muller martini panorama, 2010, spring

The magazine for Muller Martini customers Spring 2010

Muller Martini Standardizes Service Portfolio with New MMServices Label and Creates a Direct Link to Clients with MMRemote

Editorial

Muller Martini Panorama Spring 20102

E Fulfilling quality requirements while keeping unit costs low, is particularly chal-lenging in the graphic arts industry, and the competition has further intensified on all levels. This includes the printing plants and finishing operations, as well as the various media. The virtually unrestricted availabili-ty of information in electronic media and the variety of printed media have changed reading behavior and the way in which in-formation is used.

The ready availability of machines, effi-cient production, secure processes and in-dividually customizable end products are all requirements necessary to allow the graphic arts industry long-term success. As someone who uses our equipment, Muller Martini wants to ensure that you can fully exploit the potential of your ma-chines and systems. If we manage to im-press you and exceed your expectations, then we have achieved our goal. It is our express aim to sustainably improve your results by means of a continuous optimi-zation process, thus strengthening your market position.

Make use of the tailor-made MMServices from Muller Martini, which can be individ-ually customized to meet your require-ments and you could profit even more from Muller Martini’s global service network, service expertise and extensive specialist knowledge. We offer comprehensive, proc-ess-oriented and effective services and want to tailor them specifically to your process-relevant needs.

The contents of the new MMServices package, which we will start in the coming months in all Muller Martini companies, are flexible. A detailed description can be found on 7 of this edition of “Panorama”. MMServ-ices can be used individually or combined perfectly with one another. Alongside the reliable on-site service, our comprehensive spare parts delivery service and the proven training program for machine operators, MMServices ensures that your investments in our machines meet your expectations throughout their service life – or even ex-ceed them.

Using MMServices, we want to improve efficiency, extend the use and lifespan of

the machines and therefore improve the quality of your systems.

We are especially looking forward to these challenging tasks. Let us make a start at IPEX 2010! Join us from the 18th through to the 25th May in Birmingham, in hall 19, stand C750.

I’m looking forward to meeting you!

Yours sincerely

Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini

Improving the Lifespan of Your Equipment with MMServices

Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini

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Imprint

Volume 25Muller Martini “Panorama” EditorDr. Markus Angst [email protected] PublisherMuller Martini Marketing AGUntere Brühlstrasse 13 CH-4800 Zofingen, SwitzerlandTelephone +41 62 745 45 75 Fax +41 62 751 55 50www.mullermartini.com

Publication frequencyAppears three times a year in English, French, German, Italian and Span ish editions.

Reproduction with reference to source is permitted.

Printed in Switzerland.

Contents

3Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2010

Sales and ServiceMuller Martini Ltd.Ridgeway IndustrialEstateIver, BuckinghamshireSLO 9JQPhone Iver 0845 345 3588Telefax 65 56 58(Std Code 01753)[email protected]

CI down to the last detail: Reclam has opted for a yellow Bolero line to perform perfect binding on its legendary “little yellow books” – it is the first bookbindery in the world to do so.

The revolutionary Variable Sleeve Offset Printing (VSOP) technology has opened up new market potential for printers.

Intensive pricing pressure and tight deadlines: Graphics compa-nies rely on good production system availability.

Cert no. IMO-COC-025036





Cert no. IMO-COC-025036 Cert no. IMO-COC-025036


FSC Labels Englisch

MMServicesMaintenance, Training, Data Analysis – Utilizing the Full Machine Potential 4

Press Delivery SystemsUPC, Vaasa – Cell Phone Cameras Boost Circulation of Printed Products 8

Digital Book ProductionRR Donnelley/Muller Martini – Inline Print Engine and Book Production System 11

Saddle Stitching SystemsFrance – Cloître, Valblor and Ferréol Put their Faith in the New Primera 12

Softcover ProductionIBW, Oostkamp – Two CoronaCompact CC12s with New 3696 Gathering Machine 15

Reclam, Ditzingen – A Bolero in a “Yellow Jersey” for the “little yellow books” 18

Masar, Dubai – Higher Printing Capacities Necessitate Efficient Processing 20

Fuisland, Singapore – Better Return on Investment with the Pantera 22

C.O.S., Singapore – Quick Changeovers Required on Small Runs 24

InterviewAlfred Ang – “Modern Systems Help Singapore Compete” 25

News 26

Hardcover ProductionChiat Cheong, Penang – Two Concepts with the Diamant 35 28

Printing PressesMuller Martini VSOP – Variable-Size Printing for Optimum Flexibility 30

Imprenta Nacional, Caracas – The Concepta is a Perfect Match for the Concept 34

Newspaper Mailroom SystemsCSQ, Erbusco – A New Complete Line Including Stitching and Cutting 36

Naples Daily News, Florida: Two SLS3000s Boost Flexibility 38

Mukusala, Riga – The ProLiner Matches Up to Tight Production Windows 40

Our program 42


MMServices

4

Using Optimum Servicing to Make Full Use of Your Machine’s Potential

As a result of significant pricing pressure and increasingly narrow deadline windows,

graphics arts companies are reliant on high levels of availability from their production systems.

Muller Martini’s service package, MMServices, which made its worldwide debut at IPEX 2010,

is the solution to these challenges. The program reduces downtime, improves productivity

and reduces costs through production improvement, regular maintenance and in-depth

training. The program provides the customer with everything they need to handle the pressure

of the current market conditions.

E A pilot program, based on aggressive production goals, was initiated at the Worldcolor Fairfield facility, targeting the Corona C13 perfect binding line. Muller Martini and the local management and op-erations staff collaborated in the new pro-gram, between 2007 and 2009. The targets were met and exceeded and, have become the norm for the future. Building on this ex-perience, further collaboration improved throughput on the three Diamant 60 book-lines, resulting in sustainable efficiencies in the 10% to 15% range. While the initiating force was extensive maintenance, the de-velopment of a scheduled maintenance program, targeted training, the availability of an eLearning module from Muller Marti-ni USA for the operators, as well as an on-going educational program has enabled the improvements to remain consistent.

Long Term Efficiency“When we talk to our customers, we have

to lay all our cards on the table, talk open-ly, and point out the absolute importance of efficient operation, regular maintenance, and critical analysis of the machine produc-tion data,” says Werner Naegeli, Managing Director of Muller Martini USA. “We al-ways seek out a solution together.” This was the case when Worldcolor sought to improve the productivity and output of a perfect binder and its three book lines, in Fairfield.

“We were responsible for part of the is-sue, so we committed to making some ma-chine upgrades,” Naegeli openly states. Gary Durand, Executive Vice President of Operations, at several Worldcolor book plants, added, “continuously improving our operations and productivity is a World-color mandate. So, we engaged Muller Martini to partner with us. Together, we as-sessed the situation, formed an improve-ment plan, and initiated a program to achieve our improvement goals and objec-

tives. We were not content with a simple or quick win; but, rather, needed to put in place a long term continuous improvement solution to effect consistent, sustainable performance of both equipment and per-sonnel.”

Meeting Our Goals“The results of this collaborative effort have had tremendous operational benefits, from improved up time, to lower waste, to bet-ter equipment utilization, to greatly im-proved customer satisfaction. And, it would not have been possible without the total cooperation of Muller Martini,” added Mr. Durand.

Encouraged by the results at the Fair-field facility, Gary Durand has directed his General Managers at the other Book and Targeted Publication plants, to embark on a similar program, again enlisting Muller Martini to partner with the local operators and management. The goal is to increase

“Prevention is Cheaper than a Cure”

“Investing in the service is guaranteed to pay off” – Gary Durand, Executive Vice Presi-dent of Operations, Worldcolor (USA) says in an interview with “Panorama”.

“Panorama”: Why did you opt for the service package from Muller Martini? Gary Durand: It is always bet-ter to be proactive rather than reactive. It is the best way to stay ahead of the curve. In other words, prevention is cheaper than a cure. Besides, by providing the necessary training and reliable equipment to the people who have to make the systems work, it frees them up to concentrate on the more

important things like quality and waste containment. It also improves employee morale. That is why we targeted a long term AfterCare Program solu-tion.

What makes Muller Martini and its service package stand out from other providers?Who better knows their equip-ment? Beyond that, Muller Martini showed a willingness and the enthusiasm to partner

with us. That made the decision easy. Muller Martini went a step further to provide customized, individualized solutions to meet the various specific require-ments. We have found that their responsiveness is better than the industry average. That is why we have shared the im-pressive results with other equipment suppliers, with the expectation that we can broad-en the program across our en-tire platform.

Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2010 5

Marcus Stich, Head of Service Automation at Muller Martini Printing Presses GmbH, has a direct line to many printing presses all over the world (photo shows the Alprinta web offset printing press in use at Labelmakers in Australia).

the reliability of the various production systems by availing themselves of a mea-surable and responsive service program, centered around a formalized AfterCare Program. Werner Naegeli is in complete accord, given the severe economic chal-lenges that we face. “In view of today’s commercial issues, our service package is primarily aimed at helping our customers optimize the capabilities of their equip-ment. They are very aware of the how im-portant these investments are and realize that over time it is critical to continually train operators and maintain equipment in order to improve profit and growth. We, at Muller Martini, are honored and anxious to partner in these efforts.”

Customers are DelightedIn addition to the efficiency aspect, Gary Durand points to enhanced quality as a di-rect result of the maintenance and training program. “Nothing makes it easier to get in

front of a customer like a quality product delivered on time,” says Gary Durand. “Thanks to this program, we have been able to take advantage of such opportuni-ties. Durand proudly recalls some feedback from Karen Romano, Vice President of Pro-duction at Simon & Schuster; “In the face of difficult market conditions, our business requires ever more flexibility and speed to get just the right number of books out to just the right customers. Worldcolor Fair-field has proved to be an excellent partner in enabling us to realize vastly reduced cy-cle times, which translates into fewer re-turns of unsold books. Many thanks to the teams at Worldcolor and Muller Martini for recognizing that success comes from both the ability to respond to our customers needs and to produce the quality product that we demand.”

Deadlines and Price WarsKarl-Heinz Becker, an authorized agent,

Technical Director and executive commit-tee member with Kaufmann printing house in Lahr, Germany, is thinking mainly of his customers and internal costs when he talks about the high performance and availabili-ty of the six saddle stitchers and the perfect binder. “It is imperative that our systems maintain high production speeds; other-wise, we would not be able to meet our deadlines. Particularly with the high-output saddle stitchers, we cannot afford to pro-duce below capacity, because then it starts costing money.”

Markus Kowalk, Head of Service and Projects at Muller Martini Germany, is also aware of the growing importance of high availability, “because we are receiving printing and finishing orders, often at the weekend as well, with shorter and shorter deadlines. In these situations, machine breakdowns are fatal, and our customers count on technical support and spare parts being available very rapidly. In addition to

Gary Durand (right), Executive Vice President, Operations, Worldcolor (USA): “We want to go beyond achieving improve-ments in the short term; we also want to ensure long-term efficiency.” On the left: Werner Naegeli, President & CEO Muller Martini Corp. USA.

Given the impressive results at your Fairfield facility, will you be putting service pack-ages into other Worldcolor plants? I have already presented the re-sults to all of my General Man-agers, and have assured them that, “investing in this service is guaranteed to pay off”. Training and maintenance will be a ma-jor focus going forward.

10 –15%


MMServices

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this, graphics companies are currently en-gaged in an aggressive price war. Our sys-tems must run smoothly right around the clock, particularly in the large industrial na-tions with their correspondingly high wage scales.”

The Direct LineAccording to Burkhard Kühne, Head of the Finishing Department at Kaufmann, it is of-ten trivial things – like signs of wear on the feeders of the perfect binders – that reduce production speeds, particularly after a cer-tain operating time. It should be noted that Kaufmann printing house employs its own mechanics and electricians to take care of all its technical service needs, which in-cludes maintaining the production machin-ery. “So we can do a lot without any assis-tance,” explains Burkhard Kühne. “But there comes a point where we have to pick up the phone and ask the service engineers at Muller Martini for advice.”

Karl-Heinz Becker believes it is tremen-dous advantage “that our technicians and their counterparts at Muller Martini know each other personally and get along well. This gives us a direct line from the work-shop to the machine.” However, Becker is happy that both sides are still able to speak forthrightly. “It does not help anyone if we beat around the bush when there are real problems to solve.”

A Profitable Service ContractIn order to avoid unpleasant surprises, Muller Martini Germany has entered into service contracts with many of its custom-ers. This is an investment that pays off for graphics companies, according to Markus Kowalk: “Our customers are constantly saying that the service subscription works

out cheaper than correcting individual ma-chine failures. For example, one bookbind-er increased the net output of its saddle stitchers by ten percent over the last three years through regular maintenance.”

And as Markus Kowalk from Muller Martini Germany and Werner Naegeli of Muller Martini USA are both keen to point out, this is exactly what all service activities are aiming to achieve: “We make sure that our customers are able to utilize the full po-tential of their machines.”

Valuable On-The-Job TrainingCost factors such as pricing pressure and maintenance staff are becoming increas-ingly important, so companies are only in-vesting if an investment looks likely to pro-vide benefits. “An increasing number of customers are recognizing the benefit of servicing and seeing that their money really pays dividends,” explains Markus Kowalk. And it’s not surprising when you take a look at the service statistics for Muller Martini Germany: In 80% of faults, a machine is up and running again follow-ing telephone support.

Ultimately it is both parties, the custom-er and the machine manufacturer, that ben-efit from a professional service program. “We are on the company’s premises on a regular basis while production is in prog-ress, so it takes even less time for us to incorporate customer feedback into improved solutions,” explains Markus Kowalk. “Our machine operators also pre-fer it if maintenance and training are car-ried out in their usual work environment in the form of on-the-job training,” he adds. “We also benefit from the fact that Muller Martini has approved technicians who are specialists on the respective machine types

and have been working in the job for a number of years, so they know the systems inside out.”

“Bookbinders Are Inventors”Often, this also leads to informal contact that goes beyond the actual professional collaboration. “Bookbinders are inventors,” says Markus Kowalk. This is why the Muller Martini service engineers often exchange cellphone numbers with the machine oper-ators who work for the bookbinders. Joint pizza parties have even been organized with the staff at Worldcolor in the USA! Gary Durand is satisfied with the result: “We have become a real team over time.”

Gary Durand is also convinced that the future of an optimized service lies in the network between the machine manufac-turers and their customers. Burkhard Kühne adds: “In future I imagine suppliers will proactively carry out evaluations for us online to detect any problems early and help us improve our processes.”

Key Production DataMany of Werner Naegeli’s customers in the USA like to have reliable data on their pro-duction processes: “Detailed information – including fault data – enables them to man-ufacture better products and achieve a higher level of productivity. Consequently, production data analyses are becoming more and more important. “Muller Marti-ni’s Connex digital workflow system is an example of a system that provides the tools to obtain this data on site.”

A Minute Online Beats an Hour on the RoadOne person who regularly checks up on “his” systems installed all over the world is

Karl-Heinz Becker (left), authorized agent, Technical Director and executive committee member with Kaufmann printing house based in Lahr, Germany: “In the case of our two high-output saddle stitchers, we cannot afford to produce below capacity, because then it starts costing money.” On the right: Burkhard Kühne, Head of the Finishing Department at Kaufmann.

At Worldcolor Fairfield further collaboration improved throughput on the three Diamant 60 booklines, resulting in sustainable efficiencies in the 10% to 15% range.


“With MMServices we are providing added value for our customers”

MMStartupExperienced specialists plan and manage projects – not only for new investments, but also when oper-ations are restructured or expand-ed. Service professionals ensure that commissioning is executed rapidly and that process reliability is maintained from the very begin-ning.

MMRepairBecause even the best equipment can fail, highly qualified service en-gineers are on hand to provide fast, professional assistance – by phone, remote service or on site. Original spare parts ensure unin-terrupted, high-quality production.

MMRemoteOften with printing presses and in finishing, which is one of the very last production steps, every min-ute counts; Muller Martini’s cus-tomers therefore have a direct line to the manufacturer at all times. They can choose from three mod-ules that can be combined and ex-

MMUptodateRegular updates prolong the life span of the machines and ensure that their high performance char-acteristics are maintained for many years. Because all Muller Martini equipment has a modular design, it can be retrofitted or ex-panded in line with new business models or market changes. A ret-rofit pays for itself very quickly.

MMInspectThe Muller Martini preventive in-spection service keeps equipment in top condition, provides com-plete security in terms of produc-tion continuity and also reduces operating costs. Experts analyze the systems and report problem areas and (improvement) potential to the customer.

MMImproveAdded value through training and advanced training – Experienced Muller Martini experts can provide operating personnel with a host of tips and tricks as well as thorough training. Customized training courses prepare machine opera-tors perfectly for handling new equipment and keep them up to date with regard to developments and new features.

MMSelectThe machinery must be serviced and inspected continuously to en-sure efficient life cycle manage-ment. With a service contract based on predictable costs deter-mined by annual price fixing, cus-tomers benefit immediately from the comprehensive, expert Muller Martini service program.

panded flexibly according to indi-vidual needs: MMHelp (24/7 support), MMRemote Access (online analysis, 24/7 support), MMRemote Online (teleconfer-ence, webcam, online analysis, 24/7 support).

As deadlines become tighter and tighter and pricing pressure grows, printers and finishers cannot afford any machine failures. High availabil-ity is therefore paramount for any graphics operation. That is why Mull-er Martini is standardizing its service offering in the seven modules of MMServices, the new label that was unveiled in Birmingham at IPEX 2010. “It’s just like with a car,” says Daniel Nydegger, Head of Group Service

at Muller Martini. “The original manufacturer depends on having the best diagnosis. Brief, predictable machine downtimes help to prevent longer, unscheduled failures. By ensuring that the machine is operated in a way that retains its value for its entire service life, Muller Martini is creating added value for its customers – this is also true for existing machines.”

Marcus Stich. Using a remote solution, the Head of Service Automation at Muller Mar-tini Printing Presses GmbH in Maulburg, Germany, can log into the Alprinta, Con-cepta, and Concept-NT web offset printing presses at his customers’ sites from any-where in the world. Of course, he only does this at the customer’s request or with their express approval, and IT security is tested by the highly respected Technischer Über-wachungs-Verein (TÜV).

“With MMRemote, we can access all con-trol components and drive systems direct-ly – as if we were standing right in front of the machine. Just recently, when a cus-

tomer’s industrial PC for machine opera-tion crashed, we were able to reconfigure another PC that was integrated in the ma-chine to take over the important function of operating the machine, and production resumed after a short interruption. All this without ever leaving Maulburg.”

“A Good Feeling”Meindert Griek is Production Manager with Australian printing house Labelmakers, which runs an Alprinta. For him, MMRemote (see the box on page 7 for more details) and its 24/7 availability offers three major ad-vantages. “Firstly, it was very helpful dur-

ing the installation phase, because the plant was able to support the service engi-neers on site here via the Internet. Second-ly, with the thoroughly useful Remote Maintenance module, the system lets us know when we have to carry out the pre-scribed maintenance work. And thirdly, there is a good feeling of security when we know that a malfunction will quickly be cor-rected – especially since we are in a com-pletely different time zone.”

www.mullermartini.com

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Press Delivery Systems

8

How Cell-Phone Cameras are Increasing Print Runs

What on earth has a cell-phone camera got to do with a printing house? “A great deal,”

says Sture Udd. His supermedia system “UpCode” is leading to a rapid increase in his print

product runs. The products are finished at UPC Print in Vaasa (Finland) using systems from

Muller Martini.

E “Video killed the radio star” sang Brit-ish pop act Buggles in their number one hit 30 years ago. They were wrong though: motion pictures took nothing away from ra-dio. “Multimedia is killing print,” is what many pessimists are saying today. “They are wrong,” says Sture Udd. This Finnish media expert is not only the founder and CEO of UPC Print, but also CEO of UpCode Solutions Ltd and the inventor of UpCode

1 Anyone using their cell phone to scan the Upcode into the street plan of Moscow printed by UPC Print, will receive information on busi-nesses located in the corresponding areas of the city. The publisher’s printing costs for the street plan are covered by commission, which it receives every time an Upcode is accessed.

– a system he refers to as “supermedia” that now has presence in 56 countries on the market.

From Paper to Cell PhoneUpCode cleverly combine printed paper with a cell phone (the fact it was invented in Nokia’s home country of Finland is hard-ly a coincidence). It employs the principle of “mobile tagging,” which involves using

a cell phone to scan a black-and-white square reminiscent of a jumbled-up chess board or a Tetris game. The UpCode read-er software decodes the information stored in the printed 2D barcode (such as product information or sales promotions) and dis-plays it on the phone’s screen in the rele-vant language. The software itself is free; the only fees are those for the network pro-vider.

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15 to 20 Percent Increase in Sales“Many printed-product customers work based on cost per product,” explains Sture Udd. “Unfortunately, many traditional ad-vertisers and printers do not realize that working on a cost-per-order basis makes much more sense. I can use a mathemati-cal formula to prove that printing an Up-Code on brochures, promotional leaflets and flyers increases sales by 15 to 20 per-cent. That is why print has a future, and why UPC Print is therefore more than just

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ing to satellite navigation, the run de-creased rapidly. To combat this, the pub-lisher implemented a shift in concept: The Moscow street plan is now produced in a run of 150,000 copies and is free of charge. It also features an UpCode on numerous pages, providing realtime and 24/7 updat-able offerings for businesses based in the corresponding part of the city. The publish-er’s printing costs for the city guide are covered by commission, which it receives every time an UpCode is accessed. This is

2 UPC has two of its own weekly direct marketing magazines for the Finnish market that go by the names of “Mega” and “Asuntolehti Bostadsbladet”.

3 Sture Udd, founder and CEO of UPC Print and Upcode Solutions Ltd. (right, in front of the Listo log stacker): “Many printed-product cus-tomers work is based on cost per product, but working on a cost-per-order basis makes much more sense.” Left: Tom Lindström (Country Manager, Muller Martini Finland).

a printing house – I prefer to call it a com-munication center.”

Moscow Street Plan: Run of 150,000 instead of 30,000Sture Udd gives us an impressive example in the form of a 300-page, perfect-bound street plan of Moscow, which he produces for a Russian customer. Until just recently, this plan was generated in a run of 30,000 copies, which then needed to be sold. However, with more and more drivers turn-

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possible because Upcode allows you to identify the printed product from which it was accessed.

Special Challenge forthe Press Delivery System: Thin PaperIn business since 1978 and with a work-force of 100 people, UPC Print has a num-ber of external customers, 50 percent of whom are located overseas. But that’s not all: the company also has two of its own weekly direct marketing magazines for the Finnish market that go by the names of “Mega” (with a run of 100,000 copies) and “Asuntolehti Bostadsbladet” (40,000 cop-ies). Both products are printed using the high-quality heatset process and are cut by a Preciso and a Compacto rotary trimmer.

When it comes to its innovative products, UPC turns to innovative solutions from Mull-er Martini. Take the press delivery system, for example: When you’re dealing with up to 100 metric tonnes of printed paper a day, it is essential to have a flawless interface be-tween printing and finishing. That’s why

UPC – alongside its two rotary trimmers, two Forte and Listo stackers and a Cohiba palletizing system for press-finished prod-ucts – also has three log stackers from Mull-er Martini at its Vaasa site. The two Avanti stackers and single Vivo stacker are faced with particularly tough challenges because UPC primarily uses thin paper weighing just 50 grams – sometimes even less.

PrimaPlus Puts the Primera E140 to the TestThe logs are fed via a PrimaPlus commis-sioned in 2006 (Sture Udd: “That was our test, and Muller Martini passed with flying colors”) and a Primera C140 from the new generation of saddle stitchers from Muller Martini, which was introduced in the sum-mer of 2009. There were two key factors in-volved in opting for Muller Martini solu-tions – Sture Udd explains: “First was the experience Muller Martini had built up in print finishing over the decades, and the second was the fact that I can obtain all my solutions from a single source. Because all

4+5 Press-finished products are cut at UPC Print by a Preciso and a Compacto rotary trimmer.

6 The thin paper presents particular challenges for the Avanti and Vivo log stackers (image).

our finishing systems come from the same supplier, we save money (e.g. in the initial stage of a new machine) and benefit from synergies (because our machine operators can use all of the systems). It’s also a big plus on the service front, as it means I on-ly have to deal with one contact. Muller Martini has never left us out in the cold when we’ve had a problem.”

Coming Soon: A New Perfect BinderSture Udd has always invested in the latest systems: with one exception. Only the modular binder he bought for adhesive binding back in 2008 – not via Muller Mar-tini incidentally – was second-hand. Sture Udd openly admits, “that was a huge mis-take, should have invested in the most re-cent adhesive binding system. As soon as the economic downturn is behind us, we are going to commission a new perfect binder from Muller Martini.”

www.upc.fiwww.upcodeworld.com

7 The Primera C140 from the new generation of saddle stitchers from Muller Martini is the latest investment by UPC Print.


Digital Book Production

Inline Print Engine and Book Production System for RR Donnelley

Muller Martini is joining

forces with RR Donnelley

on a project aimed at setting

up several industrial inline

print engine and book

production systems.

E The graphics industry is experiencing an ever-increasing demand for quick, reli-able, and cost-effective digital printing so-lutions. In view of these requirements, RR Donnelley and Muller Martini have joined forces to set up several fully integrated, high-performance digital print engine and book production systems.

The printing press, developed by RR Donnelley, runs at a printing speed of up to 244 meters (800 feet) per minute, and the fully automated book production system from Muller Martini is able to produce con-

sistently high-quality products at this speed.

First SigmaLine with PanteraThe new digital book production system from Muller Martini comprises a Sigma-Line with an integrated Pantera perfect binder. Working in conjunction with the ProteusJet 1200 dpi digital printing press from RR Donnelley, the system is able to produce high-quality softcover books and book blocks for hardcover books in impres-sively short turnaround times.

The SigmaLine from Muller Martini con-nects all processes in a single system, from prepress data to digital printing and finish-ing, thereby enabling fully automated pro-duction in a single work process – from the roll right up to the finished book. This con-sistent integration of all subprocesses sup-ports extremely quick and cost-effective production of small print runs.

“Collaborative Partnership”“We are delighted to be continuing our

long-standing business relationship with RR Donnelley,” says Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini. “The diverse performance of our processing systems and continued innovative power have allowed Muller Martini to develop solutions that rise to the challenge of RR Donnelley’s increasing demand for digital processing technolo-gies.”

RR Donnelley Group President Dan Knotts is thrilled “that our ongoing collab-orative partnership with Muller Martini has led to this important breakthrough for our clients”. He is confident that this integrat-ed printing and binding system combines the industry-leading technologies of RR Donnelley and Muller Martini in truly mag-nificent style, producing innovative new solutions and consolidating RR Donnel-ley’s position as a technology leader: “This combination boosts production speeds and streamlines production processes in order to provide publishers with high-qual-ity products and maximum production flex-ibility.”

RR Donnelley and Muller Martini are joining forces to set up several fully integrated, high-performance digital print engine and book production systems.

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Saddle Stitching Systems

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“Changeovers Are Much Easier than with Other Saddle Stitchers”

Cloître Imprimeurs in Saint-Thonan near Brest, Valblor Groupe Graphique in the Alsatian town

of Illkirch and Imprimerie Ferréol in Meyzieu near Lyon, are three well-known graphical design

and production companies in France that have all placed their trust in the new Primera

saddle stitcher from Muller Martini.

E It was a historical moment when Cloî-tre Imprimeurs was presented with a CIP-PI award at Print in Chicago last Septem-ber. Never before had a French company received this coveted award. “We are of course extremely proud to accept this hon-or, since innovation has always played an important part in our company’s history,” explains the company’s CEO Jean-Yves Le-normand.

Cloître: A Great Reputation Thanks to the Primera C130 and the Connex SystemTwo Muller Martini solutions made a signif-icant contribution towards Cloître’s CIPPI

award for the “Best Process Automation Implementation in Europe” category; namely the Primera C130 and the Connex digital workflow system. Cloître has fully integrated the new-generation saddle stitcher from Muller Martini along with the new eight-color printing press by Komori into the JDF workflow using the Connex system.

Cloître’s decision to purchase the Prim-era C130, its first investment in a saddle stitcher from Muller Martini, was largely down to the ImpriClub. The cooperative in-corporating 47 graphic design companies and a total 64 production facilities, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in

2010, evaluates the most suitable ma-chines to run all the production processes for each of its members. “This means that our members do not have to spend a lot of time evaluating different machines each time they are looking to make a new invest-ment,” says Jean-Yves Lenormand, current Chairman of ImpriClub.

Quick Changeovers Are ImportantAfter carrying out assessments and com-parisons between the different manufac-turers of loose leaf binding machines, the Primera C130 was ImpriClub’s favorite, which according to Denis Cloarec, Head of Production at Cloître, was down to the

1 Jean-Yves Lenormand (right), CEO of Cloître: “We are proud of the CIPPI award, since innovation has always played an impor-tant part in our company's history.” In the center Head of Production Denis Cloarec, left Hervé Boucher of Muller Martini France.

2 Simple and comfortable operation – Linda Lagathu, operator of the new Primera C130 saddle stitcher at Cloître Imprimeurs.

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3 Vincent Valantin (left), CEO and founder of Valblor Groupe Graphique: “Thanks to the Primera C130, we have increased our produc-tion capacity and flexibility.” Right; Alain Detry of Muller Martini France.

4 The multi-skilled employees at Valblor not only operate the Primera C130, they also operate other machines.

Cloître ImprimeursE Location: Saint-Thonan (near Brest).E Founded: 1937.E Employees: 110 (3 shifts).E Customers: 70% Brittany, 30% Paris

region.E Muller Martini saddle stitchers:

Primera C130 (6 feeders, cover feeder, JDF integration via Connex).

Valblor Groupe GraphiqueE Location: Illkirch (Alsace).E Founded: 1975.E Mitarbeiter: 220 (3 shifts).E Employees: Eastern France.E Muller Martini saddle stitchers:

Primera C130 (6 feeders, cover feeder, Perfetto stacker).

Imprimerie FerréolE Location: Meyzieu (near Lyon).E Founded: 1900.E Employees: 53 (2 shifts).E Customers: Rhone/Alps, Paris/

Marseille regions.E Muller Martini saddle stitchers:

Primera C140 (6 feeders, cover feeder, Perfetto stacker), PrimaPlus (6 feeders).

nalized jobs. “Even given our many small orders,” explains Jean-Yves Lenormand, “we save a lot of time because the error rate is extremely low, irrespective of the fact that the production capacity of our new saddle stitchers is twice as quick as the previous model we were using.”

According to Denis Cloarec, the Asir 3 optical scanning system contributes con-siderably towards the low error rate and high level of satisfaction experienced by Cloître’s customers. “This is something we did not have before and it plays a major part in the final quality of our printed products.”

Valblor Groupe Graphique:Lots of ChangeoversValblor Groupe Graphique is also a mem-ber of ImpriClub. CEO and company found-er Vincent Valantin and Head of Production Patrick Blies witnessed in person the inten-sive quality tests that the ImpriClub carried out on the saddle stitchers at the Muller Martini plant. In contrast to Cloître, howev-er, Valblor was already running a loose leaf binding solution from Muller Martini – the 1509 saddle stitcher, which it put into op-eration in 1977 (and later replaced by a competitor model). At the same time, Val-blor also prints large runs of up to 300,000 copies. “With the exception of softcover and hardcover books, we produce the whole graphical range,” says Vincent Valantin.

Valblor, which in choosing the Primera C130 has reverted back to Muller Martini, is known primarily for its high-gloss luxury magazines. These are printed and finished

quick job changeover time and in particu-lar the automatic timing feature on the new saddle stitcher. The feeder and gathering chain are automatically synchronized, whereby prior to the start of production the optimum coupling position of the feeders is calculated based on the sizes entered. The feeders automatically engage in the calculated position and in the preset duty cycle via a pneumatic coupling.

“Since we have eight job changes on av-erage per shift,” explains Denis Cloarec, “quick job changeovers are hugely im-portant.” Cloître does not produce high volumes, but instead a diverse range of printed products (“everything except news-papers,” Jean-Yves Lenormand) in two-up production, with runs of between 1,000 and 5,000 copies, almost exclusively for foreign customers.

Few Errors Thanks to JDFRomuald Jousni, head of the finishing de-partment, explains that since it is easy and comfortable to use, this helps the compa-ny achieve quick job changeover times. “Our six machine operators initially worked alone on the new saddle stitchers for one month, then in pairs and in each case dis-cussed problems among themselves. We then attended a further training course held by the technicians at Muller Martini France, and since then all the machine operators have worked autonomously.”

JDF integration offers great advantages for Cloître Imprimeurs, especially when it comes to production feedback with lots of detailed information about current and fi-

for a number of fashion, perfume and jew-ellery houses in the Paris area. However, very few of the runs include hundreds of thousands of copies, therefore Valblor

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Saddle Stitching Systems

14

must perform lots of changeovers, and ac-cording to Patrick Blies the strength of the new Primera C130 is down to the fact that “changeovers are much easier than with other saddle stitchers”. He then adds, “the new Muller Martini saddle stitcher is much more ergonomic to operate than the earli-er models. The operators are able to access the machine much more easily”.

Multi-Skilled Machine OperatorsFor Valblor this is not such an important factor, however, since none of its machine operators specialize on one particular sys-tem. “We train our employees to be multi-skilled” says Patrick Blies. “It is therefore important that the machine is fully auto-mated.” The Head of Production considers the touchscreen operation and the self-ex-planatory icons on the Human Machine In-terfaces (HMI) a major advantage. “To say that saddle stitchers have been revolution-ized would be a huge exaggeration,” com-ments Patrick Blies, “however, certain as-pects have been improved and this makes our work much easier.”

Valblor often uses the Primera C130 in two-up production. “This enables us to in-crease our production capacity and there-fore our level of flexibility towards our cus-tomers” emphasizes Vincent Valantin. He then goes on to refer to the current eco-nomic situation by saying “companies

that make clever investments and offer good products are equipped for the fu-ture”.

Imprimerie Ferréol: From 500 to 300,000 CopiesThe main reason that Imprimerie Ferréol also decided to invest in the Primera is, according to the company’s CEO Pascal Chalamette, because “We specialize in small-size products. We are now able to produce these in two-up production, which is far more economical.” Since Ferréol is now in a position to win large orders of up to 300,000 copies, in addition to its small-er orders from 500 copies, the company opted for the C140 – the most efficient sys-tem from the new generation of saddle stitchers from Muller Martini. “We were never able to produce on such a scale,“ em-phasizes Pascal Chalamette. “However, thanks to our new investment we have con-siderably strengthened our position in the market and are winning lots of new orders from long-established customers.”

Ferréol is a loyal partner of Muller Mar-tini, with its Bravo S (up to 2005) and Pri-maPlus (from 2005) and therefore has a great deal of experience with saddle stitch-ers, so it is easy for Pascal Chalamette to make comparisons between the innova-tions. “The upgrade from Bravo to Prima-Plus was a big step. Though the step from

PrimaPlus to Primera is an even greater step.”

Time Savings Thanks to Two-Up ProductionImprovements to the feeders, the three-knife trimmer and the Perfetto stacker, which Valblor has purchased to comple-ment its new Primera line, really caught the attention of Pascal Chalamette who, to-gether with his brother Thierry and Finance Director Maurice Benjamin, is a co-owner of the company.

Operating the machine is also more comfortable now. As an all-rounder, Ferréol produces a number of periodical maga-zines. “However, these are not our core business” says Pascal Chalamette. Fer-réol’s main business comes in the form of commercial work in various different sizes, meaning that frequent and quick job changeovers are key. “Thanks to the auto-mation of the Primera, this is now much easier. So in addition to the increased num-ber of cycles and two-up production, we al-so gain more time, which is an important factor since customers want to receive their products even quicker.”

www.cloitre.frwww.imprimerieferreol.frwww.valblor.comwww.impriclub.fr

5 Pascal Chalamette (center), CEO of Imprim-erie Ferréol: “Thanks to our investment in the Primera C140, we are winning many new orders from long-established customers.” Left; machine operator Rodolphe Magnin, right; Alain Detry of Muller Martini France.

6 Ferreol produces many small-size products on the new Primera C140 in two-up production.

Softcover Production

Shorter Production Windows and Fewer Night Shifts

“We want to be ready for the recovery.” In keeping with these words, IBW Industrial Binding in

the Belgian town of Oostkamp, commissioned two new CoronaCompact CC12 perfect binder

lines along with the new 3696 gathering machine from Muller Martini within just four weeks.

The older and younger management team at IBW Industrial Binding brought together in one photo: front from left: Olivier van der Haert (Business Development), Steven van Belle (Technology); back from left: François van der Haert (Finance Director), Patrick van Belle (Consultant for Production/Technology), Luc Dosselaere (Product Manager Muller Martini Benelux), Bernard van der Haert (Delegate for the Supervisory Board).

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E Thanks to over a million bound and saddle stitched products manufactured ev-ery day, IBW is not only one of the most im-portant bookbinderies in the Benelux coun-tries, but is also one of the largest in Europe. The array of machines in Oostkamp near Bruges is equally as impressive – in addi-tion to ten saddle stitchers, IBW and its 170 employees operate seven perfect binding lines – all Muller Martini models. They in-variably bind heavyweight magazines for

external customers (IBW produces many renowned women’s, fashion, car, and computer magazines), as well as catalogs, brochures, annual reports, and books.

Two New Lines With the ZTM 3696Part of the IBW’s basic philosophy, and not least for reasons of a back-up facility, is to assemble two copies of each machine type with an identical configuration. In the case of the CoronaCompact CC12, there are

IBW – Perfect Partner for Large Orders

One of the senior positions at IBW – a fam-ily-run company – is held by a woman: Sales Director Annick Vandenbussche. In her opinion, there are two main reasons why the traditional company has grown in-to one of the largest independent book-binderies in Europe over the last 30 years. “On the one hand, we’re located in the lo-gistical heart of Europe – within a 300-kilo-meter radius of many large printing hous-es in Germany, England, France and the Benelux countries. This makes us the ideal

partner for large orders. On the other hand, our strategy is to continue to remain finan-cially independent of banks, as this enables us to invest using our own funds, even dur-ing difficult economic times – such as the recent investment in the two new Corona-Compact lines.”

To meet the constantly increasing cus-tomer requirements in terms of quality, flexibility and efficiency, IBW has formed two specialist teams; one for sheet-fed off-set customers and one for web offset/gra-vure customers. “We will ensure we also keep our recipe for success into the future, which is a long-term partnership with cus-tomers and machine manufacturers,” ex-plains Annick Vandenbussche.

four, all of which are kitted out with the new VPN book spine nozzle for PUR pro-duction. The last two were commissioned in August and September of last year, in ad-dition to two Acoro lines and a modular binder.

In contrast to the two other CC12 lines, both new systems, which feature two three-knife trimmers from the new Orbit generation as well as a splitting saw and an Easy Fly face trimmer each, are fitted with the latest bookbinding innovation from Muller Martini – the 3696 gathering ma-chine (also see info box). One has 16 sta-tions, the other has 20.

90,000 Copies in 24 Hours“Both the new 3696 gathering machines provide us with considerably greater flexi-bility,” emphasizes Patrick van Belle. In the same breath, the long-standing IBW exter-nal consultant for production and technol-ogy also adds: “Today, a high degree of flexibility is a must for all modern book-binderies, and for us it is even more signif-icant, as we receive all our orders from ex-ternal partners and the production windows are much shorter than they used to be.”

For example, there is just a 24-hour turn-around time for an African women’s mag-

Annick Vandenbussche: “We are investing using our own funds even during difficult economic times.”

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1 All four CoronaCompact lines at IBW are equipped for PUR production with the new VPN book spine nozzles.

2 Both new 3696 gathering machines provide IBW with considerably greater flexibility.

3 The two latest CoronaCompact lines at IBW feature an Orbit three-knife trimmer.

The New ZTM 3696 – Flexible, Efficient and Easy To Operate

The new Muller Martini 3696 gathering ma-chine can process the widest range of products in its class; the machine can gen-erate processing speeds of up to 12,000 cy-cles/hour and leaves no doubt about its flexibility. Not only does the line provide bookbinders with optimum flexibility to re-spond to varying orders, it also enables ex-tremely efficient production.

When producing complex magazines and brochures, single sheets and fold-out signatures can be fed reliably, cards can be electrostatically charged and inserts can be secured in-line. The compact design and

the large size range of the 3696 gathering machine are impressive.

The flexible feeder range is a new fea-ture for this performance range, and thanks to its modular construction, the 3696 gath-ering machine can be perfectly adapted to meet each customer’s individual require-ments.

The base-unit is equipped with two twin feeders as standard. These feeders can be replaced at any point with a sample gluer, a specialty feeder with longitudinal action or – a completely new feature – a handfeed-ing station.

The gathering machine control system also includes functions for sample gluer, speciality feeder, reject gate and transfer elements, thereby ensuring extremely short set-up and job changeover times. Thanks to a feature supporting loading from both sides, the changeover time re-quired between jobs can also be further re-duced by loading and producing on one side and preparing the next job on the op-posite side.

azine (with a circulation of 90,000 copies), from receiving the signatures to dispatch-ing the magazines to Brussels airport.

Increasingly More Card in SoftcoverPatrick van Belle gives three aspects of the 3696 gathering machine that have consid-erably increased flexibility: On the one hand, it is quick to change feeders that in terms of optimized production are often moved from one line to another, and on the other hand the card gluers. While glued in and loose cards have long since become the norm with saddle stitched magazines, according to Patrick van Belle there is an equivalent trend in softcover production too. Before commissioning the 3696 gath-ering machine, IBW used to tip cards to a

saddle stitcher. “Now we can finally do ev-erything in one step – and gain ourselves a lot of time in the process,” explains Patrick van Belle.

The Book Data Center (BDC) is also a key aspect in the streamlined production. It re-cords the relevant book measurement da-ta for the entire perfect binder line, which can be accessed by the individual ma-chines. “The fact that the 3696 gathering machine and the Orbit three-knife trimmer are automatically set up is another impor-tant step forward for both our new perfect binder lines,” stresses van Belle.

“An Important Step into the Future”Thanks to the increased productivity of the individual systems, operations at IBW have

now been consolidated to run over two shifts instead of three. This has resulted in considerably fewer night shifts, which is an important cost factor in light of the current economic climate. IBW naturally senses the lull in the print sector, which is why its latest investment may initially come as a surprise. However, for Patrick van Belle this is “an important step into the future, leav-ing all avenues open to us: We want to be ready for the upturn”.

www.ibwbinding.be

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A Bolero Sports “Yellow Jersey” For Reclam’s “Little Yellow Books”

Corporate identity down to the last detail: Reclam – based in

the south-western German town of Ditzingen near Stuttgart –

is the only graphics company in the world to use a yellow

Muller Martini Bolero perfect binding line, on which it produces

its legendary “little yellow books”.

E The Tour de France has the “yellow jer-sey” and Reclam has the unique “yellow Bolero”: a hallmark that is characteristic of uniform corporate identity. The “little yel-low books” produced by Reclam, which contain world literature classics in a handy small format, are not just well-known with-in Germany, but also around the world. “The color of the new perfect binding line

is a reference to our company and produc-es a wow factor for our customers,” says Production Manager Franz Dengler. “It al-so allows our employees to fully identify with the new machine.”

Successor to the TrendbinderAccording to Managing Director Franz Schäfer, there are two main reasons why

Reclam Graphischer Betrieb, sister compa-ny of Reclam Verlag, chose to replace the aging Trendbinder – installed in 1995 – with a Muller Martini solution: “The long-stand-ing partnership with Muller Martini cou-pled with its excellent service.”

However, the full-service company, which employs 75 people in the technolo-gy department and uses two signature and web presses that predominantly print in single color, did not make it easy for itself and took a long time to assess the new per-fect binder in detail. After all, besides the six million “little yellow books” published by Reclam itself each year in several lan-guages, and making up around 30% of its revenue, the company also prints a large number of additional softcover products for external customers, including timeta-bles (e.g. for Deutsche Bahn), calendars or industrial catalogs.

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Experts in Thin PaperReclam specializes in particular in small formats and thin paper. “We can print on paper as lightweight as 30 gsm, making us experts in thin paper printing,” proclaims Franz Schäfer proudly. The fact that the company often prints in formats smaller than A6 format was an important factor in choosing the Bolero, as Reclam produces not only its “little yellow books”, but also many other booklets in two-up production. Therefore, the binding line includes a 21-station gathering machine, gauzing sta-tion, high frequency dryer, dry panel with two cooling towers, Frontero face trimmer (for the full-flap books increasingly com-mon at Reclam), Orbit three-knife trimmer and CB 18 stacker as well as a splitting saw.

Asir 3 for High QualityFranz Dengler is, however, not only enthu-siastic about the color of the new perfect binding line, but also about that all-impor-tant increased flexibility and productivity: “Usually, production runs over a three-shift operation, but since the Bolero was com-missioned (on which the clamps are given the names of famous German authors al-phabetically), we are able to run our adhe-

sive binding tasks over two shifts instead.” Above all, thanks to the Book Data Center (BDC), it is now considerably quicker to set up the line. “Our machine operators were positive in their comments about the auto-matic measurement device and it has be-come an essential part of our operations,” emphasizes Franz Dengler.

Quicker production is coupled with high quality thanks to the bar codes printed on the majority of signatures. “The Asir 3 au-tomatic signature image recognition sys-tem identifies all faults, which means we no longer receive any complaints from our customers,” says Franz Dengler. “The Asir code provides us with 100% reliability, which is of the utmost importance for sen-sitive products such as timetables and what’s more, we can also now use Asir 3 to check the covers on the perfect binding line.”

Every Type of Gluing Need MetManaging Director Franz Schäfer was also impressed by how quick Muller Martini were to install the new perfect binder: “We didn’t lose a single day – the Bolero was as-sembled at a new location before the Trendbinder was dismantled, which meant

1 Managing Director Franz Schäfer (center) and Production Manager Franz Dengler (left) in discussion with Peter Stein from Muller Martini Germany.

2 Uniform corporate identity: The new yellow Bolero by Reclam is set to give customers the wow factor.

3 The clamps on the Bolero are supplied with the names of famous German authors alphabet-ically.

4 Reclam produces its “little yellow books” in two-up production.

we could get production underway on the very first day.”

Production Manager Franz Dengler is al-so impressed by the new Bolero’s different gluing options. Whether cold glue, PUR, hotmelt or two-shot primer, Reclam can now meet all customer requirements. The new Bolero is fitted with a high-frequency dryer, ideal for production using cold glue, which provides an optimal layflat effect, enabling softcover books to also be pro-duced in-line at greater speed.

www.reclam-print.de

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Increased Printing Capacity Demands Efficient Finishing Systems

By using the new Corona C15 perfect binder, Masar Printing and Publishing in Dubai aims to

support the establishment of its own publishing company while also promoting export trade.

The Corona will soon be integrated into the Connex digital workflow system from Muller Martini

along with the new PrimaPlus Amrys saddle stitcher.

Optimizing Processes with Connex

When Masar Printing and Publishing was planning the new, giant production plant, one thing was clear according to General Manager Faisal Bin Haider: “In view of the variety of machines we have, a high level of integration of the various systems was an incredibly important factor for us.”

As a result, Masar opted for the Connex digital workflow system from Muller Mar-tini as the connecting link to the Manage-ment Information System (MIS) from Hi-flex. This will soon network the Corona C15 perfect binder and the PrimaPlus Amrys saddle stitcher as well as all the other ma-

chines. “If we want to be ready for new markets and to keep up with the best graphics companies in the world, we need to be equipped with state-of-the-art tech-nology,” reflects Faisal Bin Haider. Connex has proved instrumental in helping us opti-mize our processes.”

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1 The Corona C15 line at Masar comprises a gathering machine with 24 stations, twelve stream feeders, two card gluers, two Zenith S three-knife trimmers, a CB 16 counter stacker and Fontana.

ter stacker, and Fontana pallet dispenser, will help Masar to achieve two objectives according to Faisal Bin Haider: “We want to deliver a fast turn around of printing jobs to produce quality products with zero er-rors. We also want to increase our export business to penetrate the international market.”

Little Competition in SightMasar, which employs a staff of 150, is in-vesting heavily in new printing capacity to help it meet these objectives. Four sheet-fed presses are already up and running in the new building; by the time the invest-ment project is complete there will be elev-en of these in total plus two Commercial Web printing presses all under one huge roof with the other equipment. The Corona C15 line, which is not yet operating at full capacity, will soon run around the clock to produce magazines and telephone directo-ries in addition to books.

Paper volumes will take on a whole new dimension following the extensive expan-sion, another reason why Masar has invest-ed in fully automated finishing systems ac-cording to Faisal Bin Haider. “We visited several graphics businesses in various Eu-ropean countries and I saw nothing that could rival the Corona from Muller Martini in terms of performance, flexibility and

E Masar Printing and Publishing can look back on a company history spanning near-ly three decades, but until 2005 the com-pany concentrated exclusively on newspa-per/commercial printing and distribution of printed materials. “Four years ago we ex-tended our field of business activities,” ex-plains General Manager Faisal Bin Haider, “we became a fully integrated graphics business producing books and maga-zines.”

Own Publishing Company and Export TradeApril 2009 saw the next big step for the business. Masar, the Dubai-based printing arm of the Arab Media Group, the largest media group in the region, opened an im-pressive new production facility in the most prosperous flourishing industrial zone in the Middle East (IMPZ) at the gates of Dubai. It is here that the Corona C15 per-fect binder and the PrimaPlus Amrys sad-dle stitcher finishing systems from Muller Martini were put into operation.

The Corona C15 total solution, compris-ing a 24-station gathering machine with automatic Asir 3 signature recognition and 12 stream feeders, two card gluers, PUR and hotmelt gluing processes, two Zenith S three-knife trimmers (one of which is used as a backup solution), a CB 16 coun-

quality,” says the General Manager. As the machine operators at Masar were already experienced in using other Muller Martini perfect binders, the Corona C15 was fully functional practically from the first day it was commissioned.

New Sizes on the PrimaPlus Amrys Saddle StitcherThe same applies to the PrimaPlus Amrys saddle stitcher that has been running since April 2009 with twelve pile feeders, cover feeders and card gluers, six stream feeders and a Cohiba automatic palletizer. “We had a Muller Martini saddle stitcher in our old factory that never let us down,” says Fais-al Bin Haider. “The decision to use the same manufacturer was an easy one – par-ticularly as we are able to produce some new sizes thanks to the PrimaPlus Amrys.”

www.masarprint.com

2 Faisal Bin Haider, General Manager of Masar Printing and Publishing (left): “Noth-ing we have seen rivals the Corona.” Right: Najib F. Awad, Deputy General Manager Sales at Giffin Graphics, the Muller Martini distributor in the United Arab Emirates.

3 The PrimaPlus Amrys saddle stitcher and the Corona C15 perfect binder are connected to the Connex digital workflow system.

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Entire Fuisland Team Opts for the Pantera Following Open House Event

Using the Pantera from Muller

Martini, Singapore-based

company Fuisland Offset

Printing (S) Pte. Ltd. is now

able to produce 30,000 books

in just one shift instead of the

two it used to take – that’s

quite some return on its

investment in the new perfect

binder.

E In October 2008, Png Eng Lee and a dozen employees from his company went to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to attend an open house event hosted by Muller Martini. For Fuisland’s Managing Director, the aim of this visit was to give himself and his employees the chance to take a closer look at the Pantera perfect binder: “I had already seen the machine a few months earlier at the drupa trade fair in Dusseldorf,” explains Png Eng Lee, “but I was on my own at the time and it’s also dif-ficult to home in on the technical details when you’re at such a large event and sur-rounded by machines from so many differ-ent providers.”

A Team DecisionThe open house event in Malaysia was nothing like the trade fair – this time the

Fuisland machine operators, technicians, mechanics, and electricians took the op-portunity to gain much more detailed infor-mation about the Pantera from Muller Mar-tini representatives. And just six months later, the new perfect binder was commis-sioned at Fuisland. “The entire team was involved in the decision to invest,” reveals Png Eng Lee, “it wasn’t simply down to the management.”

Commissioning of the new perfect bind-er line, which includes a 12-station gather-ing machine, a criss-cross system for thread-sewn products (produced on a sec-ond-hand Muller Martini machine), and an Esprit three-knife trimmer, gave Fuisland the perfect opportunity to perform an ex-tensive evaluation. Founded in 1996 and currently employing a staff of 50, this full-service (prepress, printing house and fin-

ishing) company had for years been using a Muller Martini Pony machine. This was replaced by the new Pantera.

Good Return on InvestmentPng Eng Lee reveals that although the old machine was dependable to the last, it did have one major disadvantage: production had to take place offline because the machine was not linked to a three-knife trimmer.

Png Eng Lee quotes some example fig-ures to provide an emphatic illustration of exactly what benefits the in-line solution with the new Pantera brings: “We now pro-duce 30,000 books in a single shift. In the past it took two shifts to generate that vol-ume. If we project that figure for an entire year, we’re looking at an improvement of almost 100,000 Singapore dollars* in the

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operating results. Over the course of a de-cade, that amounts to almost a million dol-lars – and these figures are based on the single-shift operation approach we cur-rently favor. If we were ever to adopt two-shift operation, the return on invest-ment for the new machine would be even greater!”

Comfortable OperationThe benefits of the perfect binder are not limited to purely economic considerations; Png Eng Lee is also reaping the rewards of its technical capabilities: “The 30,000 books that we produce in each shift gener-ally include ten different titles, which means frequent changeovers. With the Pantera, it’s truly a breeze. As some of our machine operators hail from China, it’s a big advantage for us that the touchscreen

has displays in both English and Chinese.” The Pantera is currently used exclusively for hotmelt processes. It works at an aver-age speed of 3700 cycles per hour (operat-ing at 90% capacity).

According to the Fuisland Managing Di-rector, the support provided by Muller Mar-tini Singapore in the weeks following com-missioning was vital in getting his staff quickly up to speed on the new perfect binder: “Service is always a key factor for us; with both the Pantera and the Presto saddle stitcher that we acquired in 2001 we have only one line – there’s no backup sys-tem.”

90% Text BooksThe second big advantage in Png Eng Lee’s eyes is that the quality of the bound prod-ucts clearly exceeds that produced with the

Pony: “We now receive lots of positive feedback from customers,” he tells us. Al-though around 90% of these customers are still in Singapore, Fuislands intends to boost its export figures.

Currently, up to 90% of Fuisland’s busi-ness comprises text books and books of ex-ercises and solutions for home study to complement school lessons. Now that it has the Pantera, the company hopes to broaden its horizons with other perfect-bound products such as brochures, cata-logs, annual reports, or magazines.

www.fuisland.com.sg

*approx. 70 000 US dollars

1 Text books are still the primary source of business at Fuisland. Now that it has the Pantera, the company hopes to broaden its horizons with other perfect-bound products.

2 Png Eng Lee, Managing Director of Fuis-land Offset Printing (right): “With the Pantera we produce 30,000 books in a single shift. In the past it took two shifts to generate that volume.” Left, Simon Leong, Sales Manager at Muller Martini Singapore.

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Quick Printer Changeovers Make a Big Impact on Small Runs at C.O.S. Printers

Among the specialties of Singapore-based C.O.S. Printers Pte. Ltd. are journals, which often

entails small runs. As these products necessitate frequent production changeovers, the family-

run business has opted for the easy-operation Acoro A5 perfect binder from Muller Martini.

E C.O.S. Printers manages runs of be-tween 100 and 10,000 copies per title and processes a wide range of sizes, all of which make one particular aspect of pro-duction an absolute priority: quick change-overs. According to company founder and Managing Director Alfred Ang, this is where the Acoro A5 perfect binder from Muller Martini really comes into its own: “As we rarely handle larger runs, high pro-duction speeds are not such an important issue for us. A quick ’make ready’ process, on the other hand, is vital.”

This has particular relevance for the var-ious (academic) journals that C.O.S. Print-ers handles, printing and processing runs of between 300 and 3000 copies for vari-ous specialist publishers the world over.

Production Director Derek Ang explains that the company’s machine operators find the Acoro A5, with its 20-station gathering machine and Merit S three-knife trimmer, extremely easy to operate: “The Com-mander is very clearly laid out, which has allowed us to get to grips with the line very quickly following a brief internal training session.”

One-Stop SolutionAs well as the journals and a few maga-zines, C.O.S. Printers also produces tradi-tional text books and specialized scientific books, which students use as a supple-ment to their lessons and work through with their parents as an additional learning support. A lot of these books are thread-

1 Director Alfred Ang, founder and Managing Director of C.O.S. Printers (left): “A quick ’make ready’ process is vital for us.” Right, Simon Leong, Sales Manager at Muller Martini Singapore.

sewn, which two years ago prompted the family business, founded in 1972 and now employing a staff of 80, to commission a Ventura thread sewing machine alongside the Acoro A5. “We were looking for a one-stop solution,” says Alfred Ang, explaining why he decided to invest in the two Muller Martini systems. And his decision has real-ly paid off for the company: “Our custom-ers, 80% of whom are based outside Sin-gapore, are happy with the quality we deliver. We’ve certainly never had any com-plaints, anyway.”

www.cosprinters.com

2 C.O.S. Printers produces thread-sewn books using a Ventura from Muller Martini.


“Modern Systems Enable Competitive Production”

The small local market means that the strength of the graphic arts

industry in Singapore traditionally lies in exportation, explains

Alfred Ang, President of the Print & Media Association in Singapore.

E “Panorama”: Being a city state in the heart of South-East Asia, Singapore and its manufacturing industry are highly export-oriented. Despite a huge amount of competition from surrounding coun-tries with lower salaries, Singapore printers attract print jobs from all over the world. What are the strong points that make Singapore so attractive to overseas publishers?Alfred Ang, President of the Print & Me-dia Association in Singapore: The popu-lation of Singapore is below five million, which makes its local market very small. This is why our graphics companies have always looked for customers overseas. Our perfect geographic location and excellent infrastructure – particularly the port – help us here, as does the fact that we Singapor-eans are traditionally technology friendly. Many printing plants and book binderies therefore have modern, fully automated systems. This enables our production to be both efficient and competitive, and allows us to manufacture high-quality print products.

Are there any printing products in which Singapore really specializes?Yes, we specialize in high-quality books with relatively low print runs, which are produced for publishing companies all over the world.

Volumes and print-run development for magazines, catalogues, softcover and hardcover books have dropped in recent years in many parts of the world. What is the situation in Singapore, and what do you predict will happen in years to come?As mentioned previously, we have held a particularly strong position in short runs for a long time now, so this global trend has not really affected us. It is difficult to pre-dict what we will face in the future. Perhaps we won’t simply print and bind anymore,

but become more involved in the distribu-tion process of our customers.

Digital Book Production for short runs has experienced steady growth in the US and Europe. What about Singapore?Frankly, we are still in our infancy and the major industrial nations are way ahead of us. I expect it will be some time before we make such technological leaps; even with runs of 200 copies and offset printing, we still remain competitive.

Besides the economic crisis, the graphic arts industry is also facing major struc-

tural changes. What does this mean for the printing industry in Singapore, and what challenges do you expect?I expect that we will need to increase coop-eration in the future. Instead of battling against one another, we need to acquire or-ders together – as “Singapore Printing Ltd.” as it were – and then split them up into individual operations (which may be specialized in future). I definitely believe that the Print & Media Association needs to drive this process forward.

Alfred Ang (right) is President of Singapore’s Print & Media Association and runs the family business C.O.S. Printers Pte. Ltd (founded in 1972) together with his brother Derek (see article on page 24).

Interview with Alfred Ang

News from Müller Martini

26 Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2010

CPM Internacional in Spain Upgrades Label Printing with a New Alprinta 74V

Mohn Media Opts for a Diamant MC 60 Bookline

More Than Double the Newspaper Inserting Efficiency at Newsprinters

Ventura MC: 30% Less Air Consumption with Energy-Saving Ejectors

Printing house CPM Internacio-nal, S.A., based in San Martin de la Vega (Spain), has opted for a Muller Martini Alprinta 74V to expand its label printing capacity. The web offset printing press will be put into operation in spring

2010, right on schedule for the start of the busy period in bever-age bottle labelling. “I am confi-dent that we have acquired an-other high-quality, flexible item of production machinery in the Alprinta 74V,” explains Director Lucio Marina. “We need to deliver outstanding printing quality on our flexible materials.”

CPM was particularly im-pressed by the outstanding print-ing quality delivered by the Al-printa 74V and the excellent print registration. The flexography printing unit is ATEX-approved; this means that solvent-based printing inks can be used and additional products can be pro-duced using the machinery. Among the main products in its portfolio are roll labels, heat-shrink labels and flexible packaging, and CPM prints all the Coca-Cola labels for PET bottles in Spain.

There’s no stopping the success of the Muller Martini bookline with MC technology in German bookbinderies. Following in the footsteps of Baier & Schneider, Pustet and Stein & Lehmann, Mohn Media has placed an order for a Diamant MC 60. The Güter-sloh-based printing service pro-vider, a member of the Bertels-mann Group, manufactures high-quality hardcover books and catalogs in four colors – fre-quently in large sizes. In addition to the Diamant MC 60, the in-line system chosen by Mohn Media also features a Merit three-knife trimmer, a Ribbon book ribbon inserting machine, a Vesta jacketing machine and a BLSD flow-through and end stacker.

Following in-depth tests, Mohn Media was confident in its decision: The Muller Martini solution offers diverse options, outstanding reliability and excellent book quality, making

it the ideal book production sys-tem to ensure high quality across the company’s wide range of products. Its production speed of 60 books a minute and its quick job changeover time also made it the perfect choice for each and every circulation size.

New energy-saving ejectors enable an immediate reduction in compressed air consumption in the Ventura MC thread sewing machine. The small, compact generators provide the required vacuum both in the feeder hopper and in the signature opening sta-tion. They are connected to the compressed air supply and gener-ate the vacuum for precisely as long as necessary and exactly where it is needed. These power-ful ejectors significantly reduce the applied volume of air, result-ing in distinct energy savings.

As compressed air is an ex-pensive resource, the bookbinder also saves money. In a compara-ble thread sewing production en-vironment, the new components consumed around 30 percent less air. In addition, the response times at the beginning and end of the suction process are shorter because the volume of air need-

ing to be removed is kept to a minimum, meaning that the com-ponents not only save energy – they also enable greater process reliability.

Newsprinters – part of the McPherson Media Group – in the Australian town of Shepparton, has increased the efficiency of its newspaper inserting process by a factor of 2.5 with the help of a new ProLiner from Muller Marti-ni. In addition to the “Shepparton News Daily”, the flagship of the publishing company, Newsprint-ers prints around 30 daily, weekly and bi-weekly publications – as in-house productions as well as printing for other publishers. The ProLiner inserting machine from Muller Martini commissioned just a few months ago – the first of its kind in Australia – has a main section feeder, two pre-printed section feeders, six insert sta-tions, and a PrintStack CN 80 stacker, allowing Newsprinters to add inserts and pre-printed sec-tions online at full press speed. Chris McPherson is convinced: “This means we can produce

newspapers much more efficient-ly, particularly the thicker ones. In comparison to our previous solution, we are inserting two and a half times more inserts in each man hour.”

Following in-depth tests, Mohn Media opted for the Muller Martini Diamant MC 60 bookline.

CPM Internacional, S.A. uses the Alprinta 74V primarily for film label types such as wrap-around and shrink sleeve.

The Ventura MC thread sewing machine’s new ejectors signifi-cantly reduce the applied volume of air, resulting in distinct energy savings.

The Muller Martini ProLiner in use at Newsprinters is the first newspaper inserting system of this type in Australia.

27Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2010

“Impossible” Solutions Call for Innovative Finishing Systems

UPP in Abu Dhabi Expands Mailroom with ValueLiner Card Gluer

VF Tryck in Sweden Boasts the World’s First AlphaLiner with 18,000 Cycles

Minimal setup times, high net output, ergonomic operation – three winning reasons why the An der Reuss AG bookbindery in Lucerne is investing in a new Muller Martini Primera E140 saddle stitcher. “Each individual printed product begins with an expert consultation,” explain Hansjörg and Urs Dietrich, the owners and managers of An der Reuss. “We work with our cus-tomers to find the best solutions – sometimes even solutions that really aren’t possible.”

In order to realize these “im-possible” solutions, the Lucerne-based bookbindery is kitted out with ultra-modern production machinery that covers the entire finishing chain, from trimming, folding, binding and loose leaf binding to the house specialty,

index punching. An der Reuss, with a workforce of 40, commis-sioned its new Muller Martini Primera E140 a few weeks ago to replace its 235 saddle stitcher.

The new line has an extremely user-friendly ergonomic design and features six feeders, one folder feeder, two blank stations with hand station, a quick trans-fer trolley enabling stations to be exchanged rapidly, a DS-459 three-knife trimmer with fourth and fifth knife attachment and a Perfetto stacker with Amrys. The decision to invest in the Primera E140, the flagship of Muller Martini’s new generation of saddle stitchers, was support-ed by the fact that this system boasts Amrys automatic size set-up and can therefore be set to the required format quickly.

As well as commissioning a third SLS3000 newspaper inserting system from Muller Martini, Unit-ed Printing and Publishing in Abu Dhabi, has added a new ValueLin-er to its collection. The new card gluer from Muller Martini offers UPP some attractive opportuni-

ties for advertising on the front and back pages of newspaper products. It will increase UPP’s flexibility for publisher marketing and promises the organization an attractive ROI as well as addition-al added value in the mailroom. The “eye-catcher” effect on the front or back page of a newspa-per generates high response rates and makes this form of advertis-ing extremely attractive to adver-tisers.

In 2007, Abu Dhabi’s biggest newspaper publisher – producer of the Arabic newspaper “Al Itti-had” and the new English-lan-guage daily “The National” – opt-ed for a Muller Martini solution as a replacement for its existing newspaper mailroom. Two SLS3000 inserting systems were chosen, in addition to numerous other Muller Martini components, and then a third SLS3000 line was also added. In addition to the mailroom, UPP also invested in a Muller Martini press delivery sys-tem two years ago – with a Floor-veyor conveyor, a Compacto rota-ry trimmer and a Forte stacker.

VF Tryck, based in Karlstad in southern Sweden, is switching from hand work to automatic in-sertion with its new AlphaLiner. The tried and tested newspaper inserting system from Muller Martini has recently undergone a few modifications, which have in-creased its capacity by 20 percent to an exceptional 18,000 cycles.

In addition to the company’s own daily newspaper “VF”, which is published six times a week and has a circulation of 22,000, VF Tryck also publishes five other newspapers and seven weekly magazines. In a typical print run, they produce between 2,500 and 185,000 copies, and each publication ranges from 8 to 72 pages. Until recently, inserts, editorial pre-printed sections and advertising materials were insert-ed manually, because the aging mailroom, which came from an-other provider, did not have an in-serting system. FV Tryck decided to implement an automatic solu-tion in order to respond to cost and time pressures. After a con-vincing customer visit to the site

of a Swiss newspaper producer, the decision was taken to bring in the AlphaLiner – not least be-cause the Muller Martini inserting system makes it possible to use different formats for the main section. “The AlphaLiner meets our needs perfectly,” enthuses Production Manager Daniel Johansson. “We also built up something of a partnership with the Muller Martini people during the planning stage, when they were on hand to provide advice in the first weeks after the system had been commissioned.”

From left: Enrico Farinacci (Sales Director at Muller Martini Mailroom Systems), Ali Saif Al Neaimi (CEO UPP), Hans Peter Sutter (Muller Martini corporate manage-ment) and Volker Leonhardt (Marketing Director at Muller Martini Mailroom Systems) at the Muller Martini stand at IfraExpo in Vienna, Austria.

VF Tryck has recently commis-sioned the first modified Alpha Liner newspaper inserting system from Muller Martini

Brothers Urs (center) and Hansjörg Dietrich (right), owners and managers of An der Reuss AG, seal the purchase of their new Primera E140 saddle stitcher with Alois Hochstrasser (second from right), Director of Muller Martini Switzerland, and Roland Gautschi (second from left), Sales Director at Muller Martini Switzerland. On the left is Patrik Strotz, Production Manager at An der Reuss AG.

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Hardcover Production

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From Two Concepts to a Diamant 35

“A revolutionary step for stationery books,” exuberates Teh Aik Boon, Director of Chiat Cheong

Sdn. Bhd. on the island of Penang, referring to the special production method adopted by his

family business, whereby notebooks and logbooks printed with variable data on two Concept

web offset machines are finished on a Diamant 35 bookline.

E In the graphics industry, there may be scarcity value attached to the process of manufacturing on a hardcover bookline by printing the products on a web offset press and sending them on to an intermediate station via a PUR perfect binder, but this is the exact production method chosen by Chiat Cheong.

Notebooks and Log Books with Continuous Page CountsThe reason for this is simple: In addition to text books for students, stationery books and increasingly redundant (computer) forms, the family-run business, which was founded in 1961 and employs 70 people, specializes in note books and log books

with continuous page counts for schools, offices, restaurants and security compa-nies.

“In order to print these products,” ex-plains Teh Aik Boon, Director of the busi-ness and son of founder Teh Hoo Kim, who is semi-retired now, “I have two options. I can either use a sheet-fed press – but this

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means a laborious finishing process be-cause of the separation of the sheets – or I can use a web offset press, which performs the pagination process immediately and then folds the finished sheets.”

More Efficient than Sheet-Fed OffsetTeh Aik Boon is in no doubt that the roll to fold method (“a revolutionary step for sta-tionery books”) is considerably more effi-cient than sheet-fed printing when it comes to producing his company’s main product. It prints an average run of 5.000 note book copies per type on two Muller Martini Con-cept machines with in-line variable data printing devices, which were commis-sioned in 1993 and 2002. After the folding procedure, the book blocks are prepared on a PUR perfect binder from another sup-plier and then finished into hardcover books on the Muller Martini Diamant 35 bookline, which was installed last Novem-ber.

Until recently, the last stage of the pro-duction process was carried out by hand. “With the growing demand of our prod-ucts,” explains Teh Aik Boon, “it was no longer feasible to do this in terms of the time it took.” Because Chiat Cheong – which produces up to 95 percent of its products for the local market – wanted to speed up the production (and, more specif-ically, the export) of printed diaries, Teh Aik Boon decided to invest in the Diamant 35, which is the first bookline of its kind in Malaysia.

Precision Work during Installation“The Diamant first attracted my attention at drupa 2004,” explains Teh Aik Boon. “In addition to the two Concept machines, we have also been using a Muller Martini 235 saddle stitcher since 1985. Because these machines have never let us down in all this time, we had no problems putting our trust in Muller Martini with the bookline too.”

1 Because Chiat Cheong specializes in note books and log books with continuous page counts, the products are printed on two Concept machines and finished on the Diamant 35 bookline.

2 Due to space considerations at Chiat Cheong, Muller Martini not only had to ensure an exact layout for the Diamant 35 but also had to provide logistical precision work during installation.

3 From left to right: Lim Chooi Ing (wife of the Founder), Teh Aik Boon (Director), Simon Leong (Sales Manager at Muller Martini Singapore), Andrew Teoh (General Manager at Muller Martini Malaysia) and Abdullah Hanin (Service Engineer at Muller Martini Malaysia) in front of the new Diamant 35 bookline.

“Panorama” also asked Teh Aik Boom whether service played a role in the deci-sion. He just smiled: “Service? I can’t real-ly comment on that. We don’t need service because our machines always run so well with regular in-house maintenance!”

In addition to a paper storage facility, a new area with air conditioning was specif-ically set up for the Diamant 35 in order to ensure perfect quality of production. Due to space considerations, Muller Martini not only had to ensure an exact layout, but al-so had to provide logistical precision work during installation.


Printing Presses

30

“Packaging Is a Company’s Business Card”

It only takes a second for a consumer to choose a product

when browsing through a store, which means eye-catching and

relevant packaging is the key to successful sales. More and

more food manufacturers are therefore choosing shrink sleeve

labels – particularly for beverages and milk products. This year,

Muller Martini is launching the new VSOP printing press with

sleeve technology to establish itself as the market leader in web

offset printing presses for package printing.

E Unlike other sectors in the graphics in-dustry, order volumes in package printing are currently quite good. This is because, even during economically difficult times, the consumer sector has shown itself to be relatively stable. One sector showing strik-ingly good production figures at the mo-ment, despite the economic slump, is shrink sleeve printing.

The annual growth rate of shrink sleeves in the food industry (beverages in particu-lar) in the European Union is around 10 per-cent. Christian Steeb, General Manager of Nyco Flexible Packaging GmbH, which em-ploys 170 employees in Kirchberg near the Swiss capital of Bern, has also noticed the trend: “In 2009, we printed 700 million shrink sleeve units. This year, it will be more than a billion.”

Deciding in SecondsOne of the main reasons why more and more food manufacturers are choosing shrink sleeves for their beverages, yogurts, or salad sauces is the sheer limitless num-ber of design and labelling possibilities. This is to account for today’s stressed-out shoppers, who decide whether or not to buy a product in a matter of seconds. This is particularly true of kiosks or similar sales outlets such as gas station shops. Market-ing specialists call this the “moment of truth” at the point of sale.

“With classic labels, there are limits as to the possible types of imprint,” says Christian Steeb. “With shrink sleeves, on the other hand, you have more room for maneuver.” According to Matthias Roth, Strategic Buyer at renowned Swiss bever-

ages manufacturer, Rivella AG in Rothrist, the increasing number of brands also has a major influence on packaging, and there-fore on how packaging is designed and printed. “Products bought straight from the shelf are almost always chosen for their packaging.”

Investment in PackagingWhile Rivella – a whey-based soft drink un-challenged in its market segment – tradi-tionally has a paper label, the Michel fruit drinks that are also filled by Rivella AG have the better quality shrink sleeves. Ten years ago, Rivella only sold two products that used shrink sleeves. By 2005 this number had risen to seven, and now 13 products have shrink sleeves. And they are no longer called simply Michel Orange or Pineapple,

Good design isn’t just about the appeal; it’s about positioning the brand, and creating a positive link to the drink and its manufacturer.


but Michel Bodyguard, Tinga, Beauty Cola-da, and Power Coffeeberry. “Shrink sleeves convey emotions better,” says Tatiana Gior-gi, Project Manager, Marketing, Rivella AG, “and in such a hard-fought market as fruit juices, this is critical, particularly among the younger generation.”

Just as important as quality, in fact. “Good design isn’t just about the appeal,” says Tatiana Giorgi, “it’s about positioning the brand, and creating a positive link to the drink and its manufacturer.” According to Tatiana Giorgi, it is precisely because Mi-chel is a premium brand that does not com-pete with cheaper brands in the supermar-ket, that Rivella is prepared to add extra value to the product and invest in the pack-aging.

An aspect that according to Samuel Fueter, Head of Product Management Team Fresh at Switzerland’s largest dairy producer, Emmi, also believes is key for the premium product Caffè Latte. “However,” says Fueter, “the packaging must always match the overall concept.” For this rea-son, shrink sleeves seem almost tailor-made for the conical containers of Caffè Latte, which since its launch in 2004 has become the most successful product intro-duction in Emmi’s history.

New (Price) Dimensions Thanks to VSOP Technology . . . The manufacturing costs in the printing plant and processing costs at the filling ma-chine are higher for shrink film than for pa-

per labels. However, the new VSOP tech-nology (see box on page 32) makes shrink sleeves an increasingly attractive form of packaging, even in terms of price. Nyco, Europe’s number 1 in printing PET covers, produces food packaging using all three technologies – UV flexo for small orders, ro-togravure for high-volume runs, and VSOP for small-volume and high-volume runs. VSOP has been in use for one year, origi-nated from Drent Goebel, and is now man-aged by Muller Martini. “This allows us to compare the three variants with each oth-er perfectly,” says Christian Steeb.

And according to the General Manager of Nyco, the new technology fares well in the comparison for three reasons: “First, we have much less production waste with

“You also Taste With Your Eyes”

Because shrink sleeves can be used for al-most any shape, and allow a wide range of design possibilities, they have become in-creasingly popular – according to Samuel Fueter, Head of Product Management Team Fresh at Emmi in an interview with “Panorama”. Lucerne-based Emmi is Swit-zerland’s largest processor of dairy prod-ucts, and operates one of Europe’s most in-novative dairies.

“Panorama”: What influence does the wide range of brands have on the sig-nificance and design of shrink sleeves and labels?Samuel Fueter: We are in a saturated mar-ket in which the supply is much greater than the demand. As such, it is more im-portant than ever to make sure our prod-ucts stand out at the point of sale and pres-ent a perfectly designed image to the customer. Packaging plays a key role in the success of a product – and package finish-ing is part of this process.

To what extent have shrink sleeves grown in importance in recent years?The popularity of shrink sleeves has ex-ploded, not least due to their versatile de-sign possibilities and the fact that they can

be used for almost any shape of packag-ing. More and more, we are attaching la-bels with additional information (promo-tions, information, booklets etc.) to the sleeves.

You mentioned promotions: What effect do sales promotions have on the use of shrink sleeves and labels?Sales promotions for limited periods – such as discounts or multi-packs (3 for 2) – and other promotions need plenty of space for image and text, especially in a largely bilin-gual country like Switzerland. Therefore, we often use additional labels or accordion folds. Recently, though, we have also been using sleeves for promotions due to the major advances in sleeve technology, in terms of both double-sided printing and tear-off options.

How important is high-quality package printing for your company?It’s crucial in the packaging industry. After all, you also taste with your eyes. A perfect image at the point of sale is therefore ab-solutely critical.

How important is the cheaper produc-tion method of shrink sleeves with web

offset printing presses compared to rotogravure?With ever smaller lot sizes, web offset printing is a welcome alternative to roto-gravure: In terms of print quality, it is al-most equal to rotogravure. The lower costs for plates and reproduction are particularly advantageous. And the overall processing times from “ready-to-print” to delivery are also shorter.

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Samuel Fueter, Head of Product Management Team Fresh at Emmi: “Recently, we have also been using sleeves for promotions due to the major advances in sleeve technology, in terms of both double-sided printing and tear-off options.”

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Printing Presses

32

the VSOP machine. Second, the machines mean we need much less changeover time. And third, the printing method costs with VSOP offset technology are much lower than with rotogravure.”

. . . a delight for customersIn turn, customers also benefit from the lower square meter price during printing.

VSOP Printing Presses: Complete Order Change in Minutes

Shrink film has to be printed onto a roll to be processed as a sleeve later. The most cost-effective method is to print on a VSOP (Variable Sleeve Offset Printing) web offset printing press. Thanks to sleeve technolo-gy, print sizes can be changed easily with-out having to exchange all the inserts.

To change the printing unit on VSOP printing presses, only two sleeves need to be changed without tools. They are there-fore infinitely variable to suit any image length. This means a complete change of

job is possible in just a few minutes, which makes VSOP machines ideal for small-vol-ume and medium-volume runs.

The VSOP printing presses from Muller Martini have three ink distribution rollers and tempered vibrator rollers. Combination printing using flexo, rotogravure, and screen printing methods are also possible. Termed VSFP (Variable Sleeve Flexo Print-ing), a flexo printing unit is available for a straight, horizontal web section – specially developed for electron-beam hardening

and wet-on-wet printing from offset to flexo. However, the VSFP printing unit is al-so available as a vertical version for UV flexo printing or for water-based printing inks in combination with a heatset dryer.

“For us, it is of course a major advantage if we are able to reduce initial costs,” says Matthias Roth from Rivella. “Our run vol-umes today are much lower than they used to be due to the wider range of products, and the large number of sales campaigns and competitions.”

“In the last ten years, the job volume has halved,” says Christian Steeb. With an up-

ward trend, a job printed on the Nyco VSOP today has an average of 10,000 running meters. The smallest job is 500 running meters, while the largest is 40,000.

Higher Register AccuracyAnd then there’s the print quality. Christian Steeb thinks that “his” VSOP, on which up to 99 percent of shrink sleeves are printed,

4


produces better print quality than rotogra-vure: “In terms of the printing inks, the two technologies are at about the same level. But the register accuracy is better with our VSOP.”

According to Matthias Roth, perfectly printed labels and shrink sleeves are an ab-solute necessity for established brands like Rivella and Michel: “The packaging is our

1 Nyco prints up to 99 percent of shrink sleeves on its VSOP.

2 Christian Steeb, General Manager of the Nyco printing house: “The VSOP machine produces better print quality than rotogravure.”

3 Tatiana Giorgi (right), Project Manager, Marketing, Rivella AG: “Shrink sleeves convey emotions.” Center: Beatrix Geissmann, Senior Product Manager, Rivella AG; left: Matthias Roth, Strategic Buyer, Rivella AG.

4 From the roll to the bottle: Highly-automated shrink sleeve processing at Rivella AG in Rothrist, Switzerland.

New Business Models Thanks To VSOP

Since a complete change of job is possible in minutes, VSOP machines are ideal for small-volume and medium-volume runs.

Martini Druckmaschinen GmbH in Maul-burg, “allow customers to implement promising new business models in the growth market of flexible and carton pack-aging.”

Following the acquisition of the VSOP model series patent from Drent Goebel last year (see “Panorama” 3/09), Muller Marti-ni has been able to offer a comprehensive equipment range in offset printing. The Muller Martini range of printing presses covers the requirements of a wide and unique customer base – from (traditional) forms and paper labels to extensive and versatile film wrapping, film labels, and shrink sleeves. “Our solutions,” says Hans-peter Pfister, Managing Director of Muller

company’s business card. So we need the best print quality, and we therefore only work with the best printing houses.”

www.mullermartini.comwww.nyco.chwww.rivella.chwww.emmi.ch

Machine Type Web Width in mm Printed Products/Markets

Concepta 520 Mailings, forms, security printing, pharmaceutical inserts, labels, commercial work

Alprinta 520/740 Mailings, forms, security printing, pharmaceutical inserts, labels, commercial work

AlprintaV 520/740 Labels, pharmaceutical inserts, mailings, security printing

VSOP 520/850 Flexible packaging, labels, folding boxes

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Printing Presses

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“The Concepta Fits Perfectly into our Design”

Imprenta Nacional, the Venezuelan government printing plant in the capital city of Caracas, has

used the Concepta from Muller Martini to significantly increase the production efficiency and the

quality of their printed products. The investment comprises the new eight-ink web offset printing

press as well as a BravoPlus saddle stitcher and a Bolero perfect binder, all from Muller Martini.

huge success of Sucursal Venezuela, an agent affiliated with Muller Martini Mexico. The market position will be enhanced fur-ther by several projects in state-owned or-ganizations, which are currently in the ne-gotiation stages.

Showroom for the Latest Technology Thanks to the investment in the new print-ing press and the various finishing systems from Muller Martini, the government print-ing plant has developed into a showroom for the most advanced technologies and is showing itself to be well-equipped for fu-ture production tasks. The company, which employees 200 people, produces a wide and constantly expanding range of printed

products for the government. Alongside daily official bulletin “Gaceta Oficial”, the company also prints books, brochures, magazines, posters and newspapers.

Impressive ResultsGabriel González, Director of Production for Imprenta Nacional, is proud of his new production machinery and appears very satisfied with the results achieved since commissioning: “The new Concepta is the center point of our modernization plan. It served as a replacement investment for four aging sheet-fed offset presses and its performance and reliability in terms of printing speed, product quality and versa-tility encouraged us to make the next step

E The new generation of machines used by Imprenta Nacional to print for the gov-ernment’s Ministerio del Poder Popular pa-ra la Communicación y la Información has not only paved the way for optimized set-up times, but has also increased perfor-mance and productivity. The printing plant exemplifies the current rise in investments, which both South American state-owned enterprises and private companies have used to modernize their production ma-chinery and bring themselves in line with international productions standards.

Muller Martini makes significant contri-butions toward this development and has a presence in practically all of the leading Venezuelan printing plants thanks to the

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toward restructuring. While we have in-creased performance, our paper costs are lower than ever!”

The Concepta has a web width of 520 mm and an operational performance of up to 305 meters per minute. The machine runs in a two-shift operation and is yet to meet a typographical test that it hasn’t mastered with distinction. For example, 5 million posters were printed in the highest quality in a continuous operation within two months. Gabriel González goes on to say that “thanks to its wide range of sizes, the Concepta is extremely flexible and can be used efficiently for both large and small runs. The new machine and its short set-up times form the core of our production and


1 The new Concepta eight-ink web offset printing press is the center point for Imprenta Nacional’s modernization plan. Pedro Balestrini, Managing Director of the Muller Martini agency in Venezuela (right), congratulates Director of Production Gabriel González on the new investment.

2 The Bolero perfect binder is the tailor-made solution for Imprenta Nacional’s softcover production.

3 Imprenta Nacional has also significantly increased productivity in saddle stitching thanks to the BravoPlus.

cover our complete order spectrum. The Concepta is the perfect machine for our re-quirement profile and has proved itself to be the best when it comes down to produc-tion technology and cost-efficiency. Added to this is the flawless support service, pro-vided to us on-site by Muller Martini.”

BravoPlus and BoleroImprenta Nacional has also set its sights on improving productivity in saddle stitching and adhesive binding, and has set new standards for Venezuela in production per-formance and operating convenience with the BravoPlus and the Bolero. Both Muller Martini finishing systems guarantee short set-up times, a wide range of product siz-

es, a high level of process reliability and the efficient solution for the most difficult of product requirements.

“Every component of the extensive Muller Martini investment package has lived up to our expectations completely,” says Gabriel González. “They are tailor-made for our set-up and provide a highly automated handling process that is really user-friendly. We achieve all of our produc-tion goals and are very satisfied with the performance and reliability of the sys-tems.”


Newspaper Mailroom Systems

36

CSQ Intensifies Magazine and Semi-Commercials Business with Stitching and Cutting Solution

Only 18 months after commissioning its third Muller Martini inserting line, incorporating

a stitching and cutting solution, Centro Stampa Quotidiani in Erbusco, Italy, is investing

in a fourth complete line. This will enable CSQ to increase not only its production capacity

(particularly for magazines), but also the flexibility of its mailroom.

E The fourth line at CSQ also contains core NewsStitch and NewsTrim III compo-nents for in-line stitching and cutting of magazines and semi-commercials. Like the other three lines, the fourth line also features NewsGrip-A conveyors, FlexiRoll buffers, a NewsLiner A inserting system, a NewsStack bundle building line with a

route address system, a packaging line (consisting of a film wrapping and cross strapping system) and an automatic ramp system.

Three Daily Newspapers . . . The newspaper printing plant, which was founded ten years ago as a joint venture be-

tween newspaper publishers SESAAB and Editoriale Bresciana, produces four daily broadsheet newspapers seven days a week:E “L’Eco di Bergamo”

(circulation: 60,000),E “Giornale di Brescia”

(circulation: 60,000),

With inserts for the three daily newspapers “L‘Eco di Bergamo”, “Giornale di Brescia” and “La Provincia”, CSQ is able to increase utilization of its printing presses and the mailroom.

1 2 3


E “La Provincia” (four different provincial editions for the Como, Lecco, Sondrio and Varese agglomerations – total circu-lation: 55,000),

E “Avvenire” (circulation: 90,000).

. . . And Numerous Weekly MagazinesCSQ – which, in the early days had a work-force of 35 but now employs nearly 100 staff – also prints an increasing number of magazines, newspaper supplements and semi-commercials. “We have been at-tempting to boost this business for just over a year now, because we wanted to in-crease the utilization of our printing press-es and the mailroom,” stresses CSQ Man-aging Director and qualified engineer Dario De Cian. CSQ produces all of its magazines for Italian customers, with the circulations for these magazines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 copies, while the daily print volume amounts to tens of thousands of copies.

Keeping All Our Options OpenEighteen months ago, in order to success-fully establish itself in this new business segment, the printing house, which cur-rently owns three coldset printing presses, invested in a complete mailroom system from Muller Martini, incorporating News-Stitch and NewsTrim III components for stitching and cutting. “This flexible system means we can keep all our options open,” explains Dario De Cian. “Our magazines and semi-commercials can be processed with covers in the NewsLiner, stitched and then cut in the NewsTrim, or we can stitch them directly in the printing press and cut them in the NewsTrim; alternatively, we can simply deliver untrimmed products

configuration. “As we needed a new insert-ing system for the new printing press any-way,” concludes consultant Dr. Carlo An-tonio Goia, “we decided that opting for a second complete line, including the stitch-ing and cutting components, would consti-tute a sound investment for the future. Our declared objective is to cut our production times for the magazines and bring them more into line with our newspaper produc-tion times. At the same time, the stitching and cutting system provides us with a back-up and therefore greater flexibility.”

The fourth line is due to be commis-sioned in the coming autumn and, like the three existing lines, it features the Muller Martini Mailroom Production Con-trol (MPC) system, which enables full mon-itoring and control of the mailroom work-flow.

www.csqspa.it

1 Dario De Cian, CSQ Managing Director (center): “The flexible mailroom system from Muller Martini enables us to keep all our options open.” Left – Alberto Giudici (Head of Maintenance/Systems/IT), right – Samuele Trovati (Product Manager, Muller Martini Italy).

that have been stitched in the printing press.”

The Fourth Line Can Stitch and Cut Too!The deciding factor behind the installation of the fourth Muller Martini line just 18 months after the third was the company’s acquisition of a new printing press that would allow the daily newspapers to be converted from the “Rheinisch” format (38 x 53 cm) to the “Berlin/Italian” format (31 x 45 cm). “The buffer system impressed us from the very beginning,” explains Al-berto Giudici (Head of Maintenance/Sys-tems/IT), “and is proving increasingly im-portant.”

Given that this system had proved most successful and is perfectly tailored to the needs of CSQ, the newspaper publisher once again opted for a mailroom solution from Muller Martini with exactly the same

2 The FlexiRoll buffer system is playing an increasingly important role at CSQ.

3 CSQ produces numerous magazines with a daily volume amounting to tens of thousands of copies.



38

Naples Daily News: Two New SLS3000 Series Insertion Systems Improve Flexibility and Performance

As with the new printing press, for the mailroom Naples Daily News also attached particular

importance to technologies that enable flexible, economic and highly-automated production.

This is why the newspaper printer in Naples, Florida, decided to purchase two SLS3000 series

inserting systems from Muller Martini.


E At Naples Daily News, the two SLS3000 series are at the heart of a mailroom solu-tion conceived by Muller Martini. This also includes NewsGrip-A conveyer systems, which feature several receiving and deliv-ery stations to ensure the quick and secure transportation of printed products pro-duced on the new WIFAG printing press.

Fulfilling Specific NeedsFor Thomas J. Sewall (Director of Opera-tions) and Casey Cote (Press Room Manag-er) deciding on the complete solution from Muller Martini was the logical result of an extensive evaluation process, which in-volved assessing the engineering, perfor-

With the two SLS3000 series inserting machines, Naples Daily News has a tailor- made mailroom system that meets both the market requirements of today and those of tomorrow.

mance, efficiency and services of several manufacturers: “With its experience and expertise as a leading international finish-ing specialist, Muller Martini had the best understanding of how to fulfil our specific needs and install a tailor-made mailroom system that meets both the market require-ments of today and those of tomorrow.”

As with the new newspaper press, for the mailroom Naples Daily News also at-tached particular importance to technolo-gies that enable flexible, economic and highly-automated production. Thomas J. Sewall: “Unlike our previous resources, the new systems represent state-of-the-art technology in a new performance dimen-

sion. The two SLS3000 series inserting sys-tems with 32 and 22 stations have innova-tive features that create a range of production possibilities; this opens up completely new perspectives and options for us.”

Optimized Production in Short Time FramesThe SLS3000 series is not just a quick, flex-ible, easy-to-use inserting system that op-timizes production in short time frames; it can also handle products that are thin and difficult to process, or that have an unusu-al format, in a safe way and with minimum production waste.

The high production speeds of the Mull-er Martini inserting systems ensure strong productivity. The issue of zoning is also of great importance because Naples Daily News specializes in target group-specific marketing. The ability of the Mailroom Pro-duction Control (MPC) system to perform frequent zone changes without stopping is therefore clearly an essential factor. The in-sertion process is monitored by means of a programmable check that identifies miss-ing sections or duplicates. The Missed In-sert Repair System (MIRS) detects missing inserts and unopened main jackets and completes them.

Quick Response to Market Requirements“The new inserting systems have not only enabled us to considerably increase our ca-pacities,” explains Thomas J. Sewall, “they have also significantly improved our prod-uct quality once again. They have opti-mized our potential to respond quickly and flexibly to market requirements as well as to our customers’ needs. In terms of capac-ity, production performance, quality and variety of sizes, we have taken a huge step forward with Muller Martini.”

www.naplesnews.com



40

Short Production Windows Possible Thanks to the ProLiner

More and more inserts in ever shorter production windows: Poligrafijas Grupa Mukusala,

based in the Latvian capital Riga, relies on a Muller Martini ProLiner newspaper

inserting system for the 25 newspapers it prints in house.

E Traditionally, inserts have been insert-ed by hand at Poligrafijas Grupa Mukusala. After commissioning a new heatset press in 2006, the (semi-)commercials, maga-zines and pre-printed sections showed rap-id growth until the current economic reces-sion took effect, which is not surprising given that Mukusala produces 25 newspa-pers, mainly tabloids distributed through-out Latvia and neighboring Lithuania: nine dailies, eleven weeklies and five periodical-ly published titles.

“In order to enable the short production window between 7 pm and 2 am to contin-

ue, we have replaced hand work with an automatic inserting system,” explains Di-rector Visvaldis Trokša, who is also Chair-man of Board, Association of Latvian Print-ing Companies (LPUA).

Visvaldis Trokša goes on to say that the decision to acquire the ProLiner with five stations was also influenced by the fact that the company has good experience of Muller Martini, having also commissioned a BravoPlus saddle stitcher. “The ProLiner project was also handled professionally by our partner. We particularly appreciated the excellent training and the valuable tips,

which have enabled us to quickly improve our production processes. And if ever we have a problem, Muller Martini is swift off the mark to provide a solution.”

The ProLiner is used both in-line and offline by the printing plant, which is Lat-via’s second largest with 91 employees and was founded in 1994. “We use it off-line, particularly at low speeds,” explains Head of Production Division, Sergejs Be-louss. “The products are conveyed to the Forte stacker (which we also use for news-papers) before they are inserted in the Pro-Liner.”

Latvia’s second largest printing plant, Poligrafijas Grupa Mukusala, produces 25 newspaper titles.

1

2 3 4


The Compacto is More Than a Match for the Speed of the Printing PressIn contrast, the Muller Martini Compacto rotary trimmer operates invariably in-line. Since some of the numerous magazines and promotional leaflets with print runs be-tween a few thousand and 47,000 copies are being produced increasingly for the ex-port market, the rotary trimmer is used to perform three-sided trimming. “One partic-ularly significant advantage of the Com-pacto is the high cycle time,” explains

Sergejs Belouss, “it is completely up to the job of handling the output of our new print-ing press, which generally runs around the clock.”

BravoPlus Followed by Onyx/RubinHigh-quality magazines printed for Mukusala’s own publishing company and for other publishers, and also exported to Scandinavia in some cases, are processed on the BravoPlus saddle stitcher with six feeders, a merchandise tipper, Robusto

1 The ProLiner newspaper inserting system is used both in-line and offline at Mukusala.

2 Director Visvaldis Trokša: “The excellent training and the valuable tips provided by Muller Martini have enabled us to quickly improve our production processes.”

stacker, bundle film wrapping machine and shrink tunnel. Because the saddle stitched products increasingly contain inserts, Mukusala commissioned an Onyx/Rubin inserting and film-wrapping line two years after the BravoPlus was brought into play.

www.pgm.lv

3 The BravoPlus saddle stitcher was the first Muller Martini solution to be implemented at Poligrafijas Grupa Mukusala. The company’s good experiences here contributed significantly to the decision to invest in the ProLiner news-paper inserting system. Image shows Head of Production Division Sergejs Belouss.

4 The Compacto rotary trimmer’s high cycle time is more than a match for the output of the new printing press.


Our program


Printing Presses

Conveyors Floorveyor Topveyor Newsveyor

Trimmers Compacto up to 8 mmPreciso up to 13 mmPreciso N New up to 18 mmPreciso DS New up to 13 mmPreciso DS N New up to 18 mm

Packaging Listo New up to 100,000 cycles/hForte up to 100,000 cycles/hStatic blocking unit 0457 up to 30 stacks/minApila Newautomatic palletizer up to 16 stacks/minCohiba automatic palletizer up to 26 stacks/minFontana automatic palletizer up to 32 stacks/min

Bundle stackers Vivo cycle time 50 secAvantiPlus cycle time 32 secMaximo cycle time 20 secAutomatic palletizer 443

Roll systems PrintRoll P220 120,000 cycles/hFlexiRoll 120,000 cycles/h

Saddle stitchersValore 6,000 cycles/hPresto 9,000 cycles/hPresto E90 New 9,000 cycles/hPrimera 110 New 11,000 cycles/hBravoPlus 12,000 cycles/hPrimera 130 New 13,000 cycles/h PrimaPlus 14,000 cycles/hPrimera 140 New 14,000 cycles/h Optima 16,000 cycles/hTempo 22 22,000 cycles/hSupra 30,000 cycles/h

Compensating stackersApollo 16,000 cycles/hPerfetto 16,000 cycles/hRobusto 30,000 cycles/h

Accessories and optionsTipping in cards and merchandise samples Automatic loading from rolls and/or bundlesQuick Transfer Trolleys NewAsir 3: Automatic signature recognition (Bar code and image)Connex for digital workflow with JDF/JMF according to the CIP4 standardSelective binding: Primera 130, PrimaPlus SB, Primera 140, Optima, Tempo 22, SupraIn-line/off-line inserting and film wrapping with Onyx/Rubin In-line inserting Integro with Tempo 22, SupraFilm and shrink wrappingCohiba and Fontana automatic palletizer BOGRAMA punching machine together with saddle stitching

Web offset pressesAlprinta 52 520 mm (20½”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min) Option: 457 m/min (1,500 ft/min)Alprinta 74 740 mm (291/8”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min) Option: 457 m/min (1,500 ft/min)Alprinta 52V 520 mm (20½”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)Alprinta 74V 740 mm (291/8”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)VSOP 520 New 520 mm (20½”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)VSOP 850 New 850 mm (33½”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)Concepta 520 mm (20½”) 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min) Option: 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)

SheeterQ74 740 mm (291/8”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min) Q74 H 740 mm (291/8”) 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)

Sheeter with stackerQS52 520 mm (20½”) 305 m/min (1,000 ft/min) Option: 365 m/min (1,200 ft/min)

Accessories/Special capabilities/OptionsReinsertion for repeat web passesRemote ink fountain controlRegister controlClosed-loop color control NewSemi-automatic ink density control Video webStretchCorrect New 100% print inspection system Non-stop unwind and rewindCorona treatmentWeb cleanerAutomatic blanket wash-upUV dryingElectron beam curing (EB) Varnishing unit and flexo unitFlexo insert to offset print unitScreen printing unitDigital printing unitNumbering in the offset printing unitLabel die-cutting (insert in processing station) with waste removalInsert change system on railsIn-line laminating stationNon-stop matrix removal

Saddle Stitching S ystems

Digital Book Production

SigmaLine total system New 1,000 cycles/hSigmaControl SigmaFolder SigmaCollator SigmaBinder SigmaTower SigmaTrimmer

SigmaLine partial line New 1,000 cycles/hSigmaBinder SigmaTower SigmaTrimmer

Connex Workflow System

With the Connex workflow system, all Muller Martini machines, from stand-alone machines to complex production lines, can be networked together with the customer’s Management Information System (MIS). New


Hardcover ProductionSoftcover Production Newspaper Mailroom Systems

www.mullermartini.com

Book-sewing machineVentura MC 12,000 cycles/h

Integrated book-sewing systemVenturaConnect up to 3 12,000 cycles/h

Gathering machines1571/21” 6,000 cycles/h3693-d/24” 6,000 cycles/h

In-line finishing3644 Universo stacker delivery 6,000 cycles/hBBF Book block feeder 4,200 cycles/hVBA Endsheet feeder 4,200 cycles/h

Backgluing machineCollibri 4,200 cycles/h

Book block pressing machineRPM roller press 4,200 cycles/hRPM/GPM roller/full-surface pressing machine 4,200 cycles/hTPM drying and roller press 4,200 cycles/h

Three-knife trimmerEsprit 2,000 cycles/hMerit S 4,000 cycles/h

Casemakers BDM Compact 2,700 cycles/hBDM Universal 3,600 cycles/hBDM Speed 5,100 cycles/h

Ribbon inserterRibbon 3,900 cycles/h

BooklinesDiamant MC 35 bookline, consisting of: RHE casing-in line 2,100 cycles/h EP 340 joint forming and pressing machine 2,100 cycles/hDiamant MC 60, bookline consisting of: RHE casing-in line 3,600 cycles/h EP 680 joint forming and pressing machine 3,720 cycles/h

Book stackersBLSD 3,900 cycles/h flow-through or end stacker

Jacketing machineVesta 3,900 cycles/h

Transport systemsSpiral and lay-down elementConveying and packaging systems

Book-sewing machineVentura MC 12,000 cycles/h

Integrated book-sewing systemVenturaConnect up to 3 12,000 cycles/h

Gathering machines1571 6,000 cycles/h3693 8,000 cycles/h3694 New 8,000 cycles/h3695 12,000 cycles/h3696 New 12,000 cycles/h3681 18,000 cycles/h3697 18,000 cycles/hAsir 3: Automatic signature recognition (Bar code and image)

In-line finishing3644 Universo stacker delivery 6,000 cycles/h1587 Book block feeder 4,000 cycles/h3642 Book block feeder 8,000 cycles/hVBA Endsheet feeder, hotmelt or cold emulsion 8,000 cycles/hCrissCross delivery 5,000 cycles/h

Perfect bindersAmigoPlus 1,500 cycles/hPantera 4,000 cycles/hAcoro A5 5,000 cycles/hAcoro A7 7,000 cycles/hBolero 9,000 cycles/hCoronaCompact CC12 / 24” 12,000 cycles/hCorona C12 / 24” 12,000 cycles/hCorona C15 S / 18” 15,000 cycles/hCorona C15 L / 24” 15,000 cycles/hCorona C18 / 18” 18,000 cycles/h

Face trimmerFrontero 6,000 cycles/h

Three-knife trimmersEsprit 2,000 cycles/hMerit S 4,000 cycles/hZenith S 7,000 cycles/hOrbit 7,200 cycles/h

Counter stackers Uno 16,000 cycles/hCB 16 18,000 cycles/hCB 18 18,000 cycles/h

Packaging, conveying and material handling

Conveying and packaging systemsInserting/film-wrapping line Onyx/RubinCohiba and Fontana automatic palletizers

Mailroom technologyMailroom system planningInstallation and commissioningTrainingProduction supportMachine auditMaintenance

Newspaper conveyor systemsNewsGrip ANewsveyorTopveyor

Buffer and storage systemsFlexiRollAutomatic FlexiRoll High-rack storage

Inserting systemsAlphaLiner 18,000 cycles/hSLS3000 32,000/64,000 cycles/hProLiner 45,000 cycles/hCoLiner New 45,000 cycles/h

PackagingTABA automatic top sheet applicationInk-jet addressingRobusto Compensating stacker 30,000 cycles/hPrintStack CN 80 Compensating stacker 80,000 cycles/hListo New Compensating stacker 100,000 cycles/hNewsStack (Compensating stacker) 100,000 cycles/hCombiStack 32,000 cycles/hPackaging lines

Bundle distributionConveying and distribution systemsNewsSorter (Bundle conveyor system) 120 bundles/min

TrimmingNewsTrim III New 40,000/80,000 cycles/hPreciso N rotary trimmer 100,000 cycles/h

Value addedLabeling system PowerWrap film-wrapping system Card gluer ValueLiner New

Control systemMPC Mailroom Production Control

Grow with Productivity.

Müller Martini Marketing AGUntere Brühlstrasse 13CH-4800 Zofingen, SwitzerlandPhone +41 (0)62 745 45 75Fax +41 (0)62 751 55 [email protected]

Let Muller Martini amaze you with a whole range of innovations at Ipex 2010.

May 18 to 25, 2010NEC BirminghamHall 19, Stand C750

Register at www.mullermartini.com to receive a free admission ticket. The site also contains information about your visit to the exhibition and our exhibition stand.

We look forward to seeing you there!

High levels of productivity, flexibil-ity and innovation are crucial when it comes to gaining a competitive edge in the market. At Ipex 2010, Muller Martini is exhibiting innova-tive and highly automated solutions that enable efficient production and can be expanded easily. A fantastic range of innovative products awaits you.

Increase your Productivity

Visit our stand for a live demonstration on how to boost your productivity.E Expansion of the

Primera saddle stitch-ing line at both the low and high end.

E The new generation of Presto saddle stitcher.

E Further enhancements of the Bolero perfect binder.

E Find out more about the latest develop-ments in variable size offset printing.

Grow with digital solutions.As the leading inline finishing specialist, Muller Martini can provide excellent digital printing solutions. Find out how we work in successful partnership with well-known digital printers with a wide range of digital print systems.

Boost your produc tivity with new services.Ipex sees the launch of a new range of global services from Muller Martini. In future, the range of international services will be standard-ized and expanded under the label MMServices.

muller martini panorama, 2010, spring

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