July 20, 2007 -- Niles, Illinois – When it comes to printing direct mail, the ability to achieve outstanding print results with the highest production efficiency is imperative to business success.  Since installing a Muller Martini Concepta variable size web offset press, SKM Print, LLC has gained each of those operational benefits plus several others.
SKM Print, LLC is a 40-employee print shop producing direct mail packages, mostly in a roll-to-roll format, for a diverse range of customers.  The 8-color Concepta with sheeter and G.E.C. rewind was chosen for a number of reasons. “We chose Muller Martini because of their reputation as a quality press manufacturer,” says Mario Matelli, V.P. of Operations at SKM Print.  “We needed to add capacity and print more efficiently, we also needed greater production speeds and excellent print quality.”  In addition to each of those advantages, the Concepta has also brought important productivity enhancements to SKM Print.  “Make-readies are quick...the gains in productivity were noticed right away,” continues Mr. Matelli.  “The addition of the Concepta allows us to better serve our customers’ tight turnaround times.”
Direct mail production companies are increasingly choosing the 1,200 ft./min. Concepta variable size web offset press over other presses.  In fact, due in large part to unique new technology, Concepta has become the world’s best selling 20.5” wide variable web press.  For a long time, the direct mail market has needed a high performance variable size web offset press able to produce premium quality products that were previously reserved solely for sheet-fed and commercial web offset machines. Muller Martini has responded with Concepta’s new automated ink density control that maximizes quality and reduces waste.
Furthermore, Concepta’s 100% print inspection technology is available as an option which enables print quality monitoring at high speed, automatically warning the operator of sudden deviations in quality such as ink splashes, paper flaws, color variations and hickeys. Concepta also provides exceptionally fast make-readies to add profit potential to every production run.  Muller Martini’s proprietary JDF/JMF compliant MRS (Make Ready System) enables Concepta to handle set-ups for both new and repeat jobs automatically, reducing labor costs while freeing-up personnel for other tasks.  The Concepta variable size web offset press can be configured with a maximum of 12 printing units with various in-line finishing options, enabling the press to handle a wide spectrum of print production demands.