Sussex, Wisconsin — Quad/Graphics will soon be the first U.S. printer to run the industry’s fastest saddle stitching system — the Muller Martini Supra — which was designed to fulfill the complex production needs of American facilities. “The major publication and catalog printers told us they needed a stitcher that would keep pace with their high-speed presses,” said Werner Naegeli, President and CEO of Muller Martini Corp. “Our response is the all-new Supra platform, and we’re thrilled to have an industry leader like Quad/Graphics be the first in this country and the second in the world to take advantage of its industry-leading productivity.” Supra collates, stitches and trims books at the rated speed of 25,000 cycles per hour with Muller Martini’s new 416 feeder. For even faster throughput, a pocket wheel feeder is about to be introduced, which pushes the productivity benchmark to 30,000 cycles per hour. But Supra’s industry leading output rates are not the only reason Quad/Graphics will soon be stitching with Supra. “Our finishing operations are characterized not just by speed, but by flexibility and efficiency,” said Tom Quadracci, Quad/Graphics’ president & CEO. “This new equipment keeps Quad/Graphics at the forefront of the industry with the capabilities most desired by our customers.” Fully JDF and CIP4 compatible, Supra takes its commands from the new Muller Martini Automation Platform. That means it’s ready to be integrated into any workflow or MIS solution a printing facility or trade bindery may be using now or in the future. The breakthrough Supra trimmer is designed for highest productivity and lowest make-ready, and is designed to produce high quality products. For instance, the system’s clamp holds and pulls the book through the trimmer for front and head/foot trimming without ever letting the product go. The resulting complete control over the book provides the highest trim accuracy with every book created. Book thickness variations also are handled by the clamp, which does not require any adjustment at speeds all the way up to 30,000 cycles per hour. Quad/Graphics had high praise for the technology that went into Supra. “The stitcher's exceptional speed is made possible in part by accelerator rollers that match the pocket speed to the chain speed,” a company announcement noted. “The stitcher also features independent servo-driven pockets for expedited make-readies and will be enhanced with a variety of QuadTech-manufactured componentry.” Quad/Graphics will install its new Supra saddle stitcher over the next year along with a several polywrapping systems. “With this new finishing equipment, Quad/Graphics has more specialized horsepower on our floors than any other printer in the industry,” Tom Quadracci said. “Our advanced manufacturing platform is designed to optimize today’s technology and adapt to newly developed technology, keeping our company — and our customers — competitive well into the future.” Muller Martini introduced Supra at drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf. “Last May we showed the printing world our Supra stitcher to much acclaim,” said Rudolf B. Müller, Chairman and CEO of Müller Martini AG. “Today, after accelerated development of both the mechanical and electrical components, we’ve created a special version for U.S. catalog and publication printers. “Quad/Graphics’ Supra line will be equipped for full inside/outside demographic inkjetting,” Müller continued. “It will also provide the capability to insert up to eight blow-in cards into every book. That’s another industry first.”