Prepress

marks-3zet automates plate production logistics at Freiburger Druck

In late 2013, the three existing plate production lines at Freiburger Druck were replaced with two high-speed production lines with an automatic plate sorting system and a considerably higher plate throughput.

Wednesday 26. March 2014 - Turn-key concept implemented for prepress

Excellent availability and utmost quality were the driving factors behind the plate production upgrade at Freiburger Druck GmbH & Co. KG, based in the Breisgau region of Southern Germany. Waterless coldset printing has already enabled the innovative newspaper printer (whose products include the daily “Badische Zeitung”) to tap into several additional business segments.
Freiburger Druck has relied on waterless offset with a KBA Cortina press since 2006, making it one of the first printers to adopt this technology worldwide. In late 2013, the company decided to fully upgrade its plate production. This meant not only replacing the three heavily used CTP systems, but also implementing automated plate sorting and concentrating the production step on two modern high-speed lines, despite increased processing demands. At the same time, the plate processors, punching and folding lines, and a bi-level sorting facility with 100 delivery fans in broadsheet format were all integrated in the new workflow.
An investment in project services
For this extensive new investment, CEO Patrick Zuercher again decided to partner with a general contractor. The new concept, which combines high productivity and automated plate logistics, was developed in close cooperation with the system provider marks-3zet.
Jochen Glaeser, project manager at marks-3zet, took the lead in implementing the project. Together with his project team, Glaeser completed numerous prepress projects in the market while at Illies Graphik. “We needed to ensure full plate capacity to feed the 6 towers on the double-wide Cortina during every phase of the renewal process,” emphasises Marco Rauber, technical manager at Freiburger Druck.
The new sorting system processes the entire daily plate volume of about 2,300 plates based on a “just-in-time” principle for individual products. Volume adjustments are made for numerous start-ups on the Freiburger press. Daily production of the 21 regional editions of the “Badische Zeitung”, as well as a wide range of magazines, newspapers, catalogues and other commercial products can now be reliably processed with leaner staffing resources.
Plate-on-demand
marks-3zet has again successfully implemented its proven plate logistics concept in Freiburg, Germany, getting it ready for acceptance in record time. Interface adjustments were made between the page workflow and tracking system, and status communication was implemented for all plate production components.
“Efficient production and optimal availability thanks to cascaded job handling have been seamlessly integrated in everyday job handling on our Cortina,” Managing Director Patrick Zuercher summarises.
Continuous advancements for ultra-refined print quality
Freiburger Druck strategically employs technological advancements to secure its competitive market position. The company values innovation and collaborates with its business partners on the development and introduction of new technologies. This was the case with the implementation of a coating device in the offset press, which further expanded the qualitative spectrum of the KBA Cortina.
Future plans include introducing a quality management system and replacing the company’s mailing line.