With the COLORMAN e:line manroland sets a milestone. Its modular concept is future-oriented, which is why the Allgäuer Zeitungsverlag chose it. Markus Brehm, Managing Director, and Wilfried Sutter, Technical Manager, report on what else was important for them.

When did you make the buying decision?
Wilfried Sutter: Around two-and-a-half years ago, we started thinking about how we could move forward. What does a new press cost? What does a retrofit cost? Which benefits would we have with a new press? Eventually we decided to invest in a new rotary press, held discussions with press manufacturers, and manroland was the obvious choice. We knew exactly what we wanted in terms of new technologies, automation, design, and noise protection.

Why did you choose the new COLORMAN e:line?
Markus Brehm: We see our company as innovative, like manroland, and that is what brought us together. Our core business will be the printed word for many years to come. With the highest degree of automation and new technology, we’ll be fit for the future. Besides that, we want our staff to be proud to have the opportunity to work on the new press, it must be “catchy”. We sell our products through emotion and enthusiasm, which motivates our staff in a totally different way. The manroland people are practical, we speak the same language, and trust one another. They are highly motivated, they get things done, and make decisions quickly.
Wilfried Sutter: They listened to what we wanted. The press design arouses powerful emotions and that is also a selling point.

Why did you decide to invest despite the economic crisis?
Markus Brehm: We planned to use the two presses we bought in 1998 for twelve to 14 years. Now we expect a considerable increase in productivity through the new features and the higher printing speed. Furthermore, we can print in higher quality and with fewer personnel, but there will not be any layoffs. We have not cut any jobs for operational reasons since 1993. The staffs are moved to other areas of the company that are growing.

Which technical features are decisive for you?
Wilfried Sutter: Automatic plate changing was a prerequisite. The new plate loading system that we jointly developed with manroland was also important. They listened to what we wanted and provided it. Other important points are ergonomy and noise protection: when the press is running, a soundproofing system will be placed before the printing unit.
Markus Brehm: The new press is a technological leap forward for us. In future we will be printing on one press instead of two, which will result in considerable savings in consumable materials and energy. We aim to offer premium products and so we expect much higher print quality.

When will the COLORMAN e:line commence production?
Markus Brehm: It was always our dream to build a hall where we could replace presses without stopping production, and this is what we are now able to do. We also have a strategic reserve.
Wilfried Sutter: The installation of the new press is to begin in spring 2012 and production start is scheduled for autumn 2012.
Markus Brehm: And it will set standards.