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| Muller Martini |
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| From the B-1 pad and booklet stitching machine to "flying stitching heads" for saddle stitchers, the first perfect binding system for emulsion glue, the business forms printing press and the automatic Amrys adjusting system, right up to a total system for digital book production, the 60-year history of Muller Martini is characterized by a high degree of technical competence and innovative systems for the graphic arts industry. |
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First orders: an HM-5 for stitching cardboard boxes and an HM-40 for stitching wooden boxes. |
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The B-1 pad and booklet stitching machine set the course for the graphic arts industry. Ideal for handling smaller stitching jobs, a total of 3257 units were produced by 1989. |
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The Müller and Ruf general partnership was founded on April 1, 1946, and its subsequent breakup resulted in the formation of the private company Hans Müller Maschinenfabrik in 1947. The original factory today contains the company's "Sunflower" childrens' day-care facility. |
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In 1954 the world's first fully automatic brochure saddle stitcher, the BSV (4000 cycles/h) was launched. The BSV combined three machine types (feeder, stitching machine, and three-knife trimmer) into one streamlined total system. Hans Müller's groundbreaking "flying stitching heads" patent for synchronized stitching heads enabled stitching without "stop and go" and the technology was first used in 1956. |
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The first perfect binding system for emulsion glue, the RB-2 rotary binder (3000 cycles/h) also came on the market in 1954. No other perfect binder in its class was able to bind 2 mm thin brochures as well as 60 mm thick brochures. From 1958 onwards, this system, complete with gathering machine and three-knife trimmer, was distributed worldwide as an automated production line. Its successor, the RB-5 rotary binder, was introduced in 1962 with a capacity of 5000 cycles/h and the option to process hotmelt as required. By 1986 around 1000 rotary binder units had been produced. |
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In 1955, Hans Müller and Alfons Futterer established Grapha GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, and Alfons Futterer took over as managing director of the first individual sales organization, while sales in England and the USA were handled by partners. France and the Scandinavian countries also offered excellent market potential, and as early as the end of the 50s the largest percentage of orders came from foreign markets. |
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On June 19, 1956 the organization was converted into a stock company, known as Grapha Maschinenfabrik Hans Müller AG. |
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In 1950, Hans Müller designed the first saddle stitcher based on the B-1. The machine was already equipped with automatic signature feeders, allowing the maximum machine speed to be utilized. |
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The scope and circulation of magazines expanded significantly in the 60s, with designs increasingly favouring perfect binding. The Jet-Binder perfect binding system designed for high-volume runs leapt over the 10,000 cycles/h mark and various units that were also available for saddle stitcher completed the machine to form the 231 stacker in 1969, the first system worldwide able to brickstack finished printed products. |
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In the early 60s, Grapha entered the newspaper and magazine processing market with its EM-10 inserting machine (10,000 cycles/h) with the inserting process first being popular in the American market, and then gaining importance in Europe by 1970. The insertion procedure was initially used to insert pre-produced bundles for capacity reasons, but also to insert advertising material into newspapers and magazines. |
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The increase in export sales also saw the expansion of Grapha. In 1964, Graphag Maschinen (today known as Muller Martini Electronic AG) was established in Zofingen which played an anticipatory role in the electronification of systems. Skilled resources were in short supply so from 1964 onwards, individual parts were produced at Fahrnau in nearby Germany while 1966 saw the establishment of the first international manufacturing company, Maschinenfabrik Grapha GmbH, in Maulburg, Germany, today known as Muller Martini Printing Presses GmbH. |
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Another important step for expansion – Grapha purchased the majority shareholding in Martini Buchbindereimaschinenfabrik AG, Felben in 1969. |
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In 1970, Maschinenfabrik Hasle AG was founded in the Entlebuch region of Lucerne. Now known as Muller Martini Maschinen & Anlagen AG, it is the training centre for sheet manufacturing for all Muller Martini systems, and one of the most modern sheet processing operations in Switzerland. |
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Production was not the only thing to increase, Grapha also conquered the world step by step. In 1964, Grapha Ibérica SA was founded in Barcelona, followed by Hans Muller Corp in 1967 (today known as Muller Martini USA). The American customer and service centre was to be used to create access to the large American market by means of top-class service responses to customer needs. Finally, the French Martini sales organization was rebranded as Muller Martini SA in 1969. |
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The circulation development of leading magazines in the 60s put increasingly higher demands on production capacity. The company's answer to this was the development of the new JG saddle stitching range in three models from 1958. In contrast to the hand feeding station of the JG standard model, the second JG-2 model was already equipped with thickness control, an escape gate for incomplete brochures, and a counting device. The JGV was a saddle stitching line with automatic feeders and a built-in DSS three-knife trimmer, thereby opening up a new dimension for performance with a rate of 10,000 cycles/h. The JG generation played an important role in Grapha's market leadership as over 2000 units were produced in the 70s, and the European market share for saddle stitchers was over 90 percent. |
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After the merger with Martini, the perfect binding ranges of both companies were replaced by the modular binder. This perfect binder had an oval design and a consistent, module construction – a principle used for today's models too. The high-end SF modular binder model introduced in 1976 with a capacity of 18,000 cycles/h was the fastest perfect binder in the world at the time. |
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The 227 inserting machine (13,000 cycles/h), which was specially designed to meet the needs of newspaper operations, proved to be particularly successful in Central Europe and in the USA. The subsequent development today culminates in the ProLiner introduced in 2008, which offers maximum investment security in an increasingly volatile market thanks to its consistent modular design. |
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From 1970 onwards, the company pushed even further ahead into a new market with the Grapha business forms printing press. Grapha printing presses established a good reputation thanks to excellent printing quality using wet offset printing, easily exchangeable printing inserts, consistent modularization, and a range of finishing options. It did not take long before flight tickets, advertising copy, lottery tickets, and a range of other material were also being printed. |
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Increasingly powerful printing presses also meant an increase in the demands on paper handling, for example in magazine production. The bundle stacker feeder was introduced in 1975 for efficient temporary storage of signatures. The log stacker collects the paper signatures in bundles at the printing press outlet and stores them on pallets. They are then placed on a stream feeder for further processing, and fed into the signature feeder of a saddle stitcher or a gathering machine. This was the birth of the press delivery system sector. Since then, over 800 log stackers have been delivered. |
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In 1971 Grapha Holdings was founded in Hergiswil, and was the new holding company of the organization, which had in the meantime grown into a group of companies. The sales divisions of the Grapha and Martini engineering works were separated and bundled into the new Muller Martini AG in 1972. |
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Internal sales and service branches were established in Great Britain (1971), Austria (1973), and Japan (1974), and a sales agency was acquired in Italy in 1979 (today known as Muller Martini Italy). |
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Grapha Manufacturing Corp. was established in Newport News, USA in 1974 (today known as Muller Martini Manufacturing Corp.); the company originally focused on manufacturing machines required by the US market but today the business unit for saddle stitchers and perfect binders in the lower and medium performance ranges is also located there. |
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In 1977 the Schilter engineering works in Stans, Switzerland, was taken over and today this facility produces Muller Martini mailroom systems. |
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The new 221/235 saddle stitching generation went into series production in 1970/71, and once again Muller Martini managed to surpass its competitors. These top models had a capacity of 12,000 cycles/h and they could also be upgraded to form a fully automatic saddle stitching line. The 221 model range with a capacity of 8000 cycles/h was designed for small and medium operations and for the first time ever it was possible to glue cards in a precise location to appeal to the public using a card gluer and to insert product samples. |
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At the beginning of the 80s, Hans Müller (67) formed a new corporate management team with a new face in the lead role, however brothers Hans and Ernst Müller (who died in 1983) remained active on the board of directors. |
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The PrintRoll system launched in 1983 could accommodate up to 500,000 newspaper pages per roll for intermediate storage and the FlexiRoll (1995) operated with variable roll diameters. Both systems featured a high degree of automation, enabling newspaper and magazine printers to produce pre-printed sections or part advertising material, thereby increasing utilization of printing presses throughout the day. These machines are still used today to great effect. |
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In the distribution segment, the automatic mailroom system (AVS) has been uniting a whole range of machines and systems that control the entire mailing process, from printing press to truck since 1983. The heart of the system is an electronic guide and control system that controls the buffer and storage systems, inserting machines, stackers, inkjet systems, and the associated conveyor systems, while simultaneously evaluating the operating data. Today, the comprehensive Mailroom Production Control (MPC) control system covers all the requirements of a state-of-the-art mailroom. |
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In 1990, the "New York Times" commissioned the world's first automated PrintRoll storage system at its printing centre in Edison, which is still the largest today. More than 1,000 rolls are used for intermediate storage of material pre-printed from Tuesday for publication in the legendary Sunday edition. This was the most significant order in the history of Muller Martini. Seven years later, the world-famous newspaper also chose a solution from Muller Martini for the production of the daily edition in the Queens printing centre. A similar solution was also commissioned in 2007 at the College Point plant in Flushing. |
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The international orientation of the group entered a new phase in the 80s when the export share rose above 90 percent. As sales and service via individual companies that could respond to customer needs had proven successful, it was essential to open doors in other markets. A sales agency was acquired in Belgium (1982; today, Muller Martini Belgium), and branches established in Sweden (1983), Canada (1985), and Denmark (1986). |
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Since the 80s, the circulation of many printed products has dropped, although the number of titles has increased. Under these circumstances, Muller Martini focused even more on modular design, order-specific networking of machine components for specific customer requirements, and automation. By the middle of the 90s, a whole host of systems already contained automatic adjustment systems. The fastest Corona perfect binder (18,000 cycles/h) used menu-driven input, all processing stations were setup automatically, and setup data could be stored and used for subsequent orders. Incidentally, the 300th Corona was installed in 2008. The Concept printing press was also equipped with a presetting system and the world's first Amrys (Automatic Make Ready System) was introduced for the Prima saddle stitcher in 1994. The automatic presetting system reduced setup times by half and the Prima (14,000 cycles/h) and Bravo (12,000 cycles/h) saddle stitcher ranges also proved to be extremely successful with over 2500 units supplied by 2007. |
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At drupa 1990, Muller Martini presented the first selective binding system for producing magazines and catalogs for specific target groups. Circulation splits were initially only used in the USA, but have since become indispensable in the marketing mix. |
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On April 1, 1991 Hans Müller handed over the reins to his two sons. |
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Turnover and staffing within the group changed tremendously in the 80s as the company was reorganized in 1992 to accommodate this situation and to reduce the number of interfaces within the entities of the group. Four strategic business units were created: Print processing systems, book binding systems, mailing systems, and printing presses. To strengthen the identity of the group, all companies in the group active in the graphic arts industry worked under the uniform Muller Martini logo. |
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The worldwide sales network was also further extended in the 90s by the establishment of Muller Martini Norway (1990), the acquisition of trade agency in Finland (1992; today, Muller Martini Finland) and establishment of companies in Poland (1992), Hong Kong (1995), Australia (1996), Korea, and Singapore (1997), as well as Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (1999). |
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The machine portfolio was rounded off by the acquisition of Graphic Management Association Inc. (GMA) in Allentown, USA, in 1992, the market leader at the time for inserting machines and mailroom equipment (today known as Muller Martini Mailroom Systems, Inc.). |
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The acquisition of VBF Buchtechnologie GmbH in 1998 further extended Muller Martini's claim to a comprehensive print finishing portfolio. Today, Muller Martini Book Technology GmbH in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, is a new business unit forming the training centre for complete systems for hardcover production. |
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Muller Martini founds additional branches in Portugal and Russia (2000), and in the Netherlands (2001). |
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Requirements for printed products include smaller circulations, individuality, and topicality. However, high costs for small circulations made the production of smaller quantities barely worthwhile. Muller Martini met this challenge by introducing the SigmaLine – a unique total solution for industrial, digital book production. The SigmaLine links all processes from prepress specifications through digital printing to the finishing processes, enabling fully automated production in a single operation.
In order to meet the specific demands of a new market, Muller Martini founded a new business division, Digital Solutions, in 2004.
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Top-quality and durable books do not lose their value and keywords like one-off or batch production dominate the new decade. A good example of this is photo album production. Muller Martini is continuously developing its hardcover equipment range to ensure that systems ideally meet current market requirements. The Inline Hardcover line is unique in the world with automated processes, from the signature all the way through to the finished book. With the hybrid systems from Muller Martini, short or even ultra-short runs can be produced in a cost-effective manner. |
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The ProLiner inserting system, first introduced in 2007, is designed to meet the individual requirements of newspaper operations of all sizes. The system accommodates complex mailroom requirements such as zoning and regionalizing, plus the growing number of pre-printed sections and inserts, while also boasting a high level of quality, flexibility, and security. The open system architecture means the ProLiner can be extended in a flexible manner. |
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The trend towards digital networking of individual production steps continues to be unstoppable and CIP4 is established as a standard. Muller Martini accommodates this development with its fully-linked work-flow solutions that are consistently designed according to the CIP4 standard. The Connex workflow system allows all Muller Martini systems from individual machines to complex production lines to be networked with a customer's Management Information System (MIS). |
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In 2009, Muller Martini gains the patent for the VSOP web-offset printing press from Drent Goebel. This variable size web-offset printing press opens up new applications for high-quality commercial work and direct mailings, as well as for producing flexible packaging and labels. It takes less than five minutes to exchange the handy plate and rubber blanket cylinders, thereby enabling efficient changeovers to a new size. This printing press provides size variability that had so far only been seen in flexo and rotogravure printing. |
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The new generation of Muller Martini machines, presented at drupa 2008 for the first time, range from numerous technical innovations to a completely reworked modern design. The new ergonomic guard concept offers even better access to work processes and accounts for the body mass and reach of the machine operator in an even more logical manner. The new Laserblue color promotes concentration and productivity, and is the most visually striking, identifiable feature of the new generation of machines. |
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At the drupa 2008, Muller Martini sets a milestone for adhesive binding thanks to PUR production at 18,000 cycles/h using the Corona perfect binder, which is almost double the value previously achieved in practice. |
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A change at the top level at Muller Martini took place in May 2009 as former CEO Rudolf Müller assumed the position of president of the board of directors which he had been a member of for 18 years. The new CEO, Bruno Müller, 45, has worked at various companies within the Muller Martini Group for 20 years, also in the USA, and on his return to Switzerland, he headed up the Muller Martini Mailroom Systems AG business unit before assuming the management of the new Digital Solutions business division in 2005. |
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The Ipex 2010 sees the launch of MMServices, the global services portfolio from Muller Martini. The globally standardized and recently expanded life cycle care program offers advice and optimization for the machinery installed all over the world and enables customers to adapt their machines to the gradually chaining market situations. |
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Muller Martini consolidates the business divisions of saddle stitching, mailroom systems and digital solutions into the newly founded Print Finishing Systems division. Our facilities in Zofingen, Switzerland represent the center of our technological and consultancy competences, high-quality machines and printing finishing and mailroom systems as well as hybrid solutions for digital printing.
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For the press delivery systems as a significant interface between printing and finishing, first-class technology is just as important as wide range of services. In order to take advantage of synergies and to offer our customers perfect, customized solutions, Muller Martini entered into a cooperation partnership with RIMA Systems in 2011. This optimized product line includes the areas of conveying, cutting, stack production, bundle production and roller production as well as palletizing.
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