From Newspapers to Flexible Packaging: A Legacy of Adaptation

Founded in 1831, Senner Druckhaus, part of the Senner Medien Group, has a long and storied history serving the communities of Nürtingen and Wendlingen with local news through the Nürtinger Zeitung and Wendlinger Zeitung. But the company’s story isn’t one of static tradition; it’s one of continuous adaptation. Recognizing the shifting demands of the market, Senner began leveraging its existing newspaper press for high-volume industrial manual printing in the early 2000s, a niche application uniquely suited to its capabilities.

This diversification proved prescient. Following the disruptions of the pandemic, Senner further expanded its offerings into flexible food packaging, producing wrapping paper for a variety of products – meat, vegetables, fish, and more – utilizing food-safe inks and adhering to stringent certification standards for food contact materials.

At the heart of this transformation is a 1996 manroland Geoman press, configured with 32 pages and a single folder. The press line incorporates a Ferag mailroom, Ferag Streamstitch, Ferag SNT-U, and a Müller Martini saddle stitcher for smaller formats. Its capabilities are impressive: inline stitching and trimming up to 64 pages, saddle stitching up to 224 pages, and the production of manuals reaching 400 pages, all printed on 45 gsm newsprint.

However, by 2013, while the mechanical condition of the press remained robust, its aging control system began to present significant challenges.

The Retrofit Decision: Extending Life and Embracing the Future

The Geoman’s reliance on Siemens S5 controls became a critical issue. With Siemens discontinuing production of S5 parts, sourcing replacements proved increasingly difficult and costly. Furthermore, the press lacked the automation essential for modern efficiency. Color registration, density control, and pre-setting were all performed manually, and cutoff control was limited.

Faced with the prospect of a costly and disruptive replacement, Senner opted for a bold solution: a complete retrofit of the control system using DCOS, built on Beckhoff hardware. The primary goal was to extend the press’s operational life by another decade, but the project quickly evolved into something far more transformative.

“When we contracted the retrofit, we could see some market reactions because our Geoman was the first one in Germany to be retrofitted by DCOS. So there were doubts from other suppliers about service support and warranties,” said Markus Krichenbauer, owner and CEO of Senner Medien GmbH & Co. KG and Senner Druckhaus GmbH.

Despite initial skepticism, Senner continued to collaborate with Manroland for mechanical support, ensuring seamless integration and continued access to essential parts and consumables. Folder revisions, air systems, and cylinder changes were all handled without issue.

Overcoming Challenges: Precision and Training

The retrofit, completed on September 25, 2015, wasn’t without its hurdles. Achieving the required cutoff accuracy proved particularly challenging. While WAN-IFRA standards allow for a tolerance of 1.5 mm, Senner’s production of A5 manuals with triple folds demanded a precision of just 0.25 mm. The press lacked load cells to measure web tension, necessitating a reliance on camera data for accurate control.

Ink pre-setting also presented difficulties. The press’s solid ink knives exhibited inconsistent behavior across different zones, rendering standard pre-setting methods ineffective. Senner’s team ultimately developed a proprietary pre-setting method leveraging data from the DCOS system.

Perhaps the most significant challenge was staff training. The transition from Manroland’s PECOM control system to DCOS required a phased migration, conducted while maintaining continuous print operations. At one point, three printers were needed per shift – one operating PECOM, one operating DCOS, and one coordinating between the two systems.

Data-Driven Autonomy: A New Operational Paradigm

The most immediate benefit of the retrofit was increased autonomy. The Beckhoff-based control system utilizes standard hardware, allowing printers to independently replace components as needed, sourced from readily available stock or online retailers.

“We can now solve hardware issues in-house,” Krichenbauer explained. Software adjustments no longer require on-site visits, but can be implemented remotely through DCOS.

“A huge gain is the idea of putting the intelligence into the software and not into the hardware,” he added. The shift from hardware-based logic, with its inherent limitations, to a software-defined system unlocked unprecedented flexibility and scalability.

However, the true revolution lay in the data. The retrofit provided Senner with access to a wealth of press data previously unavailable – speed, splices, cutoff, ink usage, dampening levels, register motor performance, and more. This data fueled the development of a proprietary “production recorder” tool, allowing management, staff, and even customers to replay entire production runs and analyze performance in real-time.

“Leadership changed too. Conversations moved away from blame. We stopped pointing fingers. We talk about solutions,” Krichenbauer emphasized.

With access to comprehensive data, Senner’s staff took ownership of maintenance, proactively identifying wear in ink trains and detecting potential issues before they impacted product quality. Preventive maintenance transitioned from fixed intervals to a condition-based approach, optimizing resource allocation and minimizing downtime.

Cost Savings and Long-Term Sustainability

Senner operates without a traditional service agreement with DCOS, relying on readily available phone support, even during off-hours. The majority of issues are electronic in nature, easily resolved remotely. The use of standard hardware ensures predictable and manageable costs, with parts installed a decade ago remaining readily available today.

For Senner Druckhaus, the retrofit delivered far more than simply extending the life of its press. It fundamentally altered how decisions are made, how staff collaborate, and how problems are solved. It’s a story of resilience, innovation, and the power of embracing change.

“This project enabled us on many levels. Above all, it enabled us to deliver better products,” Krichenbauer concluded.

What other innovative approaches are print companies taking to extend the life of their equipment? And how can data analytics be further leveraged to optimize print production processes?

Frequently Asked Questions About Senner Druckhaus’ Retrofit