Contiweb auto-splicers strengthen Moderna Printing’s competitive position | Contiweb BV

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Contiweb auto splicers strengthen moderna printings competitive position

The boundaries between heatset web offset and sheetfed production are shifting.

Print runs in the high-volume segment are becoming shorter, moving into ranges that are too small for heatset web offset, yet too large for traditional sheetfed production.

Moderna Printing, traditionally specialising in large print runs, addressed this by combining sheetfed flexibility with web-fed efficiency. With a new configuration including a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 sheetfed offset press, CutStar reel sheeter and Contiweb CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder, the company can now produce shorter runs efficiently, while maintaining high productivity.

Key results:

No production stops during reel changes on the Speedmaster XL 106
More than 7 hours of non-productive handling time eliminated per week
Reduced paper waste
Greater operator flexibility
More predictable workflow and improved ergonomics

Moderna Printing is one of the leading web printing companies in the Benelux, specialising in magazines, catalogues and other periodical publications.

The Belgian family-owned business operates three heatset web offset press lines and offers a fully integrated service covering the entire production process, from file intake and prepress verification through printing, finishing, packaging and distribution.

The company serves a wide range of publishers across the region, including several major publishing houses. Production is characterised by high volumes and extremely tight turnaround times, supported by a highly efficient and reliable operation.

Moderna Printing aerial photo

Moderna Printing is facing the same market shift as many printers, with print runs becoming shorter and margins coming under increasing pressure.

At the same time, customers continue to expect high quality and short turnaround times.

This created a clear challenge: how to remain competitive for shorter runs without sacrificing the efficiency that defines web offset production.

“In the past, a large share of our production consisted of retail leaflets.

Today the focus has shifted much more towards magazines and special-interest titles with shorter print runs.”
Eric Bongaerts, CEO, Moderna Printing

To address changing market demands, Moderna Printing invested in a new sheetfed press configuration that integrates web-fed production principles.

The line is based on a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 with CutStar reel sheeter and Contiweb CB-N non-stop auto-splicer. In this setup, paper is supplied from reels and converted into sheets inline for offset printing.

The Contiweb auto-splicer ensures continuous operation, while the CutStar cuts sheets to the exact required format. This enables a stable, uninterrupted workflow while maintaining the familiar advantages of working with paper reels.

As a result, Moderna combines the flexibility of sheetfed production with the efficiency and cost benefits of web-fed printing, including reduced waste and optimised material usage.

“With the Contiweb auto-splicer we can prepare the next reel while production continues.”
Marijn Poelmans, Plant Manager, Moderna Printing

With the previous setup, every reel change required the press to be stopped for around 15 minutes, interrupting production and limiting overall efficiency.

With non-stop auto-splicing, this interruption has been eliminated. Operators can now prepare and splice the next reel while the press continues production, resulting in a more continuous and predictable workflow.

Given the high number of reel changes (on average 56 per week, with peaks up to 80) the impact on productivity is significant. In practice, time savings now exceed the original estimate of seven hours per week.

Learn more about the CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder

Contiweb CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder at Moderna Printing

At Moderna Printing, partial reels can now be processed while production continues, allowing operators to handle and prepare them without interrupting the workflow. This improves efficiency and creates a more ergonomic working environment.

Because reel changes are fully automatic and splice preparation takes minimal time, these partial reels can be easily reused in future jobs. This helps Moderna optimise material usage and reduce waste.

The setup also enables reels of different widths to be used consecutively, giving Moderna greater flexibility while keeping waste to a minimum.

Moderna Printing Operator at Contiweb CB-N Non-Stop Unwinder

“A printing press only generates revenue when it is running, not when it is standing still.”
Eric Bongaerts, CEO, Moderna Printing

For Moderna Printing, productivity is essential to remain competitive in a market where magazine circulations are declining and international competition continues to grow.

With the combination of the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106, the CutStar reel sheeter and the Contiweb CB-N auto-splicer, Moderna Printing now operates a production line that combines flexibility with high efficiency. This allows the company to produce smaller print runs of magazines efficiently while maintaining the productivity levels required in a highly competitive market.

Moderna Printing_Eric Bongaerts_1

Explore what this could mean for your operation

See how you can adapt your production setup to changing print volumes and shifting market requirements.

By implementing non-stop reel-to-sheet printing, it is possible to improve productivity while maintaining the flexibility of sheetfed production.

In a dedicated session, we will show how this setup works in practice, how it fits into your production environment, and how to quantify the potential gains based on your current operation.

Rob Bosman
Sales Director
+31 6 51 20 27 55
sales@contiweb.com

Rob

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