Welcome to the first of many blogs for Muller Martini Print Finishing Systems.
The majority of my 23 year graphic arts career has focused on post-press equipment which involved working at a large commercial printer and now for Muller Martini Corp. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.
I meet many professionals in my travels to printing plants, large and small, across the country. People ask me what’s new in saddle stitching. Saddle stitching systems have improved with automation over the years but in baby steps compared to the pressroom. This automation I am referring to deals with Make-Readies (MR). Depending on the vintage of saddle stitcher, the MR process can be time consuming and frustrating for the operator and management.
So how can MR continue to improve? One current solution I applaud is the standard function called the Setup Wizard by MM. This is a seven step process that the operator must follow at the main control screen. When completed the feeders, drop timing, gathering chain, stitching unit and trimmer are set into motion to the set values. Do you know of another solution?
What can be friendlier then the Setup Wizard vs. the manual labor intensive processes printers and binderies continue operate with today? The only process I am aware of would be the JDF/JMF workflow integration between the stitcher and a MIS. This type of integration is powerful but requires in-depth knowledge and support from internal resources. What works best for your day to day operation?
Given the difficult times the graphic arts industry is currently facing the value in automated MR can be an added value to a quicker ROI. Anything that can improve your throughput can add to your bottom line, so let’s share our ideas with each other.
I invite you to be my guest for a private demo of this MR technology at the Muller Martini Demo Center in Hauppauge, NY. This way you can experience automation that will deliver cost savings to your plant, before making the big purchasing leap.
Thank you for reading my blog and looking forward to your feedback or comments.
Douglas Stryker