manroland integrates COLORMAN autoprint in existing pressrooms

In August 2010, Druckhaus Ulm-Oberschwaben (DUO) ordered two COLORMAN autoprint presslines for its printing centers in Ulm and Weingarten, Germany, each consisting of two presses. The delivery of the first pressline in Ulm is in full swing and test runs are due to start in July.

Time is a scarce commodity in newspaper production and DUO is no exception: six days a week the company has to print 22 local editions of the Schwäbische Zeitung and 13 of 34 local editions of the SÜDWEST PRESSE, a DUO partner. This adds up to daily production of 35 different editions with run lengths between 870 and 39,000 copies. DUO also produces various official gazettes plus regional freesheets and magazines. The APL (AutomaticPlateLoading) robots on the COLORMAN autoprint ensure fast and economical plate changing.

Fewer produce more
The four new 32-page printing systems will successively replace seven existing presses. This is made possible by the automation equipment of the COLORMAN autoprint, which represents an absolute quantum leap forward in technology. Still, it will be very tight time-wise: the new presslines will be installed in the same building where competitor and GEOMAN presslines from manroland are still running. manroland Project Manager Ralf Schäfer: “In replacing the presslines we have to plan and work in millimeter precision because we don’t have much room and daily business cannot be interrupted. However, everything has gone very well so far and we are looking forward to seeing the first newspaper copies from the new COLORMAN.”