Conversion does not mean production stop

In order to make optimum use of Koenig & Bauer's three printing presses, the printing company decided in the middle of the year to install an automatic feed system for the thin aluminum plates, which weigh around two kilograms. "With a manual plate feed, peak performance on the printing presses is unacceptable in the long term without additional personnel," says project engineer Matthias Plachetta, explaining the reasons for the necessary conversion.

Taenzler Maschinen- und Anlagenbau has been developing such rail systems for 17 years, mostly for the automotive industry as well as window, door and conservatory manufacturers. "One challenge in Kesselsdorf was the ceiling height of 5.50 meters," says Rene Hübner, "on the other hand, there is a 30-meter-long, highly sensitive printing machine below us." The responsible project manager from Laußnitz quickly realized that his own scaffolding technology was not sufficient: there was neither enough space nor could they adequately protect the sensitive machines. A special scaffolding builder was needed. Taenzler found one with Gemeinhardt Service.

The scaffolding specialists not only developed work platforms on which two fitters could work with 300 kilograms of material and tools, as well as five gangways - above all, the Saxons from Roßwein secured the printing presses 100 percent against any falling screwdrivers, nuts or smaller parts. In concrete terms, this meant that if the rail system was installed above the first printing press, the second and third presses could continue to work without any problems. "The loss of production would have been immense for us, actually unacceptable," says Plachetta, as Druckhaus Mainfranken works in three shifts and the installation and run-in phase of the rail system took around six weeks. "We are very satisfied with how Taenzler and Gemeinhardt implemented the project," says the trained printer and print and media technology graduate.

"With "Protection in Perfection", we have developed a brand so that highly efficient industrial companies can continue production, at least in part, during a conversion or renovation," says Gemeinhardt Managing Director Dirk Eckart. The special scaffolding erector has been working for industrial companies for years, suspending the ceiling of an engine manufacturer to protect electroplating tanks or erecting sound and dust protection walls several times so that work could continue next door relatively unaffected.

According to the specialist, the job was one of the trickier ones. Actually, suspended scaffolding would have been ideal, but the statics of the hall did not allow for this. The scaffolders therefore had to come up with particularly stable support systems due to the narrow aisles between the three machines. And the four scaffolders had to work particularly carefully above the high-powered machines. "We needed ten days for the entire assembly," says Eckart, which is rather long for the company, but was due to the special conditions.

For Rene Hübner, the collaboration with his subcontractor was completely uncomplicated and quick: "A construction site is a construction site, it never works exactly as planned". The key is to react quickly and find a solution. Ultimately, however, what counts for him is the opinion of his employees: "My fitters were delighted with the health and safety at work and the cleanliness on the scaffolding."

Jens Gieseler