How Novus Evolved from a Pure Print Manufacturer to a True Production Partner
As more South African publishers discover the flexibility of Print on Demand – and digital printing thus accounts for a rapidly growing share of book production – Novus Print invested in an integrated finishing system from Muller Martini and Hunkeler at its facility in Cape Town. This system consists of a PF7 Plowfolder, a Vareo PRO perfect binder, and an InfiniTrim trimming robot. The Connex workflow plays an important role in this process.
Having entered the digital market a decade ago, Novus Print’s digital printing business now accounts for a rapidly growing share of its book production. The fact that a growing number of books are being printed on compact, highly automated digital systems rather than on large offset presses has a lot to do with the fact that an increasing number of South African publishers are discovering the flexibility of Print on Demand – and, in particular, the associated avoidance of inventory costs. Johnny Singh (Head of Books at Novus Print) therefore expects “digital printing to continue growing in our book production in the coming years. Digital printing is becoming the standard, particularly in the fields of education and science, while offset printing remains reserved for large print runs.”
New digital press and new integrated post-press system
Founded in 1905, Novus Print is part of the previous Paarl Media Group and now a business unit of Novus Holdings, which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Novus Print has therefore invested in a Canon ColorStream 8200. This press is based on the same inkjet technology as the Kodak Prosper, which has been in operation since 2016. In addition, last April, the long-established, family-run company also commissioned an integrated finishing system – consisting of a PF7 plowfolder, a Vareo PRO perfect binder, an InfiniTrim cutting robot, and the Connex workflow – into operation. Johnathan Rose (Head of Operations at Novus Print) explains why the company – which employs 723 people working in a 24/7 operation with 12-hour shifts – chose the new smart factory solution from Muller Martini and Hunkeler: “The key driver for our investment was the significantly faster make-ready – that is, the drastically reduced setup and changeover times.”
Automated order processing instead of long lead times
The biggest challenges in digital book production prior to the installation of the new press and finishing system were long lead times, excess inventory, obsolescence of unwanted books, obstacles to personalization, and the resulting cash flow pressure. Many of these processes were manual and therefore time-consuming. Previously, when a customer requested a quote, they would obtain quotes from several print suppliers. They would compare prices, then send the print files and confirm the order. This was a process involving numerous manual steps and offered no guarantee of consistent turnaround times.
Novus Print’s Automatic Stock Replenishment (ASR) solves this problem. It is an automated inventory management system that monitors stock levels and triggers a reorder when a predetermined threshold is reached. This eliminates the need for manual intervention. The thresholds are agreed upon for each title. The publisher is notified but does not need to take any further action.
Fewer manual interventions, fewer opportunities for error
Johnathan Rose is enthusiastic about the new solution. “What makes the book production line so unique isn’t the equipment itself – it’s the intelligent automation built upon it, which connects every machine into a seamless nearline production line. This results in far fewer manual interventions and, consequently, a significantly lower potential for errors.” In addition to Auto Stock Replenishment, which enables seamless, automated restocking of regular customer accounts so that books are replenished before delivery bottlenecks occur, two other features form the core of the system.
Print on Demand: print runs are based on actual demand rather than forecasts, ensuring that every printed copy is truly needed.
Zero Inventory: orders placed today are delivered within 72 hours – with consistent turnaround times across the entire production line.
Speaking of customers: the vast majority are based throughout South Africa and span the education, retail, government, and media sectors. To a still limited but growing extent, Novus Print also has customers in Europe. Their product range spans from Books to Labels to commercial work to paper bags.
Most books are perfect bound
This covers the entire spectrum of print products – including saddle-stitched books as well as hardcover and softcover titles. Perfect-bound titles account for the majority of book production because softcover is the preferred format for academic and professional literature.
On the new digital bookline, softcover runs start at 100 and go up to 2,500 copies – short enough to print exactly the required quantity, yet long enough to fulfill a complete school or retail order in a single run. Larger softcover runs that exceed this range will continue to be produced on offset presses. Thanks to the quick-change function integrated into the system, the book production line switches between different jobs – including different titles, formats, page counts, and print runs – multiple times within a single shift, without the downtime that previously made job changes costly.
Minutes instead of days
In addition to textbooks and academic literature, digital printing is used in particular for paperback novels. According to Johnny Singh, production has accelerated significantly compared with the previous solution. “Previously, we relied on separate machines and manual hand-offs between quote generation, prepress, printing, and post-press. Now, the new book production line consolidates the entire process into a smart, automated workflow. Jobs move through the entire process – from order placement to the finished, palletized book – with minimal manual intervention, in a fraction of the time, and with far fewer opportunities for error. It now takes minutes from order placement to printing, rather than days as it used to. The real advantage of our Smart Factory solution, which runs around the clock in three shifts, lies not in any single machine, but in the automation that connects all the machines together. In addition, the new system significantly reduces the risk of errors when matching covers to contents.
We always bind the correct cover to the correct contents. The greatly improved reliability, with no risk of errors, allows us to work smoothly without delays.”
Customers are impressed
Furthermore, according to Johnny Singh, quality has also improved compared to the previous production process. “The print products bound on the Vareo PRO using the PUR process maintain a consistently high standard. And the InfiniTrim delivers finished books that are as smooth as cut with a hot knife through butter. In addition to the cleaner cut, our customers are also impressed by the sturdy and evenly bound spines, which lay flat when opened.”
In addition to high product quality, Novus customers also benefit from greater flexibility. Zero Inventory and Print on Demand mean that customers are no longer tied to large print runs based on forecasts in order to get a competitive price. The customers can order exactly what they need, when they need it – whether it’s a reorder of 100 copies or a complete restocking of inventory. And they know that delivery will take place within 72 hours. «This gives them – and us – the flexibility to respond to actual demand”, emphasis Johnny Singh,
Connex controls the entire digital production line
According to Johnathan Rose, in-house flexibility – that is, the management of production plans and schedules for each individual order – has increased, not least thanks to the Connex workflow, which controls the entire digital production line. “Connex gives us far tighter control over the scheduling and sequencing of each order, while automatic inventory replenishment flags and queues repeat print orders for regular customers even before their stock runs out. Thanks to these two features, our production schedules are more predictable and our delivery dates more reliable than under the previous, more manual process. Connex ImpoWhiz is very important because it creates the imposition files for the digital printing line, that imposition speaks directly to the folding and binding line as well.”
No wonder Johnathan Rose gives an overwhelmingly positive assessment of the first few months of operation: “We are extremely satisfied with the new system. Our operators are also impressed. The new line is very user-friendly and straightforward to operate. Whereas production used to require more staff due to the separate machines and manual handoffs, the system can now be operated by a lean, trained team of operators.”
“That makes us unique in the market”
The training also contributed to the successful implementation. According to Johnny Singh, it was “comprehensive and well-structured. It covered both the operational and maintenance aspects of the system and gave our team the knowledge and confidence to operate the equipment safely and efficiently. The practical, hands-on approach was particularly valuable in helping operators become familiar with the machine and its capabilities.”
Johnathan Rose believes that the new solution has strengthened Novus Print’s position in the market. “It repositioned our company from a pure print manufacturer to a true production partner for our customers in the publishing industry,” he emphasizes. “The fact that we can promise Print on Demand with a turnaround time of 72 hours and automatic restocking makes us unique in a market where most competitors still base their pricing and planning on long, forecast-driven offset runs.”
