Bluhm Systeme printers at the heart of logistics at the Süddeutsche Zeitung’s printing facility

The Crucial Role of Logistics

The newspaper bundles need to be clearly identified along the entire logistics chain. That is why they are equipped with individual top sheets. These DIN A4–sized sheets are printed with specific information, including sender and recipient, details about the bundle’s contents (such as edition and number of copies). The same information is also encoded in a barcode to enable automated transport of the bundles. “We print the code onto three different parts of the top sheet. That way it can be reliably scanned even when the bundles are shrink-wrapped and cross-strapped,” says Günter Schaller.

“We desperately needed to modernise how we printed the top sheets,” says Werner Antretter, Head of Maintenance. For cost reasons, the company wanted to continue to focus on piezo-inkjet systems.In addition to the cost of printing, other aspects were also important for the modernisation project. Werner Antretter wanted the printing system to seamlessly interface with the FERAG machinery. He also expected the new system’s printing quality to be good enough to achieve a higher reading rate or, in other words, a lower no-read rate. On top of that, idle times of 3 to 18 hours should not lead to a need to clean the printheads.

As a result of these deliberations, Süddeutsche Verlag Zeitungsdruck chose Bluhm Systeme’s Markoprint piezo-inkjet printers. Geißler Kennzeichnungstechnik from Norderstedt by Hamburg, a Bluhm distribution partner, planned, implemented and installed the systems. Today, the printing facility uses 20 Integra Quadro controllers with a total of 40 printheads.

Seamless Software Compatibility

“The printing systems easily tied into existing software,” Werner Antretter happily reports. Data, such as newspaper supplement and packing information, are transmitted to the Integra Quadro printing-system controllers via Ethernet or USB. Das Design der Deckblätter erfolgt mit der Software i-Design der Markoprint-Drucksysteme. Top sheets are designed and generated with the Markoprint software iDesign, where individual top-sheet layouts are stored. Remote fields are automatically filled in during the transmission of the print data. The printheads write the information onto the top sheet – both in plain text and as a barcode. Data are transferred to the printheads 1:1, allowing for real-time printing without batch processing. The printing systems reach the impressive speed of up to 240 m per minute at 300 dpi. “In addition to excellent printing quality, we also have a need for speed,” explains Werner Antretter. “In theory, 30,000 bundles per day mean that we would need to print more than a page per second throughout every 8-hour shift.” The printheads use Trident piezo technology, which enables them to print at a 100 mm distance. Since two heads are mounted with a slight offset and work together, they can print barcodes that are larger than an inch. Three identical barcodes are printed onto different parts of the top sheet to prevent reading errors that would slow down overall logistics.