing house Artron and Muller Martini signed an agreement concerning a strategic partnership between the two companies and the supply of a Diamant 60
bookline and a fifth Ventura MC book sewing machine with a ceremony at Muller Martini’s drupa stand. Artron invested in several Muller Martini solutions over the last 12 months for the production of its high-quality books – two Diamant 60 booklines, four Ventura MC book sewing machines, two Acoro A6 perfect binding lines and three gathering machines. The agreement signed between Artron CEO Jie Wan and Muller Martini CEO Bruno Müller at the drupa covers not only the supply of the two latest machines, but also a strategic partnership. That includes Muller Martini Hong Kong supporting Artron in the maintenance of its machines, as well as in the recruitment and training of machine operators, in line with the MM Service package.
The Recently Founded Al Shohada in Baghdad Invests in Three Systems from Muller Martini For several years before the war, many graphic arts businesses in Iraq relied on solutions from Muller Martini. Now Al Shohada as a start-up company has invested in systems from the Swiss machine manufacturer, since the graphic arts industry in Iraq is once again growing after the changes to its political system. This full-service prepress, printing house and finishing company was founded under the Iraqi Prime Minister in Baghdad with the objective of providing relatives of victims of war with a place to work. The proceeds from the sales of the graphic arts products are used to support victims of the war directly. “Muller Martini has an excellent reputation in our country,” says Makki A.M. Al-Kilidar, Deputy Manager of Al-Thora Trad. & Printing Serv. Est., which special-
(From left) Elie Hamaty (Sales Manager Muller at Martini repre sentation Middle East Graphics), Alois Hochstrasser (Director Mul ler Martini Marketing AG), Makki A.M. Al-Kilidar (Deputy Manager Al-Thora Trad. & Printing Serv. Est.), Liwaa Al Qadhy (Trading Consultant) and René Thüler (Sales Manager Muller Martini) shake hands at the drupa.
izes in the graphic arts industry in Iraq and provides the machines for Al Shohada, explaining the reason behind the choice for the new systems.
Beijing Shengtong Printing Purchases a Second The New Primera C130 Joins Two PrimaPlus Primera C130 at the Drupa Machines at Uniprint in South Africa
Jack Jia (center), President and General Manager of Beijing Shengtong Printing, together with (from left) Finn Nielsen (Managing Director of Muller Martini Hong Kong), David Chen (Sales Man ager of Muller Martini Hong Kong), Rudolf Müller (Chairman of the Board of Muller Martini) and Bruno Müller (CEO of Muller Martini) at the drupa.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
The list of Muller Martini systems installed at Beijing Shengtong Printing within the last decade is long – various press delivery systems, two perfect binders (an Acoro A7 and a Corona C12), two Diamant booklines, several Ventura book sewing machines, and two saddle stitchers (a Tian Ma and a Primera C130). Since the company, which is among the largest Muller Martini customers in China, grew again by 20 percent last year, its President and General Manager Jack Jia decided to purchase a second Primera C130 saddle stitcher at the drupa. Jia gave three main reasons for choosing the Primera C130 again this time: “First, our good experiences with Muller Martini over the years, especially regarding service. Second, the quick setup times for our print runs between 20,000 and 100,000 copies. And third, the high size variability.”
It is 14 years since UniPrint in the South African city of Durban first invested in saddle stitching systems from Muller Martini by purchasing two PrimaPlus machines. Like the Acoro A7 perfect binder from Muller Martini, the two saddle stitchers are still operating to the satisfaction of Managing Director Colin Baxter-Bruce. “However, we are experiencing good growth in the field of catalogs, brochures and commercial work, which is why we need a third machine,” he says. In addition, Uniprint has jobs with runs of more than one million copies, but it also has many titles with smaller runs of tens of thousands of copies. “That means we need a solution with short setup times,” says BaxterBruce. The Primera C130, for which Uniprint signed a purchase contract at the drupa, offers just such a solution thanks to its high degree of automation. For that rea-
From right: Colin Baxter-Bruce (Managing Director Uniprint), Gary Terblanche (Production Man ager Uniprint), Peter Van Der Walt (Managing Director Thunderbolt Solutions), Wayne Stevens (Sales Director Thunderbolt Solutions) and Jules Dietz (Sales Director Muller Martini) at Muller Martini’s booth at the drupa.
son and on the basis of its partnership of many years with Muller Martini and the local agency Thunderbolt Solutions, Uniprint did not hesitate to purchase the new saddle stitcher. The new Primera C130 has six flat pile feeders, a cover feeder and a Perfetto compensating stacker.
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News from Muller Martini Erweko Binds Offset and Digitally Printed Products Using the New Pantera
From left: Mikko Ilomäki (CEO Erweko), Seppo Ursin (Product Manager Muller Martini Finland) and Michael Thüler (member of Muller Martini’s corporate management).
This year three Finnish printing houses in Helsinki, Oulu and Rovaniemi merged to form a new company called Erweko employing a staff of 130. It is now one of the largest sheet-fed offset printing houses in Finland. At the same time an entirely new production facility was built in Oulu. Erweko is installing two offset and digital printing presses there.
“That means that we have a sufficiently large volume of jobs to be able to invest in a modern perfect binding line,” says CEO Mikko Ilomäki. Based on the positive experiences of the three predecessor companies in the field of saddle stitching, Erweko decided on a solution from Muller Martini. At the drupa the company purchased a Pantera for PUR and hotmelt production with a 12-station gathering machine, an Esprit three-knife trimmer and a Uno compensating stacker. “We specifically wanted a system allowing us to finish offset and digitally printed products,” says Ilomäki. The new Pantera will be chiefly used to bind magazines and sales catalogs. The upper limit of the print runs is around 40,000 copies, but Erweko also has numerous jobs from 500 copies. “That means that we have to change over the line frequently,” says Ilomäki.
Vordruck Leitverlag in Berlin: the Concept is now Followed by a Concepta
From left: Wolfgang Stier (Man aging Director Vordruck Leitverlag GmbH Berlin), Christian Stier (Technology/Product Develop ment Director), Bruno Müller (CEO Muller Martini), Peter Eise mann (Sales Representative Muller Martini) and Volker Röhr (Printing Presses Product Man ager at Muller Martini) at Muller Martini’s booth at the drupa.
Following the commissioning of a Concept eight years ago at its plant in Freiberg, Vordruck Leit verlag GmbH Berlin is now to use a printing press solution from
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Muller Martini for the first time at its production facility in BerlinHoppegarten. It will chiefly print products for the banking sector (account statements) and the healthcare sector (forms). Managing Director Wolfgang Stier has several reasons for choosing to use a Muller Martini solution there for the first time. “First, we have had positive experiences with the Concept, installed in 2004, at our other plant in Freiberg since it delivers stable printing quality and faults rarely occur. Second, the Concepta will bring us numerous benefits such as higher production speed, shorter setup times, greater flexibility thanks to the stack delivery unit, and more stable production. In addition, we are also confident that the new Concepta ink fountains will deliver improved print results.”
HPM Group: “We are Convinced that Perfect Binding has Great Potential” When the HPM Group in the northern English town of Newton Aycliffe began softcover production two years ago, it started with a second-hand Panda perfect binder from Muller Martini. “However, since then we have experienced strong growth in perfect binding, requiring us to have a high-performance machine,” says Managing Director Richard Mortimer. “Our customers also expect a high level of quality.” That is why the HPM Group decided at the drupa on a new Pantera with a 12-station gathering machine and a Merit S threeknife trimmer from Muller Martini to replace its Panda machine. “We are convinced that perfect binding has great potential,” emphasizes Director Richard Lister. The over 100-year-old family company, which has also had a Presto saddle stitcher from Muller Martini in operation for five years now, often produces magazines, (football) programs and bro-
Managing Director Richard Mortimer (left) and Director Richard Lister (second from left) of HPM Group together with Bruno Müller (second from right), CEO Muller Martini, and David McGinlay, Sales Manager Muller Martini England, in front of the Pantera perfect binder at Muller Martini’s booth at the drupa.
chures with print runs of just 500 copies (up to a maximum of 50,000). “With all these short runs, we naturally need to be able to change jobs quickly, and the Pantera is ideal for that,” says Mortimer.
At Grupo Nación (Costa Rica) Two ProLiners Play to Tabloid Strengths Grupo Nación GN S.A. in Costa Rica’s capital of San José has expanded its mailroom capacity by adding two ProLiner newspaper inserting systems and eight FlexiRoll buffers from Muller Martini. The company, which has relied on Muller Martini systems since 2004, is thereby cementing its position as the leading newspaper publisher in Central America. Three of the publisher’s own dailies printed on a KBA Comet with two three-fold web press deliveries have been finished using Muller Martini systems for eight years. Those are joined by a number of weeklies and advertising materials with heatset covers. The company’s positive experiences with the NewsGrip A conveyors, the four high-performance NewsStack compensating stackers, the Exacto N rotary trimmer and the MPC control
prompted it to turn to Muller Martini again for the expansion of its mailroom capacity. With the two identical ProLiners (main section and preprinted section feeding and six inserting stations) and the eight FlexiRoll buffers, Grupo Nación wants to ensure that all newspapers are fully delivered.
The two new ProLiners at Grupo Nación began production just six months after being ordered. Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
A small read for a good cause: the mini edition of “Terra Nostra” for the World Day of Social Justice.
Terra Nostra (Azores): the World’s Smallest Newspaper (25 x 18 mm) Publiçor, a Portuguese client of Muller Martini, has produced an issue of its weekly newspaper “Terra Nostra” in the ultra-small size of 25 x 18 mm and is hoping to have it entered into the “Guinness World Records”. Normally “Terra Nostra” is published in Ponta Delgada on
the Azores island of São Miguel in the standard tabloid format. On the occasion of the World Day of Social Justice, the newspaper publisher, which relies on Muller Martini systems in its mailroom, came up with a particular idea. The special issue with numerous stories about immigrants
to the Azores was also printed in a mini format of 25 x 18 mm. The proceeds from the worldwide sales of this small newspaper, for which Publiçor has submitted an application for entry into the “Guinness World Records”, will be donated to charity. “We will donate the proceeds to
the Portuguese Disabled Association,” says Managing Director José Ernesto Chaves Rezendes. The association in turn will make it possible for a literary work by the vision-impaired author Francisco Quarta to be published.
Oberbayerisches Volksblatt: ProLiner Provides Great Flexibility with CoLiner Following the commissioning of a new web printing press, Oberbayerisches Volksblatt (OVB) in the German town of Rosenheim is relying for the first time on mailroom systems from Muller Martini. The ProLiner coupled with a CoLiner pregathering unit provides great flexibility in the newspaper insertion process. In Rosenheim, where several advertising journals and a large quantity of commercial work is printed in addition to the daily newspaper “Oberbayerisches
Volksblatt” (print run of 80,000 copies), OVB previously used systems from another provider. Now a NewsGrip-A conveyor ensures the seamless transport of the sections from the printing press to FlexiRoll buffers. This separation of the printing press and print finishing provides OVB with maximum flexibility in the production process. The inserts are then inserted using a ProLiner for main sections and preprinted sections, eight insert stations and a Co
Liner. The pregathering station has two insert stations, but can be easily expanded to suit changing market requirements. Using two identical packaging lines, consisting of the NewsStack compensating stacker and the TABA F top sheet feeder, the finished products then travel to the ramp. The entire equipment is controlled by Muller Martini’s Mailroom Production Control (MPC) system.
The CoLiner pregathering system coupled with the ProLiner news paper insertion system in the printing house in Rosenheim currently has two stations, but can be easily expanded.
DC Thomson is Optimally Equipped for the Future with a New Mailroom DC Thomson, Scotland’s leading newspaper publisher, is confident about the future of its numerous dailies and weeklies, which is why the family-run publishing and printing house invested in the world’s first CPS Colorliner from Goss at its plant in Dundee. It has eight print towers and a maximum performance of 90,000 copies per hour. In order to ensure optimal print finishing of the high net output of the new web printing press, DC Thomson decided on a mailroom solution from Muller Martini (as in the past when it used NewsGrip A conveyors and NewsStack stackers downstream of the first Goss web printing press). Since the new printing press has two folder deliveries, the solution consists of two identically configured ProLiner newspaper Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
inserting systems (which thanks to their modular design can be expanded at a later stage) with automatic pre-printed feeding and three insert stations, a News Trim fanflex trimmer and a FlexiRoll buffer with eight rolls. In order to make the best possible use of the capacity of the printing presses and the mailroom, DC Thomson also invested in a high-performance Tempo E220 saddle stitcher from Muller Martini with an integrated folder feeder for automatic loading from FlexiRoll. The Tempo E220, which is fully integrated into the mailroom, also has a folder feeder for high-gloss covers and an insert flat pile feeder for stitching in additional advertising supplements. The all-in-one solution for folding, stitching in inserts, attaching high-gloss covers and cutting provides DC Thomson with maxi-
In order to make the best possible use of its mailroom capacity, DC Thomson is investing in two ProLiner newspaper inserting systems and a high-performance Tempo E220 saddle stitcher.
mum flexibility in the production of semi-commercials. “Thanks to our investments, we now have a modern, flexible and sustainable production facility,” says Raymond McRobbie, project manager and operations manager at DC Thomson. “Now
we can produce all our daily newspapers in full color. The new solutions play a major part in maintaining high quality and automation, so that we can be confident about the future of our newspapers.”
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The Setup Wizard from Muller Martini is ÂSetting New Standards in Machine Operation The new Presto II saddle stitcher presented at the drupa 2012 features the renowned and proven setup wizard that has been used in the Primera line for four years. The wizard easily and Âpractically guides machine operators through the setup process. Together with the connection to the intelligent Connex data and process management system, it significantly reduces setup times on the machines.
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Muller Martini  Panorama Fall 2012
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1 As with the Primera saddle stitcher, the new Presto II saddle stitcher from Muller Martini presented at the drupa 2012 features a setup wizard that significantly reduces setup times.
3 The numerous human machine interfaces with large displays and operation keys are efficiently supported by the setup wizard (pictured: Gerd Nusser, machine operator at Bechtle Druck & Service).
2 Logical, fast, secure – the practical setup wizard designed to guide users of the saddle stitcher has many advantages (pictured: Thomas Hacke, machine operator at B&K Offsetdruck).
4 The optimizer provides information and visualizations of potential ways to optimize the machine, which lead to an increase in p roduction performance as well as a reduction in production waste.
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E “Logical, fast, secure” – this is how Manfred Erhard, Head of Print Finishing at B&K Offsetdruck in Ottersweier, Germany (see box below) summarized the advantag es of the practical setup wizard designed to guide the users of the saddle stitcher. “The machine doesn’t allow you to make a mistake; it constantly tells the operator what to do.”
Short Paths Thanks to the Operating Panel In addition to the central controls, the nu merous human machine interfaces (HMI) with large displays and operation keys are important components that are efficiently Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
supported by the setup wizard. These pro vide the machine operator with additional support from the intelligent machine con trols. “These human machine interfaces offer many benefits, as the settings can be made on the fly,” emphasizes company represen tative Roland Mannschreck. The Technical Director at Bechtle Druck & Service in Ess lingen, Germany (see box below) also men tions another advantage: “The many oper ating panels reduce the distances machine operators have to move, increasing the quality of the end product. The operators can make adjustments faster when they don’t have to be constantly running from one end of the machine to the other.”
The Presto II saddle stitcher, with a max imum of 9000 cycles per hour, is the en try level saddle stitcher model from Muller Martini, and it can now be incor porated into the Connex data and pro cess management system from Muller Martini (see article on Connex on page 26). The setup wizard processes all the information relevant for production from the JDF file sent via Connex from the Management Information System (MIS). Orders can be sent to the saddle stitcher from the MIS via Connex as a JDF file and production data is trans ferred to the MIS in real time as JMF messages. Another new feature of the Presto II is the sequential control of the feeder at the start and stop of production, which reduces production waste, as well as the copy control function. The feed control checks whether a signature has been fed correctly. Feeding to the down stream feeder is stopped in the case of a missing section. In addition, the Presto II is also fully remote-compatible, which means Muller Martini can connect to the ma chine at the customers’ site online from the factory and quickly resolve errors via the MMRemote service module.
“Just Touch the Screen” A great advantage that Frédéric Desenclos, machine operator at the Imprimerie Leclerc in Abbeville, France (also see the article on page 26), appreciates: “I used to have to set up each feeder, one after another,” he re calls. “Today, I am able to do this much eas ier and faster – all you need to do is just touch the screen, and the machine starts to run.” According to Erhard, one of the most important advantages of the setup wizard is the fact “that the settings can be saved for repeat jobs. As we produce a number of periodicals, this function is a great help.” Moreover, B&K sometimes interrupts the printing of a large job in order to squeeze in a smaller, urgent one. “The high degree of automation of the saddle stitcher is very useful for us in this respect,” emphasized Erhard.
New Presto II with Connex and MMRemote
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Helpful Icons What’s more, according to Mannschreck, the standardized, language-neutral operat ing language with the use of icons on the HMI is a great benefit to the machine oper ators: “For me, this is an important feature, as you can remember each individual step much more easily. Icons are a great help in operating the machines at a quick pace.” Dieter Keller, Managing Director at Alpa GmbH bookbindery in Geldern, Germany (see article on page 26), agrees: “Icons are definitely better than text.” B&K machine operator Thomas Hacke can also confirm this from his daily experience – even if he also has one small reservation: “It took me for a while to learn what all the symbols mean.” His boss, Erhard, goes even a step further: “The symbols are not self-explana tory; you have to understand them. They could have used easier symbols.” Only to say in the same breath: “To be honest, I don’t operate the saddle stitcher every day…” He does, though, point out an important advantage of the setup wizard and the lo cal operating panels: “These allow periph eral machines such as the three-knife trim
mer and compensating stacker to be set up much quicker. I am a fan of the Robusto machine anyway. Manual setups are a thing of the past, Just enter the data on the operating panel – and voilà: the compen sating stacker runs automatically!”
facilitate and accelerate the production processes. He also offered a word of cau tion: “You have to be careful to not to over stretch it. Muller Martini saddle stitchers have a very high level of automation – I think it is almost at the upper limit.”
Optimizer: “A Great Tool” Mannschreck calls the optimizer incorpo rated into the Primera standard controls “a great tool”. This provides information and visualizations of potential ways to optimize the machine, which lead to an increase in production performance as well as a reduc tion in production waste. “The saddle stitcher quickly reaches optimum produc tion speeds,” says the technical director at Bechtle. “Also as it can be adjusted during operation, production runs faster than if we had to stop the machine each time to set up a job. Production output comes close to our net output on the pallet.” However, Bechtle uses the optimizer reports rather seldom, “as we have our own system for collecting operational data,” says Mannschreck. The print finishing expert Keller can at test to the fact that a lot has been done to
Collecting Job Data Easier with a Signature Measurement Device According to Bechtle machine operator Gerd Nusser, the automatic signature mea surement equipment on the Presto II, Prim era and Tempo saddle stitchers from Muller Martini increases productivity. With the er gonomic measurement equipment, the spine length, signature width and product thickness of the product to be stitched are entered into the system by the machine op erator who lays the signature onto the lim it stop and collects the data by sliding the measuring head. After each measurement, the millimeter values are automatically shown on the dis play. They are then accepted or modified and saved. “That is really a very good inno vation from Muller Martini,” says Nusser. “This way, collecting job size data becomes much easier, can be completed quickly and
Bechtle Druck & Service, Esslingen, Germany Founded in 2005 as an inde pendent subsidiary of a news paper publisher to specialize in commercial work, Bechtle Druck & Service in Esslingen, Germany with its 95 employees prints over 150 periodicals, in cluding many special-interest titles, as well as numerous product catalogs. The print runs of the newspapers printed for magazine publishers and branded companies range be tween 10,000 and 30,000 cop ies – and that means frequent changeovers. This type of print runs struc ture along with the positive ex periences with the PrimaPlus Amrys was one of main reasons
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why Bechtle decided in favor of a new Primera C130 saddle stitcher last year, according to Technical Director and Compa ny Representative Roland Mannschreck. The decision has really paid off for the company, says Mannschreck: “Based on our internal controlling, I re ceive a list of jobs for which we took 15 percent longer than the calculated time to complete. The Primera shows up on this list less and less often…” This way, Bechtle has reached its goal of increasing its net output with the new in vestment. Given the hard price competition and the changing job structure in the graphic arts
industry, this is, according to the technical manager, the or der of the day: “We have to pro duce 33 % more jobs compared to several years ago in order to maintain the same amount of revenue.” The high net output of the Primera C130, featuring
a cover feeder, six flat pile feed ers (one of which is tiltable), a high-performance three-knife trimmer from the C140 series and a Robusto compensating stacker, is particularly made possible by the stream feeders that are not used on the Prima
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
B&K Offsetdruck, Ottersweier, Germany With print runs of advertising leaflets of up to 25 million cop ies and several periodicals with circulations between 10,000 and 500,000 copies for custom ers across Germany and a few other European countries, B&K Offsetdruck in Ottersweier is one of the largest printing hous es and bookbinderies in Germa ny. Over 80 billion A4 pages are printed and 600,000 loose leaf stitches are done every day. The family company, which was founded in 1969 by Jochen Kalbhenn and has been run by his son Jörn Kalbhenn since 2002, has 208 employees work ing in three shifts, and special izes in stitch-in-stitch booklets. These booklets as well as the rest of the loose leaf stitched products are produced on four saddle stitchers from Muller Martini. In addition to the two
older models, Bravo and Prima Plus, there are two machines from the latest generation: E a Primera C140 put into op eration in 2008 and featuring a cover feeder, four flat pile feeders and four stream feeders. E a Primera E140 in operation since the 4th quarter of 2011 featuring a cover feeder, eight flat pile feeders (four of which are tiltable, as the sheets are often fed by hand), four stream feeders and a Robusto compensat ing stacker. The four lines provide B&K with a high level of flexibility. “Which saddle stitcher is used for which job depends on the product, that is, on the number of signatures,” says Manfred Erhard, Head of Print Finishing.
Manfred Erhard (left), Head of Print Finishing Department at B&K Offsetdruck, together with the three machine operators Thomas Hacke, Gennarino Chiarelli and Roland Feurer (from left) in front of the new Primera E140 saddle stitcher.
The company decided in fa vor of both Primera machines after a convincing demonstra tion with six of their own prod ucts at the Muller Martini Training Center in Oftringen,
not only saves time but facilitates a high level of precision.” Plus. “They have significantly increased our productivity,” says Mannschreck. With prod ucts with two to four signature parts, we can work at a speed of up to 13,000 cycles per hour.”
The new Primera C130 has enabled Bechtle to significantly improve its net output. In the middle: Technical Manager Roland Mannschreck, right machine operator Gerd Nusser, left Peter Stein, Sales Representative at Muller Martini Germany.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Good Training – the Nuts and Bolts Despite the self-explanatory setup wizard, Mannschreck believes a good training is still the nuts and bolts of successful ma chine operation. “We completed the train ing with six machine operators at our plant directly on the saddle stitcher, under nor mal production conditions. We benefited from this a great deal, and it is an important factor for the successful installation of the machine.” Leclerc machine operator Des enclos agrees: “I used to know the ma chines much better, as I always set them up step by step. Today, everything is much more automated – yet of course, I still have to know what exactly is going on in the ma chine.” “At Least 10 % Faster” The question remains how much time is saved with saddle stitchers featuring the
Switzerland. “We often put our two new saddle stitchers to the test by running them at close to maximum speed, and we still have high product quality,” says Erhard.
setup wizard compared to conventional models. Mannschreck is convinced that “At least 10 percent – maybe even more.” For Alpa Managing Director Keller there is also no doubt: “Everything is much faster with the setup wizard. We can see that clearly whenever we compare our highly automated Primera E140 with the C130.”
www.bechtle-dus.de www.bk-offset.de www.mullermartini.com 25
Connex Data and Process Management System
“One Click and the New Job is Running” The Connex data and process management system from Muller Martini, which was showcased in full at this year’s drupa, optimizes and automates finishing of both offset and digital printed products. “Connex saves us a lot of time” is the unanimous verdict of Alpa in Germany and Leclerc in France, two Primera saddle stitcher customers.
E What were the profitable and unprofitable jobs for you last year? In view of the tough market environment and the enormous price pressure in the graphic arts in-
dustry, it is all the more important for printing houses and print finishing companies to know exactly where their added value lies. “As a modular complete solution from
pre-press through printing to print finishing, our Connex system provides the required automation and key figures needed by managers,” says Andreas Aplien, Con-
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Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
1 The Primera E140 machines of Alpa GmbH in Geldern (pictured) and Imprimerie Leclerc in Abbeville are connected to the Connex data and process management system. 2 Alfons Ahland (left), company founder, owner and Managing Director of the Alpa bookbindery: “Connex creates a high degree of transparency, both during and after production.” To the right of Alfons Ahland are Operations Manager Dieter Keller, Operations Manager Roland Noy and Muller Martini Germany Sales Represen- tative Michael Oestermann. 3 Frédéric Leclerc (left), Managing Director of Imprimerie Leclerc: “It was clear to us from the start that wanted to install the Primera E140 exclusively with Connex.” Machine operator Frédéric Desenclos (center) and Managing Director of Muller Martini France, Jörg Wieland (right).
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More Advantages Thanks to Connex.Info
nex & MPC product manager at Muller Martini. High Degree of Transparency Frédéric Leclerc, managing director of Imprimerie Leclerc (see box) in the town of Abbeville in northern France, was convinced after attending the drupa 2008, at which Muller Martini first presented its then new data and process management system. “It was clear to us from the start that we wanted to install the Primera E140 exclusively with Connex. For one thing, it further increases the degree of automation of our new saddle stitcher, allowing us to save an enormous amount of time. For another thing, Connex gives us a great deal of information about the production processes.” The quick display of key figures is also the chief reason why Alfons Ahland, comMuller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
pany founder, owner and managing director of the Alpa GmbH bookbindery (see box) in Geldern, Germany, decided to connect the Connex system to the Primera C140 and the Primera E140 saddle stitchers (commissioned in 2009 and 2010 respectively) in 2011 after attending a Muller Martini open house event in the Swiss town of Oftringen. “Connex creates a high degree of transparency, both during and after production. That means you are not dependent on snapshot readings.” Optimized Processes In the current economic climate, optimized production is of particular importance, says Leclerc. “We need to be not only better, but also faster than the competition. In that respect, a reliable data and process management system gives us an economic edge.”
That is also crucial for Alpa, says its operations manager Dieter Keller: “Since price increases are simply out of the question in our industry, process optimization is all the more necessary. Connex can undoubtedly help us achieve that.”
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Muller Martini presented the enhanced Connex.Info for the first time at the drupa 2012. In addition to automated data collection from operational data, Connex.Info is also capable of providing long-term evaluations. That has several advantages: secure data sources, prevention of manipulation, automatic data collection, and no additional personnel costs. Connex.Info can now also evaluate production data from the mailroom of newspaper production. That makes it the first comprehensive module capable of processing production data from both worlds of the graphic arts industry on one development platform. The collected data forms the basis for a subsequent evaluation of the various production runs. The resulting key performance indicators (KPIs) form the basis for management by numbers, which is becoming increasingly important.
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Connex Data and Process Management System
Good Screen Overviewk The simple design and clearly laid-out screen display of the Connex system contributes greatly to its success. “The pie chart in Connex.Info provides a good initial overview,” says Keller. “Detailed information about the production only comes later, so you are not immediately flooded with data.” Pre-press specialist Magalie Hellegouarch, who is in charge of the interfaces between pre-press, printing and print finishing at Leclerc, also appreciates the simple installation and convenient operation of Connex: “You see all the relevant data immediately, which means our operators get very fast feedback from the machines.” When it comes to feedback, Alpa operations manager Keller highly values the production reviews enabled by Connex. “That is important for many details. For example, which signature had how many machine stops at which feeder? That can be important in particular for repeat jobs.” According to Keller, while Connex “does not
replace walking through the factory, it does enable us to react quickly during a job because we always have an overview of the given production process”. Not Easy to Quantify It is not easy to give a precise percentage for the production optimization achieved using Connex, say the two Muller Martini customers in France and Germany. “There is no doubt that we save time,” says Leclerc. “However, it is difficult to express the time saved over a whole day of production in terms of minutes or a percentage.” Leclerc does, however, make an interesting comparison: “Before the Primera E140, we were using a Bravo S saddle stitcher from Muller Martini. While we needed at least 15 minutes to set up the Bravo S for a new job, with the Primera E140, all it takes is a click of the mouse and the new job is running immediately thanks to the data from Connex.” Ahland also says it is not easy to accurately quantify the higher productivity
achieved with the Connex. “We have a lot of one-off jobs and an extremely variable and wide-ranging job structure even in the case of periodicals. It would probably be easier to give a percentage for repeat jobs, but we have just a few of those.” Reducing Manual Process Steps Yet, it is when there is a broad production range that Connex really comes into its own. According to Aplien, two points are crucial when it comes to keeping production costs low: “Reducing redundant data entry through the consistent use of existing data for a job throughout the entire work process, as well as reducing manual process steps through automation. With Connex, it is possible to optimally automate Muller Martini systems, from a standalone machine to complex production lines.” According to the workflow expert, intelligent process and data management is vital in view of the increasing importance of digital printing. “That is because it is only
Alpa Bookbindery, Geldern (Germany) The Alpha bookbindery, which was established by Alfons Ahland in 1991, employs 57 people and specializes in print finishing (in particular saddle stitching). It has a very diverse job structure, ranging from trade magazines and catalogs to commercial work and inserts. Using a Biliner inserting system from Muller Martini, the inserts are inserted into the company’s own saddlestitched products or flyers, which in turn are inserted into the daily newspaper Niederrhein Nachrichten. The newspaper has a print run of 150,000 copies and on peak days has up to 24 inserts in 150 different zones. The runs of saddle-stitched print products for customers located mainly within 150 kilometers of the plant range very widely from a few hundred to over a million copies. In addition to an older Prima, Alpa uses two saddle stitchers from the new Muller Martini generation – a Primera C140 28
Alpa’s comprehensive Primera E140 line with a cover folder feeder, four flat pile feeders, a stream feeder for automatic signature infeed, two Robusto compensating stackers and a Solema palletizer.
commissioned in 2009 with two cover folder feeders, eight flat pile feeders and a merchandise tipper, and a Primera E140 commissioned in 2010 with a cover folder
feeder, four flat pile feeders, a stream feeder for automatic signature infeed, two Robusto compensating stackers and a Solema palletizer. Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Imprimerie Leclerc, Abbeville, France The family business founded by Georges Leclerc in 1928 and run by his three grandsons Frédéric, François-Xavier and Laurent Leclerc is a full-service pre-press, printing and print finishing company. The firm, which employs 24 people, prints books, catalogs, brochures and commercial work, but no periodicals, for customers largely from the greater Paris area, but also from the rest of France. In saddle stitching, runs are between 200 and 100,000 copies, with an average job size of 3000 copies. That means frequent changeovers are required. For that reason, Imprimerie has been relying since 2008 on a highly automated Primera E140 from Muller Martini with a cover folder feeder, six flat pile feeders and a Perfetto compensating stacker as the successor model to a Bravo S. “Since then our competiveness has been boosted considerably,” says Frédéric Leclerc. “Thanks to its stream feeder, the Primera E140 is not on-
possible to produce products directly and cost-effectively in one operation if the entire process is completely automated and integrated,” says Aplien. “Here Muller Martini serves as a reliable partner to ensure the security of investments: whether offset or digital, every business determines the corresponding degree of automation and networking that is required. For that reason, all our solutions are connected to the Connex system so that machines and work processes in print finishing are optimally integrated and automated.” Also Attractive as a Standalone Solution Both the Alpa bookbindery and Imprimerie Leclerc have installed the modular Connex, which can be expanded according to the requirements of the customer, as a fully Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
Since installing the Primera E140, the competitiveness of Imprimerie Leclerc has been boosted considerably.
ly very fast, but also ensures excellent quality. Moreover, we only need one machine operator for the whole line.” The managing director says the secret of this traditional company’s success is
simple: “You need to have new ideas every day, and of course have good machines.”
functional standalone solution without a management information system (MIS). “In 2004, in connection with other electronic data processing applications, we developed a comprehensive job management system for job activation, invoicing and final costing linked to the time recording system,” says Ahland. “That system has been continually refined since, but has no interface with Connex.” Imprimerie Leclerc, on the other hand, relies exclusively on the Connex system: “To be honest, no MIS has convinced me so far,” laughs Leclerc. “Muller Martini more than satisfies our needs with the Connex system.” The Connex standalone solution without MIS as used at Alpa and Leclerc is of particular importance to companies that are solely involved in print finishing or firms aiming for gradual entry into digital work-
flow, says Aplien. “The highly automated system keeps personnel costs at a minimum, thereby providing a maximum return on investment.”
www.alpa-gmbh.de www.mullermartini.com 29
Saddle Stitching Systems
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“It is Amazing How Steadily the Stitching Heads Run at High Production Speeds” Merkhofer in Morangis, France, near Paris, has relied on print finishing solutions from Muller Martini for 52 years. What began in 1960 with a JG saddle stitcher continues today with recent installation of three Tempo 22 high-performance systems. E 28 – That’s how many saddle stitchers, more than anywhere else in Europe, are in operation at Merkhofer, a family business that focuses exclusively on print finishing. They were all manufactured by Muller Martini and represent three different machine generations – from the saddle stitcher 300 through the Prima series to Merkhofer’s most recent investment in 2010 and 2011, namely three high-performance Tempo 22 lines. 30
52 Years Later . . . NThe machines from the first generation are no longer used by the company. Merkhofer has relied on solutions from Muller Martini since 1960 when, at the age of 16, the current president Bernard Montillot started working at the company run by his father, René Montillot. Merkhofer purchased its first model, a JG saddle stitcher, which was the predecessor to the legendary JGV, directly from our company’s
founder, Hans Müller. The JG and JGV have long since been replaced by successor models; however the lively head of the company, Bernard Montillot, is still at work every day 52 years after joining the company. He runs the company, which had grown to 200 employees, with great dedication and enthusiasm together with his two sons, Stefan and Damien, as well as his daughter, Corinne. 1000 Tons – per Day! Every day, 1000 tons of magazines and catalogs – both stitched as well as perfectly bound (on three Corona lines from Muller Martini) – are produced at the company’s 20,000 m2 plant. The company fills 30 truckloads every day for delivery of the publications and transport of the finished printed products. The 28 saddle stitchers Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
are used for stitching over 2 million products per day. Merkhofer stitches and binds many well-known French periodicals. “Our customers are important publishing houses and printers from across Europe,” says Montillot. “We benefit from our central location close to Paris, as all magazines must be dispatched from the capital according to the French distribution rules.” High-performance and Reliable Systems In addition to the 30 million catalogs produced annually, Merkhofer also prints 18 monthly, 12 weekly, 5 bimonthly and 4 quarterly magazines. The most extensive product, a TV magazine that is published nationally with a run of 2.7 million copies and featuring roughly 150 different subtitles and up to four inserts, is produced nonstop over a three-day period, on 10 to 15 saddle stitchers. Despite the slight decline in recent years, it still has very high print runs. “We take on orders starting at 50,000 copies”, emphasizes Montillot, making it clear that Merkhofer needs high-performance systems that are reliable in production. That is why, as early as 2000, the independent company, still owned and run by the same family, invested in a Tempo 18 high-performance saddle stitcher.
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Amazed by the Stitching Heads Exactly a decade later came the first Tempo 22. “I am really surprised by the consistently high quality of the products, even at high speeds, and by how few machine stops we experience,” says Montillot, who was particularly impressed by the stitching heads: “I would call myself a specialist in mechanics and could hardly believe how steadily the stitching heads run at such high production speeds.” Due to the company’s positive experiences and because of the large range of paper sizes offered by the machine, Montillot decided last year to replace four saddle stitcher 300 machines with two additional Tempo 22 lines. Speaking about the increasing number of inserts, Montillot comments: “Publishers want to create added
value.” All three Tempo lines therefore have an inline inserting system, a compensating stacker, film-wrapping unit and a palletizer. “With our large print runs, it is particularly important that all processes from feeder to pallet are automated,” says Montillot.
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1 The head of the company, Bernard Montillot (left), is still at work every day, 52 years after joining the company. Right, machine operator Didier Samalbide, second from left machine operator Daniel Camilo, second from right Sales Director Philippe Michelon of Muller Martini France. 2 Merkhofer produces 1000 tons of magazines and catalogs every day. 3 The three Tempo 22 lines at Merkhofer provide for a consistent product quality with few machine stops. 4 Bernard Montillot runs the independent family company together with his two sons, Stefan and Damien (not pictured) as well as his daughter, Corinne.
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Saddle Stitching Systems
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Double Printing Strengthens its Market Position Considerably with the Primera C110 In order to be able to produce small sizes more efficiently in two-up production, Double Printing in the Hungarian capital of Budapest commissioned a new Primera C110 saddle stitcher from Muller Martini at the beginning of this year. In addition to products printed in-house, it is also used to stitch an increasing number of jobs for other firms.
E Double Printing, with a staff of roughly 30, relied on a Prima from Muller Martini for almost a decade and a half. According to General Director Gábor Kárpáti, who is in charge of print finishing, there were three main reasons for replacing the secondhand saddle stitcher with a new model. “First, the number of orders has increased. Second, quicker changeover times are becoming increasingly important. And third, we wanted a machine enabling two-up production.” 32
Higher Productivity In addition to customer magazines, catalogs and operating instructions with runs of between 500 and several hundred thousand copies in A4 and A5 formats, Double Printing also produces many print products in small sizes. The latter were a great challenge using the old Prima. Now, however, they can be stitched in two-up production on the new Primera C110, which features a cover feeder, six flat pile feeders (two of which are tilt-back), center cut and a Prati-
co compensating stacker. “That has increased our productivity markedly,” says Kárpáti. More Contract Work The majority of the products stitched using the new Primera C110 are printed by parent company Grafit Pencil (Double Printing concentrates on bookbinding) in the same house using three B1 machines – two with four printing units, and the other with two colors and front and back printing. HowevMuller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
1 From left: Ernö Horeczki (former Man aging Director of Muller Martini Hungary), Gábor Kárpáti (General Director of Double Printing), Gábor Szabó (business partner of Double Printing Kft), Péter Korok (business partner of Double Printing Kft) and Tibor Sándor (new Managing Director of Muller Martini Hungary) in front of the new Primera C110 saddle stitcher at Double Printing in Budapest. 2 Double Printing stitches many small sizes in two-up production using the new Primera C110.
er, the saddle stitcher is also used to stitch magazines that are printed elsewhere. “Word has got around that we can perform jobs for other printing companies flexibly, in variable sizes and with the highest quality,” says Kárpáti. “We had this business in mind when we made the investment and want to develop it further. By having the most advanced saddle stitcher in the Budapest metropolitan area, we have strengthened our position on the market considerably.” Learning during Production Customers that have their printed products printed and stitched by the full-service provider are also located predominantly in the greater Budapest area. In addition to local companies, these include several multinational firms that distribute brochures, printed in the Hungarian capital in several languages, across Europe.
In order to satisfy the high quality expectations of such prestigious customers, Double Printing placed great emphasis on the high-quality training of its machine operators following installation of the Primera C110. Technicians from Muller Martini Hungary spent a week instructing the team of young operators while production was running. “This way, our employees became thoroughly familiarized with the new saddle stitcher under production conditions,” says Kárápati, emphasizing the benefits of onthe-job training. The welcome result was that Double Printing achieved both high production speeds and excellent quality very fast.
www.double-printing.hu
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Saddle Stitching Systems
“High Print Finishing Quality Enhances the Content of Print Products” In the past 44 years, Indian businessman Mr. Mahendra Jain has succeeded in turning a one-man operation into two publishing establishments with a combined total of 450 employees. He relies on an Acoro A5 perfect binder and more recently also on a Primera C130 saddle stitcher to ensure the high quality of his niche products (books helping students prepare for civil services and other competition examinations).
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E Often successful companies start out with a brilliant idea. Mahendra Jain, managing partner of the firms Upkar Prakashan and Pratiyogita Darpan in the Taj Mahal city of Agra in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh employing a combined total staff of 450 people, had just such a brainwave 44 years ago When Jain entered the book shop of his father in 1968, it did not take long for him to realize that there was a lack of books in Hindi helping students to prepare for their examinations. India’s Second-Largest Magazine Jain soon put an end to that shortage. While his first books helping with exam preparation focused on general knowledge, an increasing number of specialist topics followed, such as civil services, 34
banking, defense and railways, after he founded the Upkar Prakashan publishing company in 1970. In order to market the swiftly growing number of titles better, Jain founded his own monthly magazine titled “Pratiyogita Darpan” in 1978. “Pratiyogita Darpan”, which is sold countrywide and is likewise written in India’s national language of Hindi (and also available in English language), is now the second largest-read magazine in India with nearly 6 million readers. Today, Pratiyogita Darpan, which like Upkar Prakashan has grown into a publishing enterprise, publishes five different monthly magazines (three in Hindi and two in English). They have all continued to cater to the niche market of examination preparation. What is completely new, how-
ever, is the equipment used to stitch the publications. In the last quarter of 2010, Pratiyogita Darpan, which previously relied on the solutions of other suppliers, acquired a brand-new Primera C130 saddle stitcher, the first of that model in India. Three Objectives “It is important to us that the stitching and binding quality of our products is just as high as that of the content,” stresses Rahul Jain, son of the founder of the company and associate editor at Pratiyogita Darpan. High print finishing quality enhances the content – that is particularly important to well educated people.” When Pratiyogita Darpan decided on a new saddle stitcher solution in connection with evaluating a 12th printing press, acMuller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
1 Forty-four years ago, Mahendra Jain (center) had a brainwave. Today he leads two graphic design companies with a combined staff of 450. Left: his nephew Sumit Jain (Chief Operating Officer of Upkar Prakashan); right: Primera machine operator Shashi. 2 Five monthly magazines with print runs of between 65,000 and 400,000 are saddlestitched on Pratiyogita Darpan’s new Primera C130.
3 The publishing company Upkar Prakashan publishes 2,100 titles to help students prepare for examinations. They are all bound on the Acoro A5 from Muller Martini. From left: S. Alam (machine operator), G. Baghel (machine operator), Rahul Jain (Associate editor at Pratiyogita Darpan), Gaurav Bandlish (Sales Manager at Muller Martini India), Devendera Sharma (Printing House Manager at Pratiyogita Darpan).
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cording to Rahul, the company had three main objectives. “First, a reduction in the production time window of our magazine, second, more cost-effective production through higher automation, and third, reliable systems.” Since the Muller Martini saddle stitcher meets all three requirements, it did not take long for Pratiyogita Darpan to decide on the Primera C130 with a cover feeder, eight stations, a card gluer/tipper and a Perfetto compensating stacker. For some months, Rahul has been saddle-stitching the five magazine titles in print runs of between 65,000 and 400,000 to his utmost satisfaction. “If I had to rate the machine on a scale of one to five, I would give it a 5,” says Rahul. “Our machine operators quickly got the hang of it after just a few training sessions.”
A Publishing Company with 2,100 Own Titles The same is also true of the recently commissioned Acoro A5 with a 16-station gathering machine, which is now used to bind 2100 (!) book titles of the Upkar Prakashan publishing enterprise, says Rahul. “The new line meets our expectations perfectly. It provides higher production speed, lower costs, higher quality and quantity and less production waste. The quick Make Ready in particular is also much to our benefit because of our many book titles and average print run of 10,000 copies.” Mahendra Jain and his son Rahul were originally planning only to invest in a new gathering machine for an old perfect binder when they visited the Muller Martini plants in the Swiss towns of Felben (perfect binding) and Zofingen (saddle stitch-
ing) in 2010. Yet they were so convinced by the machines demonstrated there, that they opted instead for an Acoro/Primera combination – another one of Mahendra Jain’s brilliant ideas leading to a success ful project.
www.pdgroup.in
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Saddle Stitching Systems
Primera C130 and Bravo S: an Ideal Duo for Both Short Runs and Long Runs Given that new printed products remain just as important while requirements for print finishing continue to evolve, Consolidated Press in Seattle, Washington has put into operation a Primera C130 saddle stitcher to go along with its Bravo S, both from Muller Martini.
E Investing in print finishing systems often requires purchasing a completely new printing press. For Consolidated Press in Seattle, this was a 6-color Komori put into operation last year. “Thanks to our new signature machine, we are now able to print superior products including covers, all with the best quality,” says the company’s CEO Gary R. Stone who has owned and operat-
ed the company that was founded in 1934 jointly with CFO Robert T. Brown since 1995. A New Solution for Short Print Runs Working with new printed products also means new requirements for print finishing. 80 percent of the stitched periodicals, brochures, calendars, magazines and
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transportation timetables, most of which Consolidated Press produces for customers who are located within 100 miles of its plant, have print run sizes between 1000 and 25,000 copies. The saddle stitcher must be able to handle the various sizes and numbers of pages that these products have. “For the shorter print runs, in particular, we need a new solution that have sig-
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1 CEO Gary R. Stone (middle) and CFO Robert T. Brown (right) have owned Consolidated Press since 1999. Left, Greg Wood, Sales Manager at Muller Martini USA. 2 CEO Gary R. Stone: “Thanks to our new signature machine, we are now able to print superior products including jackets with the best quality.”
4 The new Primera C130 at Consolidated Press is mostly used for short runs thanks to its fast changeover times. 5 Consolidated Press is the only graphic design business in the Greater Seattle area that offers printing and perfect binding (in the picture: Acoro A7) from a single source.
3 The easy-to-operate Apollo compens ating stacker reliably processes saddlestitched products in diagonally-positioned stacks.
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Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
nificantly lower changeover times,” says Bob Brown. Simple Production Planning That is why Consolidated Press decided in favor of a new Primera C130, which replaced two older Muller Martini saddle stitchers and complements a Bravo S that was put into operation in 2003. The new machine features six flat pile feeders, a cover feeder, a merchandise tipper, inline die cutting for calendars as well as an Apollo compensating stacker. The machine operators have to change over the new saddle stitcher five to six times per day. According to Bob Brown, they can now do this twice as fast as on the Bravo S. That is why Consolidated Press uses its new Primera 130, which has been in operation since January 2011, mostly for short runs, while products with larger print run sizes are still stitched on the Bravo S. Gary Stone comments that distributing the jobs among the two ma-
chines has made production planning significantly easier. “We now know with more certainty that jobs can be completed within a pre-determined time frame, enabling us to meet delivery deadlines. “What’s more, thanks to the Primera quality controls, we haven’t had one single customer complaint” adds Gary Stone, tapping his finger on the table. Machine Operators as All-rounders The fast changeover times and high quality of the printed products is certainly a result of how well trained the machine operators are. The employees operate all the machines at Consolidated Press, including the Acoro A7 perfect binder from Muller Martini, which was put into operation four years ago and features an 18-station gathering machine, manual feed and Merit S three-knife trimmer. “At that time we had also bought a new printing press as we needed a replacement for our Muller Mar-
tini Rotorbinder that was from the 1960s,” remembers Bob Brown. Both company executives commented that this investment has completely paid for itself. “The ability to prepare a new job while the previous one is still being produced dramatically improved our productivity. There is also nothing to complain about the quality of the products. Not one single book has been returned in the past four years.” Better Market Position The Acoro A7, designed for both hotmelt and PUR, has significantly improved the company’s position on the market. Consolidated Press also has a second plant outside of Seattle without a print finishing system and employs a total of 70 staff members at both production facilities. The company is the only graphic design business in the Greater Seattle Area that offers printing and perfect binding from a single source. Printing and saddle stitching are indeed provided by other companies as well. “However, we are still the only company in the Northwest that has a Primera in operation,” says Gary Stone with a grin. “That is why we are well-equipped with our machinery and able to guarantee our customers fast delivery times thanks to a high level of automation and productivity.” www.consolidatedpress.com
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Hardcover Production
India’s First Diamant MC 35 Bookline Specializes in Diaries Lovely Offset Printers in Sivakasi primarily produces diaries on the Diamant MC 35 Bookline (the first of that model in India). It also makes books with print runs of millions on two Ventura book sewing machines and the Acoro A5 perfect binder.
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E Indian weddings typically have between 300 and 1000 guests, and in some cases considerably more. That is big business not only for event managers and catering services, but also for printing houses. After all, guests to all weddings are invited using individually designed and printed cards. A Great Step Lovely Offset Printers, which was founded in 1961, grew by producing such wedding invitation cards. Today the family-run business employing a staff of 400 still numbers among the top producers of wedding invitations in India. However, that has not been its core business for several years. “Twelve years ago, we took a great step in the history of our company,” explains K. Selvakumar (Financial Director), K. Vijayakumar 38
(Technical Director) and K. Senthilkumar (Marketing Director), the three sons of the founder C. Kadarkarai of the company. In order to place the company on a broader footing and enter new areas of business, Lovely Offset began softcover and hardcover production in 2000. “There is an even larger market for books than for wedding invitations,” laughs K. Senthilkumar. Growing Together With Muller Martini From the beginning, the company has relied on solutions from Muller Martini. After the first Bookline 500 was purchased secondhand in 2004 (and overhauled by Muller Martini), several brand-new machines followed. E In 2005, a Ventura book sewing machine with a BDM Compact case maker,
E In 2006, a second Ventura E In 2007, an Acoro A5 perfect binder, which was later extended with conveyors and Merit-S in 2009 E In 2009, a Diamant MC 35 Bookline (the first of that model in India) as a replacement for the BL 500, E In 2011, a VPN/PUR nozzle for the Acoro A5 (likewise an Indian premiere) and a Prima saddle stitcher overhauled by Muller Martini. “Over the course of the years we have become real partners with Muller Martini,” says K. Selvakumar. “We have such great confidence in our suppliers that we didn’t even see a single machine before our investment, neither in a demo center, not at the premises of a customer. We explain what we need and Muller Martini India Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
2 1 From right: K. Selvakumar, K. Senthilkumar and K. Vijayakumar, the three sons of the founder C. Kadarkarai of the company, today lead Lovely Offset Printers. Second from left: P. R. Lakshminarayanan (Managing Director of Muller Martini India), left S. Parthasarathy (Sales Manager of Muller Martini India). 2 Lovely produces softcover books on two Acoro A5 perfect binders in print runs of millions.
works out the configuration of the equipment for us. That method has always worked out and we are very satisfied with all of our machines.” “Today We Are Setting the Benchmark!” Two factors are always to the fore, according to the three brothers leading the company: “First, we need industrial and highly automated solutions because we work around the clock during the high season. Second, with every new investment we aim for marked quality improvements. Earlier we could keep up in terms of quality. Today we are setting the benchmark!” The retrofitting of the Acoro A5 with a VPN nozzle for PUR production for example enabled Lovely Offset to gain numerous new customers within a few months thanks to the quick quality increase, meaning additional volumes of roughly two million books. Diaries for Companies While the wedding invitations are sold solely in India, 70 percent of the softcover and hardcover products go to other countries, predominantly to Africa and the European Union. Lovely Offset also produces hardcover books on the Diamant MC 35, but its core business is diaries, which are often ordered by companies. The print runs Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
3 The core hardcover business of Lovely is diaries, made on India’s first Diamant MC 35. 4 Most of Lovely’s hardcover books are thread-sewn on two Venturas. 5 In addition to magazines, Lovely stitches advertising material and children’s books using the Prima saddle stitcher.
fluctuate between 5000 and 200,000 copies, with an average of 10,000 per job. Print Runs of Millions in Adhesive Binding On the other hand, in softcover books produced are solely for publishing companies, such as textbooks, children's books, coloring books and puzzle books. “The print runs are sometimes in the millions,” says K. Vijayakumar. “However we also have books with a print run of 500 copies, so the quick job changeover time of the Acoro perfect binder is of great benefit to us.” “With its modern machine line-up, Lovely Offset can look to the future with confidence. “I am sure that we will continue to grow,” says K. Selvakumar. “However, in the future we will concentrate somewhat more on the booming domestic Indian market and other untapped overseas markets.”
www.lovelyoffset.com
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Hardcover Production
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fgb in Freiburg: A Diamant MC and two Ventura MCs Ensure High Quality The book producer fgb from Freiburg, Germany, now specializes in producing high-quality small and medium-sized print runs at low prices. In order to stand out in producing all types of print runs, the company recently invested in two new Ventura MC thread sewing machines and a new Diamant MC Hybrid bookline.
E fgb and its predecessor, Herder-Druck, has been producing books since 1808, from pre-press to binding, all from one source. In 1974, fgb became an independent company within the Herder Group. With four sheet-fed offset printing presses, including a four-color machine and a fivecolor machine, fgb has specialized in producing books in small and medium-sized print runs for years now. 40
Ready for Use in No Time In order to keep up with the latest technology, the innovative company invested in a digital printing press, new thread sewing machines and a Diamant MC Hybrid. With this bookline, the company can produce print runs of any size at low costs and with the highest level of quality. “We looked at exactly which bookline we wanted to invest in,” reports Rolf Kanzler, the book-
binding manager. “The top quality of the Diamant MC convinced us. We hardly waste paper anymore.” Since the machine was installed, Kanz ler continues to be convinced in its daily operation. He enthusiastically explains how quickly the machine was ready after installation: “We were producing books with excellent quality only five working days after the Diamant MC was delivered.” Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
And this continues to be the case. Since then, nothing but outstanding books has been produced with the Diamant MC.” Quick Changeovers fgb offers print runs of 30 to 5000 copies to its customers. That means they often have to change formats as quickly as possible. The Diamant MC with its outstandingly short changeover times is the ideal machine for carrying out such jobs. Due to its high level of automation, the machine operator no longer has to take care of the machine settings, which are set automatically after just a few touches on the screen. Further installations, such as the double lining station, also ensure fast changeover times. Machine operator Dieter Futterer appreciates the clear and user-friendly machine controls of the Diamant MC. What's more, soon after commissioning he was quickly convinced by the tandem station and did not need to see anything else. “On one of
the lining stations, we have a wide lined mill roll, on the other a compact mill roll. That allows us not only to change jobs on the fly, but we no longer have to carry around heavy rolls. The tandem station really simplifies our work,” he reports. Books and Brochures – Thread-sewn and Perfectly Bound Apart from the Diamant MC, two new Ventura MC thread sewing machines were also installed. What is impressive is how easy it is to operate the machine thanks to its touch screen. “The Ventura MC is so much more comfortable to operate than the old machine,” Angelika Rusevljan, machine operator, exclaims happily. Her colleague, Sandra Bursomanno, adds that the Ventura MC is quite sturdy – even with heavy products. Apart from the thread sewing for hardcover and softcover books, fgb also offers perfect binding for books and brochures. The book blocks and brochures are pro-
duced on a Bolero perfect binder from Muller Martini. This range of high-quality processing for small print runs works very well for publishing houses. The fact that the prices are also right allows fgb to be able to produce jobs for companies from the Far East. Roughly a third of its orders are placed to fgb from publishing houses of the Herder Group. Given its location in the tri-border area, the Freiburg company maintains good business relations with French and Swiss as well as Austrian companies. Another third of the print runs come from these countries. The books for customers on both sides of the border have been impressive. The awards that fgb has received for the most attractive books both in Germany as well as in Switzerland and Austria are testimony to that.
www.fgb.de
2 1 Rolf Kanzler, Bookbinding Manager and Member of the Board, in front of a selection of books produced by fgb. 2 Leo Lenschin (left) and Dieter Futterer (right), machine operators of the two hardcover booklines, together with the Bookbinding Manager Rolf Kanzler in front of the Diamant MC Hybrid. 3 Machine operator Angelika Rusevljan in front the Ventura MC thread sewing machine.
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Digital Solutions
buch bücher Uses the Diamant MC 35 to Produce Print Runs from 1 to 500 Copies
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CPI offers its customers print runs from one-off production up to one million copies. The books are produced in several different printing plants, with short print runs from one-off production up to 500 copies completed at buch bücher.de in Birkach, Germany as well as buch bücher.ch in Pieterlen, Switzerland. Hardcover books are now produced in Birkach on a Diamant MC 35 machine from Muller Martini. E Book production using digital printing has long since been in place at buch bücher. Starting in 1994, the company developed system solutions for publishing houses that enabled profitable production and automated warehouse management for short print runs. Individualized books and ultra-short print runs have been produced 42
and distributed for printing houses since 1999. A Pioneer in Digitally Printed Books The German paperback publisher dtv, for example, has relied on the warehouse management system from buch bücher for reprints with short print runs for many
years. In this system, buch bücher monitors the sales and inventory of the books, estimates the demand for the following four weeks, calculates the optimal inventory and can schedule a reprint before the inventory becomes too low. The publishing house is therefore able to keep certain books in their catalog that are only seldom Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
1 The small stack of covers shows the range of the print runs produced by buch bücher.
2 Production Manager Stefan Wegner predicts a further decrease in print runs and is confident that the company is well equipped for such a future.
3 The two machine operators Felix Lerch and Christoph Tachel as well as Production Manager Stefan Wegner (from left) in front of the new Diamant MC 35 bookline.
in demand. Above all, academic titles are (re-)printed in ultra-short print runs in Birkach. In addition to publications, photo albums account for a quarter of production. Customers receive their book with an extremely fast turnaround time. On average, it takes just five days between the order and delivery of a book. The company produces well over one million books per year, printed using Indigo and Océ digital printing presses. Production is divided evenly between hardcover and softcover books.
runs by itself. We have produced well over 100,000 books, including print runs of all sizes from 3 to 380 copies.” The industrial printing engineer, who also tested other machines before reaching his decision, points out a series of positive features on the Diamant. These include the joint forming and pressing machine, which provides the most beautiful folds and handles books gently during production. He appreciates the adjustment possibilities offered by the casing-in machine, which enables even difficult book blocks to be processed easily. Looking ahead, the option of later expanding and converting the Diamant MC 35 into a 60-cycle bookline, if the situation calls for it, gives him confidence.
running the casemaker today. The two of them either take turns on the bookline or work together when larger print runs are being produced. As with all employees, they are able to operate several different machines and are flexible enough to work wherever they are needed.
The Right Choice buch bücher recognized early on that digital printing can be effective for book production and quickly established itself in this field. In order to continue to complete the increasing number of jobs reliably and cost-effectively, this growing company, a member of the CPI Group, invested in a Diamant MC 35. Five months after commissioning the new bookline, Production Manager Stefan Wegner is just as convinced as he was on the first day that he made the right choice. The overall concept of this bookline with its servo motors impressed him from the very beginning, as did the quality of the books from the very first copy. Several months of production using the machine have confirmed his decision. “Since installing the machine and training the machine operators, the line practically
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20 to 25 Changeovers per Shift Wegner also highlights the service support provided by Muller Martini. “Regardless of how big or small the matter is, Muller Martini listens to us and quickly offers us a solution.” He is also impressed by the quick size changeovers that enable cost-effective production even for ultra-short print runs. “We have 20 to 25 changeovers per shift; this machine allows us to complete these like clockwork,” raves machine operator Felix Lerch, who runs the machine by himself, from feeding the book blocks to removing the finished books. He likes working on the Diamant. “The books can be precisely cased in, and it is simply great to operate the machine.” Christoph Tachel is
Highly Motivated and Environmentally Friendly All books produced by buch bücher for publishing houses are printed on FSC paper. The company’s 1500 m2 photovoltaic installation on the roof of its plant and the fact that its draws its electricity from Greenpeace Energy also show its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. The company’s future-oriented vision can be felt on all levels. Highly motivated employees who take advantage of the chances offered to them exhibit a high sense of responsibility towards the company and can easily identify with it. According to Stefan Wegner, who had previously worked for other well-known conventional book producers, this company is a completely different company – one that is fun to work for and that represents the future. He believes that print runs in book production will continue to fall, and is confident that buch bücher is well equipped for such a future.
http://cpibooks.com
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Digital Solutions
The Acoro A5 and the Diamant MC 35 Digital Make a Perfect Digital-ready Team “Digital printing is the future,” says Steven A. Brown, President of CDS. Medford, Oregon is the site of a state-of-the-art digital center with 18 digital printing presses and two highly automated Digital Ready finishing systems from Muller Martini.
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1 CDS President Steven A. Brown (right), together with Greg Wood, Sales Manager at Muller Martini USA, in front of the Acoro A5 perfect binder at the Medford Digital Center: “Personalization and customization make it possible to target specific customer segments with print products designed specifically for their needs.”
2 CDS’ Acoro A5 makes softcover products with one-off print runs (such as photo books), as well as personalized magazines, catalogs, manuals and textbooks. 3 The Diamant MC 35 Digital effectively binds single copies with varying page counts at speeds previously associated only with conventional binding methods.
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E For Steven A. Brown, President of CDS, a company of Consolidated Graphics, there is no doubt: “Digital printing is the future. Personalization and customization allows educators, publishers, and businesses to target specific customer with print products designed specifically for their needs.” CDS, founded in 1906, was the first newspaper publisher in Medford. Their offset facility is supported by a comprehensive bindery which includes two Starbinder perfect binders and several Muller Martini saddle stitchers. In recent years, CDS has invested significantly in digital systems for their expanding digital facility, also located in Medford. Various products are printed on 18 digital printing presses: twelve HP Indigo 7000 and 7500, three Kodak Nexpress and three Xeikon 5000/6000. “We specialize in simple-to-complex printing solutions for a range of customers in many different industries including education, technology, finance, healthcare, and photo books. We combine digital and analog technologies and provide support to our customers throughout the entire production chain, from pre-press to delivery.” The Acoro A5 Is Digital Ready . . . For their print finishing needs, CDS relies on systems that are digital ready. The most recent investment is an Acoro A5 perfect binding line from Muller Martini commissioned in autumn 2011. It features a manual feed station and a Merit S three-knife trimmer. “We’ve used Muller Martini systems for decades,” said Brown. “They are reliable, functional and flexible, with a service team that responds quickly when needed”. The Acoro A5 is used for making book blocks for softcover and hardcover products with one-off print runs, such as photo books. It also supports personalized magazines, catalogs, manuals and textbooks. The Acoro binding solution accommodates
a thickness variance of 1.5 mm, ideal for one-off production. CDS employs a barcode system throughout the entire process chain, ensuring that each product is matched to the correct case, dust jacket and book block. . . . As Is the Diamant MC 35 Digital The same goes for the Diamant MC 35 Digital bookline, put into operation in autumn of 2010. The Diamant line produces books ranging in sizes from 2 mm thin to large format, including photo books, manuals and catalogs. Integral, full-flap or plastic covers are easily accommodated. The Diamant MC 35 Digital also allows a thickness variance of 1.5 mm, once again reducing down time for change-overs. When changes are needed, the Diamant servo technology allows the line to continue to run while making the necessary changes. The Diamant is also equipped with a book block/case verification system assuring the correct case is matched to the book block. “With ultra-short runs, only barcodes can effectively ensure that the right cover and content are matched,” emphasized Steve Brown. A Special Project As with the Acoro A5, CDS also considered alternatives to the bookline. According to Brown, “What tipped the scales in favor of Muller Martini was that they met all of our quality and product requirements, something the competition was unable to do.” It is precisely in the production of digitally printed hardcover books that the Diamant MC Digital offers the highest book quality and efficiency. The Diamant MC Digital, a version of the tried and tested Diamant MC, can be changed over sequentially and is designed particularly for one-off book production, ideal for photo books. “The Diamant is an excellent example of how Muller Martini found a way to combine modern technology with a proven production system,” says Brown. “In my opin-
ion, it is the best bookline available to support our customer requirements.” Expansion to Europe and Asia At its Medford Digital Center, CDS can complete 18,000 job orders – every day! Most orders for ultra-short runs are placed online, however no orders are processed directly by CDS. “We work exclusively with other companies on a B2B basis, providing the platform, but never directly engaging the end customer,” emphasized Brown. Every now and then, there is a conventional print job with larger print runs. “It is not true that offset only helps digital printing – often it is the other way around,” says Brown with a grin. Under the company motto, “Global Printing Services, Local Support”, CDS, with 350 employees, is also active in Europe, Asia and South America, with production facilities in Prague Czech Republic, London England, Gero Japan and Sao Palo Brazil.
www.cdspublications.com
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Printing Presses
Changeover Times Reduced by up to 50 Percent With its new Alprinta 52, the mailings specialist SDV Winter in Weidenberg, Germany has once again selected a solution from Muller Martini. The significantly shorter changeover times on the new web offset printing press considerably increase productivity.
1 Specializing in mailings: SDV Winter has tripled its print volume in the past nine years.
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2 From right: Benno Putz (Director of Quality Management), Konstantin Nickel (Machine Operator), Company Representative Alfred Wagner (Production Manager), Company Representative Volker Schuster (Managing Director) and Peter Eisemann (Sales Representative for printing presses at Muller Martini Germany) in front of the new Alprinta 52 at SDV Winter in Weidenberg, Germany.
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E A look in the order books from recent years reveals a few remarkable things: From 2003 to 2012, SDV Winter, which specializes exclusively in mailings, has tripled its print volume. “This lends credence to our company,” says company representative and managing director Volker Schuster without false modesty. Rising Customer Demands In addition to its 91 motivated employees, this success can be attributed to the company’s high level of flexibility even with extremely short deadlines as well as its attractive range of products for numerous (regular) customers in Germany and in the neighboring German-speaking countries. For example, substrate grammage has continually increased in recent years. “Today we regularly print on paper with a weight of 250 grams per square meter,” says company representative and production manager Alfred Wagner. Of course, short delivery times and increasingly higher demands for quality from customers require the necessary machinery. That is why SDV Winter, which has be-
3 The significantly shorter changeover times on the new Alprinta 52 considerably increase productivity (pictured: machine operator Konstantin Nickel). 4 Ideal for the cost-effective production of single sheets: The QS52 cross cutter with integrated stacker enables one-up or two-up production.
Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
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longed since 2006 to SDV – Die Medien AG, headquartered in Dresden, Germany, has invested in a new web offset printing press from Muller Martini, an Alprinta 52, to replace its eight-color Progress machine at its plant in Weidenberg. In addition, the company has two Goebel Optiforma Plus machines in operation – one with nine, and the other with eight printing units. “When evaluating the new machine, we focused our attention on three main points,” says Volker Schuster: “boosting production, reducing changeover times and minimizing production waste.” As part of this evaluation, SDV Winter carried out several successful tests with various types of paper and different print images while at the Muller Martini Training Center in Maulburg, Germany. Two Flexo-cassettes for UV Coating In addition to the web offset printing units, the new Alprinta 52, which was officially transferred from Fogra Forschungsgesellschaft Druck e.V. last March, features several turning stations with which the number of printing units for back side and front side printing can be selected flexibly. As printing mailings today often requires more than eight printing units, SDV Winter decided in favor of a ten-color machine. “As we now only have to run production through the machine once, we gain time and have less production waste,” comments Benno Putz, Director of Quality Management. “The stable inking systems ensure a higher level of quality.” The Alprinta 52 features two ‘flexo-cassettes’, which can be used to convert the offset press units into flexo printing units. “Our customers increasingly demand highquality mailings with special colors and/or coatings,” says Alfred Wagner. “Thanks to the Alprinta 52, we are now also able to offer double-sided UV-coating.” An essential part of the machine setup that leads to a more diverse range of products is the sheeter. In addition to mailings
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finished on large rolls produced on the new Alprinta 52, SDV Winter now runs inline production of inserts trimmed to the final format with a QS 52 cross cutter featuring an integrated stacker. Great Technological Innovation Even if the new printing press represents a significant technological upgrade for SDV Winter and its four machine operators and according to Alfred Wagner it was also necessary to learn the machine controls during the intensive training at Muller Martini’s center in Maulburg as well as by getting into a certain routine on site with a lot of ‘learning by doing’ (“we are gradually getting on the right path”), the company has already reached its most important goal: According to Benno Putz, changeover times have been significantly reduced. “Compared to our other two printing presses, with the Alprinta 52 we can prepare a job by 35 percent, sometimes even up to 50 percent faster.” Confident for the Future A significant part of the higher productivity made possible by the Alprinta 52, which features an inline ink control system and prints products in pre-trimmed A4 format due to the narrower webs, is due to cycle speeds of up to 365 meters per minute. “If the jobs allow it, we try to push the machine to its threshold,” says Benno Putz. For Volker Schuster there is no doubt “that mailings continue to be a growing business.” As we are in an excellent position both in terms of organization and technology, we expect that our company will continue to grow in the coming years despite the competitive environment.”
www.sdv.de 47
Newspaper Mailroom Systems
The World Premiere Has Become a Success Story “Diario Libre” in the Dominican Republic is the first free newspaper in the world to be delivered to households free of charge. Three AlphaLiner inserting systems from Muller Martini and three film-wrapping lines ensure that the two newspaper bundles and up to twelve inserts are delivered to readers as well as the strategically selected distribution points.
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1 “Diario Libre”, the first free newspaper in the world to be delivered to households free of charge, has up to twelve inserts every day. 2 Elius Gómez (Ing.) (left), Production Manager at “Diario Libre”: “The insert business segment has expanded in recent years and has become an important mainstay for our company.” Right: Rafael Vigil from Muller Martini USA. 3 The three AlphaLiner inserting systems provide “Diario Libre” with a high level of flexibility in zoning.
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advertising an important mainstay for our company – also because we print over 50 percent of the inserts ourselves and are therefore able to operate our production systems at full capacity.” In order to protect the inserts and also because an insert might appear on the front page, the newspaper bundles are wrapped on three film-wrapping machines. “This gives us the certainty that our readers receive the newspaper intact,” emphasizes Gómez.
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E At the end of the 1990s, the European media landscape was revolutionized by the success of the emerging free newspapers. Arturo Pellerano, who has long since been linked to the Dominican press industry because his family owned the country’s oldest newspaper (“Listín Diario”), decided to take an adventurous risk. From Door to Door He founded the newspaper “Diario Libre”, the first free newspaper in the world that is distributed directly to households door to door. In other countries, free newspapers triumphed because they were distributed at places with large commuter traffic, in particular at train or bus stations. The peculiarities of the Dominican cities made such a distribution system less feasible. The idea of household delivery was a daring one at the beginning, but it turned out to be the key to an unprecedented success. Who would have thought that this Caribbean island, which with a population of roughly 10 million people an area of 48,000 km2 is only slightly larger than Switzerland, would become the birthplace of a printing and distribution model that serves as an lesson at the largest newspaper trade fairs? Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
It has been eleven years since “Diario Libre”, which is printed in tabloid format, was first distributed to households in the Dominican Republic. Today the circulation has reached 155,000 copies. This makes “Diario Libre” the daily newspaper with the most readers and the largest distribution in the Dominican Republic. In the past two years alone, this pioneer newspaper has increased its circulation by 40,000 copies. 50 Percent of Inserts Are Printed In-house The fact that “Diario Libre” has become a huge economic success is mostly due to the print finishing of this newspaper, which is published every day except Sundays. Thanks to its editorial quality and its distribution strategy, it has become a favorite with both readers and advertisers. The contents of “Diario Libre” are presented to readers in one bundle in addition to an advertising bundle, and it contains up to twelve commercial inserts in various sizes, either as individual pages or in the form of brochures with up to 28 pages. “The insert business segment has grown in recent years,” says Elius Gómez, “and it is in addition to classic newspaper
Three AlphaLiner Inserting Systems, 20 Zones The inserts are added to the newspapers by three AlphaLiner inserting systems from Muller Martini. “As we were evaluating different systems, we asked ourselves whether we should install a large inserting system,” says the production manager reflecting on the decision. “However, there were two main reasons why we decided in favor of three smaller machines. First, we can now have a backup system. Second, the three AlphaLiner systems, two of which we operate inline and one offline, provide us with a higher level of flexibility with regard to zoning.” “Diario Libre” is distributed in 20 different zones every day. The inserts may be printed for the entire print run or they could be distributed in only a few zones selected by the advertisers. “The AlphaLiner systems have proven their worth in this respect, as we can optimally prepare the various zones,” Gómez comments with satisfaction. The mailroom is the key point for the daily production of “Diario Libre”, which begins at 1 p.m. with the printing of the advertisement bundles and ends the next morning at 5 a.m. when the film-wrapped newspaper bundles are dispatched for delivery. “The efficient and accurate print finishing of our newspapers are the nuts and bolts of our production,” emphasizes Gómez.
www.diariolibre.com 49
Services
MM
Glasgow to Plymouth in 19 Days In just 19 days, Muller Martini shipped a complete Bolero perfect binding line from Glasgow to Plymouth, while also managing to dismantle and completely reassemble the machine in such a short time frame. Journal and book printer, Latimer Trend & Company Ltd. is now able to offer highly competitive binding with an exceptional quality product with a wide range of binding products. E The short time frame of just over two weeks must surely be a record: Latimer Trend ordered a used Bolero from Muller Martini England, on January 9 of this year, and had it shipped from Glasgow to replace its Monostar perfect binder that had been in operation since 1999. On January 23, the experts at Muller Martini disassembled the Bolero and, within 19 days, transported it 780 kilometers across Great Britain from Scotland to the southern English coast, completely overhauled and cleaned it whilst simultaneously disassembling Latimer Trends Monostar binding line – and on February 10th, they pressed the start button. MM England offered the Bolero line, originally installed by them in 2006, as one of the most highly specified binding lines in the United Kingdom with very low operating hours. In addition to this one of the deciding factors for investing in the Bolero line, according to Finance Director Ian Crocker, was the fact that Muller Martini England as a general contractor was able to complete the entire relocation project including the overhaul the machine (adding new pressing stations, examining the glue pots, the VPN/PUR nozzles, and the Zenith S three-knife trimmer and introducing new software) in such a short time frame. “Without this professional support, we would have never considered purchasing a second-hand perfect binder,” he said. Optimal Customer Support For Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini, Latimer Trend is a typical example of the increasing importance the service business is gaining in the graphic design industry: “With our MMStartup module, we have been contracted by customers to relocate several hundred machines within plants and to refurbish them according to the specific customer needs. We also support custom50
ers who have opted for used Muller Martini machines both in the purchasing process and during the subsequent installation, reconditioning and commissioning of the equipment. We will continue to increase our activities in this important field, with the declared aim of providing the best support to our many customers worldwide in optimizing their production equipment.” Training Included The extensive service package for Latimer Trend also included training for two machine operators for the comprehensive Bolero line – consisting of a 21-station gathering machine, a Universo stacker, book block feeder, a book data center (BDC) and a Zenith S three knife trimmer. One of the operators took part in a one-week training at Muller Martini’s book academy in Felben, Switzerland, which was followed up with training for both operators over a
three-week period on-site working directly on the Bolero line. “As we made a great technological leap from the Monostar to the Bolero, it was particularly important for us to receive targeted training for our personnel,” says Production Director Andy Ogden. A Fast Make Ready and PUR There were two critical factors that Latimer Trend was looking to address with this investment. The first of these was the declared goal of significantly reducing changeover times for short print runs which the Bolero offers, as well as a significant increase in running speeds. The second, as just as important factor, was the need to be able to offer its customers a full range of binding products which includes PUR binding, a growing requirement within the industry. These were the main reasons why the company, founded in 1880
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1 Transported 780 kilometers, completely overhauled and cleaned – Muller Martini England oversaw the entire relocation project of a second-hand Bolero machine from Glasgow to Plymouth.
3 and taken over by Paul Opie, Ian Crocker and Andy Ogden in early 2012, and which has 60 employees, decided in favor of the Bolero. “In addition, the Bolero offers a great advantage with the VPN nozzle, as it enables a simple and fast changeover between the PUR and hotmelt methods,” says Production Director Andy Ogden. Latimer Trend had made the switch to new machines in all of their book production processes, except for perfect binding. Muller Martini Panorama Fall 2012
4 “With the Bolero, we have closed that gap,” emphasizes Finance Director Ian Crocker. “Not only have we succeeded in increasing our efficiency with significantly improved make ready times and production speeds, but we can, more importantly, now offer our customers a wider range of high quality bound product including perfect bound and PUR bound books.”
2 From right: Ian Crocker (Finance Director), Andy Ogden (Production Director) and Richard Dance (Sales Manager at Muller Martini England) in front of the Bolero at the refurbished plant of Latimer Trend in Plymouth. 3 The Universo packer box delivery as the link between the gathering machine and perfect binder allows Latimer Trend to have an optimal delivery of folded signatures gathered for both automatic and manual finishing. 4 For its saddle stitching projects, Latimer Trend has relied on a Minuteman from Muller Martini for nearly a quarter of a century.
www.trends.co.uk 51
Fit for future markets. Stand Out from the Competition and Gain Access to New Markets. The digital printing market is developing at a rapid pace and is opening up new vistas. With the finishing systems for offset and digital printing from Muller Martini you can stand out in your market and be provided with new business models. Our hybrid systems prepare you for tomorrow’s markets and impress your current clients with their efficiency and flexibility. Muller Martini – your strong partner.
www.mullermartini.com, Phone +41 (0)62 745 45 75