This high-tech waterless offset press from Koenig & Bauer (KBA) will strengthen the production of the publishing house’s own titles and significantly expand its product range. “The decision in favour of the KBA Cortina puts Trierischer Volksfreund technologically and economically in a pole position”, says Saarbrücker Zeitungsgruppe CEO Dr. Joachim Meinhold, who aims to take the subsidiary into a new era from spring 2014. “We view this investment at our Trier plant as a clear signal to the region and recognise the outstanding work our staff have done there,” adds the newspaper group’s CEO.

Commitment to the printed product as a core medium

“The printed Volksfreund newspaper, with its indispensable wealth of regional and local information and advertising, is our core product and this will not change in the future. It should continue to offer our readers orientation and the chance to form their own opinions. In addition to strengthening the standing of our printed products with outstanding quality and creative ad forms, we also aim to push forward with our digital activities and attract new target groups to our newspaper brand. This investment in a new web press ensures that we can retain our Trier plant and therefore secure long-term places of work for our production staff,” explains Thomas Marx, managing director of Trierischer Volksfreund media house.

More orders by expanding production options

CEO Marx believes this new technology will open up new business lines: “Besides printing our daily newspaper, in the future this investment will offer us the possibility to print additional own products, as well as external orders, in various formats and substrates in Trier. Our service and product range for the printing industry will significantly expand thanks to this new press. The KBA Cortina with its outstanding print quality and environmental friendliness, high format and substrate flexibility, minimal waste and extremely fast job change is ideally equipped to meet these production requirements. The two integrated coaters contribute to this by coating both sides of the web for high-quality brochures, flyers, supplements and special products.”

Cutting-edge and multifunctional service provider

Named after its founder Nikolas Koch, the company which has existed for over 135 years today belongs to the Saarbrucker Zeitung media group. Volksfreund-Druckerei Nikolaus Koch publishes the Trierischer Volksfreund newspaper which has a daily circulation of about 100,000 copies with 12 regional editions. It is distributed in Trier, Eifel, Mosel and the Hunsrück region. The regional business journal MACHER, Menschen + Märkte, the lifestyle magazine glanzvoll, the children’s magazine Lucky and the football magazine Anstoß all add to the company’s daily news for various target groups. The publishing house also publishes the cross-border newspaper DeLux together with Luxemburger Tageblatt. The Trierischer Volksfreund is available as a printed edition as well as an e-paper and an app for mobile devices. The media house is the region’s internet market leader with its website volksfreund.de. A delivery service for newspapers, freesheets, brochures and letters, plus a call centre for external customers complete company’s extensive range of activities.

KBA Cortina’s future-orientated kit

The double-width KBA Cortina will be engineered with a 510mm (20.1in) cut-off, a maximum web width of 1,400mm (55.1in), an output of 85,000 copies per hour and the ability to produce up to 32 broadsheet and 64 tabloid pages in full colours. Along with two Pastomat reelstands with Patras A automatic reel handling and a stripping station, the press also features two compact four-high towers, a KF 5 folder and two coaters. Since it will be configured as a floor-mounted press with keyless inking units it minimises the number of operators needed. Automatic and infinitely variable web width adjustment, e.g. when using full-width webs between 1,200 and 1,400mm (47.2-55.1in), and automatic plate changing with KBA PlateTronic ensure fast job changes. Pagination changes can be initiated automatically from the console cutting makeready times when production entails frequent copy thickness changes.

The two coaters for inline finishing of short- to medium-size print runs will be integrated above both printing towers. This option is only possible in waterless offset on the Cortina, simply needs an IR/hot-air drying aid and not a high energy heatset dryer. Water-based coating can be printed on both sides of the web in varying widths and products can be finished immediately. The combination of using coated and non-coated webs is also possible as well as the use of normal and improved newsprint.

The customised superstructure will have two automatic double turner bars, a folder superstructure with three formers and a skip slitter for a wide range of products. Additional features allow printed products to be glued, stitched or perforated. Other capabilities support the production of ad specials, such as four-page centre spreads or half covers.

The Cortina will be controlled from an ErgoTronic console incorporating KBA PressNet production scheduling and press presetting system with KBA EasyStart for automatic press start-up and EasyClean-up for automatic run-down. In addition, the press will feature KBA-MaintainSoft maintenance software. Automatic colour and cut-off register controls,CleanTronic cylinder washing systems and further features ensure a high printing and folding quality with minimal waste.