COLORMAN, XXL to print the Mittelbayerische Zeitung starting in 2010

Over a year ago, the Mittelbayerischer Verlag KG with its newspaper Mittelbayerische Zeitung made a future-oriented investment decision: the publishing house ordered a highly-automated COLORMAN, XXL autoprint newspaper press from manroland. The printing system is scheduled to start production in a redesigned printing center in January 2010.

The Mittelbayerische Zeitung is a regional daily newspaper with headquarters in Regensburg, Germany. With 13 regional editions and a daily circulation of around 130,000 copies, the paper’s distribution area in Bavaria extends from the Upper Palatinate to parts of Lower Bavaria. The Mittelbayerische Zeitung, along with the publishing company’s own free advertising newspaper Rundschau with a weekly circulation of some 500,000 copies, are produced in Berliner format by the Mittelbayerisches Druckzentrum GmbH & Co. KG. This printing company has been an independent subsidiary of the Mittelbayerischer Verlag since January 2006 and is a modern, high-performance, dependable newspaper printer that has been in business for over 60 years. Its print portfolio is widely varied: from medium circulations right up to circulations running into the millions. In addition to the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, which has appeared in an updated layout since November 2007, the company produces Sunday and weekly newspapers, freesheets, magazines, and advertising supplements as a contract printer.

Most automated press on the market
To ensure smooth production day after day, the company required the best possible printing system with the best possible technology. Therefore, in 2008, they decided to invest in a COLORMAN, XXL autoprint. A decisive factor for the investment decision: the manroland system is equipped with the most modern newspaper printing technology available and is the most automated press on the market today. “The decision for manroland was a technological one. The many years of experience with 6-2 technology were of prime importance and one reason why we considered manroland as the right partner for our future. manroland develops groundbreaking technologies for the printing industry that go beyond the printing process as such,” is what Ludwig Grüneisl, Managing Director of the Mittelbayerische Druckzentrum, says about his company’s investment.

The COLORMAN, XXL autoprint will be used to print products of up to 72 pages and has a web width of 1,890 millimeters, a cylinder circumference of 940 millimeters, and a maximum speed of 45,000 revolutions per hour. For the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, and for all modern newspaper printing companies, short makeready times are becoming increasingly important; partly because runs are split more and more often, and partly because the competition among printers is fierce. This environment demands customized solutions which manroland can provide through the highest level of automation. This includes the fully-automated APL plate loading system as well as highly-automated inline control systems for color register, cut-off register, and ink density control.

manroland AG is the world’s second largest printing systems manufacturer and the world’s market leader in web offset. The group with its production facilities in Offenbach, Augsburg and Plauen employs almost 8,700 people and has annual sales of some Euro 1,7 billion with an export share of 80 percent.

Webfed and sheetfed offset presses provide tailor-made solutions for publishing, commercial, and packaging printing – from brochures to newspapers with circulations running into the millions. A worldwide network of about 100 sales and service centers markets manroland’s products as well as process compliant system components and pressroom products.

Web offset presses for newspapers and high-quality commercial printing of brochures, catalogs, magazines, supplements and books are manufactured in the Augsburg facility (founded 1845). They are designed to meet the continually increasing demands on print quality and performance coming from printing and publishing companies all over the world. manroland’s Plauen facility (founded 1896) is renowned for newspaper presses and paper supply systems. The sheetfed press product range built in Offenbach and Mainhausen (founded 1871) comprises system families in small, medium, large and extra-large formats for commercial printing, posters, books and packaging. Some models are available with the revolutionary direct drive system. manroland offers added value with PRINTVALUE.

manroland offers also designing, planning, building, equipping and commissioning sheetfed and web offset printing plants – from prepress through printing right up to finishing. manroland is a provider of customized 24/7 service and (remote) maintenance packages plus integrated services and training measures (printservices). The portfolio includes a certified range of pressroom products (printcom), software products, and workflow management systems (printnet). The group provides consultancy services covering all aspects of investment and building planning, organization, management, systems engineering and process optimization (printadvice).