Müller Martini makes production more sustainable with on-demand production

Print Solutions Finishing Solutions

Combined with intelligent on-demand production, Müller Martini's Smart Factory is an answer to sustainability in the printing industry – not only significantly reducing the carbon footprint, but also driving the digital transformation. The company will be demonstrating the economic and ecological benefits at drupa on stand 1B50 and at ‘touchpoint sustainability’ in hall 14.

The company is focusing on three key operational areas where a direct impact can be achieved: business operations at production sites, the use of machines in operations, and the realisation of ecologically sustainable business models for our customers. Considering the long service life of Müller Martini's robust machines, the greatest lever for ecological optimisation lies in reducing paper consumption, as this is where a large portion of the CO2 footprint is generated.

Smart Factory, which can produce individualised print products down to a quantity of one without set up times and start up waste, is keeping with the spirit of sustainability. The advantages of on-demand production are obvious in this context, especially in conjunction with digital printing systems (web and sheetfed). The print run is precisely matched to demand – only what is sold is printed – everything else is not produced at all.The current transformation of the graphic arts industry requires flexible finishing solutions with short, automated changeover processes and minimal waste.

This is where Muller Martini's Finishing 4.0 development strategy comes in. No or only minimal adjustments are required for job changes. This set up support saves time and minimises start up waste. The added value of Finishing 4.0 is also visible in energy and resource efficiency. On-demand production saves significant amounts of paper, ink, solvents, water and energy, which account for more than 95 percent of a print product's carbon footprint. 

In order to link the individual systems with each other in a network, a comprehensive workflow system is needed that connects all the work steps – from order acceptance to shipping. Today the Connex workflow from Müller Martini can map a wide range of production scenarios, such as print on-demand or book of one. The Connex workflow is the heart of the Smart Factory, where there are no out of the box solutions.

‘It takes a workflow that is perfectly tailored to the individual company to implement the digital transformation in practice,’ said Adrian Mayr, head of product management. The Connex workflow ensures networking between the organisation level (MES/MIS) and the production level. This makes it possible to track production feedback right down to the individual product in real time. Smart optimisation of production allows further reductions in changeover work and paper waste, which in turn contributes to efficiency and sustainability. Müller Martini's approach in this context is based on the principle of ‘first copy sellable’.

 ‘Most of our systems are prepared for future expansion with components for the processing of digitally printed products. This applies to saddle stitchers as well as perfect binders and hardcover systems,’ Adrian Mayer emphasises in this regard. In practice, this means that installed systems can be upgraded in the field to meet current market demands. For example, an existing saddlestitcher can be upgraded with a digital option and thus be used for digital sheetfed as well as web fed printing or for combined applications.