André Kern joins the management team alongside his father Jürgen Kern and his uncle Joachim Kern.
Printing plates are now exposed using a Heidelberg Suprasetter 105 SCL autoloader, capable of imaging up to 19 large plates per hour in 24-hour operation. The newly installed Heidelberg Image Control system ensures consistently high print quality on both the Speedmaster SM 102 6C and the new SM 102 8C presses.
In print finishing, an increasing shift toward the Heidelberg workflow is taking place thanks to the technology partnership with Heidelberg. Investments include a Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 400 saddle stitcher as well as several Heidelberg folding machines, such as the Heidelberg Stahlfolder KH 82 and two TH 82 units. This development turns the department into one of the most modern finishing operations in southwestern Germany.
In large-format printing in Sarreguemines, a Mutoh MaxJet 160 replaces the previous SEIKO S64 solvent roll printer.
Digital printing is upgraded with an OCÉ VarioPrint VP 6160, later upgraded via a speed enhancement to the VarioPrint 6250. This black-and-white laser printing system is used for personalised direct mail production as well as print-on-demand book production. It offers simultaneous duplex printing in offset quality, ensuring 100% registration accuracy. At 85 A3 pages (160 A4 pages) per minute, it achieves a monthly output of up to 2.5 million prints.