(November 20, 2008) The target at Nahan, Inc. in St. Cloud, Minnesota was already ambitious when the company installed its first Tempo 22 saddle stitcher. “With the Tempo 22, we wanted to boost net production in relation to our other saddle stitchers by 60 percent,” says Steve Kirk, V.P. of Manufacturing for Nahan. “Only a month after startup, we were at 34 percent. Then we reached 70 percent, exceeding our goal.” Nahan was so successful with its first Tempo 22, the company recently purchased a second Tempo 22, enhancing performance even further.

Added to the production performance is the fast setup provided by the two Tempo 22 machines: “In comparison to our other models, we’ve reduced the job changeover time by 22 percent.” When you combine increased net production with fast makereadies, it’s no wonder Steve Kirk states that he is “extremely satisfied” with Nahan’s Tempo 22 saddle stitching lines.

Consistently excellent quality even at high cycle times

The two Tempo 22 machines have joined other Muller Martini saddle stitcher technology previously on the floor at Nahan. Thirteen years ago, the family company, founded in 1962 by Jim and Helen Nahan and still an independent business, purchased a Prima. The Prima is still in daily use. Later came two saddle stitchers from another supplier before Nahan decided on its first Tempo 22 with 15 flat loading pockets and a folder feeder.

Since August 2007, Tempo 22 stitching technology at Nahan has run around the clock, seven days a week. “It’s markedly exceeded our expectations,” says Mr. Kirk. “The high production speed is impressive – and the speed doesn’t compromise quality.”

85% net output

With most products, the speed of the Tempo 22 saddle stitcher ranges from 18,000 to 19,000 cycles per hour. The high net output of approximately 85% is of great significance to Nahan because the company manufactures numerous promotional brochures in the highrange market for customers throughout the United States. Run length can be higher than 7 million copies.

An important prerequisite to producing at these high cycle times, according to Mr. Kirk, is having very well trained staff: “Our machine operators don’t only need to have command of the procedures but also understand them. Since most of them have been working at our firm for a long time, they have considerable experience. In addition, all operators had extensive training with the Muller Martini training staff before, during, and after the installation was complete. That was very helpful.”

Digital workflow and selective binding

Muller Martini Tempo 22 saddle stitchers are JDF/JMF ready, which makes them an ideal compliment to Nahan and their commitment to digital workflow in accordance with CIP4 standards. The new Tempo 22 machines at Nahan are also ready for selective binding, further expanding Nahan’s capabilities to meet diverse customer needs. Selective binding and addressing provide many possibilities for direct mail and other pieces, including personalization on the inside and the cover of products and personalization of stitched insert cards, as well as selective inserting of one or more loose inserts, and imprinting of logos and targetspecific messages.