Speedmaster SM 74 - User Report: Casanova Druck und Verlag AG
Casanova Druck und Verlag AG, Chur (Switzerland): "The
Speedmaster SM 74-5-P is the heart of our company. 50 million
prints in two and a half years speak for themselves."
In 1997, Stefan Bühler took over the company that was established in 1866 and had belonged to the Casanova family for more than 100 years. He integrated the two publishing houses "Bündner Monatsblatt" and "Desertina" and was thus able to gain another foothold within the printing company. The company now has 42 employees and is divided into five divisions: the publishing house Casanova Verlag, the book sales division BBV (Bündner Buchvertrieb), the Digital division, the Annoncen advertisements division, and the printing division Druck.
The division Casanova Verlag includes the two publishing houses "Bündner Monatsblatt" and "Desertina". Up to two new publications are published here every month, e. g. books, calendars, or magazines. The scope of services also involves customer support, from editorial services to design, all the way to the finished printed product.
In 1997, Stefan Bühler took over the company that was established in 1866 and had belonged to the Casanova family for more than 100 years. He integrated the two publishing houses "Bündner Monatsblatt" and "Desertina" and was thus able to gain another foothold within the printing company. The company now has 42 employees and is divided into five divisions: the publishing house Casanova Verlag, the book sales division BBV (Bündner Buchvertrieb), the Digital division, the Annoncen advertisements division, and the printing division Druck.
The division Casanova Verlag includes the two publishing houses "Bündner Monatsblatt" and "Desertina". Up to two new publications are published here every month, e. g. books, calendars, or magazines. The scope of services also involves customer support, from editorial services to design, all the way to the finished printed product.
Casanova BBV is the only supplier of books, maps, and
teaching aids in the Grisons. Casanova Druck und Verlag AG also has
a permanent book exhibition that is open daily. New publications
can be viewed, ordered, or purchased on the spot here.
Casanova Digital renders all kinds of Internet services such as creating and programming websites or providing technical support.
Casanova Annoncen sells advertisements in internal printed products such as a free weekly official gazette that is financed by these advertisements. Of course, they are all printed in-house.
This is where Casanova Druck comes into play. When the company moved into a new building in 2004, Stefan Bühler exchanged the entire machinery for Heidelberg equipment: Prinect Workflow, CtP, various postpress machines, the Speedmaster SM 74-5-P, and Speedmaster
SM 52-2.
Casanova Digital renders all kinds of Internet services such as creating and programming websites or providing technical support.
Casanova Annoncen sells advertisements in internal printed products such as a free weekly official gazette that is financed by these advertisements. Of course, they are all printed in-house.
This is where Casanova Druck comes into play. When the company moved into a new building in 2004, Stefan Bühler exchanged the entire machinery for Heidelberg equipment: Prinect Workflow, CtP, various postpress machines, the Speedmaster SM 74-5-P, and Speedmaster
SM 52-2.
After two and a half years, the Speedmaster SM 74-5-P had already
produced more than 50 million prints. "To reduce the workload
of the Speedmaster SM 74-5-P, we have exchanged our Speedmaster SM
52-2 for a Speedmaster SM 52-4 in early 2007", says
Bühler. Mainly four-color printed matter, including special
colors, are processed with the Speedmaster SM 74-5-P. In the fifth
printing unit, printing varnish is often used to protect the
products, e. g. the book covers.
Depending on the order situation, the press is operated in two to three shifts and is thus the heart of the company. The central suction tape feeder of the Speedmaster SM 74 makes it possible to process a wide range of stock. The feeder is easy to operate, which is particularly helpful when the format or stock is changed. "With the Casanova advertisements division and publishing house, we cover up to two thirds of the orders. That enables us to make full use of our own production site and keep our market-dependence as low as possible", says Bühler. The rest of the orders are covered by customers from the same canton. With the two Speedmaster SM models and the Prinect workflow, various print volumes, including very low ones, can be produced profitably. Print volumes from 200 sheets are processed with the Speedmaster SM 52, whereas volumes above 100,000 sheets are processed with the Speedmaster
SM 74.
Stefan Bühler decided to work with Heidelberg because he wanted to be able to focus on a single supplier - from prepress to press and postpress. He also wanted to adapt the configurations to the company needs and be able to add new equipment in the future. "Right from the start, Heidelberg Schweiz AG provided us with a qualified team of consultants, and after we had received credentials from other companies, we readily opted for Heidelberg", Bühler explains.
Stefan Bühler is sure he has made the right decision. "By working with the Heidelberg workflow and the more efficient processes in the new building, we were able to increase our turnover by 30 percent in 2005. In 2006, we even managed to exceed this figure." He sees the future of his company in the 50 x 70 format. In his opinion, the right manpower and machinery investments as well as partnerships are essential to sustain viability in the market. And one more step has been taken: up to now, advertisements for in-house products were sold. But the "Anzeigenteam GmbH" established on October 1, 2006, will arrange advertisements in all newspapers and media.
Depending on the order situation, the press is operated in two to three shifts and is thus the heart of the company. The central suction tape feeder of the Speedmaster SM 74 makes it possible to process a wide range of stock. The feeder is easy to operate, which is particularly helpful when the format or stock is changed. "With the Casanova advertisements division and publishing house, we cover up to two thirds of the orders. That enables us to make full use of our own production site and keep our market-dependence as low as possible", says Bühler. The rest of the orders are covered by customers from the same canton. With the two Speedmaster SM models and the Prinect workflow, various print volumes, including very low ones, can be produced profitably. Print volumes from 200 sheets are processed with the Speedmaster SM 52, whereas volumes above 100,000 sheets are processed with the Speedmaster
SM 74.
Stefan Bühler decided to work with Heidelberg because he wanted to be able to focus on a single supplier - from prepress to press and postpress. He also wanted to adapt the configurations to the company needs and be able to add new equipment in the future. "Right from the start, Heidelberg Schweiz AG provided us with a qualified team of consultants, and after we had received credentials from other companies, we readily opted for Heidelberg", Bühler explains.
Stefan Bühler is sure he has made the right decision. "By working with the Heidelberg workflow and the more efficient processes in the new building, we were able to increase our turnover by 30 percent in 2005. In 2006, we even managed to exceed this figure." He sees the future of his company in the 50 x 70 format. In his opinion, the right manpower and machinery investments as well as partnerships are essential to sustain viability in the market. And one more step has been taken: up to now, advertisements for in-house products were sold. But the "Anzeigenteam GmbH" established on October 1, 2006, will arrange advertisements in all newspapers and media.
Casanova Druck und Verlag AG
Rossbodenstrasse 33
7004 Chur
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (0)81 258 33 33
Fax: +41 (0)81 258 33 43
www.casanova.ch
