Newspaper & Mailroom
Koenig & Bauer and CH Media Take Next Pioneering Steps in Commander CT Press Advances
Thursday 29. October 2026 - CH Media, one of Switzerlands leading publishing and printing groups, has extended its Koenig & Bauer collaboration with a major retrofit and installation of a new high-performance folder at its Aarau production site to future-proof production. This project has enabled the printer and publisher to provide customers with a greater scheduling flexibility for customers and necessary additional capacity.
In parallel, a new, state-of-the-art Ferag mailroom line has been installed, achieving a quantum leap in mailroom automation. With all these investments, CH Media Print AG underscores its goal and vision: “CH Media Print AG is the leading center of competence for the printed newspaper in Switzerland in 2035.” Operating three large, state-of-the-art production sites, CH Media promises its customers that it will remain the leading newspaper printing company beyond 2035.
Retrofit, new folder and mailroom upgrades create new possibilities
A retrofit of CH Media’s compact built Commander CT press included the completion of the installation of a new Koenig & Bauer folding in October – the third on the line. This enables the plant to run three independent production streams simultaneously and – together with the mailroom investment – open up new business opportunities for customers. This new high performance folder design features new drag rollers, advanced paper guiding, and improved web run capability, for higher production flexibility and speed. It follows the introduction of LED-UV that has been a successful tool for CH Media for several years – now the direct integration into the press with the refit, third folder and mailroom improvements creates further possibilities.
Investments ensuring highest level of flexibility, efficiency and quality
With live production underway, the retrofit, new folder, LED-UV integration, and automated Ferag mailroom line enable CH Media to offer a broader range of print and post-press products while maintaining its customary standards of quality and reliability. Together with the company’s other production facilities in St. Gallen Winkeln and in Derendingen, the Aarau site forms a central pillar of its site network.
“CH Media Print AG is the leading center of competence for the printed newspaper in Switzerland in 2035 – that is our clear vision,” says Heinz Meyer, Managing Director of CH Media Print. “Across our three large, state-of-the-art locations, we promise our customers that we will remain their leading and most reliable partner in 2035 and beyond. Our ongoing investments in Aarau – from expanding Koenig & Bauer’s Commander CT to LED-UV technology and the new Ferag mailroom line with its quantum leap in automation – ensure the highest level of flexibility, efficiency, and quality for the future.” Heinz Meyer adds: “The Swiss print market is changing rapidly, and our technologies are evolving with it. The modernisation in Aarau proves that continuous innovation in newspaper printing as well as in the automation of finishing and logistics, creates entirely new economic and qualitative perspectives.”
Ongoing commitments to collaborations and technological leadership
Philipp Zimmermann, CEO of Koenig & Bauer Digital & Webfed, says: “With the addition of a third folder, CH Media gains the ability to allocate towers across separate products with maximum efficiency.In close collaboration with colleagues in Würzburg and Switzerland, we are supporting CH Media’s strategy to operate a state-of-the-art newspaper printing centre. This project highlights our ongoing commitment to long-term collaborations and technological leadership.”
Peter Rickenmann, CEO of Koenig & Bauer (CH) AG, says: “Swiss newspaper printing has always been, and remains, highly demanding and exciting. In this market environment, CH Media impressively demonstrates what it takes to maintain a leading position over decades. Their impressive, strategically vital investments unlock new production capabilities, enabling them to accommodate higher volumes as well as products in the semi-commercial segment. We at Koenig & Bauer are delighted to contribute to the success of this project through our technology, reliability, and service expertise – backed by the strength of a global group and a strong regional presence.”