Primera Pro cherished as a ‘Work Horse’ globally

Print Solutions

Whether in the US, Europe, or Asia – the Primera Pro convinces across the board with its versatility and efficiency. The highly automated system is not only a symbol of quality and reliability, but also the ‘work horse among saddle stitchers’. 

The secret of the device, according to Adrian Mayr, product manager at Müller Martini, is its high level of automation and fast set up times, as well as its ease of use. ‘The big touchscreen with intuitive interaction makes it especially easy to learn to use, which in turn results in minimal training required. This reduces costs and proves to be a major benefit when it comes to staffing changes as well,’ he said.

According to Yannick Bucher, managing director of Schär Druckverarbeitung AG in Wikon, Switzerland, who was trained on the Primera Pro together with his machine operators, easy operation ensures smooth production processes, speeds up production windows, and results in more efficient production overall, something that is very important in saddle stitching given the intense price competition. ‘The local panels on the feeders and three knife trimmers enable precision adjustments during production, which is why our machine operators enjoy working with the Primera Pro. When it comes to ease of use, the new saddle stitcher is a game changer.’

At American print shop Spectra Print, located in Stevens Point, the machine replaced two older saddlestitcher models – or in other words, ‘two became one’. Executive vice president Hans Hofmeister had a clear goal in mind with the Primera Pro: ‘By speeding up set up times and increasing the production speed, we lower our staffing costs, boosting profits.’ This also helped the traditional company improve its market position. ‘Offering our customers attractive deals and faster windows makes us more competitive, helping us to secure more orders,’ emphasises Hans.

‘The Primera Pro is just the machine we need,’ stressed Stefan Riedl, head of bookbinding at Klampfer GmbH located in Sankt Ruprecht an der Raab, Austria, making mention of another advantage of the new saddlestitcher. Besides the Motion Control technology and the associated faster set up times and large screen display, offering a quick overview, highlights also include the new Asir Pro camera system developed by Müller Martini. This system recognises and compares the signatures using 1D/2D barcode and/or image comparison.

Faulty products are definitely a thing of the past. ‘Ever since we commissioned the Primera Pro, there hasn’t been a single complaint,’ said Stefan.

‘We need more than just a modern machine with a high cycle rate and Motion Control drive for fast, precise set up, but – most importantly for us – an automated and thickness variable three knife trimmer where the operator doesn’t have to make any manual adjustments,’ said Marek Siwkowski, head of production at Polish print shop Gofin. The total annual run of around 4.5 million saddle stitched copies includes magazines with up to 260 pages. This is no problem for the saddlestitcher’s three-knife trimmer.

At Yongcheng Shengda Printing in China, two of the saddle stitchers went into operation at the beginning of 2025, the company having produced on different pre-owned Müller Martini saddlestitchers in the past. With the two new Primera Pros, the number of saddlestitchers in Yongcheng has been reduced from the original nine to a total of five, with no loss in output. Stakeholders at Yongcheng Shengda Printing hope the new multi-job function and Connex line control, which integrates the systems into the digital workflow, will result in long term increases in productivity.