For SWMH, the focus lies on the timely, order-specified and location-oriented production of the printing plates, aside from just classic Automation. They therefore decided to go with the NELA Just-in-Time solution, by which the printing plates are identified with barcode and are delivered to the plate sorter in chronological order ready to be picked and placed on the specified print unit for the next print job. NELA does not only supply Hardware as in transport components and stacking trays, but also with NELA Sorting Software the intelligence on which the whole concept is built. The NELA-System is designed so that up to 1200 plates per hour can quickly be placed in the Sorter in the correct position. The plate sorter is designed so that the needed amount of stacking trays for a print order can be placed together in a so called “plate station”. Within a plate station the printing plates are placed according to print location, that means that a station depicts the print units of the printing press and allows the operator to quickly find the correct printing plates. The status of the plate production is clearly visible on a big screen and with a glance the operator can check if a set of plates are complete and at disposal. The NELA-System offers furthermore the possibility, depending on print site, to automatically trigger the exposure of the next order when the plates of the current order are removed, all to mitigate delays and errors stemming from manual operation.

Capacity studies based on the production plans are carried out together with the clients on every print site to determine the needed number of plate stations and scale of sorting facilities. Complete plate sets delivered on time and to the correct print site are from now on always guaranteed for SWMH thanks to NELA’s Just-in-Time concepts!

Just-in-Time for printing presses, for a couple of years NELA has been successful with this concept in prepress equipment for newspaper and commercial printing presses. Different stages of expansion make it interesting for all print sites wanting a quicker, more efficient and cost saving plate production. Whether it is expansion of sorting systems, complex plate conveyor lines or connection to the rotation, NELA Just-in-Time concepts will always be tailored to the specific needs of every customer.

About SWMH: Südwestdeutsche Medienholding with headquarters in Stuttgart is one of Germanys leading media groups and offers a wide network of high-quality publications. Aside from the national Süddeutsche Zeitung, SWMH also includes Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, the newspaper group Hof / Coburg / Suhl and Schwarzwälder Bote.  In addition to newspapers, which constitute the core business of the group, SWMH’s portfolio includes numerous technical information titles and advertising journals. Under SWMH’s umbrella are also postal and logistics companies as well as other businesses active in the field of publishing, Radio stations and a TV production company.  SWMH employs about 5,500 people at 33 locations in Germany and abroad. For more information on the media group, visit http://www.swmh.de

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