LITHOMAN and AUROSYS for Sattler Media Press in Magdeburg, Germany Now it is definite: in November 2001, Managing Director Udo Sattler of Sattler Media Press signed the contract with MAN Roland for another LITHOMAN and an AUROSYS automatic reel handling system. Delivery is to be as early as summer 2002. Then Sattler Media Press in Barleben near Magdeburg, Germany will be the first company in commercial web printing to have fully automated its processes from delivery of the paper reels to shipping of the finished print products. Sattler's new plant in Magdeburg started operating in December 2001, after an investment of well over 100 million DM and using two LITHOMAN III presses for a beginning. At the new site, Sattler, active in commercial web printing since 1983 with his wfw Grafische Betriebe company in Hornburg (Lower Saxony), wants to concentrate on the production of high-quality gang-stitched magazines and brochures. The third press of the LITHOMAN IV type for 72 pages and the AUROSYS reel handling system are to make sure that, from autumn 2002, both medium and long runs can be printed and shipped reliably and at the lowest rate of waste. At the contract signing, MAN Roland asked Sattler a few questions: MAN Roland: Mr Sattler, a fully automatic reel handling system in commercial web printing is a novelty, actually. What made you decide for it? Sattler: Well, AUROSYS, after all, offers much more than reel handling alone. It makes our logistics as a whole more transparent and easier to manage. If resupply is required at any location, the system immediately signals the information to the station responsible for ordering. This means workflow that really works. Automation of such high degree is an absolute necessity for me to realize my future plans. Another reason, though not quite that important, is my experience that the limit to what is humanly possible in careful reel handling is reached very quickly, causing unnecessarily much paper waste. This is another problem I want to take care of by automation. MAN Roland: Why is it, would you say, that these advantages of automated reel handling are not yet taken advantage of by more commercial web printers? Sattler: I guess most of them shy away from it because of the high investment costs. These must pay off - so, to start with, you have to have a clear conception of how you can really profit from the mentioned advantages in your operation. This is how I see automation making sense. My plans for the future of SMP (Sattler Media Press) can be ideally realized with AUROSYS. The prepress and postpress combination is what makes this system useful and profitable. But I don't want to be concrete about these ideas yet. MAN Roland: How will the new plant in Magdeburg affect your Hornburg operation? Sattler: The Hornburg plant will certainly be maintained. It will go on printing quality folders and flyers that are characterized by a high degree of individuality. MAN Roland: Thank you for this informative talk, Mr Sattler. We wish you and your company continued success!