Compact presses: Q&A with Gerd Finkbeiner, MAN Roland

newspaper techniques: What would you say to the statement that all presses will be compact in the future?

Gerd Finkbeiner: No

nt: What are the advantages and disadvantages with compact?

G. Finkbeiner: We do not see many advantages for our customers. In some cases, it may be possible to shorten the installation times of reinvested presses by replacing two printing units positioned one in front of another with stacked towers. But only a small number of printing plants offer the conditions for this. There are almost countless examples (e.g. Axel Springer Verlag, Süddeutscher Verlag, Augsburger Allgemeine, News Australia, Herold Wien) where new investments and/or extensions in existing buildings have been realised very successfully with standard presses. The manning is also often described as an advantage. A comparison of well-managed printing plants worldwide shows an outstandingly effective operation of the standard presses that, in direct comparison with the small number of compact presses, even work with more effective manning. This is true also for the entire Life Cycle Review, e.g. in regards investment, maintenance, accessibility, energy consumption and waste. Based on these criteria, standard presses in a modern design offer in part considerable advantages over compact presses.

nt: What is your company's strategy in this regard to all its presses in the future?

G. Finkbeiner: We will orient our programme of products towards industry needs and, using standardisation as well as practical innovations,continue to focus on the vital aspect of copy costs (e.g. with COLORMAN, XXL, REGIOMAN, UNISET 3/2 and CROMOMAN 3/1).

Page first published: 09.05.2007