Schär Druckverarbeitung AG in Wikon uses the new Primera PRO saddle stitcher from Muller Martini with motion control technology not primarily for long runs, as originally planned, but also for smaller jobs thanks to its fast make-ready times.
Actually, the original idea was somewhat different when the successful family business in the Swiss canton of Lucerne, which specializes in print finishing, decided to invest in the 14,000 cycles per hour Primera PRO with six flat pile feeders, cover feeder and four stream feeders for automatic sheet feeding.
Jobs from 1,000 copies
In addition to the company's specialties – extremely small or large products with contour die-cutting, all possible forms of folding (including mini-folds) thanks to a wide variety of machines, inline rotary die-cutting in a single pass including addressing and gluing in, pocket folders and pocket calendars in all possible forms, self-mailers personalized on one or two sides with glued-in inserts, small-folded brochures – the new saddle stitcher was to be used primarily for the efficient and cost-effective production of high-volume jobs.
"But we quickly realized," says Yannick Bucher, who forms the management team with his sister Marina Gander, "that the Primera PRO is very versatile." And so the new saddle stitcher at Schär not only produces classic brochures with run lengths beyond the million mark, but also "mini-jobs" with 1,000 copies.
Time savings: 40 to 50 percent – even more for repeat jobs
The fact that Schär, which employs 45 people and serves almost exclusively print shops throughout Switzerland, uses the Primera PRO not only for long runs, contrary to initial intentions, but for a much wider range of products, has a lot to do with its convenient setup – i.e. new user interface with large screen.
Compared to the three other saddle stitchers running in Wikon and also from Muller Martini – a Prima S Amrys, a 221 and a 235 – Yannick Bucher puts the time saved during setup at 40 to 50 percent. "When it comes to repeat jobs, we're another 30 to 40 percent faster because we can now save the jobs on the touchscreen and recall them quickly."
"A quantum leap"
According to the managing director, who attended the Primera PRO training along with the machine operators, two other advantages contribute to a smooth production flow, shorter production time windows and, on balance, more economical production, which is important given the price war in saddle stitching.
"For one thing, we don't have to start up our new saddle stitcher slowly; instead, it reaches its production speed immediately – and with the least amount of waste. Secondly, the local panels on the feeders and on the three-knife trimmer allow convenient fine adjustments during production, which is why our machine operators enjoy working on the Primera PRO. In terms of operation in particular, the new saddle stitcher is a quantum leap."
Siblings Marina Gander and Yannick Bucher make up the management team at Schär Druckverarbeitung AG.
The three-knife trimmer as a further highlight
Keyword variable thickness three-knife trimmer: Muller Martini has completely redesigned this as a further highlight of the Primera PRO. Because it too is equipped with motion control technology, as is the entire saddle stitcher, it runs fully automatically and no manual intervention is required for set-up. "I particularly like the infeed into the three-knife trimmer, which ensures stable product quality," emphasizes Yannick Bucher. "And thanks to the simple setup, we changed the knives in just under ten minutes – three times faster than the three-knife trimmers on our three other saddle stitchers."
Schär has to regularly install and remove the center cut on the three-knife trimmer, not least because multiple-ups are often stitched on the Primera PRO – according to Yannick Bucher, another plus point of the new machine in addition to the oversize A3 plus format.
Get to know Marina Gander, Managing Director of Schär Druckverarbeitung AG, better in this
blog on the Muller Martini website.
Learn more about the Primera PRO in this
blog also on the Muller Martini website.