A decade on, Senner Druckhaus’ DCOS-retrofitted Geoman still delivers
The project started as a way to extend the life of existing equipment. However, it changed how the company managed its production, maintenance, and decision-making.
“We believed we could gain another 10 years out of this project. We’re still printing, and I don’t think we’ll stop in the next 10 years.” said Markus Krichenbauer, owner and CEO, Senner Medien GmbH & Co. KG and Senner Druckhaus GmbH.
A newspaper press doing more than newspapers
Founded in 1831 and part of the Senner Medien Group, the print shop has about 40 employees. The company prints two local newspapers, Nürtinger Zeitung and Wendlinger Zeitung.
Since the early 2000s, Senner has used its newspaper press to print large volume industrial manuals. These manuals go down to DIN A5 format, produced with triple folds. That kind of work is “pretty unique with the newspaper press”, Krichenbauer said.
After the pandemic, the company also expanded into flexible food packaging, printing wrapping paper for meat, vegetables, fish and other food products using food-safe inks. The press is certified for food contact materials.
Senner runs a 1996 manroland Geoman with a 32-page configuration and one folder. The line includes:
- Ferag mailroom
- Ferag Streamstitch
- Ferag SNT-U
- Müller Martini saddle stitcher for smaller formats
The press can run inline stitching and trimming up to 64 pages, saddle stitching up to 224 pages, and manuals up to 400 pages, printed on 45 gsm newsprint.
By 2013, the mechanical condition of the press was still strong, until they started having some issues with their existing control system.
Why retrofit instead of replacing
The Geoman was running on Siemens S5 controls. Since Siemens had stopped producing S5 parts, spare parts were hard to find.
The press also lacked automation. Colour register, density control, and presetting were done by hand. Cutoff control was limited.
The company decided to retrofit the control system using DCOS, based on Beckhoff hardware. The goal was to extend the press life by another decade.
“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,” Krichenbauer said.
Since the retrofit, Senner has continued working with Manroland for mechanical support. Folder revisions, air systems, and cylinder changes were all handled without issues. Spare parts and consumables remained available.
Challenges after the retrofit
The retrofit was completed on 25 September 2015, but it came with challenges.
One was cutoff accuracy. WAN-IFRA standards allow 1.5 mm. The printer needed 0.25 mm to produce A5 manuals with triple folds. The press had no load cells to measure web tension. Everything had to be done using camera data, he said.
Another challenge was ink presetting. The press used solid ink knives that behaved differently across zones.
“Standard presetting didn’t work. We ended up developing our own presetting method, using data from DCOS,” he added.
The biggest operational challenge was training staff on the new control system. The press moved from PECOM (Manroland’s control system) to DCOS while keeping print operations active every night. Functions were migrated step by step.
At one point, three printers were needed per shift; one running PECOM, one running DCOS, and one coordinating between the two systems.
Photo credit: Senner Druckhaus GmbH
Data and autonomy drive changes
The most visible change was autonomy. The Beckhoff-based control system uses standard hardware. If a component fails, printers can replace it themselves. Parts are kept in stock or ordered online.
“We can now solve hardware issues in-house,” Krichenbauer said.
Software changes don’t require on-site visits. Adjustments are done remotely with DCOS.
“A huge gain is the idea of putting the intelligence into the software and not into the hardware,” he said.
In the old S5 system, logic was built into hardware cards. Availability was limited. In the new system, intelligence is built into the software.
But the biggest change was data. The retrofit opened access to press data in a way Senner hadn’t had before. Every production is recorded: speed, splices, cutoff, ink, dampening, register motors, and more.
Senner also built a tool called the “production recorder.” It allows management, staff, and even customers to replay a production and see exactly what happened at a specific time, he said.
“Leadership changed too. Conversations moved away from blame. We stopped pointing fingers. We talk about solutions,” he added.
All staff have access to the data. Printers handle maintenance themselves. They use press data to spot wear in ink trains or detect issues before they show up on the product.
Preventive maintenance is no longer based on fixed intervals. It’s based on condition. Ink zones and cold starts are graded over dozens of runs to track wear.
Lower cost, longer life
“We don’t have a service agreement with DCOS. Support is handled by phone, even at night. Most issues are electronic, not mechanical,” Krichenbauer said.
Because the hardware is standard, the cost of ownership is predictable. Parts installed 10 years ago are still available today.
For Senner, the retrofit delivered more than extended press life. It changed how decisions are made, how staff work together, and how problems are solved.
“This project enabled us on many levels. Above all, it enabled us to deliver better products,” he said.
