Offset Printing

Dream Launch of COLORMAN e:line in Bamberg

Thursday 19. March 2015 - Mediengruppe Oberfranken starts production with a new newspaper printing highlight

The COLORMAN e:line took up operation in Bamberg right on schedule on March 16. For Mediengruppe Oberfranken, the new newspaper printing press is an important cornerstone for the fast and economic production of in-house and external publications and advertising materials.
Very fast in every aspect: the COLORMAN e:line was launched successfully in Bamberg on March 16. The daily production for external customers whooshed through the new printing couples, during nighttime production alone the press will output around 115,000 newspaper copies. Jörg Schild-Müller, head of the printshop division at Mediengruppe Oberfranken, voiced his satisfaction: “We had great expectations of manroland web systems and these were fully met. The cooperation between our staff and the Augsburg team and the project implementation were excellent. The punctual launch of the COLORMAN e:line is the result of this highly professional cooperation. All contract items were diligently handled. Although we had already installed a number of heatset commercial presses at Mediengruppe Oberfranken, this is the first time for us to operate a newspaper press from manroland as well.”
Investing in a strong market position
The COLORMAN e:line replaces two rotary presses of another manufacturer and serves as a central element in the long-term future orientation of Mediengruppe Oberfranken. At the time of the purchasing decision in 2014, Walter Schweinsberg, managing director of the holding company, already stated: “The investment in the Bamberg location will fulfill the quality requirements of newspaper production for the next 15 years.” The Mediengruppe printing experts precisely analyzed the developments of the newspaper market. They expect a consolidation of printing to fewer locations in Germany and increased outsourcing of newspaper printing by the publishing companies. The Bamberg site with the Druckzentrum Oberfranken is prepared for this development. The location was restructured at a cost of around 17 million euros and the result is a modern printshop with state-of-the-art newspaper printing and mailroom systems, complemented by an unattended on-demand printing plate feeding system. To accommodate the COLORMAN e:line, an architecturally sophisticated building was added to the existing premises.
Highly automated and ergonomic
To enhance its successful production concept, Mediengruppe Oberfranken quickly decided on the COLORMAN e:line last year. The concept of the 32-pages press was compelling. The press consists of two eight-couple towers, a folder and two reel splicers. The e:line operates at a speed of 50,000 cylinder revolutions per hour. In Bamberg, nine newspaper editions are printed every night. This large number of job changeovers can be optimally handled by the autoprint function. During parallel make-ready processes, for example, the plate change can be carried out simultaneously to feeding in a new web. The available automatic circumference change ensures flexible production. Based on the high automation rate of the printing press, production can be carried out by two press operators or by three in case of very frequent job changeovers. All relevant information is displayed on the ControlCenter, the new central control console. The press is controlled via touch screen. The MobilPad is an additional fully equipped mobile control console. It allows the press to be controlled from any location in the pressroom.
Pilot customer of IDCµ
To ensure premium quality and minimal waste, the COLORMAN e:line is equipped with InlineControl systems. Mediengruppe Oberfranken is a pilot partner in the development of the “InlineDensity Control with micro marking” (IDCµ), the new ink density control for newspaper printing presses. Right from the start, Jörg Schild-Müller placed his trust in the system, which operates with a traversing camera and micro marking. He appreciates the impressive measuring and control speed as well as the stability of the system which he has already been using in commercial printing for a long time.