Catching up with the World Record Print Volume with the Alegro
With its new Alegro perfect binder from Muller Martini, Czechia’s largest sheetfed offset printer, Triangl Print is not only able to cope with the high output of its printing presses, but also has a high degree of delivery reliability for its numerous time-sensitive periodicals.
The figures are impressive: in mid-February, the counter on the touchscreen of the Alegro, which was put into operation at the Prague plant at the end of last summer and has been running around the clock in 24/7 mode ever since, showed 6,656,400 copies produced. Not least thanks to the significant reduction in makeready times, Triangl Print has doubled its output of softcover products compared to the previous model from another manufacturer. High performance is one important advantage that the new 7000-cycle perfect binder from Muller Martini brings to the largest sheetfed offset company in Czechia. The second is its high flexibility. The Alegro is reconfigured up to 20 times a day.
Triangl Print also relies on three Muller Martini saddle stitchers in its two plants – one Primera PRO (pictured) in Prague and two Primera machines in Milovice.
600 periodical titles
As a partner to publishers and catalog producers, Triangl Print, which prints 70 percent for the domestic market, is the Czech market leader in the production of catalogs, magazines, and brochures. Its core business is the printing of periodicals with around 600 different titles and various formats – almost exclusively in offset. Their total monthly circulation is almost 6 million copies, with print runs ranging from 1,000 to 300,000 and an average of around 10,000 per title. One-third of these are perfect bound, while the remaining two-thirds are saddle-stitched. Although the total circulation is declining slightly, the number of titles remains stable, not least thanks to the continued popularity of special interest magazines.
First invested in printing, then in finishing
Six months ago, Triangl Print invested in the comprehensive Alegro line with a 3694 gathering machine with 18 stations and Asir PRO sheet control system, rejection switch, criss-cross delivery, hot melt spine and side gluing unit, PUR spine nozzle (this means that Triangl can process PUR in an extremely simple manner, in addition to hot melt), drum folder feeder, Book Data Center, FA 650 front trimming unit, Solit PRO three-knife trimmer , and CB 18 book stacker, there is one primary reason, according to CEO Petr Kotýnek. “We have recently invested primarily in new and more powerful printing presses and print around 16,000 tons of paper per year. Heidelberg has certified that we hold the world record with 86 million sheets per year on one machine. In order to cope with the high print volume, we have upgraded our finishing equipment. This is because the timelines for periodical production are extremely sensitive. Delivery times must be adhered to down to the hour so that the magazines arrive in subscribers’ mailboxes and at newsstands on time.”
The Solit PRO three-knife trimmer (right) ensures a clean cut, while the CB 18 ensures perfect product stacking.
Machine operators involved
The deciding factor in purchasing the first Muller Martini perfect binder in the company’s 35-year history was not least the many years of positive experience with three Muller Martini saddle stitchers in terms of efficiency. One Primera PRO is in operation at the Triangl plant in Prague, and two Primeras are in operation in Milovice.
However, it was also important to Petr Kotýnek that his machine operators were involved in the evaluation of the new perfect binder, which included visits to several other graphic arts companies as well as a demonstration at the Print Finishing Center (PFC) in Zofingen. “Nowadays, it’s not easy to find good specialists. That’s why it’s doubly important to involve employees when investing in new machines. And I’m all the more pleased that they are just as satisfied with the Alegro as I am after its first few months of operation,” says the company owner.
Ice hockey as a baptism of fire for the profession
In order to quickly get to grips with the modern technology of the new perfect binder, two Triangl machine operators attended a one-week training course at the PFC. According to Petr Kotýnek, they not only received many tips and tricks for their daily work, “but they also learned a lot about the design and maintenance of the system, which I consider very important.”
Petr Kotýnek, who took over the company in 2010 from his father Antonio Kotýnek and his two partners – hence the company name Triangl – is confident about the future of his business. “With our machinery and 160 employees, we are in an excellent position. Of course, the market is highly competitive, but that’s where my many years of experience as a professional ice-hockey player have come in handy. Ice hockey requires a certain toughness that is also beneficial in professional life.”
Petr Kotýnek (CEO Triangl Print/right): “It is important to involve employees when investing in new machinery.” Left: Luboš Kunze (Managing Director Muller Martini Czechia).
