PERFORMA

It was officially launched on the market in December 2006: an automatically convertible perfecting capability for the Performa 74. Luthe Druck und Medienservice in Cologne has been putting it through its paces – and is keen as mustard.

Admittedly, from Cologne main station it’s a few steps further to Luthe than to the cathedral, but not that many: Luthe is situated in the Kunibertsviertel, almost within sight of the world-famous ecclesiastical masterpiece. At first glance it seems highly unlikely that this modern terrace house could be the location of a 500m² (5,400ft²) printing plant. All that can be seen from the front is the entrance to the underground garage, a simple doorway and a shop window – that of the printing plant. And that’s it. But to the rear there extend offices, pre-press, the press room and the finishing department. On the floor above is the composition room and in the basement, directly beneath the Performa 74, the storeroom.

Bernhard Luthe with business card packaging of his own design, printed on recycled board

From 7.30am to 5pm jobs are accepted just as if it were a shop. For Bernhard Luthe, the third generation to run this family enterprise, it is the company’s proximity to its customers that is its main strength. But that does not mean that the printing plant depends purely on passing trade: while its biggest customers are local associations and businesses, Luthe also prints around 20 periodicals with circulations of varying sizes, and its products are delivered to destinations throughout Germany. For Luthe, the benefits of such a prime location far outweigh the logistical challenges and the drawback of higher overheads.

Fantastic conversion times

It is here that one of the world’s first Performa 74 perfecting presses has been in action since mid-2006. The purchase had been planned well in advance, and when interest rates fell Luthe decided it was time to go ahead. Originally he had had no thought of buying a KBA press, but in the end the double-size impression cylinders, the Performa’s ability to handle both paper and board, and its sheer value for money tipped the scales in its favour. After attending a print demo in Radebeul, Luthe signed on the dotted line.

The Performa 74 five-colour press at Luthe is one of the first to boast a perfecting capability

Because a high proportion of the jobs printed are mono and two-colour periodicals, a perfecting press was a must. For most of the other jobs four colours were the minimum, plus special colours and overprint varnishes. The result was a five-colour press with perfecting after the second unit. The contract printer who previously did a lot of work for Luthe had repeatedly urged him not to get a new press, and his fears were justified: since the Performa was installed his services have not been required once. Right from the first moment, Bernhard Luthe and his staff have been delighted with their new press, and particularly with its perfecting prowess. Whereas it used to take 20 minutes of hard work to convert the old press from straight printing to perfecting, and vice versa, with the Performa it takes less than two. “We double-checked – it’s not quite the ninety minutes it says in the brochure,” says Bernhard Luthe with a smile. “But the short makeready times are fantastic and so is the print quality. We’ve obviously jumped two or three press generations, and while other press manufacturers also offer a similar high level of automation, we are amazed by the sheer reliability.” His press team is equally enthusiastic. One member of the team, who was previously employed on a short-term contract, can soon look forward to being taken on permanently.

In addition to 400 business reports Luthe prints 200,000 flyers (100,000 impressions) for a well-known charitable organisation, a further 120,000 flyers on 60gsm (16lb bond) recycled paper with a grain that is not ideal for printing – and all in a superior quality. “We now have a piece of cutting-edge kit!” says Bernhard Luthe confidently. Along with a new Perfecta guillotine, the company’s fourth digital press (this time from Xerox because in Luthe’s opinion “it’s the only one that delivers a quality genuinely approaching offset”), a folding machine and saddle stitcher for up to 40 pages make for a streamlined workflow.

Though tempted, Bernhard Luthe has not himself operated the Performa 74, whose quality he finds “impressive”

Ecology writ large

A new, environmentally friendly Presstek platemaking line is all part of the scenario. The exposed plates are merely wetted, the process is chemistry-free and the water can be simply washed down the drain. According to Bernhard Luthe it is the first system of this kind in the whole of Cologne. But the company takes pressroom ecology a step further: When the house-cum-business premises were erected ten years ago a photovoltaic array was attached to the front, and Luthe’s fleet of cars bear the banner “We print with solar energy.” Even though just a small percentage of the plant’s energy consumption is provided in this way, it does demonstrate what can be done to reduce the environmental footprint. Bernhard Luthe believes it is a question of idealism, and that much more of it is needed. All corporate communications are printed on recycled stock (complete with Blue Angel accreditation) as a matter of course and when Luthe disposes of plates, paper and other consumables he utilises all the recycling options available. This attitude wins business from customers for whom environmental credentials are a key issue.

Nail-biting placement

The company’s location and the delivery date agreed made offloading and placing the Performa 74 a nail-biting affair. First of all additional load-bearing girders had to be inserted in the basement ceiling to provide the necessary stability for the 30-tonne (33-ton) press. Because the ceiling of the underground garage could only bear a maximum weight of 500kg/m² (102lbs/ft²) Luthe seriously considered having the press lowered from a helicopter. What decided him against this was not the cost, but the time it would take to obtain a permit. So he placed an order for a huge 75-tonne (83-ton) crane – but a permit for this was refused because the Brazilian football team was quartered in the hotel just across the road and the World Cup was due to kick off on 1 July. An appeal to the competent authorities resulted in a permit for the crane being issued after all.

Chemistry-free platemaking is one of many contributions Luthe has made to press ecology

Removing the old press (which is now in operation in Baghdad) and offloading and placing the Performa took less than a day. “It all went like clockwork,” says Bernhard Luthe. On 1 September the company celebrated its 80th anniversary in the presence of one hundred guests, to an accompaniment of classical music – and with a brand-new press that was even blessed by the former bishop of Essen, Hubert Luthe, son of the company founder.

Website: www.luthe.de

Kasten 1:

Perfecting with the Performa 74

• All three cylinders are double-circumference
• Sheet travel in both modes is smooth and relatively flat, so there is minimal bending
• Substrate thicknesses from 0.05 to 0.6mm (2-24pt)
• Maximum sheet size is 510 x 735mm (20 x 29in) in straight mode and 500 x 735mm (19¾ x 29in) in perfecting mode
• Minimum print format is 330 x 330mm (13 x 13in) in both modes
• Registration is extremely accurate
• Maximum rated speed in both modes is 13,000sph (no reduction compared to straight press)
• Mode change is automatic (touch-screen input of paper size and calliper prior to conversion)
• Post-perfecting cylinders are rough-chromed

Kasten 2:

Luthe Druck und Medienservice

• 30 September 1926: company founded by Hermann Luthe
• 1937: premises closed and sealed by the Gestapo following production of a prohibited papal bull entitled “With burning anxiety”
• 1940/41: machinery and materials concealed from the Nazis
• Bombs destroy plant and machinery
• 1945: business rebuilt by sons Karl Joseph and Hermann Luthe
• 1949: new premises acquired in Jakordenstrasse
• 1951: relocation to Jakordenstrasse
• 1957: adoption of small-format offset
• 1966: complete conversion to offset
• 1990 onwards: adoption of desktop publishing
• 1994: Bernhard Luthe becomes managing director
• 1995/96: new premises built while production continues
• Today: full-service print provider with six full-time staff and up to ten part-timers, annual sales of around  €1m ($1.3m)