Heidelberg and MK Masterwork Launch New Folder/Gluer

In May this year Heidelberg and MK Masterwork launched the new folder/gluer model, the Diana Easy, simultaneously at China Print in Beijing and at a dedicated packaging event in Wiesloch, Germany. On June 1, more than 40 customers were able to visit the MK Masterwork factory at an open house event held in Nové Mesto, Slovakia, and see where and how the new machine is manufactured.

The Diana Easy is manufactured at the MK Masterwork facility in Nové Mesto, Slovakia.

The Diana Easy is the latest model to be produced in the Nové Mesto factory which has a history of manufacturing modules as well as entire Diana folder/gluers for the postpress packaging market segment going back more than 30 years. Located in Slovakia approximately 120 km east of Vienna, the site is in a very attractive region for machine manufacturers, where more and more companies are investing in new factories. The site is ideally located to supply customers not only in central Europe but also throughout the world, thanks to Heidelberg’s extensive distribution network.

Traditional Location for the Packaging Market

The Nové Mesto site has been continuously developed throughout its history. Originally established by the packaging company Jagenberg, the plant’s capacity was greatly increased by Heidelberg following its acquisition of the site in 2003. Operating under the MK Masterwork banner since 2016 with 130 employees, the factory is currently undergoing further significant development by the Chinese partner to double production capacity to handle the demand for the new Diana Easy, for the existing Diana Smart and Diana X machines as well as new products planned for introduction over the coming months. MK Masterwork will install a new portal milling machine at the site in the fall and a new ERP system went live at the beginning of the year, both part of an ongoing MK Masterwork program to shorten manufacturing times and increase production capacity.

Diana Easy Meets Customers' Needs for Flexibility and Productivity

Designed by the MK Masterwork team in Neuss, Germany and built in Nové Mesto, the Diana Easy is a new machine but with a heritage that stretches back almost 60 years through many proven Diana models. The Diana Easy features functions from the top-of-the-range Diana X as well as generous throughput up to 350 m/min. One of the key design criteria for the Diana Easy was to develop a truly modular machine that will allow customers to extend the capacity of the folder/gluer as the needs of their business change. Adding features such as the ability to produce 4/6 corner boxes or an in-line ejection functionality can be retrofitted to the machine at a later stage. The Diana Easy also comes at a very attractive price for packaging and commercial printers as well as postpress specialists looking to replace older, less productive machines or develop new products or markets.

Successful Partnership Between Heidelberg and MK Masterwork

It has only been two and a half years since Heidelberg and MK Masterwork signed a partnership agreement to work together to develop and distribute postpress machines for packaging customers, and yet the results achieved have already been outstanding for both companies. Heidelberg has achieved its best sales ever in diecutters over the last 12 months and with the introduction of the Diana Easy the company expects this performance to be repeated in the folder/gluer area as well.

The long-term success of the partnership is founded on the perfect fit between the two companies’ core strengths. MK Masterwork is the largest manufacturer of postpress equipment in the Asian region. As the extensive development of the Nové Mesto site shows, MK Masterwork has invested heavily in the manufacturing and R&D capacity needed to meet the demands of customers in the packaging market. Heidelberg’s global sales and service network is the largest in the industry and therefore provides a perfect distribution channel for MK Masterwork. Heidelberg also has decades of experience in the development of print and postpress machines.

The Nové Mesto site has delivered many hundreds of machines to the global packaging industry over the past 30 years. The ongoing investment by its new owner MK Masterwork means that many more packaging companies will be able to benefit from the highly productive Diana folder gluers it produces over the years to come.

Source: Heidelberg.