At drupa 2012, Stober GmbH Druckerei und Verlag from Eggenstein near Karlsruhe, Germany, invested in a complete package including machines, consumables, and a service agreement from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Stober plans to use the new five-color Speedmaster CX 102 press with coating unit, the two-color Speedmaster SM 102 perfecting press, and the new Suprasetter 106 DCL (Dual Cassette Loader) platesetter to move into the 70 x 100 cm (27.56 x 39.37 in) format and expand its capacities accordingly. "We have always printed in A2 format, but find time and again that we are hitting the limit of our capacities. And we want to keep growing," says Managing Director Jürgen Stober in explaining the investment decision. Founded in 1928, the owner-run print shop today has a workforce of 40 and achieved sales last year of over EUR 5 million. Stober has its own logistics concept in place to supply over 600 customers in the region who value the print shop's high-quality and reliable service. Thanks to a marketing drive, the company has won many new customers and is only able to process all the orders by implementing three-shift operation. "This new investment will help us satisfy our customers' requirements even more effectively," says a confident Marcus Stober, Managing Director. The company's portfolio includes traditional advertising materials such as brochures, catalogs, and posters as well as special items such as roll-ups and flags. It also produces newspapers and magazines, such as the Karlsruher Bürgerhefte which are published six times a year with a circulation of 82,000. The print shop's discerning customers are drawn from a wide range of sectors, including industry, business, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jewelry, artwork, and museums. The postpress operations include two newer Stahlfolder folding machines, a ST 100 saddlestitcher, and two Polar cutters.

New machines reinforce end-to-end sustainability concept 
"Stober has focused on sustainable print production for over 15 years. This is one of the reasons we opted for Heidelberg equipment again. The new machines help us to drive forward our concept of cost-effective and sustainable production," says Bernhard Konz, Technical Manager at Stober. All machines are connected to the latest version of the Prinect Prepress Interface, while the Speedmaster CX 102 is equipped with the Prinect Inpress Control spectrophotometric inline color measuring and control system. Both modules help cut waste levels considerably. The Suprasetter 106 DCL is the latest generation of platesetters that enables plate development with low levels of chemicals. Using the cassette for plate storage, plates can also be produced overnight without operator intervention. Low-process Saphira QN plates are used that need next to no developer. Printing is performed using bio-inks and FSC- or PEFC-certified paper. Customers can also order print products on a carbon-neutral basis. Stober takes environmental performance and energy efficiency into account during the transport and shipping of finished products. The print shop is certified to the German Offset Printing Process Standard ISO 12647-2.