Finishing & Screen Printing

In-line stitcher adds value to press

Monday 26. May 2008 - Dresdner Verlagshaus Druck GmbH adds value to its own and third-party coldset products by stitching them and giving them a magazine-like ppearance. The company has now found an economical solution for the stitching process: a Tolerans cylinder stitcher.

Dresdner Druck- und Verlagshaus (DD+V) Mediengruppe, a sixty percent subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. KG, is more than
just a publisher of newspapers. With several independent subsidiaries specialized in a variety of fields from printing to delivery, DD+V is today a highly diversified media company. Every day, more than a million readers all over Saxony, Germany’s easternmost federal state, keep upto-date with the latest news with “Sächsische Zeitung” and “Morgenpost für Sachsen”. The publisher regularly endeavors to break into new markets with service oriented regional magazines covering a broad spectrum of topics. However,
all its titles have one thing in common – a deep desire for editorial and layout excellence that has made them leaders in their respective segments.
The company’s decision to offer in-line stitching of coldset products, giving them a magazine-like appearance and thus adding significantly to their value, is a logical consequence of this strategy, as Dr. Gerd Papenfuß, Head of Technology at the newspaper printer, points out. What’s more, stitched products are easier for consumers to read because the books no longer fall apart and
they still look attractive after they have been browsed through.
Stitching extends the portfolio Dresdner Verlagshaus Druck GmbH (DVD), a subsidiary of DD+V, is one of Europe’s top innovators in the field of newspaper production.
Four printing lines with an hourly capacity of up to 240,000 newspapers, each up to 48 pages in length, form the backbone of its justin-time production. Approximately 220 different newspaper pages, submitted by the main and local editorial offices, have to be churned out for “Sächsische Zeitung” alone. The company also
prints a large number of third-party products. It was this external demand in particular that persuaded DVD to extend its portfolio with
stitching for coldset products. The decision has not been regretted since: DVD already stitches a series of products from other publishers as well as several of its own, including “plusz-Magazin”,
Sächsische Zeitung’s “time out” weekly. According to Papenfuß, reactions from the marketplace have been overwhelmingly positive.
An economical solution The stitching technology for the coldset
products – a cylinder stitcher – was supplied by Tolerans, the Swedish manufacturer. Two of the four GEOMAN coldset web presses were prepared for the Tolerans stitcher in the folder.
The company opted for a Speedliner cylinder stitcher, so that in-line stitching is always possible on one of the two GEOMANs. This configuration is ideal for stitching tabloid products, Papenfuß
continues. In his view, the main advantages offered by the Tolerans solution are its compact and rugged design, its simple operating principle, and the excellent quality of the planning, operating, and maintenance documentation.
The supplier also impressed with its planning expertise and its willingness to meet specific customer needs. Experience so far confirms that the cylinder stitcher has no influence on web
press performance, nor has it led to any increase in the waste rate. The combination of these arguments, together with the low investment and operating costs, make the Tolerans in-line stitcher an altogether economical solution for stitching coldset products, says Papenfuß in conclusion.