October 17, 2007 -- Almost immediately after installing a 22,000 cycle per hour Muller Martini Tempo 22 saddle stitcher, Nahan Printing, Inc. achieved key operational enhancements that are certain to provide greater profitability for the 610-employee shop.  "In the month our line has been producing work with the Tempo 22, we have seen make-ready time reduced over our other stitchers by 22% and the net output has increased 34%," states Steve Kirk, Vice President of Manufacturing at Nahan Printing. "We actually believe the Tempo 22 can produce over 60% improvement in both areas as our operators continue their training from Muller Martini and get more familiar with the machine."
Nahan Printing, based in St. Cloud, MN, is a leading commercial printer and direct mail business that serves successful organizations across the nation, including Fortune 500 companies and top brands.  Among Nahan's specialties are high fashion retail catalog printing and distribution and full service direct mail production for all segments of the direct marketing industry.  The company's 300,000 square foot print facility and 125,000 square foot direct mail facility include state-of-the-art equipment that supports Nahan's commitment to high quality products and services.  "We print, personalize and enter more than 1 million pieces of mail into the U.S. Postal System daily," continues Mr. Kirk, "so gaining productivity while maintaining quality is key."
With its business expanding, Nahan Printing saw the Muller Martini Tempo 22 saddle stitcher as an ideal print finishing choice - and one that will bring strong return on investment to Nahan.  "We have another Muller stitcher and three Muller presses, which have performed excellently over the years. Muller's focus on high quality, well maintained equipment, and high net outputs align with Nahan's customer-focused culture," says Steve Kirk.  "Based upon the history we have with Muller equipment, we know our maintenance costs will be significantly reduced and we will benefit from the longevity of the equipment, expected to be more than 15 years."
Through its automated controls, the Muller Martini Tempo 22 saddle stitcher can boost efficiency substantially.  The stitcher is equipped with the proprietary MMAP (Muller Martini Automation Platform), providing an overview of the entire production sequence.  Automated servo and AMRYS (Automatic Make-Ready System) technology throughout the system ensure robust performance and superior productivity.  Quick, repeatable and user-friendly make-ready settings enable operators to set up and change jobs in moments utilizing intuitive touchscreen controls.  Tempo 22 features open control architecture and a ProfiBus interface, giving it the flexibility and connectivity to be used with any controller on the market.  Tempo 22 is also JDF and JMF ready in accordance with CIP4 standards to take optimal advantage of digital workflow.
The Tempo 22 saddle stitcher has a rated top speed of 22,000 cycles per hour.  One of the benchmarks in measuring today's most advanced and fastest stitchers is how close net speed (or actual speed) is to the rated number.  Tempo 22, which has been installed at printing and binding companies throughout the industry running high-volume as well as mid-range jobs, routinely achieves net production speeds of 18,000 to 19,000 c/hr. in start-up environments.
Another important advantage of the Tempo 22 stitcher is its versatility.  Tempo 22 can be configured with up to 40 feeders, including Muller Martini's new 416 horizontal signature feeders that allow fast outside access to all adjustments for precise, reproducible settings on-the-fly.  The new accelerator rollers on the 416 feeders automatically speed up product to match line speed.  What's more, when the Tempo 22 is fitted with these enhanced rollers, product can be securely placed to the gathering chain pin to enhance balance and reduce line jams.
Among the many other operational benefits of the Tempo 22 saddle stitcher are:
- Multitude of quality controls including oblique sheet and long book control, plus stitch monitors and trim monitors;
- Precision variable-thickness servo-driven trimmer with automatic face cut control to assure constant trim quality at all speeds;
- Modular building block design that makes it easy for printing and binding operations to expand their saddle stitching capabilities as their businesses grow;
- Selective binding and addressing that provides for instant and cost-effective personalization on the inside and the cover of products and personalization of stitched insert cards, as well as selective inserting of one or more loose inserts, imprinting of logos and target-specific messages, and a variety of other possibilities.