CEO André Schäffer, Production Manager Werner Rohrsen, Managing Shareholder Herbert Schäffer and Matthias Kandt from Muller Martini Germany (from right) in front of the new SLS3000 inserting system at Oppermann.

In 1973, Herbert Schäffer made an entrepreneurial decision. The grandson of company founder Friedrich Oppermann ventured into the advertising newspaper medium, still new at that time, with the “Schaumburger Wochenblatt.”  Thirty-three years later, the managing shareholder of Oppermann Druck- und Verlags-GmbH & Co. can look back proudly on his life’s work.

In addition to the “Schaumburger Wochenblatt” (circulation: 77,000 copies), the publisher’s three other papers are also flourishing: “Lippe Aktuell” (circulation: 137,455 copies), “Wunstorfer Stadtanzeiger” (circulation: 32,400 copies) and “Deister A“tuell” (circulation: 24,200 copies). All appear in the Berliner format and have an average thickness of 48 pages.

Total of 70 Newspaper Titles
However, Oppermann is not only known as a successful producer of local newspapers, but also as an inserting specialist. For that reason, many other publishers trust the family business in Rodenberg am Deister with the production of their newspapers. Oppermann now prints and finishes a total of 70 different titles, with a total circulation of 3.5 million copies weekly. Between 10 and 12 million supplements are inserted into those titles weekly, accurately as well as zone-specific – and the trend is on the rise. Frequently, up to 18 supplements are inserted into a main section. A finished product can easily weigh 700 grams and be up to three centimeters thick.

In addition to newspapers with inserts, Oppermann Druck- und Verlags-GmbH & Co., which employs a total of 235 workers in Rodenberg and at the company’s second plant in Detmold, also produces a large number of advertising supplements which leave the press as end products, without further processing.

Ten streamfeeders per SLS3000 line ensure efficient loading of the feeders.

From Four Biliners to Two SLS3000s
In light of these huge volumes, it’s obvious that Oppermann has to count on fast and dependable inserting systems. As a result of the continually growing number of inserts, the four nearly 15-year-old Biliners, each with four Tandem feeders (another specialized solution from Muller Martini), regularly had to run two to three passes. For that reason, Oppermann commissioned a first SLS3000 inserting system from Muller Martini in November of 2005, and a second SLS3000 system in February of 2006.

Both lines are equipped with a feeder for preprints, intermediate opening station for insertion into the opened preprint and 18 compact insert feeders, ten ergonomic streamfeeders for semiautomatic loading, two NewsStack bundle forming systems with TABA top-sheet applicators and two film-wrapping and cross-strapping machines. Integration with the two KBA presses takes place via a dynamic FlexiRoll buffer system from Muller Martini. The feeding of the main sections is decoupled from the press and fed fully automatically.

Up to 80 Zones Per Newspaper
“We looked at the SLS3000 very closely at an American newspaper company and at the Muller Martini Training Center in Allentown,” says CEO André Schäffer in recalling the evaluation phase. For Schäffer, what stood out in particular was “that the SLS3000 can be operated very easily, for one thing, and that it runs very quietly despite its size, for another.”  An important factor for André Schäffer was also the topic of zoning: “We have up to 80 zones per title. That is where the proven Mailroom Production Control (MPC) provides us with valuable services.  There are no interruptions during zone changes.”

MIRS Recognizes Errors
With the two SLS3000s, Oppermann can now insert all supplements – regularly and easily including those in tabloid format – into the newspapers in a single pass.  “That gives us a more optimal production process and a shorter production time,” says Production Manager and Officer Werner Rohrsen. “Our employees also no longer have to feed any main sections by hand.”

The inserting process is monitored with a programmable mis-feed and double signature control; feeding of the main sections occurs reliably via the main section feeder, directly into the pocket of the inserting machine. The Missed Insert Repair System (MIRS) recognizes missing inserts and unopened main products and completes them in a second pass. The reduction of waste and manual interventions increases productivity and product quality considerably.