The Primera 140 series is essentially a replacement for the Bravo Plus and Prima Plus series, which Muller Martini Australia managing director Livio Barbagallo said “was very successful in the Australian market”.

“We basically looked at those machines and thought ‘how can we improve them?'” Barbagallo said. “So we have been taking all the best things out of those machines and improving on them.”

Barbagallo is confident that the Primera 140 can replicate the success of its predecessors, claiming that the new range attracted its fair share of interest from Australian companies at this year’s drupa.

“This machine is mainly targeted at those looking for high flexibility, a customer that wants to produce a versatile range of products,” said Barbagallo.

Click here to see pictures of Muller Martini’s open house demonstration of the Primera E140.

None have been sold in Australia as yet, with the model on display at the company’s Silverwater offices one of the first machines to be deployed outside Europe, with several models having already been sold and some already in use throughout the continent.

The Primera is available in A140, C140 and E140 models, with the A140 described as a low speed, “entry level model with a manageable range of add ons”, and the C140 described as a “standard model with partial automation”, whilst the E 140 is a “highly automated” machine.

The E140 was the version on show at the open house, with the machine able to clock up a top speed of 14,000 cycles per hour and capable of supporting up to 16 feeders. Whilst the machine is capable of handling longer runs, Barbagallo says it is best suited to short to medium runs.

Whilst “flexibility” seems to be the watchword of the Primera series, one other aspect the company is touting in particular is the stitcher’s ergonomic design, with a horizontal layout, transparent windows to allow easy monitoring of the inner operations, and easily accessed touch screen displays used to operate the machine.

Barbagallo said that the company’s intention is to keep the machine currently showcased at its local headquarters for the purposes of display, although this is always subject to change.

“If a customer walks in and says ‘I want this machine and I need it operational in two weeks’, we will sell it to them,” he said.

Barbagallo was keen to emphasise, however, that the company currently has the machine in stock and ready to ship when needed.

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