Non-stop reel-to-sheet gives Moderna Printing a competitive edge in sheetfed production | Contiweb BV

Home

|

Non stop reel to sheet gives moderna printing a competitive edge in sheetfed production

The boundaries between heatset web offset and sheetfed production are shifting. Print runs in the high-volume segment are becoming shorter, increasingly entering a range where the economics of heatset web offset are impacted by relatively high makeready times. At the same time, these volumes are less suited to conventional sheetfed production, where lower throughput limits efficiency on longer runs.

Moderna Printing addressed this by implementing a non-stop reel-to-sheet set-up that combines 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:

A competitive edge between heatset web offset and conventional sheetfed
Increased production efficiency and throughput through non-stop reel-to-sheet operation
Nearly one full shift of non-productive handling time eliminated per week
Reduced paper waste
More predictable workflow and greater operator flexibility

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 heatset web offset 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.

Heidelberg CutStar and Contiweb CBN-1100 auto-splicer_580x386px

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

Before installing the non-stop auto-splicer, every reel change at Moderna Printing required the press to be stopped for nearly 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

In any web-fed printing environment, partial reels are unavoidable — even with careful planning. With manual reel changes, smaller partial reels are often left unused, as the time required to change them can exceed the actual production time.

At Moderna Printing, this limitation has been eliminated. The two reel positions on the non-stop unwinder allow the next reel to be loaded and the splice to be prepared while production continues. The splice from one reel to the next is fully automatic, ensuring an uninterrupted workflow.

As a result, they can be efficiently reused in future jobs, leading to better material utilisation, less waste, and reduced storage requirements.

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

Book your session