In addition to all local editions of the Main-Post with a total circulation of almost 140,000 copies on Saturdays, the printing centre produces a further 50,000 copies for other regional newspapers. “At the latest after commissioning the second Commander CT press, the mailroom became more and more of a bottleneck”, explains Technical Manager Andreas Kunzemann.

Originally, the management team wanted to increase efficiency in the mailroom with a retrofit project. However, Ferag was able to demonstrate that a full replacement of two of the three mailroom lines would be the more economical option. What’s more, the high net output, dependability, ease of operation, low noise and flexible layout made the concept a real winner. These were all good reasons for prompting the Main-Post Media Group to change suppliers in the area of mailroom technology. The project saw the installation of two new mailroom lines, with the retention of an existing line in order to absorb production peaks.

Thanks to 2-up production on the three presses, the company can reach a maximum printing speed per line of 94,000 copies per hour. By taking up two products per gripper in 2:1 mode, the UTR Universal conveyors can easily handle such volumes, as Andreas Kunzemann confirms. He can back that up with figures: “Thanks to reliable product take-up in 2:1 mode, we have been able to increase our net output by 30 per cent”.

To process the increasing number of inserts efficiently, two MultiSertDrum inserting drums were installed, each fed by a RollStream precollecting system with eight hoppers. “We have thus achieved a clear expansion of our inserting capacity, and at the same time increased output by 30 to 40 per cent”, says the Technical Manager. The move has also spelled success for the company's first steps into zoning.