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FULL STORY
The M+S Reliure SA bookbindery, which is based in Yvonand in the Swiss canton of Vaud, has been using not one, but two Muller Martini Ventura MC book sewing machines featuring the TWEEN option, making it the first graphic arts company in Switzerland to do so. That enables the innovative company to also stitch smaller folded signatures directly in a book block, and to offer its discerning customers in the luxury goods industry entirely new product configurations.
David Lude (right), Director of M+S Reliure SA in Yvonand: ‘We'll explain the diverse possibilities presented by the TWEEN option to our customers in person.’ and Peter Egli, sales manager Muller Martini Switzerland
Tweens, which are shorter folded signatures in thread-sewn book blocks, can be variably positioned thanks to the TWEEN option on the Ventura MC book sewing machine from Muller Martini, and provide high value added
‘We've seen a big change in our customers' attitudes in recent years,’ said David Lude, director of M+S Reliure, which focuses solely on print finishing. ‘Today, they have much higher expectations of printing plants and bookbinderies. They're consistently looking out for new ideas and even more attractive and more interesting means of advertising so that they can stand out from the competition. Sizes, for instance, are increasingly extreme - either as large as A3 or as small as 90 x 120mm. In short, our customers always want something special, though they also keep an eye on the price…’
M+S Reliure will, therefore pull out all the stops to advertise the TWEEN option to its customers and show them how, as a first for Switzerland, smaller folded signatures can now also be stitched directly in a book block in Yvonand. ‘We'll visit many of our regular customers personally to show them the diverse options of shorter signatures in thread sewing.’
Another reason why Lude is convinced that tween products will lend additional impetus is that M+S Reliure mainly produces high-quality catalogues and (corporate image) brochures for the watch industry, banks and cultural organisations, in particular for customers in the Romandie. They are frequently finished with hot foil embossing and die-cutting. To this end, M+S Reliure uses two brand-new autoplatine die-cutting machines from Bobst, making it the only graphic arts company in Switzerland to do so.
To take full advantages of the additional creative product configuration options, close contact between the customer, the advertising agency, the printing plant and the bookbindery is increasingly important, said Lude. ‘Once we get all four partners together, we can discuss what's technically feasible in terms of production.’
Impressive Demo
The modern company processes its roughly one million brochures a year exclusively using Muller Martini systems. While it occasionally uses a Prima saddle stitcher that was installed in 2002, it mainly uses a Bolero perfect binder that was commissioned in 2007 for softcover and two Ventura MC machines with the TWEEN option that were installed in August for thread sewing.
The latest investment, which was necessary for capacity reasons, was won, following intensive talks with Muller Martini (Lude describes the ‘project management as truly exemplary’), by the demo of the Ventura MC at the Muller Martini Hardcover Forum. Together with his team, Lude was present in person for the demo, which he describes as ‘impressive’, in the German town of Bad Mergentheim.
The company director explained that the two Ventura MC machines provide much higher productivity, quality and user-friendliness (‘the machine does a lot itself’) than the two book sewing machines that have been replaced.
In addition, Asir 3 automatic signature image recognition ensures the correct sequence of signatures of M+S Reliure's thread-sewn products, which have an average of 6,000 to 7,000 copies. ‘For us, that's an excellent argument to present to our customers,’ said Lude.
For additional information on all Muller Martini solutions, please visit: www.mullermartini.com. In Southern Africa, Muller Martini is represented by Thunderbolt Solutions at: www.thunderbolt.co.za, or just click on the Thunderbolt or Muller Martini sponsor logo buttons or banners on our Home Page.
© Graphic Repro On-line, 29 May 2015.
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