Sewickley, Pennsylvania -- The industry’s first saddle stitching system with automated makeready capabilities will be producing books at GATF’s technical center here before the year is out. Muller Martini is installing the Prima AMRYS stitcher in the foundation’s production center to enhance the group’s research and training capabilities. The system will be configured with six pockets and a cover feeder, enabling GATF to run a wide variety of saddle stitched products. A commissioning event will be conducted after the system begins its research and training tasks at the foundation. The date and agenda will be announced as the machine moves closer to installation. "Education and innovation are considered top priorities at Muller Martini," said Werner Naegeli President & CEO of the company. "Our industry will grow only by pursuing and understanding the latest technology. That’s why when GATF asked us to contribute a mid-range stitcher to the cause, we selected the latest technology most automated system on the market." AMRYS stands for Automatic MakeReadY System. As its name indicates, Prima AMRYS automates one of the most time-consuming jobs in the bindery -- setting up saddle stitching systems between jobs. That makeready time drives up the cost of the printed product because it is essentially downtime. AMRYS begins with PC-based technology that the operator can interface with via a touchscreen or keyboard. Job parameters can be entered by the operator or directly downloaded from prepress or MIS via the CIP3-Print Production Format (PPF). Commands are sent to a network of over 50 servo motors that precisely achieve the required settings for each project. At the end of the job all settings can be stored on the PC to quickly accommodate re-orders. "GATF is committed to advancing the CIP4 concept in the bindery. The Prima AMRYS will provide us a platform to document the productivity enhancements for CIP4 technology," said George Ryan, executive vice president and chief operating officer for GATF. "Prima AMRYS drastically cuts makeready time so printers and trade binderies can be more cost competitive," noted Roger Bilodeau, Vice President of Sales at Muller Martini. "There’s no need to tie-up a bindery crew to make manual adjustments up and down the machine, because AMRYS handles it all digitally." The system has selective binding capabilities that will equip GATF to research and benchmark postpress operations that encompass versioning and targeted distribution. "We also expect that Prima AMRYS will play a major role in the foundation’s workshops and training courses," said Naegeli. "Participants will be able to get a hands-on perspective on how an automated bindery can streamline the print production process all the way through to the creation of the finished product."