• Investment in complete value chain including workflow
• Package includes first fully automatic Suprasetter 106 worldwide with a speed of 55 plates per hour
• Totalizer of the new Speedmaster XL 106-8-P already showing over 27 million after six months
• Next goal: integration with Prinect MIS system

According to Wikipedia, the town of Grude in Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to four large companies: an ice cream factory, one of the biggest toilet paper factories in Europe, a brewery, and a printing company. In fact, it may come as a surprise that Grafotisak incorporates a state-of-the-art print shop and warehouses for merchandise on a total area of over 26,000 m2. Owner and Managing Director Stipan Vranješ is from Grude, and established the company in 1983. Grafotisak has gradually developed into a Group with 600 employees and a total of ten sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. Half of its sales comes from school, office and graphics supplies, while the other half comes from print production of books and the corresponding logistics distribution.

Books account for 90 percent of the printing company’s production, and are delivered to fifteen European countries. The export share is 80 percent. Grafotisak delivered 25 million books in 2017, and expects a ten percent increase this year. To cope with this, last year the company invested in a Speedmaster XL 106 from the latest drupa generation and a Suprasetter 106 CtP platesetter, as well as in Prinect modules for the integration of postpress. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) supplied everything from a single source, including intensive advice in advance.

Grafotisak’s customers are well-known publishers like Taschen, Burda, Egmont, Disney, Harper Collins, and Gyldendal. The other ten percent of production is split between security printing of duty stamps for alcohol or cigarettes, folding cartons and lever arch file production. “Quality through time – we’ve achieved rapid growth in the print shop with this motto,” explains Marko Vranješ, son of the owner and Technical Director. “We replace our machines every five years so that we’re always up to date and can deliver the best to our discerning customers.” The group’s growth last year was 12 percent, and the goal for 2018 is up to seven percent.

Grafotisak uses Stahlfolder TH 82-P machines for its postpress needs. The shingled folding method delivers high performance.