Faster makeready world champion follows reliable workhorse

Schmidt Printmedien located in Ginsheim-Gustavsburg, Germany, re-launched itself two years ago. Its customer base, equipment and 20 employees were all taken over from the previous firm. Today Schmidt sees itself as more than just a mere printshop, but as a comprehensive service provider for its customers. 20 per cent of sales come from activities associated with print. This includes print development, production monitoring, promotional material and logistics.

After two years the success of the new concept is clear to see. The investment in a new five-colour Rapida 106 with coater is proof of this. The firm opted for a new press even though the existing six-colour Rapida 105 still ran well despite its age and would have run for at least another few years. The goals of the investment were the creation of productivity reserves and the optimisation of internal cost structures. KBA once again scored points with an impressive all-round package covering the kit itself, maintenance, service and press operation. A high-speed press with up to 20,000sph wasn’t strictly necessary. Importance was instead placed on inline colour control and extensive automation ensuring that the press can be operated by just one operator. “We are targeting niche markets”, says managing director Frank Beltempo. Plant manager Gerhard Csellner adds: “Our core business is in the niche products of others.” Frank Beltempo continues: “Serving our customers in niche markets well leads to further orders. We develop products together with our clients and create solutions for their tasks. Our principle is: Tell us what you need, and we’ll do it for you.”
Alcohol-free from day one

After two months of operation one thing is clear: Schmidt Printmedien is on the right track with its new Rapida 106. It has run without alcohol from day one, even the firm’s previous Rapida 105 also ran without alcohol since 2006. There has been noticeable savings in the consumption of printing blankets and the Rapida 106 has proven itself to be a robust, perfectly engineered press. The sidelay-free infeed is particularly popular with the press operators and the savings in terms of waste delivered by the new press pay off job for job. Print quality is excellent from the first to the last sheet thanks to QualiTronic ColorControl inline colour control. What is more, small measuring strips ensure that the format is utilised fully and paper waste levels are cut considerably compared to standard strips.

Productivity has increased by over 20 per cent. Further gains are possible and allow the firm to switch from three-shift operation to two shifts in the near future as the investment criteria focused on production reserves and the utmost flexibility. Customer inquiries can thus be handled faster. Frank Beltempo believes this is Schmidt Printmedien’s biggest strength: “We are there for our customers 24 hours a day, we are even available during Christmas and New Year. If a customer needs something produced we deploy our flexible team.”

Quality not quantity

Frank Beltempo and his team aim to boost sales with their new KBA press by using commercial reasoning and not by doing things on a whim. They wish to increase their service business so that it contributes to a quarter of sales. Frank Beltempo aims to add one or two employees to his finishing team in order to keep up with the higher level of output now in the pressroom. Two apprentices have already been given permanent contracts and two more have been taken on.

Publishing houses, agencies, mid-sized industrial companies and large enterprises from the medical branch form Schmidt Printmedien’s customer base. The company offers a wide variety of products ranging from the whole commercial business up to the edges of packaging. High quality finished print products and business reports, which depend on the smallest details, are the highlights of the company’s production activities. “We don’t target bulk orders. We prefer the smaller jobs which are too time-consuming for others”, says Frank Beltempo. He therefore is not afraid of competition from internet-based printers. “We feel the shift in the industry, but we rarely lose orders to internet-based printers.”