In order to upgrade its facilities, Punamusta has invested around 15 million euros in its production technology and premises. The print experts from North Karelia, near the Russian border, want to target new customer groups with the flexible Colorman autoprint system. Punamusta, a member of the Pohjois-Karjalan Kirjapaino Group, currently produces a variety of local newspapers as well as advertising material and magazines for the Finnish, Russian, and Scandinavian markets.

The new Colorman system, with its two printing towers and two reel splicers, impressed Punamusta with the prospect of shorter makeready times, improved production reliability, and less waste. In autoprint mode, the printing process is fully automatic and manual intervention has been reduced to a minimum. All data for new runs can be loaded during the automated PPL (PowerPlateLoading) process, meaning the press is immediately ready for the next proof. Inline Control systems such as InlineTemperature Control and InlineCutoff Control ensure the stability of the production run. “This investment will allow Punamusta to make a giant leap in terms of efficient newspaper printing. The available automation options will make newspaper production faster, cheaper, and much more user-friendly.” said Klaus Streit, Deputy Vice President Sales at Manroland Web Systems.

Photo Caption: The mood is upbeat in Joensuu, Finland: folders contain the contract documents for Punamusta’s investment in a Colorman autoprint. Klaus Streit, Deputy Vice President Sales at Manroland Web Systems (3rd from left) and Jyrki Laakkonen, CEO of Pohjois-Karjalan Kirjapaino Oyj (4th from right), as well as further participants in the negotiations, look forward to the project.