manroland’s Colorman e:line customer Weiss Druck delivered a media legend and greetings from Mt Everest in an event to inaugurate the new press.

Director Georg Weiss introduced Helmut Markwort, linked visitors to mountaineer Helga Hengge and printed a special edition of German political weekly Wochenspiegel during the event.

And the highly-automated press – which features coloured lighting in its cabinetry – also rose to the occasion.

Two years after installing the world’s first 96-page Lithoman heatset line in Monschau, Weiss Druck now aims to restructure coldset production with the new press “At Weiss, we are high-flyers,” the director says of the group which has 1200 employees.

A complete portfolio of printing technology was needed to offer customers “the best possible outcome”, and led to steady investment and expansion of product ranges.

Journalist and publishing expert Markwort discussed the future of print and asserted that print media had to be “more profound”, offering news that shows practical value.

Installation of the two-tower Colorman was completed in May, with the press delivering small runs cost effectively. Wochenspiegel’s 618,000 copies across 22 editions can now be produced in 16 hours.

Automation features include APL plate-changing robots and inline colour and cutoff register. The Weiss plants includes a new inhouse heat and power plant whioch covers 80 per cent of current demand.

Pictured: Axel Thomas who chaired the event, Helga Hengge, Georg Weiss and his son Leonard, and Helmut Markwort