After a period of intensive testing, you have been producing at full steam with the new gathering machine from Muller Martini. What do you particularly like about the ZTM 3697?
Luca Lombardi*: It is much faster, more flexible and also easier to operate than other gathering machines in the high-performance sector. As we very rarely have downtime, we achieve a much higher net output than with the predecessor models.

Luca Lombardi: “Anyone who has worked on the ZTM 3697 prefers not to go back to the other machines.”

Can you give us more precise figures for the increase in productivity?
It’s between 10 and 15 percent. We achieve approximately 90 percent of the theoretically possible net output. The fast make ready is, to a large extent, responsible for the increase in productivity, along with the speed.

What makes setup and changeover on the ZTM 3697 so easy?
A huge advantage of the new machine is the central control system with a commander. Fine-tuning can be done during a production run, the track height adjustment is motorized, the feeders can be changed without a crane – all these are more crucial factors in rapid changeovers, which in turn lead to considerable production increases.

You mentioned the Commander. What real benefits does the central control system offer you?
The main advantage is in being able to see the whole machine on the screen. You can touch each separate feeder and set its values from a central point. It’s not only very clear, but also very user-friendly.

The new ZTM 3697 can be controlled by a commander from a central point.

What sort of effect has the new machine had on the motivation of your employees?
An extremely positive one! Particularly our younger machine operators, who are used to computers, feel at home with the touchscreen operation. They particularly enjoy the high speed of the innovative ZTM 3697. They no longer see top speeds as a problem, as was the case in the past, but as a major challenge. Our staff are proud of producing at such high speeds – after all, we are in the country that produces the Ferrari. Of course, the news has got around that we run at such high speeds at Distriberg and that has resulted in even more orders for us. That is another plus point for our staff, because full order books mean that their jobs are not threatened.

How does your staff view the new ZTM 3697 from the point of view of user-friendliness?
They find the machine very ergonomic – not only due to the ideal loading height, but also because of the convenient controls. We employ people from countries other than Italy who are much shorter in stature. Thanks to the low height of the line, it is much more comfortable for them to work on the stream feeders. Anyone who has worked on the ZTM 3697 prefers not to go back to the other machines. Everyone is proud to belong to the crew of the new machine.

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*Luca Lombardi is Director of the Distriberg bookbindery in the Northern Italian city of Grassobbio. It belongs to the Bertelsmann Arvato Group and processes annually almost 300 million printed products, half of which are adhesive bound and half saddle stitched. Distriberg produces these on Muller Martini systems only (saddle stitching: 2 Tempo, 1 Prima, 1 300 saddle stitcher / perfect binding: 2 Corona C18, 1 Corona C12, 1 modular binder).