Virtual.Drupa 2021: Muller Martini presents its machine portfolio

So, how does Muller Martini products help reduce time to market? Adrian Mayr, head of product management and corporate marketing, Muller Martini, said, “In general, customers who adapt to the new market requirements and focus on the production of higher value products and individualised products have good chances on the market today and achieve better margins. We support with our latest developments and a broad portfolio for the production of short-runs or even individualised, digitally printed products, be it stitched magazines, catalogues, softcover or hardcover products. The key aspect for this is our development strategy, Finishing 4.0, which was introduced at Drupa 2016 and which focuses on 4 pillars, automation, variability, touchless workflow and connectivity.”

On the impact of the pandemic, Mayr said, on a global basis the printing sector is still in a transformation phase – with large differences between the individual markets. The digital transformation has been speeded up by the effects of the pandemic, so we see an increased demand in our digital finishing solutions. After a weak start in 2021, the project activity gained momentum in the past few weeks and Muller Martini was able to close a relevant number of deals,” he added.

As a direct result of the pandemic, is printing now fighting against digital more than ever? Mayr doesn’t think so. He gives an example: “In Europe, we experienced several eCommerce companies starting up their own printed magazines or catalogues to support online sales channels – a clear indication that even purely digital companies see the value of print and invest in it.”

So, what’s the next big thing for printing industry? “In many countries, skilled labour and labour costs are major issues for our customers,” Mayr said. “So in line with the digitalization, there is a high demand for further automation of the entire production process end-to-end. Within our production lines, we already have achieved a high level of automation, but upfront and downstream there is still a lot of potential to improve and automate the material handling and the logistics. In the future we will see more robotics and other automated systems to interconnect the different production processes in the graphic arts industry – towards a smart factory.”