The AvantiPlus and the Vivo ensure excellent log quality.

The production of the "Ärzte-Zeitung" was a decisive reason last year for the investment in two high-performance finishing systems from Muller Martini by the printing house, which was taken over in 2006 by the two managing director-owners Marc von Kiedrowsky and Rainer Grobe, and which has a workforce of 250. From press to distribution, there is a tight delivery deadline of only three hours for this 16 to 24 page heatset product, which has a run of around 64,000 copies. This is the only way to guarantee that German medical professionals can read their favourite paper on the next day before the first patients arrive.

That is why Dierichs Druck + Media chose, on the one hand, an AvantiPlus log stacker, and on the other a Tempo 22 saddle stitcher. “In order to receive the products from our new, 65,000 copy-per-hour-printing Rotoman”, says Marc von Kiedrowsky, “we needed a high-performance log stacker. High performance was the main reason we chose the AvantiPlus.”

Tempo 22: Gathering Without Stitching
The same reasons were also important for the Tempo 22 saddle stitcher – whereby saddle stitcher is not entirely correct in this case. Because, the Tempo 22 at Dierichs Druck + Media only gathers the newspapers, it does not stitch them. But since it is not only used for the “Ärzte-Zeitung”, but also for numerous other products, the entire high-performance line is equipped with a card folder feeder, a sample gluer, a Biliner inserting machine for inserts, a Robusto stacker, a film wrapper and a shrink tunnel. Added to that are seven flat pile feeders which are all equipped with stream feeders. This way, the signatures can be fed even faster.
The two Muller Martini systems have been in operation since April 2007 and have satisfied Marc von Kiedrowsky’s expectations: “The AvantiPlus is not only fast, but it also ensures excellent log quality. And the Tempo 22 is a very reliably-running in-line machine. We always produce the “Ärzte-Zeitung” at around 18,000 cycles per hour.”

The managing partners Rainer Grobe and Marc von Kiedrowsky and the technical managers Mark Wiethoff and Frank Skorna from Muller Martini Germany (from the right) in front of the new high-performance saddle stitcher Tempo 22 at Dierichs Druck + Media in Kassel.

AvantiPlus/Vivo: An Ideal Duo
Aside from the “Ärzte-Zeitung”, other weekly newspapers are gathered and provided with inserts in the same way with the Tempo 22, but not stitched. Dierichs also prints numerous – mostly weekly – periodicals in various run and format sizes for (publisher) customers throughout Germany. For this, another log stacker from Muller Martini is put to use, together with the Vivo downstream of the Rotoman. Currently, it forms an ideal duo together with the AvantiPlus.

In addition to the new Tempo 22, Dierichs Druck + Media uses, with a Prima SB and an expanded saddle stitcher 301, two other complete in-line systems from Muller Martini with inserting and addressing capabilities.

Softcover products – also including telephone books with smaller runs between 20,000 and 50,000 copies – have also been processed on another complete perfect binder line Corona C13 since October 2007. It consists of a 17-station gathering machine with automatic signature recognition Asir 3, sample gluer, Zenith three-knife trimmer, two counter stackers CB 16 and the Onyx inserting system.

Until 2005, perfect binding was done on a modular binder at Dierichs Druck + Media. “After this perfect binder ceased to be operational”, says Marc von Kiedrowsky, “softcover products were processed externally for two years. Now we have brought the added value back into our own house again."