Success for Heidelberg Schweiz AG
02/08/2010
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First Speedmaster XL 145 to generate above-average growth at
Schlaefli & Maurer
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Customers use the Speedmaster XL 105 to boost productivity
and increase energy efficiency
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Business consulting improves competitiveness
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Environmental protection a factor for all formats
Last year, Schlaefli & Maurer AG placed a major order worth
around CHF 10 million with Heidelberg Schweiz AG for its new
production site in Uetendorf near Thun. The Speedmaster XL 145
five-color press with coating unit and the Suprasetter 145 CtP
system both made their debut in Switzerland at the start of this
year when they were taken into operation by the customer. Also new
is the Speedmaster XL 105 five-color press plus coating unit. In
postpress, large-format industrial production is provided by a
Stahlfolder TD 112 buckle plate folding machine (four buckle plates
plus cross-fold unit) and a high-performance cutting line from
Polar-Mohr.
The two presses are integrated into an air-conditioning
concept and are supplied with heat, air, coolant and conditioned
dampening solution via the highly-efficient and economical Star
peripherals from Heidelberg.
"This latest investment in cutting-edge production technology
from Heidelberg is designed to boost our annual growth by ten
percent," says Rolf Hänni, CEO of Schlaefli & Maurer AG.
"We intend to use the Speedmaster XL 145 to produce calendars,
maps, books, magazines, annual reports, image brochures, posters
and card-based products," Hänni continues, listing the new
market segments that the company plans to move into. He sees great
potential in standard jobs, which, for example, are placed online.
These can now be produced even more cost-effectively in mixed forms
using format 6.
The Speedmaster XL 145 is also to be used to produce
line-free displays. On January 1, 2010, the card specialist Wittwer
Offset AG in Heimberg and Schlaefli & Maurer AG merged their
print shops. Both partners hope to use the large-format print
capacities in Uetendorf for the cost-effective production of
high-quality packaging.
Customers use the Speedmaster XL 105 to boost productivity and
increase energy efficiency
Swiss Printers AG specializes in sheetfed offset printing in
3B format at three sites in Lausanne (IRL SA), St. Gallen
(Zollikofer AG) and Schlieren (NZZ Fretz AG), operating a total of
75 printing and coating units. Its web offset printing takes place
at Ringier Print Zofingen AG. With the aim of rationalizing its
sheetfed offset printing operations at NZZ Fretz AG, the biggest
group in the Swiss graphic arts industry is investing in an
adjustable ten-color Speedmaster XL 105 with Autoplate XL, which is
controlled using Prinect Inpress Control. The press is scheduled
for installation in May 2010 and is designed to combine outstanding
productivity with economical energy consumption. Thanks to
Systemservice 36 Plus, Swiss Printers AG has secured systematic
maintenance services for all the sheetfed offset presses of
Heidelberg Schweiz AG for a period of three years.
In terms of the investment decision, one of the key factors
that tipped the scales in favor of Heidelberg was the consulting
services that the company offers as part of its business consulting
strategy and the objective future scenarios that were derived for
the Swissprinters Group. The option of digital printing was also
investigated, resulting in the conclusion that no technology for
the foreseeable future will be able to rival the quality and
performance of the sheetfed offset method.
"In opting for the long perfecting press with coating unit,
we have set the course for further modernization in the future,"
explains Marcel Stofer, Production Manager at Zollikofer AG in St.
Gallen and project lead. "Thanks to excellent compatibility between
the sites, we are able to react flexibly and, if necessary,
exchange jobs between the individual locations". Full integration
based on JDF is planned with the Group-wide implementation of
standardized industry software (MIS). Combined with the Prinect
Pressroom Manager, MIS will allow users to query the free
capacities of all the Heidelberg presses at any time and at any
site in order to achieve optimum capacity utilization at the four
production sites.
Business consulting improves competitiveness
The print shop dfmedia has also opted for a long perfecting
press in the form of a Speedmaster XL 105 ten-color press. The
company has decided to concentrate its sheetfed offset jobs at its
Flawil site, with the aim of cutting production time by boosting
productivity. The investment decision was supported by a job
analysis conducted by the business consulting services of
Heidelberg.
According to Managing Director of dfmedia Pascal Schwarz,
print tests showed that the adjustable Speedmaster XL 105-10-P
delivers a level of quality that can easily keep pace with the
company's existing two-pass production. The high-performance
machine will be used to produce print runs of between 1,000 and
20,000, including a large number of magazines. In addition to the
Speedmaster XL 105-10-P, dfmedia has also invested in the
integrated workflow based on the Prinect Integration System.
Extensive process automation between prepress and press is designed
to minimize costs. At the same time, dfmedia has also secured full
process integration with an MIS and all the necessary production
technology.
In summer 2010, Rheintaler Druckerei und Verlag AG (RDV) will
install a second Speedmaster XL 105 in Berneck. The first press
helped to deliver the desired 30 percent increase in productivity.
RDV attaches great importance to environmental protection,
compensating for the CO2 emissions generated by its presses during
production by financing approved climate protection projects. The
new press - a Speedmaster XL 105 five-color press with coating unit
- is equipped with Prinect Inpress Control for the adjustment of
register and ink feed in the inline process. The fast setup
operations are designed to cut startup waste and thus save several
hundred tons of paper per year. For standardized processes, both
Speedmaster XL 105 presses are integrated into the Mini Spot
workflow from Heidelberg with a closed loop between prepress, proof
and press.
Environmental protection a factor for all formats
In January this year, the print shop E. Schoop AG, which was
founded in 1923, started production at its new facility in Arbon.
The heating and cooling systems for the rooms and production
technology are designed in line with the latest guidelines. The
FSC-certified print shop has upgraded its pressroom by installing a
Speedmaster SM 74-5-P+L from Heidelberg and the color control
system Prinect Axis Control. Its postpress operations have also
been modernized with the installation of a Polar 92 X Plus.
On the one hand, the Speedmaster SM 74 is integrated in a
cooling circuit for heat recovery and, on the other, it is
integrated with the DryStar dryer system and the CombiStar
combination unit for dampening solution supply and inking unit
temperature control for cooling the press peripherals. The liquid
circulation system is used to feed energy from the printing system
into a heat storage facility, from where it is used to heat the
offices during the colder months. What's more, a recooling system
installed outside the building is used to extract waste heat
generated by the peripherals, thus keeping the pressroom cool
during the warmer months. In addition to buying the new adjustable
five-color press with coating unit, the company also relocated an
existing Speedmaster SM 52-2 from its old site to the new building.
Preparations have already been made to integrate this press into
the heat recovery system.
Figure 1: Schlaefli & Maurer
The first Speedmaster XL 145 in Switzerland is to be
installed at Schlaefli & Maurer to generate further growth.
Picture (from left): André Dähler, Schlaefli & Maurer
AG; Urs Saner, Heidelberg Schweiz AG; Konrad Maurer, Schlaefli
& Maurer AG; Carsten Heitkamp, Heidelberg Schweiz AG; Rolf
Hänni, Schlaefli & Maurer AG; Ruedi Schulthess, Heidelberg
Schweiz AG; Markus Wittwer, Wittwer Offset AG.
Figure 2: Swiss Printers
In choosing the Speedmaster XL 105-10-P+LX3 for NZZ Fretz AG,
the Swissprinters Group is implementing a concept that will move
all production exclusively to perfecting presses with coating units
in the future.
Figure 3: dfmedia
dfmedia in Flawil has opted for the long perfecting presses
of the Speedmaster XL 105 from Heidelberg. Picture: Pascal Schwarz,
Managing Director of dfmedia (second from right), with Carsten
Heitkamp, CEO Heidelberg Schweiz AG (second from left), Head of
Print Marc Thaler (left) and Michael Knörle (right),
Heidelberg Schweiz AG, with the print technology team.
Figure 4: RDV print shop
Celebrating the start of production on the new 5-color press.
From left: Pietro Lira, Production Manager at RDV; René
Wuffli, CEO and Board Member of RDV; Carsten Heitkamp, CEO of
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Schweiz AG; Harald Fessler, Managing
Director of the RDV print shop, and Michael Knörle,
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Schweiz AG, Sales.
Figure 5: Print shop E. Schoop AG
Model and original of the new Speedmaster SM 74-5-P+L at E.
Schoop AG. Front: Managing Directors Piero Albanese (middle) and
Philipp Dünnenberger with Urs Saner from Heidelberg Schweiz
AG. Back: VR President Pablo Erat (right) with Michael Knörle
from Heidelberg Schweiz AG.
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Hilde Weisser
Phone: +49 (0)6221 92 50 66
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 69
E-Mail:
hilde.weisser@heidelberg.com
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