“The mailroom lies at the heart of newspaper production”

Mailroom systems
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“The mailroom lies at the
heart of newspaper production”
Kieler Nachrichten produces no fewer than 40 different
newspaper titles and advertising papers. Three new
“NewsLiner-A/D” inserting lines and a “FlexiRoll” buffer
system from Muller Martini ensure optimum interaction
between press and mailroom.
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1 Most impressive: the new mailroom
of the “Kieler Nachrichten” with three
“NewsLiner-A/D” inserting lines, nine
“NewsStack” compensating stackers
each with TABA route address sheet
application, and three “FlexiRoll” buffer
systems.
In January 2003, while moving to new
production facilities located outside the
gates of the German city of Kiel the
“Kieler Nachrichten” decided to invest in
a new mailroom. As newspapers were still
being produced on a competitor’s product
in the old town of Kiel, the newspaper
printer was busy installing Muller Martini
inserting and buffering systems.
“We spent one and a half years working
intensively on our new investment,” remembers
Technical Manager, Michael
Sulenski. “We drew up a 120-point list and
deliberately involved our staff in the decision-making
process.”
Two evaluations – one result
After an extensive evaluation procedure
involving different suppliers, the staff
came up with their own final report – quite
independently of the management. And
although they were used to other systems,
they decided on the Muller Martini solution
with three “NewsLiner-A/D” inserting
lines, nine “NewsStack” compensating
stackers each with TABA route address
sheet application, and three “FlexiRoll”
buffer systems.
According to Michael Sulenski, the
management were in complete agreement
with the workforce: “From both
technical and economic standpoints, we
2 Apart from three regional editions
of the main newspaper, the “Kieler
Nachrichten” also produces 40 other
titles, including the “Hamburger
Morgenpost”.
came to the same conclusion as our staff.
Apart from the linear construction and
the option of two-up production (80,000
copies), the easy handling of the infeed
A newspaper with
a tradition
The “Kieler Nachrichten” – independent
provincial newspaper for Schleswig-Holstein,
is the only daily published in the
provincial capital, Kiel. The first issue under
the current name was published on 3
April 1946. It resulted from the merger of
the “Kieler Zeitung” (founded in 1864) and
the “Kieler Neuesten Nachrichten” (founded
in 1894).
100 permanent members of staff and
500 temporaries work seven days a week
(only the early shift on Saturdays and the
morning and midday shifts on Sundays are
not worked) in the new, three-storey printing
center outside the gates of this city
with a maritime tradition.
The company is 51% owned by Christian
Heinrich, 24.5% by the Axel Springer
publishing company and 24.5% by the
Hanseatische Verlagsbeteiligungsgesellschaft
(Hanseatic Publishers Associated
Company).
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3 Preprinted sections and advertising
supplements are printed in-house during
the day shift and then automatically fed
to the inserting lines in the evening.
4 Michael Sulenski in front of the
“NewsStack“: “The ‘Kieler Nachrichten’
is very bulky because of extensive
regional coverage.“
stations (setup times) came out in favor of
the ‘NewsLiner-A/D’.”
Zoning the “Kieler Nachrichten”...
A well organized mailroom is especially
important for this media company, as it
produces no fewer than 40 newspapers
– both dailies and advertising papers. Inhouse
title, the “Kieler Nachrichten”, with
a circulation of 110,000 copies during the
week and 130,000 copies on Saturdays
and one of the leading newspapers in the
north German province of Schleswig-Holstein,
appears in three regional editions for
Plön, Eckernförde and Neumünster.
“Our newspaper is very bulky because
of the extensive regional coverage,” says
Michael Sulenski. The regional sections
with four to eight pages are inserted into
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4
a 32-page jacket (64 pages at the weekend)
using the “NewsLiner-A/D”.
. . . and the “Hamburger
Morgenpost”
However, the in-house newspapers and
advertising papers published make up
only about 40% of the print volume. The
majority of the titles are contract work
from the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and
Hamburg conurbation. These include the
“Hamburger Morgenpost” which appears
six times a week with a circulation of
140,000 copies.
This full four-color tabloid newspaper
has three editions. At 7 o’clock in the
evening, a night edition with up to 5,000
copies is printed for sale in pubs and bars.
A mere half hour later, the national edition
follows which has a circulation of 12,000
copies. And then at 8:30 pm, the main
edition goes to press.
“With such tight time frames, it soon
becomes apparent that it is the mailroom
and not the press that lies at the heart of
newspaper production,” Michael Sulenski
tells us. Production structure is governed
by the mailroom. Current technology
makes it possible to keep newspapers
more up-to-date. But if the mailroom cannot
keep up, the capital invested disappears
in a puff of smoke.”
“We are independent
in the mailroom”
The mailroom takes on all the more significance,
as all three editions of the “Kieler
Nachrichten” regularly contain preprinted
sections – both editorial and
commercial. So, for example, the three
editions of the “Kieler Nachrichten” include
the daily magazine “Heute” with
events and TV programs, as well as a supplement
on Saturdays with property, cars
and situations vacant.
The preprinted sections and advertising
supplements are printed in-house during
the day, wound onto “FlexiRolls” for buffering
and then unwound again between 6
and 9 o’clock in the evening when the
“Kieler Nachrichten” is printed. “This
means we can operate our mailroom independently
of the press, which we are able
to run at full speed at all times. In addition,
the automated system helps us save on
labor costs”, says Michael Sulenski. So
only a few units often come in runs of
2,000 to 3,000 copies in split run editions,
still have to be fed in by hand by casual
staff who can be called in when needed.
www.kn-online.de
8 Muller Martini Panorama September 2004