Commitment to the printed newspaper in a multimedia age

The printing plant belonging to media group Aschendorff in Münster, Germany, has been in operation for over 250 years. An important new chapter is set to begin there in spring 2016 with the production start-up of a Commander CL ordered recently from Koenig & Bauer (KBA). The highly automated and flexible 32-page web press will join three presses from another manufacturer and will predominantly print small-circulation newspapers at night given its significantly shorter makeready times thanks to automated plate changing. Its high print quality and performance potential with up to 50,000 full-colour newspapers per hour will be used to produce high-quality print products with high circulations during the day. The compact four-high press line with two reelstands, two H-type printing towers and a folder will be engineered for a maximum web width of 1,400mm (55.1in) and a cylinder circumference of 1,200mm (47.2in). KBA has sold 13 of these presses with a total of 45 printing towers to Germany, France, China and the USA since its market launch four years ago. It is the most popular newspaper press in its class.

Premium print quality for high-quality products

“Together with our steadily evolving range of digital offerings we believe in the future of printed, appealing daily newspapers and other print products in terms of their visual qualities and contents,” says head of the business area responsible for the printing facility Gerhard Dust. He sees the most recent investment as an important step in producing the media house’s numerous print titles efficiently and economically, and to meet today’s demands for quality. “The decision in favour of the KBA Commander CL is the result of an extensive selection process which focused on the factors efficiency, economy and quality. The KBA web press featuring a first-class inking unit with three forme rollers impressively demonstrated its outstanding potential in terms of print quality during a printing test.” The company’s technical director Thomas Wenge adds: “From a technical point of view we were bowled over by key features, such as practical automation with automatic plate changers and plate lifts as well as the unique roller locks, which result in a high level of productivity and economy.” “It is our firm belief that we have made a future-focused choice with the decision in favour of this cutting-edge press,” Gerhard Dust concludes.

A member of the world’s best newspaper printers’ club

The Aschendorff group is the leading media supplier in Münster and the region. The core competence and roots of the family-run company which was founded nearly 300 years ago lie in the printed word. The firm publishes 20 different local editions including the Westfälische Nachrichten, the region’s daily with the largest circulation, the Ahlener Zeitung, the Tageblatt für den Kreis Steinfurt in Ochtrup, the Münstersche Zeitung and the Grevener Zeitung. The newspaper experts are well known in the industry for their outstanding print quality. They are a longstanding member of the exclusive International Newspaper Color Quality Club and also belong to the WAN-IFRA Star Club. Apart from its core business in print media, which also comprises of frees, supplements, magazines and books, the media group with its some 600 staff take advantage of the possibilities and opportunities of electronic media, internet, radio and TV. The www.wn.de is the widest reaching online news portal in the region. Setting up new digital platforms is the second pillar of the company’s business strategy. The third cornerstone of the group’s portfolio are professional service providers and marketing offerings, e.g. in the areas of marketing and logistics for the entire media sector. 

Highly automated and flexible

The KBA Commander CL’s tailor-made configuration is the result of intensive evaluation and project work between the professional team from Aschendorff and KBA experts. The 350 x 500mm format (13.8 x 19.7in) press can print 100,000 broadsheet newspapers per hour with up to 16 full-colour pages.  

The Commander CL ordered essentially comprises two four-high towers for 4/4 printing, a KF 5 jaw folder and two Pastomat reelstands with a stripping station and Patras Areel-transport system. An extensive package of automation modules including RollerTronic roller locks, inking unit and cylinder washing systems, fan-out compensation, colour measuring and control systems, colour and cut-off register controls, and automatic plate changing keep makeready times, waste, operating and maintenance efforts to a minimum. An intelligent quality management system supports a high print quality. The press is equipped with facilities for special ad forms, such as four-page centre spreads (Superpanorama), half-covers and spadia, for inline finishing and provision has been made for the addition of further modules for Zip’n’Buy and ribbon stitching. The Commander CL will be controlled from an ErgoTronic console featuring EasyTronic software for optimised start-up and automated run-down as well as PressNet for scheduling, presetting and process control.