Book Automation Ltd. (first branch office of the Group) is founded in the United States of America to directly follow and support the US and Canadian market.
Meccanotecnica presents the first fully automatic book-sewing machine, the Aster-Headop. Thanks to
its compact design, versatility, rapid set-up and easy operation, it quickly becomes a best
seller.
This year sees also the opening of the German Branch Office: Buch Automation GmbH.
To service the numerous installations around the World, Branch Offices are opened in the main graphic art markets: Grafotec Benelux in the Netherlands (1991), Meccasia in Singapore (1991) and Livretech in France (1997). The company rapidly evolves in an international Group. Major technical developments and a strong spirit of innovation foster the introduction of the fastest book-sewing machine: the Aster 2000.
The company anticipates market needs by integrating signature gathering with the sewing process. The automatic gathering and sewing lines opened a new era in book sewing: Uniplex, Multiplex SA, Magix, Bombax, and Bombix now work in the largest bookbinders worldwide.
The company anticipates, once again, the market by launching two solutions for digital print finishing: the Kristec, which handles printed sheets and the Legor-Aster, designed to work in line with digital web presses.
The Aster range is renovated with the introduction of Aster 160, Aster 160 OS, Aster 180 C, Aster 180 and Aster 220 C, satisfying all the customer needs. Meccanotecnica also sets a new standard within the signature recognition technology by presenting the Signalynx.
The Group expands its capability on the market with the opening of a new Branch Office in China: Aster (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
This year also sees the extension of the portfolio to cover the entire book production process with solutions specifically designed for short-run production and quick change over time: INLINE, modular and multifunctional book finishing line and TRIMMING, fully automatic three-knife trimmer.
Major changes in the graphic art market determine a steep decline in run lengths and in the total number of books produced. The Group is therefore reorganized in order to address the new dynamics of the book industry.
In Drupa, the UNIVERSE family goes through a major upgrade. The new generation is presented featuring a more functional design, higher performance, and efficiency along with new colors. A new model of this family is also unveiled: Universe Sewing Web-fed, automatic book folding and sewing line able to address the need for high volume digital book production directly from the roll.
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