Finishing & Screen Printing

Stein + Lehmann Successful with Diamant MC

Wednesday 02. June 2010 - Since the reunification of Germany, East and West Berlin have forged close links. This interaction has been particularly successful for bookbindery Stein + Lehmann, which was formed in 2001 as the result of an ‘East-West merger’. With exceptional employees, a motivated management team and modern production machinery from Muller Martini, the bookbindery is a roaring success.

The owners of the West Berlin bookbindery Heinz Stein and the East Berlin bookbindery Lehmann were eager to try new things following reunification in 1989. Peter and Thomas Lehmann, son and grandson of the company founder, moved their business from East to West Berlin; Arno Stein moved his company Heinz Stein from West to East. These competing companies, each with high quality standards, observed each other closely before merging in 2001. Arno Stein and Thomas Lehmann then brought Detlef Brall on board as a third Managing Director; until that point he had been Production Supervisor at Heinz Stein. The newly formed company – Stein + Lehmann Gmbh Die Buchbinder – has since expanded. In the last nine years, the production area has grown from 2,500 to 5,000 square meters and the workforce from 50 to 80 people. This success was no coincidence. With its highly skilled employees and the best machinery, Stein + Lehmann is able to meet customer requirements.

Modern Machine Line-Up
Training is very important at Stein + Lehmann. Every year, two budding bookbinders and one commercial clerk are taken on as apprentices. The aim is that the company will take on these staff once the training period is complete, and this is almost always the case. As for the employees who already worked for Lehmann or Stein before the merger, almost all of them are still with the company, with the exception of those who have since retired. This certainly suggests the working environment is pleasant.
Having the right means of production is just as important as having the right employees when it comes to ensuring good flexibility and high quality standards. For this reason, Stein + Lehmann regularly invests in the most up-to-date technology — last year it was the Primera saddle stitcher, the Bolero perfect binder with Orbit three-knife trimmer and the Diamant MC