For three generations, the name Lonnemann has stood for good customer relations and reliability. Founded in 1909 by Anton Lonnemann, the company has, over the years, developed into a modern printing and media service provider. Since 1988, Hubert Lonnemann has managed the business of this family firm, which is one of the biggest printing service providers in the region, with a workforce of 65 people and production space totaling around 39,000 sq. ft. (3600 m²).

Managing Director, Hubert Lonnemann (right) and Uwe Bätz , Finishing Manager (center) are both convinced that by buying the BravoPlus Amrys saddle stitcher, they have made the right decision to enable them to face the future. On the left is Michael Oestermann of Muller Martini Germany.

"The way I see it, our success is based on the optimal integration of all prepress, printing and finishing operations," emphasizes Managing Director, Hubert Lonnemann. "Therefore, when acquiring new equipment in recent years, we have consistently kept in mind the options offered for workflow integration." With an investment amount in the six-figure range in the EDP section alone, Lonnemann GmbH has the latest software at its disposal , which is at the heart of JDF networking. CREO is used in prepress operations and in the press room the JDF integration of four presses and is currently being implemented in cooperation with the Heidelberg company. "In a second phase starting in March 2005 we will integrate our new folding machine from MBO and the Muller Martini BravoPlus Amrys saddle stitcher into continuous workflow," says Hubert Lonnemann, outlining his company's future plans.

BravoPlus: shorter setup times and improved efficiency
A few months ago, Lonnemann GmbH replaced its existing 321 saddle stitcher with the new BravoPlus Amrys. "It was a real quantum leap," comments Uwe Bätz, Finishing Department Manager. "We have easily been able to cut setup times in half. And as we frequently run small editions and often have to change the saddle stitcher over five or six times a day, we are saving a lot of time. We are saving about half an hour every time, which means we are able to complete one or two additional orders each day."

The decisive factor for Hubert Lonnemann to invest in a replacement machine was its Amrys compatibility and the option of integrating the BravoPlus into continuous workflow. "Amrys was very important for us, and in the very near future, we will be going into the subject of JDF with Hiflex." There can be no doubt about the fact that Lonnemann GmbH is very serious about networking all its production work flow, in fact in October 2004 they appointed Oliver Margraf, a specialist who will deal exclusively with this area of the business.

MIS Administrator, Oliver Margraf, was not yet ready to talk about how much the continuous networking of all working processes would impact on product throughput speed in the future. However, he is ",,, certain that we are getting considerably greater transparency in regard to information. From an economic point of view, this will lead to us having a better overview of all cost centers." In plain English: Lonnemann will be able to see where costs arise, where mistakes can be prevented and where optimization measures can be introduced.

The future has already begun
"I don't think the networked manufacturing will become a reality as quickly as it was publicized at drupa 2004," Hubert Lonnemann is convinced. "I estimate it will be another three to four years before we are able to talk about networked printers on a wide scale." However, he wants to differentiate between the 10% of companies in Germany, that employ over 60% of the workforce, and the large number of small businesses. "JDF and networking will, for the time being, play no role," he believes. "This is because a small bookbindery that invested in new equipment three or four years ago is hardly capable to make further investments in the next five or six years. And older machines cannot be networked."

In this respect, Lonnemann GmbH finds itself in a comfortable situation. "On the one hand, we made sure we had costs under control all of the time, and on the other we speeded up the necessary investment steps," stresses Managing Director, Hubert Lonnemann. So we can justifiably claim that the future has already begun in Selm and Lonnemann is very well equipped to face it.

Wide product range
Lonnemann GmbH in Selm produces multifaceted and creative printed products for customers in the industrial and advertising sectors, such as:
- Annual reports and catalogs
- Magazines and brochures
- Business cards, letterheads and envelopes
- Calendars, posters and price lists
- Stickers, labels and flyers
- Greetings cards
- Gift wrapping and proofs
- Special inks (SIXCOLOR, Hexachrom)
- and much more.
Lonnemann is able to monitor the entire production process from planning to dispatch.