Athesia Druck in Bolzano is consistently driving forward the development of its printing operations. With its investment in the Speedmaster XL 106-8-P 21K featuring the Digital Infeed System (DIS), the company is expanding its capabilities in publishing and commercial printing and is committed to ensuring the highest level of process reliability at maximum speed.
Athesia Druck is part of the Athesia Group, headquartered in Bolzano, South Tyrol. As an established printing service provider, the company produces both editorial products such as newspapers, magazines, books, maps, and calendars (publishing printing) as well as custom advertising and business printing materials (commercial printing) for the Italian and international markets. Approximately 175 employees ensure efficient and flexible production.
The decision to purchase the new press was made during drupa 2024. Athesia had already had a very positive experience with its first Speedmaster XL 106-8-P, which had been in successful operation since 2017. The new installation is the first of its kind outside Germany and underscores the company’s consistent commitment to technology.
Challenge
“We faced the challenge of increasing our production capacity without compromising on quality or on-time delivery,” explains Markus Bamhackl, Head of the Sheetfed Offset and Digital Printing Department at Athesia Druck. “At the same time, we wanted to further automate our processes and sustainably reduce waste.”
Solution
The Speedmaster XL 106-8-P 21K is designed for high-performance industrial printing in modern printing environments and achieves speeds of up to 21,000 sheets per hour. Thanks to its high stability and short makeready times, it is suitable for both large print runs in publishing and flexible jobs in commercial printing.
The integrated push-to-stop concept enables largely autonomous production and reduces the need for manual intervention during operation.
A key technical feature is the Digital Infeed System (DIS). It ensures precise, stable sheet feeding without the need for a traditional pull mark and significantly reduces setup time. This improves efficiency, process reliability, and quality in equal measure, particularly when handling different materials and operating at high speeds.
Voices from the field
“The DIS has exceeded our expectations, as the sheet-fed press is so precise that we don’t have to compromise on quality even at top speed,” said Markus Bamhackl.
A machine operator adds:
“The machine runs like clockwork. Thanks to the DIS, we can focus entirely on print quality while the system operates reliably and quietly.”
Results and Outlook
With the new Speedmaster, Athesia Druck was able to significantly optimize its overall production:
“With the Speedmaster XL 106-8-P 21K, we have laid the foundation for the next stage of our industrial printing production,” said the CEO of the Athesia Group. “This investment reflects our partnership with HEIDELBERG and our commitment to always staying one step ahead technologically.”