Muller Martini Panorama, 2012, Spring

The magazine for Muller Martini customers Spring 2012

Stand out from the competition and focus on innovation – Muller Martini presents visitors to its booth at this year’s drupa with a personal fitness program

Editorial

Muller Martini Panorama Spring 20122

E In recent years, the printing industry has completed a wide-reaching structural transformation. New information and com-munication technologies, innovative print-ing methods such as digital printing as well as new media like the Internet have creat-ed a long-lasting shift in the products and processes in our industry, and are chang-ing the traditional markets.

For small and medium-sized companies in the printing industry, this can bring risks but also great opportunities. For example, the competitiveness of these companies today can be built only by differentiation and by finding niche solutions.

As a system supplier and specialist part-ner for variable size web offset printing presses, Muller Martini offers a wide range of new solution alternatives – in particular in niche areas.

For example, the production of pharma-ceutical inserts as a niche market offers great opportunities for growth. The amount of information on packing slips has in-creased sharply in recent years. That is why section lengths have been increasingly ex-tended. With the Alprinta web offset print-ing press featuring size lengths of up to 40 inches (1,016 mm), Muller Martini has the optimal solution for this by offering in-line finishing and a complete print image inspection.

The area of security printing and high-quality mailings also offers great opportu-nities for growth. Thanks to the full range of configuration possibilities and numerous options for integrating OEM aggregates, our printing presses facilitate the produc-tion of innovative print products with scratch-off applications or inline finishing. It is precisely in this market area that Mul-ler Martini has a wide base of installed ma-chines.

Many customers have various printing presses in operation, such as the Progress, Concept and Concepta. The company OTK (see article on page 30) is only one of the many examples. In order to be successful with our machines in this niche area, Mul-ler Martini offers various upgrade kits and services through its MMServices division for older printing presses such as the Progress and Concept. The greatest opportunities for growth in the printing industry can be

found, however, in the labels and packag-ing market. After the decade-long domina-tion of flexo and rotogravure printing in this sector, with circulations running into the millions, web offset printing is now making further inroads into this promising market. With its Alprinta V and VSOP models, Mul-ler Martini has installed over 100 machines worldwide in this sector. In addition to our printing press solution, we also offer exten-sive know-how in the complete process – as was clearly demonstrated at the open house held jointly with Pago a few months ago (page 32).

Most machine installations from Muller Martini can be found in the labeling sector. Our customers use them to print a wide va-riety of products from self-adhesive, wrap-around and wet glue labels to shrink sleeves (see the article on DPA on page 28). The de-mand for print applications in flexible pack-aging solutions has increased in recent years in particular. For this, not only web offset printing units but also flexo and ro-togravure printing units are used. These hy-brid configurations enable a wide range of applications.

The reason why the web offset technol-ogy is so attractive to our customers is that in offset printing the costs for pre-printing are significantly lower, the processing times are shorter, and a job is easier to re-produce compared to the established flexo and rotogravure methods. Many print runs, all the way down to ultra-short runs, can be produced at low costs and with the highest level of quality.

Since the acquisition of the patent rights for the VSOP in 2009, we have developed this technology even further and integrat-ed it into the world of Muller Martini. I hope you enjoy discovering the many applica-tions of the variable size web offset print-ing presses from Muller Martini described in this issue of “Panorama”, and I wish you an exciting experience at this year’s drupa.

I look forward to greeting you personal-ly at our booth in hall 14 in Düsseldorf this May, to show you the VSOP and to the op-portunity to speak with you about the ex-citing challenges in our industry!

Yours sincerely

Dr. Andreas Hitzler, Head of Marketing and Sales, Muller Martini Printing Presses GmbH

Increasing Competitiveness Thanks to Modern Web Offset Printing Technology

Dr. Andreas Hitzler, Head of Marketing and Sales, Muller Martini Printing Presses GmbH

224 36

Imprint

Volume 27Muller 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 2012

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

neutralPrinted Matter

No. 01-12-583768 – www.myclimate.org© myclimate – The Climate Protection Partnership

Growth rates around 12 percent for many years now – the graphic arts industry in India is riding a wave of success.

HeiRa will soon stitch its one billionth magazine on its Tempo saddle stitcher put into operation in 1997.

CEO Bruno Müller talks about Muller Martini’s booth at the drupa as well as about the opportunities and risks of the graphic arts industry.

InterviewBruno Müller – Innovative Finishing Creates New Opportunities for Printed Products 4

drupaFitness Program – Muller Martini Shows How You Can Stand Out from the Competition 8

Digital SolutionsDigital Print Group, Nuremberg – The Clocks Run Differently in the Digital Printing Industry 14

Hardcover ProductionLivonia, Riga, Latvia – Equipped for Sinking Print Runs Thanks to Modern Machinery 16

MMServicesposterXXL, Munich – MMRemote Online Ensures Higher Availability of the Machines 19

BRIC SeriesIndia – Exports as an Important Economic Factor in the Graphic Arts Industry 22

News  26

Printing PressesDPA, Athens – Invest in Times of Boom, and You Will Profit in Times of Crisis 28

OTK, Kolin, Czech Republic – Conquering New Markets with the Concepta 30

Pago, Grabs, Switzerland – Producing More Shrink Sleeves with the VSOP 520 32

Saddle Stitching SystemsVocational, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – A new Primera C110 saddle stitcher for its Students 35

HeiRa, Gernsheim, Germany – A Special Kind of Saddle Stitcher Anniversary 36

Hochuli, Muttenz, Switzerland – (Commercial) Love at Second Sight 38

Newspaper Mailroom SystemsHeider, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany – New Customers after Installing the ProLiner 40

Softcover ProductionTitoulet, St-Etienne, France – Fastest Changeover Times Needed 42

H.R.G., Litomyšl, Czech Republic – Customers React Positively to the Acoro A5 44

Wennberg, Vaihingen, Germany – Bolero Optimizes Pre-production Costs and Logistics 46

ForumCustomer Magazines – In Customer Communications, Print is Still the Leading Medium 49

E “Panorama”: Like many exhibitors, Muller Martini is reluctant to give too much away about its new machines ahead of the drupa. All the same, can you reveal any secrets to us about the innovations that Muller Martini will pre-sent in Düsseldorf?Bruno Müller: We will present convincing innovations that meet current market needs in all four divisions:E An entirely new inserting system for

newspaper and mailshot production.E The Muller Martini VSOP web printing

press for the printing of packaging ma-terials.

E Cutting-edge solutions for hardcover production – such as for photo books.

“We Are Presenting Offset and Digital Solutions at Our Drupa Stand”

In addition to new production

systems, Muller Martini is also

showing ways to optimize

existing machines at its

2,100 m2 stand, C21 in Hall

14, at the drupa in Düsseldorf

(from May 3 to 16). “At our

stand, visitors can gain ideas

about how to expand their

existing production machinery

and run it more profitably,”

says CEO Bruno Müller in a

“Panorama” interview.

E Industrial solutions tailored to the new printing presses for digital printing – for the production of books, magazines and catalogs.

E New solutions for saddle stitching and perfect binding – for both low and high print runs.

Key topics include the guaranteed high quality of end products, as well as the flex-ibility, expandability and cost-effectiveness of the production systems. All our solu-tions are integrated into the Muller Martini Connex data and process management system in order to optimally automate workflow between the various machines. Thanks to this standardization, all ma-

chines can communicate with one anoth-er. In other words, we are showing indus-trial solutions that will equip our customers optimally for both offset printing and digi-tal printing.

Many graphic arts companies are not (yet) thinking in terms of new invest-ments right now given the difficult eco-nomic circumstances. Why is it still worthwhile for these customers to pay a visit to the Muller Martini stand? The graphic arts industry is experiencing a period of transition. It will continue to change in the coming years, with print me-dia coming under increasing pressure. Per-sonally, I believe that the possibilities of

Interview with Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini


industry. How will you present that comprehensive topic to drupa visitors?We will illustrate the current opportunities using specific examples. It is important for us to talk with customers so that we can assess their potential together and develop concrete solutions. Our aim is to support graphic arts companies, so that they can operate their systems optimally through-out their life cycle (life cycle management).

At the IPEX 2010 in Birmingham, Muller Martini debuted MMServices, which comprises seven modules. How suc-cessful has that proven in the past two years?Our worldwide service network, coupled with the large number of installed Muller

Martini systems, provides the ideal basis for a successful service business. Through MMServices we have successfully stepped up our activities since the IPEX 2010. For instance, through MMStartup we have been contracted by customers to relocate several hundred machines within plants and to rebuild them in a targeted way in the process. We have also supported cus-tomers who have opted for used Muller Martini machines both in the purchasing process and during the subsequent in-stallation, reconditioning and commission-ing of the equipment. We will continue to increase our activities in this important field, with the declared aim of providing op-timal support to our many customers worldwide in optimizing their production equipment.

In addition to service, digital printing is another focus point for Muller Martini at the drupa. What solutions will you pre-sent in that field?Since the enthusiastically received market launch of our SigmaLine digital book pro-duction system at the drupa 2004, we have continued to develop our solutions and have kept pace with the innovations of manufacturers of digital printing presses. The first SigmaLine gave rise to a complete

“At our drupa stand, visitors can learn about ways to expand their existing machines, operate them more successfully and get the most out of them in daily operation.”

“Panorama”: Muller Martini’s drupa motto is “fitness”. Could you describe what that means exactly? Bruno Müller: The structural transformation of the media industry is putting pressure on the printing industry to change. By “fitness” we mean the ability to adapt flexibly to market needs, to recognize market opportunities quick-ly and exploit them in the spirit of Darwin’s “sur-vival of the fittest”, according to which those species survive that adapt successfully to the environment, rather than those that defy every-thing and eliminate other species.

In keeping with the drupa motto, in its adver-tising campaigns Muller Martni is using the three slogans “fit for difference”, “fit for profitability” and “fit for future markets”. Could you explain what you mean by those in a little more detail?

way possible. We will show how the availa-bility of systems can be increased and how their functionality can be adapted to current market needs.

E “Fit for future markets.”: Those who stand out from the competition conquer new mar-kets. Trends and market changes make it possible to take even greater advantage of the available opportunities with new prod-ucts and services. In addition to new tech-nologies, such as digital printing for the book market, established technologies, such as offset printing for the packaging market, al-so provide new opportunities for that. It is important that the end customer gets what is of interest to them.

E “Fit for difference.”: WIn what ways can I draw readers’ attention to a print product? When asked that question, I tell the publish-ers of books, magazines and newspapers that they need to stand out from the crowd and champion innovation in order to convey messages that will stay in people’s minds or to keep costs at a minimum. I am convinced that we will increasingly see new business models that increase the attractiveness of print products, for example special finishing steps or the personalization of content. Alongside quantity, the individually offered value of the end product for readers and ad-vertising customers will be gaining impor-tance in the future.

E “Fit for profitability.”: Regardless of wheth-er a machine is old or new, the starting point is always the same: our customers want to run their machines in the most cost-effective

print media are far from exhausted. That is why it is essential to make the best possi-ble use of new technologies in order to po-sition print media optimally. That does not necessarily have to mean investing in new machines. Our modular systems can be ex-panded progressively and given new func-tions. At our drupa stand, visitors can learn about ways to expand their existing ma-chines, operate them more successfully and get the most out of them in daily oper-ation.

The question of “service” – key expres-sions here include greater availability of systems, more economical production and longer life cycles of machines – is gaining importance in the graphic arts

“Stand Out from the Competition and Focus on Innovation”

Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2012 5

tems that are designed for both offset and digital at our drupa stand under the slogan “digital ready”. The drupa 2008 was already dominated by digital solutions. What trends are you expecting at this year’s drupa?There can be no doubt that digital printing with its numerous innovations will attract great interest this year again. In order to make print products more interesting, link-ing print and online, for example via QR codes, is needed. It is all about making print products even more interesting and attractive. We will also show solutions for increasing the productivity and cost-effec-tiveness of production. After all, all market players ultimately have the same aim: they want to run their equipment profitably.

Where will digital printing take the graphic arts industry over the next few years?It is clear that the development of digital printing is far from over. Three factors are critical to its future prospects: printing costs, printing quality and usable sub-strates (in particular paper). Due to the massive fall in run sizes, the book market offers the ideal entry to digital printing. Even individual products such as photo books are produced today on our machines with high performances. The fact that con-tent can be varied dynamically from page to page means that the possibilities for the design of print products are almost unlimited. We ensure that print finishing supports these new forms of print prod-ucts.

“Panorama”: The drupa 2008 took place when the economy was still booming. What is your impression of the mood in the graphic arts industry four years on? Bruno Müller: Shortly after the drupa 2008 there was a massive change in the graphic arts industry, which happened at a pace rarely wit-nessed in industrial history. Within six months our customers and Martini Muller itself went from growth to decline. Fortunately, markets such as China and Brazil have shaped up well for us in the past few years. These growth mar-kets will continue to have high potential in the coming years. However, in our traditional mar-kets in North America and Europe the picture has changed greatly in the past four years. The print volumes relevant to us as a print finishing specialist have become significantly smaller. The uncertain economic environment and the frequent reluctance of banks to finance invest-ments in the graphic arts industry are putting many projects on ice.

You mentioned China and Brazil. Are you ex-pecting particularly large numbers of visi-tors from those countries at your drupa stand?

“After all, all market players ultimately have the same aim: they want to run their equipment profitably.”

Certainly. Many of our customers on those growth markets have successfully expanded their businesses in the past few years and have invested in the latest technology. To maintain that success in the future, they are very inter-ested in global trends and are keen to get an overview of innovations at the drupa.

What do you believe are the greatest oppor-tunities, risks and dangers for the graphic arts market and thus for machine manufac-turers?Many changes on the market have necessitat-ed new acquisitions. For example, smaller print runs create the need for investments in new au-tomated and flexible production lines. Many of our customers, however, are tending to invest more in new media and are neglecting the print sector. On the one hand, that is entirely under-standable because new markets can be tapped by means of digital or mobile media and com-panies feel that they are well positioned in the print sector. On the other hand, it also leads to lower investment activity in the print sector, which cannot keep up even with the reduced print volumes and poses great challenges to machine manufacturers. It is important for the

graphic arts industry, despite the difficult cir-cumstances, to make efforts to optimize and al-so invest in new solutions.

What is your view of the general importance of the drupa as the leading trade fair for the graphic arts industry, particularly in view of the current situation?The numbers speak for themselves: in 2008, some 230,000 visitors from 138 countries attended the trade fair in Düsseldorf and it attracted 1,953 exhibitors from 53 countries. This year’s exhibition space is an impressive 170,000 m2. The drupa gives manufacturers a one-off opportunity to present themselves on the market, to exchange views with other pro-fessionals and, thanks to the length of the trade fair, to give live demonstrations of even relative-ly large machines. That makes the drupa unique and we anticipate that our stand will attract just as many visitors as it did four years ago.

“The drupa is unique”


Interview with Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini

system, which has equipped our product range optimally for the future thanks to its uniform automation solution and continu-ous workflow. So Muller Martini offers solutions for both offset and digital print-ing. Today we have installations on all con-tinents in the field of digital printing for in-dustrial production, in saddle stitching as well as softcover and hardcover produc-tion. That is why we are presenting sys-

Muller Martini is positioning itself with the slogan “your strong partner”. Why is Muller Martini the right partner for the graphic arts industry? We combine our many years of experience as a manufacturer of high-quality machines and system solutions for the graphic arts industry with the professional process, technology and consultancy expertise of our local partners on all continents. In ad-dition to advising on expansions, optimiza-tion and new investments, as a “strong partner” we also support our customers in the long-term preservation of their equip-ment. Our modern, modular industrial so-lutions take account of the latest technolo-gies and offer the highest possible investment protection.

www.mullermartini.com

“Attractive print products allow publishers to stand out from the competition as well as new media.”

As a leading manufacturer of print fin-ishing systems, Muller Martini also of-fers innovative solutions in (variable-size) web offset printing – with VSOP technology specifically in the packaging market. What will you show to (packag-ing) printers at your stand?We will demonstrate how quick the changeovers at our VSOP printing presses can be between various print jobs with dif-ferent section lengths. The Muller Martini VSOP is an infinitely size-variable web printing press designed for sleeve technol-ogy. Thanks to extremely quick size chang-es, a cost-effective image carrier and first-class printing quality, it is ideal for smaller and medium runs on the packaging mar-ket. We view in particular flexible package printing, carton printing and label printing as VSOP markets.

What trends have you observed in pack-age printing?In package printing too, offerings are in-creasingly segmented. Packaging is being used even more actively to position prod-ucts in an optimal way at the point of sale. The result is that the variety of labels, shrink sleeves and food bags is on the rise, runs are becoming smaller, quality demands are increasing and delivery times are becom-ing shorter. In such an environment, we be-lieve that our VSOP printing press has great potential.

The Muller Martini stand at the drupa also features an “innovative product lounge”. What will visitors find there?When we develop our machines, the focus is on the end products that are produced with these machines. Attractive print prod-ucts allow publishers to stand out from the competition as well as new media. That is why we will surprise visitors with innova-tive print products that were produced by our customers using Muller Martini equip-ment. We support graphic arts companies in making optimal use of print solutions in the competition for the attention of read-ers. In consultation with our customers, we would like to find the optimal balance be-tween the wishes of end customers, read-ers and advertisers as well as requirements related to production processes.

Speaking of the lounge, the “Blue Hour” at the Muller Martini stand proved ex-tremely popular in 2008. Each evening visitors had the chance to talk with sales representatives and technicians over a relaxed drink. Will the “Blue Hour” return this year?Yes, in light of the very positive feedback in 2008. Back then, it was not uncommon for all the tables to be taken. Our “Blue Hour” enables visitors to wind down after a hec-tic day at the trade fair with a “blue Marti-ni”. They can avoid the crush at the cab stand and discuss their experiences of the fair or new ideas. I warmly invite our cus-tomers to this year’s “Blue Hour”!

At the last drupa, Muller Martini sur-prised the graphic arts industry with a new generation of machines with a more ergonomic look and many other innovations. How have these machines been received by your customers in the past four years?The new design came just at the right time. It gave us a distinctive, modern image. The new look and the laser blue color went down very well with our customers. The more ergonomic design of the machines, which increases comfort for operators, is also appreciated by our customers world-wide.

In the past few months Muller Martini has concluded partnership deals with Rima-System in the press delivery systems segment and with Sitma in the inserting and film wrapping seg-ment. What advantages do these coop-eration agreements have for your cus-tomers?In the past, Muller Martini was active on the market with its own product range in both of the business segments men-tioned. The partnerships with Rima- System and Sitma, both market leaders in their fields, mean that we have taken a step towards the necessary market shakeout and strengthened our offering. Both cooperation deals are good examples of how we can offer our customers an even wider range of solutions, enabling them to get the very most out of their equipment.


8 Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2012

Fit for difference.

8

Innovative Finishing Creates New Opportunities for Printed Products

Attractive printed products that generate more interest, new business models, optimal machine

solutions for any job structure: the competition for readers will increasingly be decided by

the quality of finishing. At the drupa 2012, Muller Martini will show how innovative solutions can

successfully contribute to new business models and how they can be used to meaningfully

enhance existing systems.

E Gleaming finish and effective lamina-tion, blind creasing and tactile paper are a treat for the senses – just like colored stitching wire, cover flaps, contour die cut-ting, a bookmark, merchandise samples or gimmicks. Printed products finished on saddle stitchers and on softcover and hard-cover booklines stand out from the crowd due to their added value. That is why the finishing process plays a vital role in the (more) attractive design of printed media.

“As a global market leader in print fin-ishing, we actively support our customers in remaining successful in a constantly changing market,” emphasizes Bruno Mül-ler, CEO of Muller Martini. “In addition, due to the modular structure of Muller Martini solutions, systems can be extended at any time and can grow to face new challenges. Expandable systems offer the greatest lev-el of flexibility and help to increase added value with new, highly differentiated prod-ucts.”

Personalizing in the Saddle Stitcher FeederFor example, the full-service graphic arts company ADV SCHODER in Augsburg, Germany can position personalized adver-tisements even inside magazines and cat-alogs thanks to a special solution on the Primera C140 saddle stitcher. One of the six feeders has been configured so that the signature can be labeled with an inkjet sys-tem. What has long been considered stand-ard in the direct mail industry will become important in other areas of finishing ac-cording to Thomas Steigerwald, Director of Design and Executive Committee Member at ADV SCHODER. “Saddle stitching and perfect binding will shift towards more per-sonalized products, as publishers seek to stand out from the crowd in a newspaper market characterized by close competition

With cards and labels, the customers of NÖP are reporting higher rates of returns.

by providing individually designed prod-ucts.”

Eye-Catching NewspapersAnother example of how graphic arts busi-ness and advertisers can benefit from inno-vative solutions is the Niederösterreichis-che Pressehaus (NÖP) in St. Pölten, in Lower Austria, which produces over a doz-en newspapers. Using a ValueLiner card gluer and a labeling system from Muller Martini for the cards and labels that are af-fixed to cover pages, the newspaper pub-lisher increases the added value in its mail-room while, at the same time, making a good return on investment on the two re-cently commissioned machines. The ad-vertisers also benefit thanks to the promi-nent positioning of their advertisements.

“Needless to say, labels are somewhat more expensive than the traditional adver-tising media and they also require a certain amount of lead time,” says Josef Tischer, Head of Sales/Logistics at NÖP. “However,

the attraction of having an advertisement on the front or back page of a newspaper quickly makes up for the additional costs. Thanks to the eye-catching effect of the ad-verts, our customers are reporting higher rates of returns.”

Individualized Products Thanks to Digital PrintingOne way for printing houses and finishing businesses to stand out from their compe-tition is to expand existing systems by in-tegrating add-on modules. Another option is to produce completely new printed prod-ucts by using the latest technology. Digital printing, in particular, enables countless new business models. “The clocks run dif-ferently in the digital printing industry,” says Oliver Schimek, Owner and Managing Director of the Digital Print Group (DPG) in Nuremberg, Germany, which in a relative-ly short time period has made the leap from a corner copy shop to a modern industrial company. “The key to the success of our

9Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2012 9

Optimized Use of the MachinesThat goes for niche businesses just as it does for large companies. “We have a range of various perfect binders,” says Martin Wennberg, Managing Director of H. Wennberg in Vaihingen, near Stuttgart, Germany, which is one of the largest book-binderies in Europe with an annual output of 150 million catalogs, magazines and tel-ephone books (see page 46). “It is our con-cept to use the optimal machine for finish-ing for each job.” Keeping with the optimization of pre-production costs, logis-tics and technology, H. Wennberg com-missioned a Bolero perfect binder from Muller Martini to go with its two high-out-put Corona lines. This enables the compa-ny to produce products that require fewer

changeovers on the two Corona lines, while products with smaller and medium-sized print runs that require greater change-overs are run on the Bolero.

“With attractive printed products, in-novative business models and the right production systems, graphic arts business-es remain successful even despite chang-ing market conditions,” says Bruno Müller with conviction.

Finished printed products immediately catch the reader’s eye – many youth magazines vie for attention at newsstands with free gifts on the front page.

company is first and foremost our business model that features creative, individual so-lutions for our customers.”

In the first month alone after commis-sioning the machine (see page 14), DPG produced 800 different digitally printed books for large industrial businesses (per-sonalized company brochures) as well as for individual customers (photo albums) on its new Diamant MC 35 Hybrid bookline from Muller Martini. “Muller Martini is ex-panding on the possibilities offered by tra-ditional finishing to ensure that the indus-try can take full advantage of everything digital printing has to offer,” says Bruno Müller. “This shows that the graphics in-dustry can and must promote these advan-tages even more consistently.”

10

Fit for profitability.

A Higher Level of Availability in Machines Creates Competitive Advantages on the Market

Reliable control systems, fully automated production lines

and an extensive service package: at the drupa 2012, Muller

Martini will show how graphic arts businesses can increase the

availability of their machines and thus increase their company

earnings.

E In order for the graphic arts industry to continue to ensure more cost-effective pro-duction during difficult times, it needs not only continuous workflow from pre-press to the finished product on the ramp and quick job changeover systems, but also, in

Many small and medium-sized businesses are very successful thanks to innovative machine solutions because they are able to react quickly and flexibly to customers’ needs – for example with a Pantera perfect binder from Muller Martini, whose menu options are nearly self- explanatory thanks to the Commander.

particular, reliable machines. Reliability is especially important in two regards: fewer machines stops and prevention of deficien-cies in product quality.

Ensuring a higher level of productivity and process security has gained impor-

tance at a time of globalization character-ized by the opening of markets and the ac-companying increased interchangeability. These phenomena influence not only the human factor but also, in particular, the technological possibilities of production


11

of economic difficulty that we need highly automated systems,” says José Pinto, owner of Greca Artes Gráficas in Porto, which employs a staff of 40. Despite the difficult economic situation in Portugal, Greca invested in a Presto E90 saddle stitcher and a Pantera perfect binder, two solutions from Muller Martini. “With fully automated systems I can reduce my unit costs,” says José Pinto. “This allows me to increase productivity and makes our com-pany more competitive in the market.”

Thanks to innovative machine solutions, many small and medium-sized businesses are very successful, because they are able to react quickly and flexibly to customers’ needs. “We used to produce only 1,000 softcover books per shift,” recalls Daniel Majdiš, head of production and technolo-gy at alfaPRINT in Martin, Slovakia, a com-pany with 65 employees. “Now, using the Pantera, we make at least 2,000 books – per hour!” That means a stunning 1,600-percent increase in productivity. As a welcome consequence, they have been able to regain all the customers they had lost because of large production delays and the associated waiting times before the new perfect binder was commissioned.

Increased the Number of OrdersEven the JKJ Bokbinderi AB in Falköping, Sweden, which has a staff of only 10 em-ployees, produces roughly 50 percent more softcover products thanks to a new Pantera machine. “We have managed to in-crease the number of orders on hand de-spite the difficult times,” comment the company owners Jimmy and Johan Ahlrik. JKJ not only increased its customer base but also, in particular, its reliability and flex-ibility. “That is especially important, be-cause we cover a wide range of print runs – from 500 up to 300,000 copies per job. This means we need to change over the perfect binding line up to six times each day. Now it goes a lot faster.”

Regular Service…In addition to new investments, regular maintenance and updates are also an inte-gral part in maintaining a high level of pro-ductivity and profitability. This ensures a high level of availability in production sys-

tems that graphic arts businesses now de-pend on due to significant pricing pressure and increasingly tighter deadlines. The fact that machines can maintain a high level of production even years after being commis-sioned can be seen in the example of the Tempo saddle stitcher from Muller Martini which was installed in 1997 at HeiRa Gm-bH in Gernsheim, Germany, one of the larg-est saddle stitching and finishing business-es in Europe. The company will stitch its one billionth magazine on the machine around the time of this year’s drupa (see page 36).

According to technical manager Peter Dickler, the only reason why it is possible to have an average annual output of 65 mil-lion, a maximum monthly rate of 7.905 mil-lion and a daily maximum output of 400,000 is “because we have upgraded or replaced many of the machine’s components over the years and because our machine opera-tors make their contribution by ensuring the machines constantly maintain their high level of availability through preventive measures.”

...Ensures High Investment Protection Since thorough and sound staff training as well as regular maintenance is essential to ensuring a high level of investment protec-tion and good return on investment, Mul-ler Martini has standardized its service package under the label MMServices, which features seven modules. “We provide an extensive service, increase the service life of equipment and make existing equip-ment suitable for new product ideas and markets using expansion options. For new investments, we create real added value with intelligently linked cutting- edge technology for our customers; and for existing machines, we increase the earning power of our customers with spe-cific measures for a higher level of availa-bility,” says Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Martini.

Franz Dengler (left), Production Manager at Reclam: “Asir 3 gives us 100 percent reliability.” Right: Peter Stein, Sales Manager at Muller Martini Germany.

systems. For example, products that are in-correctly stitched or bound can quickly in-crease costs. “How much do you calculate for complaints?,” Franz Dengler, produc-tion manager at Reclam in Ditzingen, Ger-many, the company known for its little yel-low books, likes to ask any bookbinder who does not work with barcode or image com-parison modes with a touch of irony.

Reclam relies on the automatic signa-ture recognition of Asir 3 on its Bolero per-fect binding line from Muller Martini, which is operated in three shifts. It not only rec-ognizes incorrectly inserted signatures in the gathering machine, but also ensures the correct sequence of signatures as well as the consistent quality of products thanks to the AsirCode software developed by Muller Martini. “Asir 3 gives us 100 percent reliability,” says Franz Dengler.

Lower Unit Costs Thanks to a Higher Level of AutomationIn addition to reliable control systems, ful-ly automated production lines also contrib-ute to a higher net output that has a posi-tive effect on company earnings. That goes for large bookbinderies just as it does for niche businesses. “It is precisely in times


12

“There Are Many Good Arguments for the Added Value of Print Products in the Entire Media Mix”

It is the combination of new media and print products, more efficient production processes

and new opportunities for digital solutions in saddle stitching as well as softcover and hardcover

production: at the drupa 2012, Muller Martini will show how innovative business models can

help the graphic arts industry be successful in the future.

E “Video killed the radio star” sang Brit-ish pop act ‘The Buggles’ in their number one hit 30 years ago. They were wrong though: motion pictures took nothing away from radio. “New media is killing print,” is what many pessimists are saying today. “They are wrong,” says Sture Udd. This Finnish media expert is not only the found-er and CEO of UPC Print and CEO of Up-Code Solutions Ltd. in Vaasa, Finland but also the inventor of UpCode – a system he

Fit for future markets.

Anyone using their cell phone to scan the UpCode in the street plan of Moscow print-ed by UPC Print will receive information on businesses located in the corresponding areas of the city. The street map’s publisher receives a commission every time an UpCode is accessed.

refers to as “supermedia” that is now pre-sent in over 50 countries on the market.

“That is why print has a future!”UpCode is a more ingenious way of mixing paper printed with a mobile phone than the normal QR code. Sture Udd’s prime exam-ple is a 300-page, perfectly bound street map of Moscow, which he produces for a Russian customer. Previously, the map was issued and sold in a print run of 30,000

copies, but, with more and more drivers turning to satellite navigation, the run decreased rapidly. To combat this, the pub-lisher made some adjustments to the con-cept: The street map is now produced in a run of 150,000 copies and is available free of charge. It also features numerous pages with an UpCode that can be scanned by a cell phone camera, providing advertise-ments for sales campaigns at businesses based in the corresponding part of the city.


13

ular in digital printing, which has certainly changed the world of graphic arts. The more efficient digital printing systems be-come, the more challenging the finishing process will be. Muller Martini responded to these new challenges with intelligent hy-brid offset/digital systems for saddle stitch-ing as well as softcover and hardcover pro-duction. These systems enable finishing businesses to be ready for the market de-mands of tomorrow.

Particularly attractive are the modern high-tech systems such as the digital book production system SigmaLine from Muller Martini, which the Courier Corporation in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, the third largest book manufacturer in the Unit-ed States, swears by. “The fact that we have commissioned three SigmaLine sys-tems in a short time period is a clear indi-cation that digital printing is gaining im-portance,” says Joseph L. Brennan, Vice

President of Engineering at Courier Corpo-ration. “We now have highly productive systems for the digital production of books in small print runs.” One main reason for deciding in favor of the SigmaLine was the Connex digital workflow system developed by Muller Martini. Connex communicates with all the machines involved: it ensures high levels of safety and transparency dur-ing production, generates job data for all systems and facilitates the sorting, group-ing and planning of orders. This is particu-larly important for increasingly small print runs.

Many New OpportunitiesThe positive economic effects of an intelli-gent link between digital printing and fin-ishing can be seen at Webcom in Toronto. The BookFWDTM Program launched last year, in which both the Acoro A5 and the Bolero B9 perfect binders from Muller Mar-tini, in addition to three digital printing presses, play an important role, helped to reduce costs for the Canadian company. “More efficient production processes ena-ble our customers to increase savings throughout the entire supply chain – to an extent unparalleled in our industry,” says President and CEO of the company, Mike Collinge.

For Bruno Müller, CEO of Muller Marti-ni, such examples clearly show that the graphic arts industry is marketing its strengths more actively and systematical-ly. “Even in the face of the increasingly common argument that print is threatened with extinction, there are also strong argu-ments in favor of the added value of print products in the entire media mix. I am con-vinced that print media has great develop-ment potential and offers the graphic arts industry and advertising customers many new opportunities with innovative busi-ness ideas.”

Bruno Müller, CEO Muller Martini: “I am convinced that print media has great development potential and offers the graphic arts industry and advertising customers many new opportunities with innovative business ideas.”

The publisher’s printing costs for the street plan are covered by commission, which it receives every time an UpCode is accessed. This is possible because UpCode allows you to identify the print product from which it was accessed, and that is Sture Udd’s brilliant invention.

“Many customers who order catalogs and brochures operate based on cost per product,” explains Sture Udd, who has re-lied on finishing systems from Muller Mar-tini for years now. “Unfortunately, many traditional advertisers and printers do not realize that working on a cost-per-order ba-sis makes much more sense. I can use a mathematical formula to prove that print-ing an UpCode on brochures, promotional leaflets and flyers increases sales by 15 to 20 percent. “That is why print has a future!”

Print or Online? – Print and Online!How graphics companies adapt to their co-existence with electronic media will also be crucial to their future success. Advertising has always relied on a media mix. In this re-gard, printed materials have enjoyed a long and successful history with excellent me-dia efficiency rates. With a 35 % share in print advertising, magazines and newspa-pers are still key players in the advertising market. The advertising industry keeps a watchful eye on the use of media content and pays good money to ensure that con-sumers are made aware of its products in the correct environment.

“Many of our customers are starting to use the printed media as an additional ad-vertising channel,” says Markus F. Hof, CEO of the Direct Mail Company, the indus-try leader in Switzerland for the delivery of unaddressed advertising. According to a study, over 70 % of German Internet shop-pers get their ideas from a catalog. For this reason, DMC's successful strategy is built on a combination of paper and electronic media. For Markus F. Hof, the answer to the question “Print or online?”, is “Print and online!”.

How Digital Printing Is Changing the WorldIn addition to combinations of different me-dia, new printing processes also bring completely new business models, in partic-



Digital Solutions

14

Digital Printing Runs at a Different Pace

With the new Diamant MC 35

Hybrid bookline from Muller

Martini – the first of its kind in

Europe – the Digital Print

Group in the southern German

city of Nuremberg has defini-

tively made the leap from a

corner copy shop to a modern

industrial company.

E Although originally, Oliver Schimek trained to be a mechanical engineer, he is now owner and managing director of the Digital Print Group (DPG). As he puts it in his typical straightforward manner: “The key to the success of our company is first and foremost our business model that fea-tures creative, individual solutions for our

The Digital Print Group installed Europe’s first Diamant MC 35 Hybrid in Nuremberg.

customers. How and with which machines these are produced is ultimately less im-portant.”

First for EuropeHowever, as a seasoned expert of the pro-duction systems currently on the market, Oliver Schimek naturally chooses custom-ized solutions that meet the special re-quirements of his company. That is why Digital Print Group invested already eleven years ago in HP Indigo, one of the first dig-ital printing presses in Germany, in order to enter into the book-on-demand business. With the Océ ColorStream 3500 commis-sioned last November the number of digi-tal printing systems in its four plants in Nuremberg, Munich, Regensburg and Kitz-ingen increased to a total of 16 and enforc-es the company’s strong position in the digital printing market.

Of course the decision for the first bookline in the company’s 15-year history – previously hardcover books were only produced by hand – was only made after an extensive evaluation. According to Oli-ver Schimek, the decision was made for the first Diamant MC 35 Hybrid, commissioned in Europe last September, after convincing tests at the Muller Martini Hardcover Fo-rum in Bad Mergentheim demonstrating its sophisticated technology (see box). It ena-bles DPG to offer an extensive range of products, and precisely meets the de-mands of this young company in terms of print runs, sizes, and cost-effective produc-tion.

A State-of-the-Art Production CompanyWhat this means in numbersE 800 different book titles in the first

month alone after installation of the new Diamant MC 35 Hybrid.

E An average of 98 copies per book in the book publishing division.

E An average of 2.4 copies per photo book.

These figures alone prove that the Digi-tal Print Group has long since made the step from a corner copy shop to a major digital printing company known through-out Germany. The numerous visitors could

see for themselves at the open house held shortly after the start-up of the new Dia-mant MC 35 Hybrid last autumn. “Our guests were amazed to realize that we have grown from a simple manufactory into a modern industrial company,” says Oliver Schimek.

80 Percent of New Customers from the InternetDPG customers come from all over Germa-ny and from a wide range of industries. “We are well- segmented,” comments Ol-iver Schimek. The list of customers in-cludes large publishing houses (the pub-lishing branch alone makes up 40 percent of the company’s turnover) as well as in-dustrial plants for on-demand operating in-struction, on-demand training materials and personalized company brochures (35 percent). The number of private customers who order DPG labeled photobooks is still growing (25 percent).

All of these three customer segments have something in common: 80 percent of new customers find their way to DPG via the Internet. Digital cameras and the Inter-net produce new jobs for the company – welcome to the new world of the graphic arts industry, influenced by electronic me-dia!

Regular Guest at the Frankfurt Book FairThanks to new media, the Digital Print Group is able to forego external sales rep-resentatives. However, in order to be able to fulfill individual customer requirements, personal support is very important. That is why DPG has three additional locations apart from its headquarters in Nuremberg in order to provide optimal customer ser-vice. They are also a regular guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair to maintain close con-tacts with publishers.

Since customer needs are becoming more and more specific, in recent years the proportion of creative employees has been steadily growing among the current staff of 78 (54 of whom are in Nuremberg). Thanks to the new Inkjet technologies, there is an unmistakable trend towards full-color dig-itally printed products in small print runs according to Oliver Schimek. “Respective-


ly, the contribution of our creative division will be all the more important, because dig-ital printing runs at a different pace.”

Full-Service Provider “We print originals” is the slogan of the dy-namic company – which covers everything from photo books, large posters to web-to-print applications as well as customer-spe-cific work-flow solutions. “As a full-service provider we can offer our partners a com-plete communication package, not only as a printing house, but also as a solutions provider for all aspects of document pro-

duction and management,” says Oliver Schimek.

Linking these aspects will gain more im-portance in the future according to the company’s owner. “The fact that increas-ingly intelligent solutions are requested, coupled with the rising demand for color printing (particularly in the area of hardcov-er people today want color) and the short-er print runs – all plays into the hands of our business model.”

www.digital-print-group.de

The Diamant MC Hybrid offers all of the features of the classic Diamant MC com-bined with those of the Diamant MC Digi-tal. It produces books from ultra-short to large print runs as well as personalized books. Just like the Diamant MC 60 and MC 35, this version is also equipped with a rounding and backing station. In addition, it offers exactly the same possibilities as the Diamant MC Digital including sequen-tial size changeovers and barcode controls. With the options “tandem headbanding station” and “variable case feeder”, the changeover times are reduced even further and efficiency is increased even more. The

changeover times between various pro-duction runs are sometimes less than a minute.

The Diamant MC Hybrid comes in two performance versions. The Diamant MC Hybrid 35 produces in the classic mode with up to 2,100 cycles and the Diamant MC Hybrid 60 up to 3,600 cycles per hour. In the mode for sequential changeovers, both produce at up to 1,800 cycles.

Tandem Headbanding StationThe tandem lining station consists of two identical headbanding stations. Thanks to this combination, the bookline can be

changed over very quickly. While one head-banding station is producing, the other one is preparing according to a patent pending method. Section length and width are ad-justed at the same time. The new station is activated as soon as the previous job has been completed; production continues without skipping a beat.

Even for large print runs, the tandem station offers a great advantage. Jobs do not have to be interrupted if the craft paper rolls or the headband rolls run out. The oth-er station is prepared during running pro-duction and takes over the headbanding seamlessly once the roll runs out.

Diamant MC Hybrid Bookline – Ideal for Small and Large Print Runs

Oliver Schimek (left), Owner and Managing Director of Digital Print Group: “We have grown from a simple manufacturer into a modern industrial company.” Right: Thomas Schmidt, Sales Manager at Muller Martini Germany


Hardcover Production

16

Well Prepared for Shorter Print Runs Thanks to Modern Machinery

Livonia Print in Latvia’s capital, Riga, has made a substantial investment for the second time only

five years after its founding. The new Diamant MC 60 bookline as well as the VenturaConnect

integrated book sewing system ensure that even shorter book print runs can be produced

in a cost-effective manner.

E It is not exactly good news for the graphic arts industry when the number of copies per book declines. However, Trond Erik Isaksen, Founder and Managing Direc-tor of Livonia Print, takes this all in stride. “We have also observed a slight decline in the print runs of books we produce,” says the native Norwegian. “Actually, we wel-come it, because we are well-prepa red

for this development with our modern ma-chinery.”

Quick Changeover Times Are EssentialIn the four-color segment, the average print run per book (both hardcover and softcov-er production) last year was exactly 4,294 copies with an average of 145 pages. In sin-gle color printing, the average print run is

almost half of that: 2,263 copies with an av-erage of 233 pages. Projected over a year, these add up to over 15 million books – featuring roughly 4,000 book titles.

The print runs can go as low as 200 cop-ies for textbooks and as high as 70,000 (hardcover) or 120,000 (softcover) copies for bestsellers. In order to produce these averages economically, quick changeover

Trond Erik Isaksen, Founder of Livonia Print (left): “The Diamant is in many ways far ahead of its competitors.” Middle: Bindery Manager Zigmunds Saulitis, right: Piotr Skarbek-Kozietulski, Area Sales Manager Muller Martini Poland.


Well Prepared for Shorter Print Runs Thanks to Modern Machinery In order to ensure efficient, automatic pro-

duction of thread-sewn brochures and book blocks, Muller Martini can connect up to three Ventura MC book sewing ma-chines into the VenturaConnect integrated book sewing system. This is an impressive-ly simple and efficient solution with which production costs for thread-sewn products can be significantly reduced. The sig-natures are gathered, stacked and sub-sequently processed into thread-sewn

book blocks – and all that in a single proce-dure.

The Connect system, of which Livonia Print has two in operation in Riga, is de-signed in such a way that, in an initial ex-pansion step, it can be efficiently combined with a gathering machine and a book sew-ing machine. Thanks to the modular design from Muller Martini, it is possible to expand the system later on to two or three book sewing machines.

VenturaConnect Reduces Costs

The production costs for thread-sewn products can be significantly reduced thanks to the automation of processes and the related minimal staff requirement. The Connect system is designed to be flexible that both inline as well as offline individual runs of the book sewing machines are pos-sible. The buffer zone before each book sewing machine significantly increases the efficiency of the system.

Muller Martini can connect up to three book sewing machines into the VenturaConnect integrated system. Livonia Print has two such systems in operation.

times are essential. That is why Nordic's largest bookbinder has relied on systems from Muller Martini for producing its huge range of books and a slightly smaller amount of catalogs since its founding five years ago – this goes for both hardcover books (which make up 51 percent of their production volume) as well as softcover books (45 percent).

90 Percent Thread SewingThe company started out in 2007 with an Acoro A5 perfect binder (with a 16-station gathering machine, CrissCross, Merit S three-knife trimmer and a CB 12 book sta-cker), a Diamant 30 bookline, a Ventura book sewing machine and a BDM Compact

45 book case maker from Hörauf. A year la-ter, it added a VenturaConnect integrated book sewing system with two Venturas. Last year, Trond Erik Isaksen decided to start the third stage of investments.

It consists of an extensive Hardcover production line including a Diamant MC 60 bookline with Tandem headbanding stati-

on,a Merit S three-knife trimmer, two RPM spine pressing machines, a Collibri back-gluing machine, a cooling section with a cooling tower, an endsheet feeder and a fastbook feeder from Solema. Also, a se-cond book case maker (BDM Compact 60), a stand-alone Vesta jacketing machine as well as a second Connect system, with one

Two RPM spine pressing machines located in front and behind the Collibri backgluing machine contribute significantly to the high quality of the hardcover books produced on the Diamant MC 60 bookline.

1

2 3


Hardcover Production

18

According to Isaksen, the fact that the new machines at Livonia Print were run-ning at full capacity immediately after they were installed was not only due to his experienced machine operators. An important factor is also MMRemote from Muller Martini’s service package. “This solution is really convenient – particular-ly in the first phase after installation ,” says Isaksen. “The fact that MMRemote enables us to get in contact with Muller Martini quickly has two advantages for us. First, we receive help fast whenever we have a problem, which saves us time. Second, from a psychological standpoint, it is important for the ma-chine operators to know that they can contact the experts at Muller Martini Po-land or Bad Mergentheim at any time.”

MMRemote Provides Help Quickly

1 If necessary, as a trained printer and bookbinder, company owner Trond Erik Isaksen would be able to operate the Acoro A5 perfect binder installed in 2007 by himself.

2 Livonia Print produces book cases on two BDM Compact 45 and 60 . . .

3 . . . protective jackets are applied on a Vesta.

Ventura MC book sewing machine were added. Another Ventura MC will be atta-ched to this second book sewing system this year, as 90 percent of Livonia Print’s softcover and hardcover products are thre-ad-sewn.

A Suitable MottoThe recent investments in machinery were a result of Livonia’s high growth rate as il-lustrated here in three figures:

the Morning’ – the handling, workflow and logistics of the integrated system has im-proved even more.”

Ideally PositionedAs the machine operators benefited from the experience of working with the previ-ous models, Livonia Print began producing on the new systems practically the first day after installation. “The Diamant MC 60,” says Isaksen, “is running at peak perfor-mance for 90 percent of the books we pro-duce.”

This high level of productivity enables Li-vonia to offer attractive conditions, even for smaller jobs, to its customers, most of whom are from the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Den-mark – including 200 of their regular cus-tomers. That is why Isaksen can look to the future with confidence: “With our new, smarter generation of machines that offers us a high level of flexibility, we are ideally positioned as a reliable partner for our cus-tomers.”

www.livoniaprint.lv

E Between 2007 and 2011, revenues in-creased by a factor of 13. “You can see,” Isaksen tells “Panorama” with a grin, “our company is an excellent example of Muller Martini’s motto ‘Grow with us.’ from the drupa 2008.”

E During the same period, the number of employees rose from 50 to 250 – nota bene with a very low turnover of four percent, which speaks for the high sat-isfaction of the employees, who are paid significantly higher than in other graphic arts businesses in Latvia.

E Instead of two printing presses five years ago, now six of them run in three shifts.

According to Isaksen, Livonia Print again chose the same machine manufac-turer, “because Muller Martini has offered us excellent support from the start and, we have established a genuine partnership.”

Technologically Far AheadThe trained printer and bookbinder always takes a critical look at the technology. Pri-or to founding Livonia Print he had his products printed in Latvia as an independ-ent entrepreneur selling them in Scandi-navia. “Of course we looked at other booklines,” says Isaksen. “but clearly, the Diamant MC is in many ways technologi-cally superior to its competition.”

Regarding the new VenturaConnect system the owner of the company makes a musical comparison: “It is like with Rog-er Whittaker’s famous song ‘New World in


MMServices

19

High Automation Is Needed for Ultra-short Print Runs of Photo Books

A higher level of automation, a wider range of sizes, fast changeover times – posterXXL

in Munich has recently started producing photo books on a Diamant MC 35 Hybrid bookline

and a Pantera perfect binder from Muller Martini. The service module MMRemote Online

considerably helps both systems to maintain a high level of availability.

E When clicking through posterXXL’s website or paging through its 100-page product catalog, you will find no less than 6,000 different configurations for posters, books and other materials. “When we started out, we wanted to be a photo ser-vice provider, and we are now on our way to becoming a service provider for individ-

ualization covering the entire spectrum,” says Christian Schnagl, founder and Chair-man of posterXXL. For some time now, the company has been expanding from just posters, which was its specialty when it was founded in 2004, to more diversified products such as calendars, canvasses, cards, wallpapers, flags, puzzles, decora-

tions, bags, mugs, pillows and stuffed ani-mals with photos.

A Wide Range of Products“A photograph is an emotional product,” says Christian Schnagl. This is especially important with the still growing market of photo books and the increasing spread of

Founder Christian Schnagl (right) and posterXXL are on their way to becoming a service provider for individualization covering the entire spec-trum. Next to Christian Schnagl (from the right): Franz Josef Grünberger (Operations Manager),

Maximilian Mittermeier (Assistant to Company Management), Thomas Schmidt (Sales Repre-sentative of Muller Martini Germany), Michael Roloff (Customer Service Representative from Muller Martini Book Technology GmbH).

MMServices


digital cameras, since photo books make up a significant – double-digit – percentage of posterXXL’s revenues. Just as with the rest of their product range, the photo books from posterXXL are characterized by wide product variability.

Hardcover products with windows, leather and cloth cases, or genuine photo books (digitally lithographed instead of printed) are produced in Munich as well as softcover photo books with ring binding or felt cover ones with individualized embroi-dered text. The sizes range from A6 to A3 and rectangular sizes from 14 x 14 up to 30 x 30 cm.

50 Percent with One-off Print RunsAlmost half of the photo books are pro-duced by posterXXL in just one copy – which shows how important it is to have smooth production processes. The Munich photo service provider has relied for sever-al months on a combined solution from

Muller Martini with a Diamant MC 35 Hybrid bookline and a Pantera perfect bind-er. Apart from the high level of automation, a wide range of sizes, fast changeover times, there was another deciding factor for choosing the bookline from Muller Mar-tini, according to Christian Schnagl: “The Diamant MC 35 Hybrid provides us with a high level of security in cover/content matching. It would be a disaster if we were to deliver photo books with the wrong con-tent to our customers.”

One-Stop SolutionIn addition, the Diamant MC 35 Hybrid and the Pantera, which is used to produce soft-cover books and also book blocks for the bookline, complement each other perfect-ly. “We wanted a one-stop solution,” says Operations Manager Franz Josef Grün-berger, “and for us that means having the right machines at the right time.” Both sys-tems, with which posterXXL has ventured

into uncharted technological territory, are in the optimization phase. “However, toge-ther with the technicians from Muller Mar-tini, we look for and find again and again the right solutions for our demanding pro-duction processes,” underscores Maximi-lian Mittermeier, Assistant to Company Management.

Individual Customers and CooperationCurrently, posterXXL produces exclusively photo books on the Diamant MC 35 Hybrid and the Pantera – . the emphasis is on “cur-rently”. As Christian Schnagl puts it: “Our plans are still open in this respect ,” which shows that an innovative company is al-ways on the lookout for new (print) prod-ucts. “Stop by a year from now,” the head of the company told “Panorama”, “and everything will look quite different once again.”

For example, posterXXL has many indi-vidual customers who order their photo

The Diamant MC 35 Hybrid bookline provides posterXXL with a high level of security in cover/content matching, preventing deliveries of photo books with the wrong book cases.


books on the Internet. However, the com-pany, which receives an average of 5,000 orders per day, has been working with sev-eral renowned cooperation partners, such as Disney, Lego, Punica, TUI or Alex Spring-er featuring the magazines “Auto Bild”, “Sport Bild” und “Computer Bild”, for some time now. In addition, approximate-ly 3,000 retailers, most of which are locat-ed in Germany and including many photog-raphy businesses, sell products ordered from posterXXL under their own label and on their own account.

The Next Revolution Is ComingposterXXL, which uses four HP Indigo dig-ital systems for printing, generates around two thirds of its revenues in Germany. For the company, which also won first place in the 2009 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award, exports are gaining in importance. That is why posterXXL took the step to en-ter new markets abroad several years ago, starting up websites in Austria, Great Brit-

The Online Pioneer Relies on MMRemote Online

Half of posterXXL’s annual revenues are generated in the fourth quarter – that is, during the attractive Christmas shopping season. During this hectic time, the com-pany’s daily production volume increases up to five-fold compared to the rest of the year. “You can imagine just how important a high level of availability of the machines is, precisely during this important phase,” comments the company director Christian Schnagl. “Customers want a solution; they’re not interested in the technological aspect.”

That is why posterXXL has relied on the MMRemote Online module from Muller Mar-tini’s extensive range of services, with tel-ephone conferences, webcams, online analyses and 24/7 support since the very day the Diamant MC 35 Hybrid and Pantera

were installed. “We are ourselves an online company,” says Schnagl. “It was clear to us from the very beginning that just as with the manufacturers of our other machines, we chose Muller Martini because we need-ed a networked services solution.”

For Operations Manager Franz Josef Grünberger, MMRemote is “a great tool for finding where the errors are – especially in peak times. Just as our customers’ expec-tations have increased with regard to the shortest possible delivery times, we also have higher expectations towards the machine manufacturers when problems arise.”

posterXXL is permanently linked to Mul-ler Martini via MMRemote Online, and not only in times of trouble. “We have all our cards on the table,” says Christian Schnagl.

For the digital printing pioneer, there is no doubt: The future of an optimized service lies in the full networking between custom-ers and the machine manufacturers as well as the ability of the machine manufacturer to take action proactively. “That is how we will receive more information on the ma-chines and our time frames for produc-tion.”

Equally important for Franz Josef Grün-berger are the specific training programs for personnel enabling them to solve small-er problems on the machines themselves. “Precisely in an innovative and creative company such as ours, you need to keep improving, and show interest in technolog-ical advances and team spirit – that is typi-cal for the age of the Internet.”

ain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States as well as opening its own production plant in New York.

It comes as no surprise that the number of employees in recent years has increased to 250 . “However, our turnover has grown faster than the number of employees,” comments Christian Schnagl with pride. “Thanks to higher automation, we have systematically increased our productivity –

which is necessary given the strong com-petition.”

This aspect of productivity should gain more importance in the future according to Christian Schnagl: “If inkjet printing catch-es on, we will experience another digital revolution, which will lead to slashing pric-es, making inline solutions a must.”

www.posterXXL.de

Together with the Diamant MC 35 Hybrid bookline, the Pantera perfect binder (industry book binding expert Richard Matthes, Head of Book Binding seen here at the touch screen) offers a one-stop solution.


Interview with Romi Vohra and P. R. Lakshminarayanan

22

“Greater Automation Needed at Many Indian Printing Plants”

In addition to India’s strong population growth rate, the government’s considerable

efforts in the field of education are contributing greatly to the boom of the graphic arts

industry in India. Romi Vohra, managing director at Repro India Ltd., headquartered

in Mumbai, and P. R. Lakshminarayanan, managing director at Muller Martini India,

believe that their industry will continue to grow in the coming years in a similar fashion.

E “Panorama”: India’s graphic arts in-dustry, unlike that of many Western in-dustrialized nations, has been recording annual growth of around 12 percent for some time now. What lies behind this welcome development in your country?Romi Vohra: High population growth is contributing greatly to the increasing print volumes. More people also means more readers. Second, and this is of significant-ly greater importance for our industry, due to the considerable efforts of our govern-ment in the field of education the demand for textbooks and learning materials is in-creasing. Approximately a half of all Indi-ans are aged fewer than 24. That gives you some idea of the massive demand for books at all levels of education!

Is this growth distributed evenly throughout all segments of the graphic arts industry, or are certain print prod-ucts benefiting more than others?Romi Vohra: The book market for schools and universities, which I am very familiar with, is undoubtedly the most important pillar of India’s graphic arts industry. In light of the great challenges in education in India, that will remain the case for some time.

Brazil, Russia, India and China are com-monly referred to as the BRIC countries. According to prominent economists, the four emerging markets can overtake

“Panorama” Interview Series BRIC Countries

the seven most important industrial na-tions (G7) in two decades. Parallel to a healthy economy and a high level of dy-namic economic growth, the graphic

P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Daily newspa-pers are also recording strong growth. On the other hand, stand-alone consumer magazines are somewhat stagnant in India. There is an increasing number of titles, but the print runs are generally decreasing, with the result that the total quantity of magazines is barely changing.

Looking to the future, are you expecting the graphic arts industry in India to re-port similar growth over the next few years?Romi Vohra: I do not anticipate that the boom will tail off in the coming years. The thirst of young Indians for more education is too great for that. Our company’s figures are indicative of that: in 2010 our turnover grew by 30 percent, and 35 percent in 2011. We are anticipating growth of 30 to 35 percent again this year.P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Since 2004, the Government of India has been collecting a special tax called “education cess” of 3 percent towards education. From those massive revenues, a lot of money is also flowing into the printing industry. More print products for students means that more Indians have a higher level of educa-tion and better paid jobs. That makes a more attractive target audience for adver-

tising – a spiral effect that has positive re-sults for our industry.

How important are exports to the Indi-an printing industry?Romi Vohra: Exports really are a great op-portunity for our industry. That will remain the case, provided that Indian printing houses can better combine their strengths. That is why Repro launched the “Book City” project. Together with other firms, we would like to create specialists for certain products and production processes, such as higher automation, on the present het-erogeneous market. Everyone should play

“The book market for schools and universities is undoubtedly the most important pillar of India’s graphic arts industry.” Romi Vohra


dominantly capacity adjustments or are they also motivated by the desire to modernize production systems?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Both factors are driving the investments. Expansions are generally to cater to increased print vol-umes and modernization due to relative scarcity and resultant higher wages for skilled labor.

What is the situation with regard to the production machinery of medium to large-sized Indian printing houses and finishing companies?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: The spectrum is very wide. Only a few large companies, however, have the necessary cash flow to be able to afford the most modern, highly automated equipment. That is why many medium-sized and also smaller printing houses are investing in secondhand ma-chines. That holds opportunities for Muller Martini India. We often install and service these older machines. By doing so we cre-ate a relationship with the customer that one day will result in the purchase of new systems.

In the past three years, 325 new print-ing houses have sprung up in India, and similar growth is anticipated in 2012.

What effect does the increase in print-ing houses have on finishing?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Finishing has undoubtedly gained in importance. Many (new) customers of Muller Martini India who have invested in printing presses come to us later because they would like to finish larger volumes automatically. Since many such companies previously per-formed the entire finishing process by hand, the new machines often come from the entry-level or middle performance seg-ment. Then would you say that print finishing will continue to gain importance in the coming years? Romi Vohra: There is no doubt about it in my opinion. Higher automation is needed at many Indian printing houses, as I men-

arts industry is flourishing in all four countries – for “Panorama”, the aim of an interview series is to take a look be-hind the scenes at printing houses and

finishing businesses in the BRIC coun-tries. See Panorama 2/2011 (Brazil) and 3/2011 (China).

They know India's graphic arts industry like the back of their hand: Romi Vohra (right), managing director at Repro India Ltd., and P. R. Lakshminarayanan, managing director at Muller Martini India. E Between 2006 and 2011, the graphic arts

industry in India grew by an amazing 73 per-cent.

E In 2011, the graphic arts industry in India had a turnover of 21 billion US dollars.

E India’s printing houses print 10 million tons of paper per year. As a result, the Indian pa-per industry shows an annual growth rate of 8 percent.

E There are 250,000 printing presses in India – among these 75 percent have either one or two printing units, nearly 30,000 are large format machines.

E Almost 80 percent of all Indian printing houses are family-run businesses.

E In India, 2,200 graphic arts businesses pro-duce 1.3 billion softcover books per year.

E Every year, 90,000 new books are issued in India by 19,000 different publishers.

E The total daily circulation of all 8,000 Indian daily newspapers is 107 million copies.

E According to a survey, leading representa-tives in the graphic arts industry expect an-nual growth rates of over 35 percent for dig-ital printing, over 20 percent for large size printing, over 15 percent for package print-ing as well as over 12 percent for both web offset printing and sheet-fed printing.

to their strengths on their market. By in-vesting in larger equipment on the basis of cooperation arrangements, we can strengthen our position in the export busi-ness.P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Exports have grown continuously in the past few years. Indian printing houses have also recently discovered Africa in particular as an attrac-tive growth market. However, logistics and increasingly tight timeframes will pose a growing challenge to Indian companies. That is why many companies are setting up their new production facilities to the vicin-ity of the larger ports.

In parallel with the growth of the graph-ic arts industry, companies have also significantly increased their invest-ments in production machinery over the past few years. Are these increases pre-

Facts and Figures about the Printing Market in India


tioned earlier in connection with the coun-try’s export opportunities. We have many modern printing presses in India, but print finishing needs to reach the same high technological level.

What role do wage costs play in the in-creasing automation?Romi Vohra: Salaries are one aspect. To re-main an attractive partner to our foreign customers ensuring shorter delivery is much more important. P. R. Lakshminarayanan: It is true that wage costs are rising in India in parallel with economic growth. Since it is increas-ingly difficult to find qualified machine op-

erators in the graphic arts industry, they do not come cheap.

How important are finishing processes (keywords: finishing, inserts, glued-in inserts) in the production of print prod-ucts? P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Making print products more attractive has recently in-creased slightly in importance. However, since these processes can be performed by unqualified, and therefore inexpensive, workers, they are mostly done by hand. That is why there are few card gluers in use in India, for instance.

As you mentioned, daily newspapers are booming in India, unlike in many Western industrialized countries. Some 107 million copies are sold daily, ac-counting for 20 percent of world pro-duction. What makes the Indian dailies so strong?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: In addition to the strong population growth, it is predomi-nantly low prices that explain this great in-

Interview with Romi Vohra and P. R. Lakshminarayanan

P. R. Lakshminarayanan: “Thanks to our local presence, we are very close to our customers”“Panorama”: Mr. Lakshminarayanan, the graphic arts industry in your country has been enjoying very high growth for years now. What does that mean for Muller Mar-tini India?P. R. Lakshminarayanan, managing director at Muller Martini India: It is true that the graphic arts industry in India has grown at a continuously high rate over the past decade. However, owing to the capital-intensive nature of our industry, there have been ups and downs with regard to investments. The great challenge for Muller Martini India is to serve the market and our customers optimally during both the up and down periods.

Which segments in particular have experi-enced growth in the past few years?All business divisions of Muller Martini have ex-perienced growth. However, growth has been particularly high in the areas of newspaper mailroom systems and hardcover and soft - cover production.

In your eyes, what is the reason for Muller Martini’s huge success in India?Thanks to our local presence, we are very close to customers despite the size of the country. Such close partnership based on proximity to customers, coupled with great confidence in the Muller Martini brand, gives graphic arts companies a strong sense of comfort.

With a population of 1.2 billion and a sur-face area of 3.3 million square kilometers, India is a huge country. How do you guaran-tee service and delivery of spare parts to such a widely spread customer base?Several years ago we set up local support cent-ers in the most important cities. Although we have centralized our spare parts service at our headquarters in New Delhi, we have steadily in-creased the inventory of spare parts at those lo-cal support centers according to the machines installed in the given area. It is said that “the salesman sells the first machine, and then the service sells the next!” That is why we – using

the big advantages of the Muller Martini service package MMServices – will continue to place great emphasis on service.

crease. More and more Indians can afford to buy a daily paper. A second and third daily newspaper is also quite common. At newsstands they cost between 3 and 5 ru-pees (6 to 10 US cents), while a monthly subscription with door delivery costs just 100 to 150 rupees (2 to 3 dollars). Howev-er, these low prices also have a downside, which is not without its risks. Because newspaper publishers depend heavily with about 70 % coming from advertising reve-nues, in an economic slump, that would have disastrous consequences.

What is the situation with regard to in-serts in such newspapers? P. R. Lakshminarayanan: They are (yet) nowhere near as popular as in other coun-tries. The number of inserts has increased significantly in recent years, but for many newspaper companies it is still more eco-nomical to have them inserted by hand. That job is usually performed by the hawk-ers directly at distribution points. That is why there are still few inserting machines in India.

P. R. Lakshminarayanan: “We place great emphasis on service.”

“Print finishing needs to reach the same high technological level like printing presses.” Romi Vohra


Do you believe there is great potential in that field?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Yes, certainly, since magazines or semi-commercials are increasingly delivered free as inserts to make newspapers more attractive. That business model is relatively new in India and will increase in importance in the com-ing years.

Are you anticipating unabated growth of newspapers in the coming years?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: I am convinced that newspaper print runs, especially those of non-English language in tier-II towns and cities, will increase in a similar fashion in the next few years.

With 90,000 new titles and a total of 1.3 billion softcover books produced annu-ally, the letterpress figures are also im-pressive. Are you anticipating similar growth in this segment to that of news-papers?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: Yes, the number of books will increase to a similar extent. There will be increasing focus on automa-tion for hardcover production. I am expect-ing that more and more companies will switch from working by hand to machine production. That will enable them to satis-fy the increasing demands of both the do-mestic market and the export market in terms of quality and production speed.

What role does package printing play in India?P. R. Lakshminarayanan: The growth rate in package printing is double the average for India’s traditional printing industry. For Muller Martini, in India, this is largely an un-

explored segment but potential will be huge when the printers will want higher print quality of packaging products.

In the last three years digital printing in India grew by 25.8 percent per year. How important are digital print products in India today?Romi Vohra: To be honest, for us this busi-ness segment has been disappointing so far. We purchased a digital printing press four years ago, but the volume of orders has not lived up to our expectations at the time. It is true that we produce our text-books predominantly for the government and are not in open competition. However, colleagues in other printing segments also report that they have not yet achieved a breakthrough in the field of digital printing, either.P. R. Lakshminarayanan: We need to take a nuanced view of the digital printing busi-ness in India. It is still mainly smaller print shops that are successful in this segment, which is why the investments also tend to be smaller. However, it is only a matter of time before a greater number of larger companies jump on the digital bandwag-on.

How strong is the competition from electronic media (for example e-books) in India today?Romi Vohra: In the field of textbooks, which is our strength that is unlikely to be an issue for many years. The experiences of my colleagues in the industry also show that the runs of print products are not suf-fering because of e-media.

Mr. Vohra, the drupa is not long off. Will you be flying to Düsseldorf?Romi Vohra: Naturally. I have attended five drupas since 1990 and the long journey was worth it every time. This year we will fly 18 people from our company to Düssel-dorf to see the innovations live at the many stands during the three to four days. We are expecting, in particular, that machine manufacturers will also show us simple so-lutions enabling us to produce more cost-effectively.

“More and more Indians can afford to buy a daily paper. A second and third daily newspaper is also quite common.” P. R. Lakshminarayanan

Repro produces 500,000 books – per day!

With roughly half a million books a day, Re-pro India Ltd. is one of India’s leading book manufacturers. Some 80 percent or more are books for schools and universities. Re-pro prints these for various publishers, who in turn are contracted by the government. Some titles have print runs of as many as a million copies, although the number of cop-ies typically ranges between 10,000 and 35,000.

The company, which employs 800 peo-ple at its three factories in Mumbai (where it has its headquarters), Chennai and Surat, has been relying on Muller Martini systems for perfect binding and saddle stitching since it was founded in 1993. Its most recent investment was an Acoro A5 perfect binder in 2009.

In order to improve the export prospects of India’s entire graphic arts industry, Repro launched the “Book City” project that in-volves combining forces with printing hous-es (see adjacent interview). “Together with other firms, we would like to produce spe-cialists for certain products and production processes on the present heterogeneous market,” says managing director Romi Vohra. “Everyone should play to their strengths on their market. By investing in larger equipment on the basis of coopera-tion arrangements, we can strengthen our position in the export business.”

Romi Vohra launched the forward-looking “Book City” project.

News from Muller Martini

26 Muller Martini Panorama Spring 2012

Leading Packaging Producer in the United States Chooses to Invest in a Second VSOP 520

Muller Martini and Sitma Seal Partnership

The Muller Martini VSOP web offset printing press is ideal for printing flexible packaging, la-bels, films and cardboard. That is why Belmark, Inc., one of the leading packaging manufacturers in the United States, has installed a second VSOP 520 web offset

Similarly to the insertion busi-ness, the foil wrapping business is growing worldwide. Foils pro-vide a high level of protection during transport, ensuring that print products reach readers to-gether with all inserts, gadgets and vouchers in a compact form and in immaculate condition. Foils have also been proven to be better for the environment than paper wrapping.

In order to offer their custom-ers a wide range of inserting sys-tems and foil wrapping systems as well as comprehensive service support to ensure high availability of machines, Muller Martini and the Italian company Sitma, mar-ket leaders in the field of packag-ing and mailroom systems, have sealed a partnership. “Our coop-eration strengthens the supply of flexible production systems fea-turing intelligent automation,” say Felix Stirnimann from Muller

A First for Italy: Inline Finishing Line for Digitally Printed Books

Together with several partner companies, Muller Martini Italy showed how digitally printed books can be finished inline cost-effectively in short print runs during the well-visited three-day open house in Sesto San Gio-vanni. It was the first time that

a completely inline finishing line for digitally printed books was presented in Italy. The line pre-sented at the open house in Sesto San Giovanni close to Milan con-sisted of a unwinding system (for the rolls printed by HP) and a trimming system from Hunkeler,

Roughly 100 visitors from over 50 companies, including the most renowned graphic arts businesses in Italy, came to the open house of Muller Martini.

Belmark, Inc. has installed its second VSOP 520 web offset printing press.

From left to right: Lamberto Tassi (President of Sitma S.p.A.), Aris Ballestrazzi (President of Sitma Machinery S.p.A.), Felix Stirnimann (Muller Martini corporate management) and Alois Hochstrasser (Director of Muller Martini Marketing AG) seal the partnership between Muller Martini and Sitma.

an MBO folding machine, a Palamides collator, a Solema conveyor belt and a sub-line of Muller Martini SigmaLine with a SigmaBinder, SigmaTower and SigmaTrimmer.

“First, with these practical, fully integrated solutions we wanted to show how digitally printed books can be made cost-effectively in inline production even for short print runs – down to just one copy – and how easy it is to switch from one size to the next without interrupting production,” says Bernd Volken, Managing Director of Muller Martini Italy.

Second, according to Bernd Volken, the objective of the open house was to provide the visitors with more information on the in-dividual components of the inline system. “Many of our customers already have one or two ma-chines for digital processing – a folding machine, a perfect binder or a three-knife trimmer. We

wanted to show them how they can turn their existing systems into a complete line with a manageable investment.”

The topicality of the issue was demonstrated by the response to the open house. Roughly 100 visitors from over 50 companies, including the most prestigious graphic arts businesses in Italy, made their way to Sesto San Giovanni. The demonstration room from Muller Martini Italy was abuzz with activity on all three days. “We were positively surprised by the response to our event,” commented a visibly satisfied Bernd Volken.

In addition to the demonstra-tions from Muller Martini Italy, presentations on digital printing and digital print finishing were held. The numerous visitors also received detailed information on the various modules of Muller Martini’s MMServices division at one of the info booths.

printing press at its plant in Wisconsin.

Belmark, Inc. is one of the top names in the United States when it comes to the manufacture of high-quality labels, flexible pack-aging and folding boxes. The company supplies customers from many different industries, including producers of dairy products, candy, long-lasting consumer goods and animal feed.

According to Karl Schmidt, President and CEO of Belmark, Inc., the key factors behind the decision to purchase a second printing press from the VSOP se-ries included the quality and high level of automation. “We were very happy with the output of the first machine, and we have abso-lute faith in Muller Martini and its products. We are convinced that it will continue to provide out-standing support to us and our machines.”

Martini’s corporate management and Aris Ballestrazzi, president of Sitma Machinery S.p.A. “That provides our customers with high investment security and lets them optimize their equipment.”


A New Bolero Provides Future Professionals with Modern Perfect Binding Technology

A First for Italy: Inline Finishing Line for Digitally Printed Books

From left to right: Fritz Gödan (Senior Technical Instructor of the school), Ulrich Grossmann (mechanical service engineer at Muller Martini Germany), Peter Stein (Sales Manager at Muller Martini Germany) and Andreas Hack (Technical Instructor) in front of the new Bolero perfect binder at the Johannes Gutenberg School in Stuttgart.

The Johannes Gutenberg School in Stuttgart has installed a new Bolero perfect binder in its book-binding facilities in order to en-

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner Inaugurates Muller Martini Saddle Stitcher

Argentina’s President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Sebastián Maggio (CEO of Arcángel Maggio printing house) take a closer look at the final product, a magazine stitched on the Primera C140 saddle stitcher, at the Perfetto compensating stacker.

The Arcángel Maggio printing house in Buenos Aires has once again opted for the fully automat-ed Primera C140 saddle stitcher from Muller Martini. This impor-tant step for the graphic arts in-dustry in Argentina was honored by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner with her presence at the inauguration ceremony for the new machine. She demon-strated the importance of having an advanced graphic arts industry and pointed out Arcángel Mag-gio’s role in it. Cristina Kirchner also seeks to ensure that school textbooks used in Argentina are produced exclusively in the country. Of course, the Arcángel Maggio printing house can play an im portant part.

“With the Primera C140, we are heralding a new era in our company,” says CEO Sebastián Maggio. “We believe Argentina has enormous potential, parti-cularly in printing school text-

PVS: Two-Up Production Makes the Integro 300 the Unbeatable Option

From right to left: Horge Ciprian (Production Manager P.V.S.), Erich Romano (Managing Director P.V.S.), Reinhard Romano (Technical Director P.V.S.) and Gerhard Urban (Muller Martini Austria) upon acceptance of the Integro 300 at the Muller Martini plant in the Swiss city of Zofingen.

Prospekt Versand Service (P.V.S.) is investing in an Integro 300 inserting system from Muller Martini for its production plant in

140 Printing Specialists Visit the Muller Martini Training Center Presses in Maulburg

The highlight of the event at the Muller Martini Training Center Presses in Maulburg was the live demonstration of the VSOP web offset printing press.

The RadTech Conference 2011 in Basel, Switzerland, under the motto “UV/EB – Green Techno-logy for Innovation” offered par-ticipants the opportunity to make an excursion to Maulburg, Ger-many to view the Muller Martini Training Center Presses, where they were able to learn more about modern food packaging printing through practical examples.

The highlight of the event was the live demonstration of the VSOP (Variable Sleeve Offset Printing) web offset printing press, recently introduced by Muller Martini. The roughly 140 visitors were able to view firsthand how a bakery package was printed and the printing ink dried using an electron-beam hardening method.

The VSOP demonstration was accompanied by expert presenta-tions on various topics in the field

sure that its graduates are up to date on the latest perfect binding technology. Muller Martini systems have been used at this training institute for a long time. Several decades ago, the young ‘Gutenbergs’ learned by using a Rotorbinder RB 5, a Junior saddle stitcher and a book sewing ma-chine operated by a foot pedal, all from the Swiss machine manufacturer.

A Bolero perfect binder is the most recent addition to the school, which offers the latest in finishing technology with Muller Martini’s BravoPlus saddle stitcher commissioned in 2005 and a Venture book sewing ma-chine commissioned in 2008. “Not only must we provide our students with the highest quality in our production machinery, but we must also be able to show them the wide range of produc-tion options available today,” emphasizes Fritz Gödan.

books. We want to invest further in this area.” In a fiercely compet-itive market, it is particularly im-portant for Arcángel Maggio to stand out from its competitors.

Sopron in neighboring Hungary. The special construction of the new inserting system enables a net production of 50,000 copies per hour. P.V.S., with its head-quarters in Müllendorf, Austria, produces 1.5 million advertising brochures daily in Sopron.

“We already have seven BiLiner and two AlfaLiner ma-chines from Muller Martini in use, and have had excellent experiences with them over the years,” says Managing Director Erich Romano. The decisive factor for the new investment was a special construction from Muller Martini that enables P.V.S. to insert brochures, which often have just two inserts, on the Integro 300 in two-up production. “That enables net production of 50,000 copies per hour, which to the best of my knowledge is unbeatable on the market,” says Romano.

of web offset printing with EB drying methods. Dr. Andreas Hitzler, Head of Marketing and Sales at Muller Martini Printing Presses GmbH, presented the advantages of VSOP for printing labels, flexible packaging solu-tions and cardboard packaging.

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“Invest in Times of Boom, and You Will Profit in Times of Crisis”

At DPA Label Pack in Greece, the new Alprinta 52V by Muller Martini leads the way

for a completely new production plant in the most unlikely of times.

E The unique Greek printing house DPA Label Pack was founded in 1995 and spe-cializes in two very different but apparent-ly complementary fields of the printing in-dustry: large format digital printing and label converting. According to their latest strategic assessment, despite the current, economically turbulent climate, the filmic label and flexible packaging markets could prove most resilient and profitable.

The key was the highly innovative hybrid Alprinta 52V press. Its main feature, the in-finitely size-variable web offset printing ca-pability, gave DPA’s executive team the confidence to take a bold step into the fu-ture with the goal of breaking into these

new markets. They commissioned and in-stalled a seven-color, triple process press from Muller Martini in the middle of Greece’s largest economic recession.

New Plant in Corinth“Save up in good times, and then you will have the money when you need it,” goes an old German saying. For DPA Label Pack one could adapt this saying to “Invest in times of crisis, and you will be the first to see the return of the good times.”

This summer, the company will also be opening a completely new, generously de-signed, 2,500-m2 production plant on a greenfield land in Corinth, about 65 kilom-

eters from its current headquarters. The new Alprinta 52V along with a complete new finishing line (custom ordered for the production of adhesive labels, shrink-sleeve labels, wrap-around labels and flex-ible packaging), an HP Indigo digital offset printing press with a fully equipped ABG Digicom finishing line, and three further narrow web printing presses, will all be soon moved to the new plant.

Part of the Five-Year Plan“We look to make counter-cyclical invest-ments, and now is the best time for that,” says CEO Kostas Gikas. However, DPA would not have decided on the first Al-

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1 From left to right: Michael Diamantides (Strategic Development Manager at DPA), Kostas Gikas (CEO), Spyros Tatarakis (Production Manager) and Tina Papadimitriou (Managing Director of Muller Martini’s agent in Greece, Omnicom S.A.) in front of the new Alprinta 52V infinitely size- variable web offset printing press.

2 DPA produces predominately for the Greek market; however, an increase in exports is one of the company’s strategic objectives.

3 The labels printed on the Alprinta 52V are in part finished on web trimmers and delivered to the customers on narrow rolls.

4 Three printing processes in one machine: the Alprinta 52V has a flexo printing and gravure unit in addition to five web offset press units.

printa 52V to be commissioned in Greece, if the company had not been convinced of the positive future prospects it would pro-vide in general and for their entry into the filmic labels and flexible packaging mar-kets in particular.

DPA has been supplying its predomi-nantly Greek customers – including sever-al subsidiaries of global players – with (self-adhesive) labels for seven years. However, with the new web offset printing press, the Greek label pioneer is taking an important step forward and now also prints roll labels on mono foils (wrap-arounds) and shrink sleeves.

According to Michael Diamantides, Vice CEO and Strategic Development Manager, “the Alprinta 52V is part of a five-year plan for penetrating these new markets with the

goal of becoming Greek market leaders and also for achieving a strong strategic position in certain markets. Building on our know-how and expertise, our plan is to im-prove the Alprinta’ s ability to print on pa-per, adhesive and film stock for all applica-ble markets including food, dairy, soft drinks/water/beverage, cosmetics, deter-gents, lubricants and pharmaceutical. This way, we can gradually develop new prod-uct lines such as filmic labels (shrink-sleeve and wrap-around), foil lids, paper instruc-tion leaflets, paper (wet-glue) labels, IML and flexible packaging.”

Handy Format ChangeThat print runs in the Greek market are mostly in the small to medium range, and can go as low as 1,500 running meters was one of the reasons DPA chose the Alprinta 52V. “A quick Make Ready system and low workflow costs from pre-press to the print-ing press are two important factors in our job sizes for cost-effective production,” emphasizes Production Manager Spyros Tatarakis. Three Processes in One MachineWhat’s more, the Alprinta 52V commis-sioned in last September features a flexo printing and gravure unit in addition to five web offset press units. “This enables us to have three printing processes in one ma-chine. We are currently expanding our ex-pertise in each method as well as in the skillful combination of the three in order to fully benefit from the Alprinta’s flexibility and produce premium-quality and cost-ef-fective solutions for our customers,” Kos-tas Gikas says. This is because the Alprinta V processes a wide range of printable sub-

strates, from paper to films and compos-ites.

In several reference visits and during the testing of their own products at the Muller Martini Training Center Presses in Maul-burg, Germany, the DPA executives could see for themselves how quickly the Al-printa 52V can be changed over from one job to the next. “We are now experiencing the same quick changeovers in our daily production, which in combination with the Alprinta’s generous 52" width and ex-tremely productive speed of 300 m/min give us the ability to cater for virtually all production runs from small to large”, Kos-tas Gikas points out.

The Objective Is to Increase ExportsKostas Gikas, who oversees 42 DPA em-ployees, lists two additional advantages of the new machine: “First, it is very easy to operate and second, it exhibits a consist-ently stable and high printing quality – even with large print volumes.”

There should be more of this in the fu-ture, for the innovative printing house’s five-year plan includes an increase in ex-ports. Michael Diamantides comments that “We have set a strategic plan which is spearheaded by Muller Martini’s Hybrid Virtual Offset printing technology coupled with the expertise, creativity, commitment, and team-work of the people of DPA. We are confident that our reputation for value, service, quality and unique solutions will precede us, and many serious companies, including those from neighboring coun-tries, will soon become interested in what we have to offer.”

www.DPAhellas.gr

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Conquering New Markets with the Concepta

Entering new markets and shifting print products towards web offset printing – with the

investment in a Concepta from Muller Martini, the large printing house OTK in the Czech

town of Kolin has expanded the range of products offered to its customers.

E Classic business forms printed pre-dominantly for the domestic market still ac-count for 90 % of the volume in forms, one of the four business divisions at OTK. “However, it is our declared aim to conquer new markets with the help of the new Con-cepta,” said Rostislav Šoukal, director of the division in question.

One way to do that is with marketing products involving lottery coupons for ad-

Concept with eight printing units and a Pro-gress with four printing units. With the new machine OTK is to launch new products in new market segments. Its second goal is to shift print products from the three other OTK divisions, namely flexible packaging (the company’s most important division), paper labels and self-adhesive labels, to-wards web offset printing. For in addition to the new Concepta from Muller Martini,

vertising campaigns, such as those recent-ly printed by OTK for a world-famous res-taurant chain. That played an important part in OTK's choice of a Q74 cross cutter with a Unistack 2000 stacker for inline print finishing to support the Concepta.

Progress, Concept, ConceptaThe new Concepta is the third press from Muller Martini. In addition OTK also has a

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OTK also has several rotogravure, flexo and sheet-fed offset printing presses.

Increase in Foil PrintingWith the news Concepta OTK has its sights set on two product extensions. First, the company, which was founded in 1879 and employs 455 people, is now in the position to print foils, whereas in the past, its oper-ations were limited to printing (paper) la-bels only. Second, OTK is also now able to print in-mould labels.

“The foodstuffs industry will gain in im-portance for the printing industry, includ-ing us,” said Šoukal. “That’s why it is im-portant that we can print on a wide range of materials and take even greater advan-tage of our company’s ability to react flex-ibly to the requirements of our customers.”

Finding Creative Solutions in Tandem with Customers OTK has both a special department for in-novations and a strong design department. “In the future it will be even more impor-tant to come up with creative solutions in tandem with our customers,” said Šoukal.

Such future perspectives contributed decisively to OTK’s choice of the Concep-ta, which can be used across the board. “While our Concept, which was commis-sioned seven years ago, continues to work excellently, with an eye to new markets, we were keen to invest in an additional high-

1 OTK is also printing innovative marketing products in increasing numbers on the new Concepta in the best quality, as Division Director Rostislav Šoukal (left) and Lubos Kunze, Managing Director of Martini Muller in the Czech Republic, saw for themselves fresh from the press.

2 With the new Concepta web printing press, OTK is expanding into new markets . . .

3 . . . while the company predominantly prints business forms on the older Concept model from Martini Muller.

quality printing machine with extremely fast changeover times,” said Šoukal.

Demo Clinched the Decision…A fast “Make Ready” process and a good workflow with a CIP4-compliant connec-tion, which significantly reduces produc-tion waste, are especially important in view of the relatively low print runs produced for the domestic market. “Unlike rotogravure printing used to date, flexible web offset printing contributes considerably to opti-mizing costs in the case of smaller jobs,” the Division Director said.

It was the technological developments from the Concept to the Concepta, pre-sented during a demo at the Training Cent-er Presses in Maulburg, that clinched the large Czech printing house’s decision to go ahead with the investment. “That demo convinced us fully,” said Šoukal.

…Concepta Lives Up to its PromiseThe fact that setup times are low in daily practice contributes greatly to OTK’s high

level of satisfaction. Since the machine op-erators, after a short training on site, were able to transfer their considerable experi-ence with the Concept seamlessly to the Concepta, the new machine was ready to produce even at high speeds within a very short (learning) period.

www.otk.cz


Printing Presses

32

“New Applications for Shrink Sleeves Are Constantly Emerging”

Pago, located in the town of Grabs in eastern Switzerland and specializing in label printing and

labeling technology, seeks to increase its market share in shrink sleeves with the world’s first

VSOP 520 web offset printing press made by Muller Martini.

E Shrink film still only makes up a mod-est part of the printing volume at Pago, an internationally active company with pro-duction facilities and branches in Switzer-land, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Eng-land and Romania. However, it is the declared objective of the innovative print-ing house to successively increase its share in this growing market in the coming years.

For this reason, Pago has created a spe-cial strategic business unit called Sleeves, in addition to its six existing business units.

According to Manager and Vice-Director, Rolf Köppel, product designs are becoming more and more creative. “That is why new applications for shrink sleeves are con-stantly emerging in terms of form, color and design.”

The first VSOP from Muller MartiniIn order to utilize the full potential of the di-verse possibilities for decorative and pro-motional packaging – keywords “point of sale” and “360-degree labels” – Pago has

commissioned a VSOP 520 web offset printing press. It is not only the first VSOP printing press built by Muller Martini world-wide after obtaining the patent from Drent Göbel in 2009, but also the first web offset printing press and the first solution from Muller Martini in Pago’s 116 year history.

Previously, shrink sleeves were printed on narrow web flexo machines in Grabs. The new VSOP 520 provides Pago with many new possibilities in wrap-around pro-duction:

“New Applications for Shrink Sleeves Are Constantly Emerging”

PagO also Builds Labeling Systems

At the company’s headquarters in Grabs, where 400 employees work and 22 print-ing presses are in operation, Pago has been producing labeling systems for several dec-ades in addition to sleeves and self-adhe-sive labels. The market leader in labels gen-erates a fourth of its revenue in this business division. Pago is the world’s only internationally active system manufacturer that offers a complete range of solutions from a single source.

“As we not only print but also build ma-chines for the use of our print products, we are able to exploit a lot of synergies be-tween the two business divisions,” says Rolf Köppel, Head of the Sleeves Business Unit. In addition to installing the machines for the automatic application of self-adhe-sive labels for customers, Pago also has them in operation in Grabs. Given the smaller print runs with correspondingly larger variability of products for the Swiss market, many customers (particularly new ones) appreciate the fact that Pago, with its high level of expertise, delivers finished

products at attractive conditions. In order to ensure that not only the machines but also the labels are designed according to the latest technology, Pago has its own lab-oratory and a modern pre-press division with the corresponding software tools in Grabs. “This way, we can work together with advertising agencies to check the de-signs of the labels and ensure they ideally match the products,” says Rolf Köppel. “In our industry, innovations are just as important as close cooperation with custom-ers.”

That is why Pago not only provides its customers with complete solutions, but, under its Pagomedia label, also offers its own creative products in the promotion and information areas – for example, for multi-page and multi-layer labels as book-lets, leporello brochures and other formats. “We set the bar internationally for the high-quality decoration and functional use of products and labels,” underlines Fritz Beg-linger, CEO of the Pago Group, during the introduction of the company.


From left to right: Rolf Köppel (Vice Director and Head of the Sleeves Pago Business Unit), Bernd Dehm (Production Manager of the Sleeves Pago Business Unit), Roland Gautschi (Sales Manager of Muller Martini Switzerland) and Dr. Andreas Hitzler (Marketing and Sales Manager for Muller Martini Printing Presses) in front of the new VSOP 520 web offset printing press at Pago in Grabs.

E Better print quality, above all in fine screen processes.

E Higher production speeds of up to 365 meters per minute.

E Greater web widths of up to 520 millimeters.

E Higher level of reproduction reliability. Wider range of application.

“The VSOP is predestined for sleeves,” says Bernd Dehm, Production Manager of the Sleeves Business Unit, explaining the decision to invest in the machine. “It not only features great size variability and a high level of reproduction, but also quick set-up times. That is particularly important to us in Grabs because we often print rela-tively small runs for the Swiss market.”

Open House Underpins Customer BenefitsCustomers and partners from German-speaking countries, Pago’s main client base, were able to see for themselves the

advantages of the new printing presses at the company’s “Sleeve Day” open house in October 2011. “The event was a great success,” says Rolf Köppel. “Although we had only expected 50 visitors, 80 people showed up and we received a lot of posi-tive feedback.”

Apart from demonstrations on the ma-chines, Pago also organized five work-shops, one of which was dedicated to the topic of “shrink sleeves” that particularly received a lot of attention from the visitors. Bernd Dehm together with Dr. Andreas Hit-zler, Head of Marketing and Sales at Mul-ler Martini Printing Presses GmbH in Maul-burg, presented the customer benefits of the VSOP printing technology that is gain-ing importance especially in the food in-dustry.

good Teamwork between PagO and Muller MartiniThe joint open house appearance of Pago and Muller Martini was a further milestone

E More cost-effective production thanks

to reduced printing plate costs (see box on VSOP).

E The ability to combine several printing processes (offset/flexo/rotogravure).

In Grabs, Pago has its own labeling system in operation because many of its customers appreciate having finished products delivered to them.


The VSOP (Variable Sleeve Offset Printing) web offset printing press from Muller Mar-tini enables quick and simple size changes during offset printing. Sleeve technology allows print sizes to be changed easily without having to remove entire printing in-serts, meaning this process is not only quick and simple, but also exceptionally cost effective for print lengths that change frequently.

Plate and rubber blanket cylinders in the VSOP printing unit are designed as handy sleeves. The sleeves can be replaced man-ually in no time at all. Each sleeve axis has its own shaftless drive, which is why none of the gears need to be changed.

VSOP is a complete solution for a whole range of applications and can be used in the following markets:E Label printing: Roll labels made of

paper or film, shrink films, wet-glue labels, self-adhesive labels, in-mold labels.

VSOP: Easy Print Size Changes Thanks to Sleeve Technology

E Flexible package printing: Films, laminate, grocery packaging.

E Cardboard box printing: Folding boxes, drinks packaging.

Thanks to individual drives the printing length can be changed within a de- fined range without affecting the printing quality. The speed of the back-up roller is

adjusted for each of the printing units ensuring that complex materials such as aluminum, thin foils or very thick sub-strates can be printed on with register ac-curacy.

To maximize productivity, every print job can be prepared offline and while the ma-chine is running. A quick changeover sys-tem automatically enters the settings.

in the close cooperation the two compa-nies have maintained since Pago decided to invest in the VSOP. “Good teamwork for optimizing production is particularly impor-tant, because the VSOP is our first Muller Martini solution,” emphasizes Bernd De-hm. It is precisely in the two important as-pects of size variability and changeover times – which, according to Bernd Dehm, take half as long as with narrow web flexo machines – that the new printing press has fulfilled Pago’s expectations.

www.pago.com

Sleeve technology on the VSOP allows print sizes to be changed easily without having to remove entire printing inserts (Pago machine operator Severin Much pictured).

Pago machine operator Kenan Sehic checks the quality of the shrink sleeves printed on the VSOP.

Printing Presses


Saddle Stitching Systems

35

“Our Students Have to Be Up to Date on the Latest Technological Developments”

At its training center for

specialists in the graphic arts

industry in Jeddah, Saudi

Arabia, the government-run

Technical and Vocational

Training Corporation now

has a brand new Primera

C110 saddle stitching

machine from Muller

Martini.

E From pre-press, offset and digital print-ing to finishing, the over 40 machines in the recently established graphic arts institute in Jeddah are all equipped with the latest technology. Accordingly, there is a fast growing interest in the popular training center, one of four such institutions in Sau-di Arabia (with two others in the capital, Ri-yadh, and one in Damman). With the Tech-nical and Vocational Training Corporation, Saudi Arabia is pursuing its goal to be one of the global leaders in technical and voca-tional education.

“We need well-trained people”“Each year, the training center in Jeddah alone receives 200 applications from Sau-di Arabia for the three-year, parallel pro-gram, but we can only accommodate 70 trainees,” says Mohammed M. Alsoubae, Assistant Manager of Printing – this shows how popular the graphic arts industry is in Saudi Arabia. “Our industry needs well-trained people,” emphasizes Mohammed M. Alsoubae. “That is why our students have to be up to date on the latest techno-logical developments.”

This public institute, founded 35 years ago, has a correspondingly complex evalu-ation procedure for the new machines in its workshop. Before the Technical and Voca-tional Training Corporation chose the Prim-era C110 with four feeders, a cover feeder and a three-knife trimmer, representatives of the school had the opportunity to take a closer look at the saddle stitcher from Mul-ler Martini at several trade shows.

Arabic on the TouchscreenApart from the quick job changeover times, the various control systems and the mod-ular design of the unit, Mohammed M. Al-soubae and his colleagues were particular-ly impressed by the touchscreen that features the Arabic language. This presents a major advantage for the students.

“The many ideas provided by Jawad Mustapha Hachicho were extremely help-ful to us,” says Alsoubae. Hachicho, Gen-eral Manager of Muller Martini’s represen-tation in Saudi Arabia, Yousef Al Sanad Trading Est., is proud of the fact that the school chose the Primera C110: “For Muller Martini, this choice is particularly

Mohammed M. Alsoubae (left), Deputy Instructor of Printing at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation: “The graphic arts industry in Saudi Arabia needs well-trained people.” Right: Jawad Mustapha Hachicho, General Manager of Muller Martini’s representation in Saudi Arabia, Yousef Al Sanad Trading Est.

important because many graduates of the program go on to work in leading positions in the graphic arts industry in Saudi Ara-bia.”

www.tvtc.gov.sa

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36

At HeiRa, the Tempo is Increasing the Tempo: 1 Billion Stitchings in 15 Years!

E Average annual output in the last 15 years: 65 million. Highest monthly output: 7.905 million. Maximum output per day: 400,000. A peek into the “log book” of the first of the four Tempo lines currently in-stalled at HeiRa shows a very high number

High Availability for Many YearsThe fact that the high output line with eight feeders, a merchandise tipper, three-knife trimmer, a Robusto compensating stacker, and loading via a stream feeder or a Print-Roll continues to provide reliable service even 180 months after it had been commis-sioned is due to two main reasons, says Technical Manager, Peter Dickler: “First, we have upgraded or replaced a few of the machine’s components over the years – and I would call the annual maintenance costs at under 5 percent quite low. Second, our machine operators make their contri-bution by ensuring the machines constant-ly maintain their high level of availability by way of preventive measures. Only reliable machines in combination with regular

During this year’s drupa, a special kind of anniversary will be

celebrated for the first Tempo machine commissioned in the

spring of 1997 at HeiRa GmbH in Gernsheim, Germany, one of

the largest saddle stitching and finishing businesses in Europe.

15 years after its first “workday,” the high-performance system

from Muller Martini stitched its one billionth magazine.

of stitching jobs. “The tempo is like an all-in-one solution,” says company owner Klaus Heist. “I know of no other saddle stitcher that offers a better combination of speed and flexibility. This is an ideal ma-chine for our job structure.”

2 3


1 Company owner Klaus Heist (right): “As the first company to gain experience with the Tempo machine, we were able to get ahead of the competition in terms of know-how.” Peter Dickler, Technical Manager (middle), Reinhold Achtner, Branch Manager of Muller Martini Germany (left).

2 The Tempo machine, commissioned in 1997, stitches on average 65 million products per year.

3 As with the Tempo, HeiRa also conducted field tests with the Supra machine. Since being installed in 2004, the Supra has produced roughly 800 million products.

maintenance can enable us to keep pro-duction at a high level over many years.” In order to guarantee this, the necessary maintenance work is carried out on Satur-days when the production lines are not run-ning.

Tips from Users for the ManufacturersPeter Dickler was there as Europe’s first Tempo was installed as a field testing ma-chine in Gernsheim in the spring of 1997, and again for the then newly released Supra in 2004. He remembers the fruitful dialogue with Muller Martini technicians very well: “We gave the machine’s manu-facturer a lot of input and tips for improve-ments. And I can say that most of them have been implemented.”

Company executive Klaus Heist also has some very fond memories of that time: “As even back then, we believed that the future lay in high output saddle stitching, it was clear for us from the beginning that we wanted to participate in this field test. If you consider yourself innovative, you will want to stay on the cutting edge. As the first company to gain experience with the Tem-po machine, we were able to get ahead of the competition in terms of know-how. However, without technically-inclined peo-ple such as Peter Dickler and the motivat-ed machine operators at HeiRa, this would not have been possible.”

HeiRa: Up to 1,000 Palettes Every DayAs it was at that time and so it is today: the Tempo stitches between 240,000 and 400,000 consumer magazines, company catalogs and supplements every day. To-gether with three additional Tempo ma-chines and the Supra (which has produced almost 800 million products in eight years) the high performance pioneer facilitates an annual output of roughly 325 million prod-ucts. In peak times at HeiRa, that amounts to nearly 1,000 palettes with a total weight of 600 tons – per day!

Of course, our job structure has changed in recent years. “The added value has de-creased,” says Klaus Heist. “The products today have fewer print runs, page counts, supplements and cards.” Since finishers who only work on that one process take on a back-up function for the printing houses, a high level of flexibility is all the more im-portant to Klaus Heist. “Whoever is best equipped in this area has the best chances in these difficult times.”

www.heira.de

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38

(Commercial) Love at Second Sight

The Hochuli AG printing house

in Mutten (Switzerland) had

intended to invest in a second-

hand saddle stitcher. However,

after doing the sums again,

the company, which employs

ten people, decided on a

new Presto A90 from Muller

Martini.

E A Muller Martini JGV saddle stitcher had served the Hochuli AG printing house dependably for almost half a century (!). Rudolf Huser, managing director and, for 25 years, owner, was satisfied with the old-timer and its manufacturer throughout. “Muller Martini always gave us prompt support if a wear part was required.”

1 Martin Ryser (left), Print Finishing Team Leader and machine operator at the Hochuli printing house: “The various quality controls of the Presto A90 contribute greatly to perfect end products.” Richard Hofer (right), Sales Manager at Muller Martini Switzerland.

2+3 Martin Ryser appreciates the simple operation of the Presto A90 saddle stitcher and feeding at the ergonomically ideal height.

4 A Muller Martini JGV saddle stitcher served the Hochuli printing house for almost half a century.

5 The local events calendar, which is published in over 100 regional print runs, is an important pillar of the Hochuli printing house’s business.

Last-minute DecisionNevertheless, Huser decided to invest in a replacement because the signs of the ma-chine’s age were becoming more apparent and the Hochuli printing house requires high production reliability for its main prod-uct, the local events calendar (see text box), which has a print run of over a million cop-ies. In fact Huser first had his sights set on a second-hand solution.

“To tell the truth, the contract for a used Muller Martini saddle stitcher was virtually already signed,” says the printing house owner. Then at the last moment Huser opt-ed instead for a new Presto A90, which is essentially the entry-level saddle stitcher from Muller Martini.

On Closer Consideration…The saddle stitcher at the Hochuli printing house is only in use for around 500 hours per year, which means fewer than two and a half hours per workday. “As a full-service company we need our own saddle stitcher so that we have control over quality and

2 3

4

5


(Commercial) Love at Second Sight

deadlines, but given the relatively low op-erating time, it doesn’t seem to make busi-ness sense at first glance for a relatively small printing house like ours to invest in a new machine,” says Huser.

However, on closer consideration the sums look quite different. Although the new Presto A90 was somewhat more ex-pensive than the second-hand machine that Huser originally had his eye on, in the medium-term the investment makes sense for the company, says the owner of the printing house. “The depreciation of a new machine is much lower than that of a sec-ond-hand model,” Huser says.

Reliability, Quality, FlexibilityNot to mention the fact that the Hochuli printing house benefits from considerably higher production reliability, quality and flexibility with the Presto A90. All three as-pects are of great importance to the long-established company, which employs ten people.E Production reliability is important be-

cause it means that even large print runs can be stitched without any problems.

E Quality is important, “because our good reputation demands high-quality print finishing,” says Huser.

E Flexibility is important because delivery times are increasingly short. “Today we print and stitch 30,000 copies in two days, which earlier was unthinkable,” says the managing director.

Ergonomic FeedingWhat is more, the Presto A90 commis-sioned last July has a cover feeder in addi-tion to three twin feeders (with a total of six stations). Hochuli needs the cover feeder particularly for the local events calendar, which has a large print run. “The cover feeder is working excellently,” says the print finishing team leader and machine operator Martin Ryser. “The three-knife trimmer also provides significantly higher quality than the predecessor model.”

Although it took Ryser a certain time to adjust from the JGV to the Presto A90 and get used to the electronic components, op-erating the machine is really simple and feeding occurs at the ergonomically ideal height, he says. “The various quality con-trols function optimally and contribute greatly to perfect end products.”

www.hochulidruck.ch

1

2


Newspaper Mailroom Systems

40

“The Inserting Principle on the ProLiner is Brilliant”

As Heider Druck was reaching is capacity limits in inserting inserts in advertising magazines,

the family company in Bergisch Gladbach in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia

invested in a new ProLiner from Muller Martini. A decision that has already paid off has also

brought new customers to Heider Druck.

E On peak days, Heider Druck inserts roughly 1.8 million inserts. On such days, the mailroom of the family company in Ber-gisch Gladbach run by the fourth genera-tion of the family by the three brothers Gui-do, Roberto and Hans-Martin, is abuzz with activity. “All processes have to be optimal-ly interlinked so that we can distribute all the newspapers on time,” says Guido Hei-der.

The Insert Business Is Running WellIt was on the 18-hour, non-stop production days that Heider Druck reached its speed and capacity limits with its old inserting system from another manufacturer. In re-cent years, the number of inserts has in-creased steadily, and it continues to grow slightly even during these economically dif-ficult times.

“We have observed that inserts are en-joying increasing popularity over classic

advertisements in newspapers, since the individual products of furniture manufac-turers, home improvement stores and bev-erage suppliers attract more attention,” says Roberto Heider.

MPC Makes Everything EasierAfter several visits to other newspaper pro-ducers, Heider Druck decided on a ProLin-er inserting system with a main section feeder, 14 stations (four of which are load-ed by stream feeders), two NewsStack compensating stackers, a TABA F top sheet feeder as well as film wrapping and strap-ping stations. According to Guido and Rob-erto Heider, there was one factor in partic-ular during the evaluation of various models that tipped the balance in favor of Muller Martini’s solution: “The inserting principle of the ProLiner in which each insert is in-serted individually into the safely opened newspaper is simply brilliant.”

3

4


“The Inserting Principle on the ProLiner is Brilliant”

1 Both Managing Directors Roberto Heider (right) and Guido Heider (second from left) together with their father, Hans Heider, and Frank Skorna, Sales Representative for Muller Martini Germany, in front of the new ProLiner in the mailroom of Heider Druck in Bergisch Gladbach.

2 The packages move from the NewsStack compensating stacker to the TABA F top sheet feeder.

3 Magazines, annual reports and other commercial work are finished on a Prima saddle stitcher.

4 With the new ProLiner, Heider Druck has decidedly higher production stability in newspaper inserts.

On top that there are additional advan-tages according to both managing direc-tors, including the fact that the ProLiner’s modular design allows it to be expanded to fit any need, that the machine not only has a sturdy construction but also runs quietly (“compared to the previous model there is no comparison”), and that it is easy to op-erate thanks to the Mailroom Production Control (MPC) system from Muller Martini.

Higher Production StabilityMPC also provides Heider Druck with spe-cial services, since depending on the geo-marketing data, a newspaper must be pro-duced for up to 100 different zones, with up to 35 different inserts, some of which can weigh over 100 grams, per newspaper publication. “With the new machine we have a decidedly higher production stabili-ty, which is also what our customers want,” emphasizes Roberto Heider.

Speaking of customers: Since Heider Druck commissioned the ProLiner last Ju-ly, the company has gained several addi-tional jobs as a welcome consequence of the expansion in capacity. Today, the com-pany, founded in 1889 by Johann Heider and employing a staff of roughly 90, prints a wide range of weekly and monthly news-papers and advertisement magazines in broadsheet and tabloid formats. The small-est print run of the newspapers, which are mostly printed for external customers, is 5,500 copies, and the highest is over one million.

Wide Range of ProductsWhile inserts are mostly supplied to the company ready to be inserted, Heider prints, in addition to newspapers, numer-ous magazines, annual reports and other commercial work such as catalogs, adver-tising flyers and legal texts. The magazines

and brochures, which are mostly printed in runs of 2,000 to 30,000 copies, are finished on a Prima saddle stitcher from Muller Mar-tini that was commissioned 15 years ago. However, (local interest) books and novels published in-house by Joh. Heider Verlag GmbH or for other publishers are bound by a partner company.

With its wide range of products, of which newspapers make up the largest part, the Heider Druck GmbH is not only well-positioned but also delivers very high output, says Guido Heider. “As a company owned and operated by a family, we have narrow structures and short routes to be able to quickly react to our customers’ needs.”

www.heider-druck.de

1 2


Softcover Production

42

A Perfect Binder with the Fastest Changeover Times Was Needed

A new plant, its first PUR production line and a fast Make Ready – three reasons why Loire

Offset Titoulet in St. Etienne, France, invested in a new Bolero perfect binder from Muller

Martini.

E Patrick Titoulet, head of the finishing department at Loire Offset Titoulet, found-ed in 1921, is the third generation in the company’s management. Regarding the machinery of this family business, it is apt to use the term third generation, as Loire Offset Titoulet, in choosing a Bolero perfect binder, has installed its third machine from Muller Martini after a Pony Binder in 1963 and a Starbinder in 1993.

“Over the years, we have established an excellent relationship with Muller Martini,” says Patrick Titoulet. “That is why we re-mained true to the trusted manufacturer –

1 Patrick Titoulet (right), Head of Finishing at Loire Offset Titoulet: “The book spines on the Bolero are of excellent quality just as the fast and precise trimming on the Orbit.” Left: Philippe Michelon from Muller Martini France.

also as we had a very good experience when we installed an Acoro A7 seven years ago.”

A Replacement for the StarbinderThere are several reasons why Loire Offset Titoulet, which has 130 employees work-ing three shifts, invested in a new perfect binder. The first reason had to do with lo-cation. The company, which previously had two different plants for printing and finish-ing, opened a completely new 22,000 m2 production facility in the industrial area of St. Etienne in the middle of last year. All

production processes from pre-press to the mailroom are now all under one roof. “It was clear from the very beginning that we only wanted to move the Acoro, and not the Starbinder, to our new plant,” says Philippe Reymondier, Chairman of the Board.

PUR and a Fast Make ReadyThe second reason for choosing the new Bolero, which, as with all of Titoulet’s ma-chines, was delivered in red: Loire Offset Titoulet urgently needed a PUR solution for its softcover customers, most of which are

3 4


A Perfect Binder with the Fastest Changeover Times Was Needed

4 As part of the third generation of machines from Muller Martini, Loire Offset Titoulet also has a second Acoro A7 perfect binder.

2 Philippe Reymondier, Chairman of the Board at Loire Offset Titoulet: “As we supply a significantly large number of variations in diaries with ever smaller print runs per model, we needed a bookline with a higher output and above all with faster changeovers.”

In addition to softcover products, Loire Off-set Titoulet has also been specializing in di-aries for 15 years. The company produces half a million of its own calendars in St. Etienne every year, while in the area of soft-cover production Loire Offset Titoulet ex-clusively offers contract printing services. Despite the competition from digital calen-dars, this segment continually shows an upward trend. Loire Offset Titoulet exports roughly 20 percent to several African coun-tries where the company has many busi-ness clients.

New Diamant MC 35 for Diaries

bookline with a higher output and above all with faster changeover,” says Philippe Reymondier, Chairman of the Board, de-scribing the reasons behind this most re-cent investment. In addition to the new Di-amant, Loire Offset Titoulet will continue to produce diaries on the 15-year-old Bookline 500 from VBF.

In order to also provide optimal quality in this business segment, Loire Offset Ti-toulet will also commission a new Diamant MC 35 bookline from Muller Martini in a few weeks. For this family business, this al-so represents a generational leap in the ma-chinery for this segment. The Diamant will replace a Bookline 200 from VBF that Loire Offset Titoulet bought second-hand some time ago.

“As we supply a significantly large num-ber of variations in diaries with ever small-er print runs per model, we needed a

from France. The third reason: due to vary-ing print run structures – job orders for (text-)books, brochures, art reviews and magazines range from 500 to 150,000 cop-ies with an average of 10,000 copies – a perfect binder with the fastest changeover times was needed.

Excellent Book SpinesSpeaking of operating: As some of the ma-chine operators already had many years of

experience working with other machines from Muller Martini, the commissioning of the new Bolero line with an 18-station gathering machine, an Orbit three-knife trimmer, CB 18 book stacker, bundle film wrapper and shrinking machine and a Book Data Center BDC went smoothly. This quickly had a positive impact on the print products. Two aspects in particular caught Patrick Titoulet’s eye: “The book spines on the Bolero are of excellent quality just

as the fast and precise trimming on the Orbit.”

www.loireoffsettitoulet.com

3 On the new Bolero, Loire Offset Titoulet binds print runs between 500 and 150,000 copies.

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44

Three Success Factors: Short Time Slots, Good Prices, High Quality

(More than) full order books motivated H.R.G. tiskárna in Litomyšl, Czech Republic, last fall to

commission an Acoro A5 perfect binder from Muller Martini in addition to a new printing press.

Since then, they have received lots of positive feedback from customers.

1 H.R.G. Managing Director Leoš Tupec (middle): “Top-class technology, coupled with well-trained and highly motivated employees, ensures high quality and high productivity.” Production Manager Václav Loufek (left) and Lubos Kunze, Managing Director Muller Martini Czech Republic (right).

E What started as a one-man business in a garage in the center of Litomyšl’s histor-ic old city (see box) has grown, in just 23 years, into a model company today with 130 employees working three shifts. A company needs to have this size today, says Managing Director Leoš Tupec, in or-der to be successful in the equally compet-itive Czech market. “A company can only offer its customers short delivery times and attractive prices if it has the right size.”

High Quality and ProductivityShort time slots and attractive terms are two of the main reasons behind the mete-oric rise of H.R.G. tiskárna, which moved into new production facilities on the out-skirts of Litomyšl in 2007. The company produces exclusively for external clients, and 80 percent of its turnover comes from printed products for commercial work. “The third reason is high quality,” says the

son-in-law of the company’s founder. In or-der to meet these three important de-mands, we need state-of-the-art machines. Because first-class technology, coupled with well-trained and highly-motivated em-ployees ensures high quality and high pro-ductivity.”

This can be seen in H.R.G. tiskárna’s or-der books that show a growing number of new customers. 90 % of the company pro-

2 H.R.G. offers its customers a wide range of magazines and brochures – with an increasing trend towards high-quality products.

3 Since commissioning the Acoro A5 perfect binder, they have received lots of positive feedback from H.R.G. customers.

ducts printed on its five sheet-fed presses is for Czech customers, though the compa-ny has plans to increase its export busi-ness. Thanks to these positive business de-velopments, last October this family business commissioned a new Acoro A5 in addition to installing a perfect binder from another manufacturer as well as a Komori printing press at the same time. Besides the convincing complete solution – on

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Three Success Factors: Short Time Slots, Good Prices, High Quality

Graphic arts businesses often have a unique beginning. However, the story of H.R.G.’s founding is particularly unique. The company was started with a pile of old metal, or to be more precise, with a print-ing press that had been dropped by a crane from 8 meters during a move and thus end-ed up at the scrap yard. Petr Lorenc, who founded his company in 1989 shortly be-

Everything Started with a Demolished Printing Press from the Junkyard

quickly changed his mind. After six months of meticulous work, he had repaired the printing press in his garage and managed to get it running again. Thus the foundation was laid for a successful career as a dish-washer.

fore the political changes in the former Czechoslovakia and whose attempts to get hold of a new machine were frustrated by government restrictions in the printing in-dustry, bought the demolished machine at the junkyard – in order to, as he says, use the scrap metal. However, Lorenc, who had previously worked in the pre-press di-vision of a government printing house,

which Leos Tupec commented “Our ma-chine operators are impressed by the new technology” – and the renowned name of the Swiss machine manufacturer, accord-ing to the Managing Director of H.R.G., there are two particular reasons for decid-ing on the Muller Martini line with a 12-sta-tion gathering machine and an Esprit three-knife trimmer. “First is the fast switch from PUR to hotmelt production, and second, the very short changeover times.”

Note: A Fast Make Ready One should point out that most print runs for perfectly bound books, textbooks and softcover magazines range from 500 to 15,000 copies. The new perfect binder has to be changed over frequently. “A fast Make Ready system is much more impor-tant to us than high production speeds, al-though this was also an argument for the new Acoro,” says Leoš Tupec.

In addition, H.R.G. is moving away from saddle stitching for the roughly three doz-en magazines it prints and is increasingly using perfect binding to produce them. Higher value does not necessarily have to mean higher production costs as demon-strated by H.RG. which uses a VPN nozzle for its PUR jobs facilitating minimal glue application.

More and More Positive FeedbackThis also goes for H.R.G.’s 2 to 3 millime-ter thin products, one of its specialties. “Our softcover quality has drastically im-proved since commissioning the Acoro machine,” says Leoš Tupec. “As a result, we have received more and more positive feedback from our customers, whom we

support for many quality assurance rea-sons throughout the entire production pro-cess from design to delivery.”

www.hrg.cz

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“We Can Only do Perfect Binding, but We Do it Particularly Well”

The H. Wennberg Grossbuchbinderei in Vaihingen an der Enz, close to Stuttgart, Germany,

specializes in large print runs in softcover production. However, it also produces smaller and

medium-sized print runs and, after choosing two high-output Corona C13 lines, has now also

commissioned a new Bolero perfect binder – in keeping with an optimization of preproduction

costs, logistics and technology.

E With an annual output of 150 million catalogs, magazines and telephone books produced in rotogravure, web and sheet-fed offset printing, Wennberg, which is cel-ebrating its 150th anniversary and employs a staff of 150 working in three shifts, is one of the largest bookbinderies in Europe. However, in no way does Wennberg only

produce enormous print runs on its six per-fect binders with a performance range be-tween 8,000 and 15,000 cycles.

“That is why we have a range of various perfect binders,” says the Managing Direc-tor Martin Wennberg. “It is our concept to use the optimal machine for finishing for each job.”

Recommended by the Machine OperatorKeeping with the optimization of pre-pro-duction costs, logistics and technology, the Wennberg Grossbuchbinderei installed a new Bolero last May. After a thorough eval-uation by a Wennberg machine operator, the company decided in favor of the perfect

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“We Can Only do Perfect Binding, but We Do it Particularly Well”

binder from Muller Martini, which is the new standard in the mid performance range and an ideal solution for large for-mats.

The machine operator was enlisted by company executives to conduct various test runs on all types of machines, evaluate them and submit his recommendation. “We followed his recommendation,” says Martin Wennberg with a smile, adding in the same breath with a straight face: “We take the machine operator at his word, cal-culate the changeover figures and discuss these every month.”

This enables Wennberg to produce products requiring fewer changeovers on

1 Managing Director Martin Wennberg (middle): “It is our clear concept to use the optimal machine for finishing for each job.” Machine operator Manuel Hermanns (left), and Peter Stein, Sales Manager at Muller Martini Germany (right).

2 The fact that the gathering machine can be loaded on both sides allows us to load the machine on one side for the current production, while the next job can be prepared on the other side.

The H. Wennberg Grossbuch-binderei is not only a model company in terms of modern machinery but also in an eco-logical sense. For three years now, the company, in an un-precedented move, has been heating its entire production facilities in Vaihingen an der Enz with self-produced energy without any external energy supply, using the leftover pal-ettes that are burned in the company’s own wood-chip heater. As wood is a renewable resource, a valuable benefit of wood heating is CO2-neutrality.

As Wennberg produces more energy than it needs, it can provide neighboring indus-trial plants one megawatt hour of energy each year. Even the plant’s complete hot water needs are covered by convert-ing waste heat from the gener-ation of compressed air without any need for external energy supply.

Günther Oettinger, the cur-rent Commissioner for Energy of the European Union in Brus-sels, would be delighted about Wennberg, where, as the then Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, he personally in-augurated the two Corona lines (see «Panorama» 4/05).

Producing One’s Own Energy

the two Corona lines, while products that require greater changeovers are run on the Bolero. This, for example, includes maga-zines that should ideally be delivered to subscribers before they hit the news-stands. In such cases, a finishing line for subscriptions runs parallel to the news-stand production.

As the Grossbuchbinderei is a High Per-formance Partner of the Deutsche Post, it sends an additional truck every day at 5 p.m. to pick up everything that is ready for delivery but which could not be guaranteed the previous day due to the company’s tight schedule in print production. This en-sures that the magazines are delivered to


households on time even to the tightest deadlines.

Frontero for Brochures with FlapsIn addition to medium-sized and small print runs, Wennberg also produces softcover products such as brochures with flush front flaps on its Bolero. That is why the perfect binder is linked to a Frontero front trimmer from Muller Martini in addition to an Orbit three-knife trimmer and a CB 18 book stacker. It produces brochures with flaps cost-effectively in one single opera-tion. Martin Wennberg sees a great advan-tage in the ability to digitally connect the perfect binder with the peripheral systems to prepare them for production: “If we are going to have centralized changeovers, then we should have them in all stages of production!”

The fact that the gathering machine can be loaded on both sides enables even more flexible and swift production flows. While the current production is being loaded on one side, the next job can be prepared on the other side.

A Reliable and Competent PartnerWith its various machine types, despite a difficult economic environment with in-creasing costs for personnel, energy and glue (glue costs increased from 9 to 15 per-cent of its gross yield within a short peri-od), the company is in a good position ac-cording to its managing director. “We withstood the crisis and made investments in 2009, 2010 and 2011,” emphasizes Mar-tin Wennberg not without pride. This al-lows H. Wennberg Grossbuchbinderei to consolidate its status as a reliable and com-petent partner in softcover production for printing houses located far away from the company’s facilities in Baden-Württem-berg.

Speaking of softcovers: Martin Wenn-berg was recently asked whether his com-pany also offered saddle stitching. His an-swer was short but sweet: “We can only do perfect binding, but we do it particularly well.”

www.wennberg.de

A dynamic boss: Martin Wennberg makes his rounds through the plant in his Efatec Jumper.


Forum

“In Customer Communications, Print is Still the Leading Medium”

With 110,000 different titles in the United States and 15,000 in the three German-speaking

countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, printed customer magazines maintain their

position as the leading medium in corporate publishing despite the competition from electronic

media. Even the Internet giant Google issues a sophisticated book to selected customers

every quarter.

E In 2008, two years after its founding, the European Institute for Corporate Pub-lishing (EICP) commissioned an in-depth study of the corporate publishing market in the three German-speaking countries, and the results astonished even the experts. Over 14,000 printed customer magazines – 52 percent in the business to business (B2B) segment and 48 percent in the busi-ness to customer (B2C) segment – were is-sued in Germany, Austria and Switzerland at that time. “Up to that point, the corpo-rate publishing market had been consider-ably underestimated,” concluded the au-thors of the ECIP pilot study.

A Topic That Is Often UnderestimatedTwo years later, the number of magazines has reached the 15,000 mark – with an an-nual total circulation of over three billion copies and nearly three billion Euros in ex-penses every year. These figures, which have leveled off at this high rate, surprise even Professor Bernd-Jürgen Matt, direc-tor of the degree program in Print-Media

in 2011, approximately 110,000 customer magazines are published with an annual to-tal circulation of 35 billion copies – with an average print run of 52,010 copies per title and an average 29 pages per issue. This re-cent study from the United States also shows something interesting: when asked, only 5 percent of the publishers of custom-er magazines indicated that they planned to reduce the amount of print products they publish in the near future.

This means that 95 percent of American companies that distribute a magazine to

Management at the Media University (HDM) in Stuttgart, Germany, who with 40 years of experience in the field is an old hand in the industry: “I must admit that I was surprised by how many titles are pub-lished and that they generate such massive revenues. Corporate publishing is a topic that is often underestimated.”

Companies Continue to Rely on PrintIn the United States, the figures are even more impressive. According to a study published by the Custom Content Council


Printed customer magazines are the ideal means of communication as they provide professional expertise and have a high level of credibility.

Forum

Facts and Figures about Customer Magazines

E American companies publish roughly 110,000 different customer magazines.

E Their annual total circulation is 35 billion copies.

E In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, about 15,000 customer magazines are published.

E The annual total circulation of all printed corporate publishing products in the three German-speaking countries is three billion copies.

E Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest fi-nancial institution, publishes five differ-ent magazines for its various customer segments.

their customers do not seek to reduce their budgets for printed customer communica-tion – despite all the new forms of electron-ic media. Forum Corporate Publishing (FCP) in Munich did not show such a high rate in a survey conducted in the German-speaking region, yet it is respectable, none-theless. Almost 75 percent of the compa-nies asked were convinced that any additional growth in electronic media will not have a negative effect on their print budgets.

Google Book for Premium CustomersIn an article for the German publication ‘Bankmagazin’, Wolfgang A. Eck, Manag-ing Director of eckpunkte Kommunika-tionsberatung in Weilburg, Germany, com-ments that “customer magazines have not become any less important for sustainable corporate communication and customer loyalty, as they are still at the top of the list of the most important corporate me-dia.”

For example, 58 percent of German banks contact their customers by way of print products. The industry leader Deutsche Bank alone has five different magazines for its various customer seg-ments. Even the Internet giant Google has been publishing its magazine “Think Quar-terly” for a year now. The magazine is pub-licly available online; however, selected customers also receive it in the form of a sophisticated book.

Value and CredibilityFor Bernd-Jürgen Matt, a printed custom-er magazine is “the ideal basis for commu-nication as it sparks the interest of its tar-get groups for the brand name. It is effective because you can read it at your own pace. Given its value, a print product cannot be beat. Since it also provides you with a high-er level of expertise, its contents and top-ics have a higher level of credibility than a newsletter, for example.”

However, one condition must be met, according to the professor from Stuttgart: “There is nothing more important in cus-tomer magazines than quality. In this re-gard, the same rules apply for customer magazines, which are developing more and more into high-quality magazines in terms of content, language and design, as for consumer magazines sold at the news-stand. It is particularly important for it to be serious, as customer magazines have to be extremely credible in order to establish loy-alty to the company brand.”

B2B Magazines Create TrustPrecisely with B2B products, high quality in terms of more in-depth information is even more important, according to Profes-sor Matt: “The magazines act as a form of consulting – for example, with machine manufacturers it is not primarily about ma-chines but also about the entire market en-vironment.” Product messages are placed in an appealing and customer-friendly set-ting, in order to avoid a marketing effect. As Thomas Göllner, Managing Director of medienfabrik Gütersloh GmbH, tells “Pan-orama”: “B2C tends to be more like prod-uct placement and seeks direct sales suc-cess. B2B, on the other hand, is more indirect, it improves the image and creates

trust.” However, reading a customer mag-azine also has to be enjoyable. According to Bernd-Jürgen Matt, the editorial content is the deciding factor from good journal-ism, the entertaining factor – all the way to a highly qualitative special-interest title. “That is why there is a demand for the high-est level of creative design and printing technology,” Professor Matt tells “Panora-ma.”

Finishing Is Becoming More Important“BMW Magazine”, published quarterly in 29 languages with a total circulation of 3.3 million copies, is one example of a perfect-ly bound customer magazine. “In terms of content and design, there is hardly any dif-ference between ‘BMW Magazin’ and a well-made lifestyle magazine,” comment four students, Katrin Girod-Mörgenthaler, Maria Krahmer, Romy Peemüller and Olga Sokolovksa, in their Masters thesis project created in the summer of 2010 at the Stutt-gart Media University and commissioned by the printing press manufacturer manro-land. Printing well-researched stories with good photography work on low-quality pa-

Professor Bernd-Jürgen Matt, Director of the degree program in Print-Media Management, Stuttgart Media University:

“Corporate publishing is a topic that is often underestimated.”

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per or using low-quality finishing in the pro-cess does not impress customers, and cer-tainly not premium customers.

Professor Matt is convinced that in the future, print products will greatly differ in terms of finishing, because this makes magazines more interesting. However, he warns against using too many emotional, haptic or optical elements. “This could re-duce the credibility of the magazine. You al-ways have to take the quality of the content into consideration. As is the case with all print products – if it is a local rag, even the best packaging in the world can be of any use.”

High Quality Is Guaranteed by ProfessionalsTo ensure that both the content and pack-aging are right, corporate publishing is increasingly relying on specialized agen-cies. “External knowledge can be very val-uable,” says Bernd-Jürgen Matt. One ex-ample of this is medienfabrik Gütersloh

GmbH, a member of the Arvato/Bertels-mann Group, which has 350 employees at its four locations in Gütersloh, Berlin, Bonn and Munich. According to the Managing Director of medienfabrik, Thomas Göllner, there are three important reasons for turn-ing over the production of customer mag-azines to agencies: “First, as third parties, we have an objective view of the company. Second, we are professionals. Third, our customers often do not have the necessary personnel to create a magazine them-selves.”

medienfabrik supports its customers in the four business segments of corporate communications, sales communications, publishing and ventures (personnel recruit-ment) and produces roughly 50 periodicals with a total circulation of 60 million copies for a number of different companies. Thom-as Göllner is convinced that “as an essen-tial part of customer communications, print is still the leading medium.”

From Print Product to Digital Keyboard “However,” emphasizes Göllner, “print is not the only medium in corporate publish-ing. The target group and thus a meaning-ful cross-media integration of various me-dia is still a deciding factor.” Magazines act as a teaser for the online/mobile/website satellites, as Katrin Girod-Mörgenthaler, Maria Krahmer, Romy Peemüller and Olga Sokolovksa emphasized in their Masters thesis project. According to their thesis, 97 percent of businesses believe that the ad-vantages of digital tools can best be dem-onstrated in print.

However, according to Bernd-Jürgen Matt, cross-media links between printed magazines like Apps, OR-Codes, Click2C or links to online content have to bring in a re-al added value, “and that costs money.”

Paper Creates Emotional ReactionsSpeaking of costs: Thomas Göllner thinks the idea that online magazines can be pro-duced considerably more cost-effectively than printed customer magazines is a mis-conception. “Online magazines cost just as much as print products due to the technol-ogy used to produce them – and I am not saying that because I want to defend print by hook or by crook.”

Apart from the fact that electronically distributed magazines or newsletters can be dismissed with a single click, the haptic experience is also missing. “Even I read media on my iPad every now and then when I am on a bus or train,” Rolf Steiner, Managing Director of Vogt-Schild Druck AG, wrote recently in the (naturally printed) “newslettor” of their design business locat-ed in Derendingen, Switzerland. “The iPad has not brought about the end of paper. Pa-per embodies emotions and does so in a different way every day, in all respects. Hu-mans are, in the end, emotional beings and not digital ones.”

No Fears for the FutureThomas Göllner is not worried about print in corporate publishing: “It is, of course, difficult to predict what the future will bring. However, I believe customer maga-zines will maintain their importance, even though they alone will not be enough. At any rate, I do not expect a drop in these magazines.”

Manfred Hasenbeck, President of FCP, is of the same opinion: “As a navigation in-strument, printed media will continue to play an important role in corporate commu-nication in the future. With the explosive development of new forms of media, com-pany magazines increasingly have a push factor as a navigation instrument and as a driver of new channels of media.”

www.hdm-stuttgart.dewww.medienfabrik.dewww.eicp.euwww.forum-corporate-publishing.dewww.customcontentcouncil.com

Thomas Göllner, Managing Director of medienfabrik Gütersloh GmbH:

“Customer magazines will maintain their importance, and I do not expect a drop in these magazines.”


Documents

Muller Martini Panorama, 2012, Spring