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What is Martin Automatic, Inc.?
Martin Automatic, Inc. is a manufacturer of automatic unwind, splice and rewind equipment for web-fed printing and converting lines. Its machines handle the roll changes that would otherwise stop a press: the site names three featured products — the MBS Butt Splicer, the LRD Automatic Transfer Rewind and the ECP Lap Splicer — and describes non-stop unwind/splice technology fitted to presses including a Mark Andy digital hybrid. The practical purpose is continuous running: splicing a new roll onto the expiring one without halting production.
Who it is for
The customer base shown on the site is narrow-web label converters and similar web processors, not general office or small-format buyers. Named installations include Nordvalls Etikett across northern Europe, Römer Etikett in Germany and Desmedt Labels in Belgium, and the products are also presented for heavier paper stock. If your operation runs label presses or packaging films and loses time to manual roll changes, this is the category of supplier you would evaluate; if you print sheets or short runs, the fit is weaker.
What the evidence suggests about the trade-off
The site's own customer quotes frame the case in productivity and payback terms. Mischa Barthel of Barthel Group describes faster ROI and a motivational effect on production teams; Achim Peters of Peters GmbH quantifies the alternative, noting 60-inch rolls of 400-micron paper that took about ten minutes per manual change, twice an hour, before an MBX unit was installed. Dušan Prevrátil highlights compact MBSC and STR models aimed at smaller production environments. Read these as vendor-published customer observations rather than independent testing. The reasonable inference is that the value scales with roll weight, change frequency and the cost of press downtime — a converter making many heavy changes per shift has more to gain than one running long rolls at low speed.
Next step
Ask for the full product brochure offered on the site, then compare the MBS, ECP and LRD against your actual roll diameters, splice type (butt versus lap) and press speed, and request a downtime calculation using your own change frequency.
How does Martin Automatic's unwind/splice technology improve printing press productivity?
Martin Automatic's unwind/splice technology improves press productivity mainly by removing the manual roll change from the production cycle. Automatic unwinds feed the press continuously and splice a new roll onto the running web, so the press can keep printing instead of stopping every time a roll runs out. The site's customer testimonials describe the effect in practice: Barthel Group's managing director credits faster throughput and a quick return on investment, while Peters GmbH's managing director notes that heavy rolls previously took about ten minutes per change, twice an hour, before automation.
Where the gains come from
- Less stopped time. Every avoided stop is saleable output recovered, especially on long runs where roll changes recur frequently.
- Consistent splices. Automatic butt and lap splicers make the join repeatably, which matters for downstream registration, tension control and waste levels.
- Less manual handling. Operators spend less time lifting and threading rolls, which the Barthel testimonial links to higher output with less physical effort.
- Better use of digital and hybrid presses. The Desmedt Labels case describes a Mark Andy digital hybrid press fitted with non-stop unwind/splice, a setup where continuous feeding protects short-run economics.
A practical way to judge the fit
Estimate how often your press stops for roll changes and how long each change takes. Multiply that by your hourly output value; if the figure is substantial, non-stop splicing is likely to pay back quickly. Then check which configuration suits your web width, roll diameter and material—Martin's range includes butt splicers, lap splicers and automatic transfer rewinds, and the site's brochure download is the sensible next step for matching a model to your line.
For broader context on label and packaging converting equipment, Labelmen and Mark Andy cover press platforms that are often paired with this kind of automation.
Which Martin Automatic model fits a narrow web label converter with limited floor space?
For a narrow-web label converter with limited floor space, the best fit from the models featured on Martin Automatic is the MBSC, typically paired with the STR automatic transfer rewind. A customer testimonial quoted on the site describes the MBSC and STR as compact, fully featured units "specially designed for smaller production environments" that still provide fully automated roll handling for continuous running.
Why this pairing suits a space-constrained label line
- Footprint over throughput: The MBSC/STR combination is positioned for smaller production environments rather than wide-web or high-volume packaging lines, so it trades some capacity for a smaller physical presence.
- Continuous running without manual roll changes: Automated unwind/splice and transfer rewind let a narrow-web press keep running through roll changes, which matters when floor space leaves little room for staging large rolls or extra operators.
- Label-specific track record: The site's news items describe label converters adopting Martin unwind/splice technology, including a butt splicer installation at Römer Etikett and a non-stop unwind/splice setup on a Mark Andy digital hybrid press at Desmedt Labels.
How to decide
- Confirm your web width and roll diameter. The MBSC/STR is aimed at smaller environments; if you run very large-diameter rolls, the site's MBX example (60-inch, 400-micron paper) shows how roll size drives handling needs.
- Check whether you need unwind, rewind, or both. The MBS butt splicer and ECP lap splicer address the unwind side; the LRD and STR handle transfer rewinding.
- Ask for a footprint drawing before committing. "Compact" is relative—get dimensions for your exact web width and compare against your available aisle and staging space.
A practical next step is to request the full product brochure linked from the site and confirm MBSC/STR dimensions against your press layout. If your priority is splicing method rather than space, compare the MBS butt splicer and ECP lap splicer directly.
What ROI can a converter expect from installing an automatic butt splicer?
ROI from an automatic butt splicer comes mainly from eliminated stop-and-restart time at each roll change, not from a published payback figure. No vendor can give you a reliable number without your press speed, roll diameter, splice frequency and waste rates. Martin Automatic's own customer testimonials point to the shape of the return rather than a percentage: Barthel Group's managing director describes "improving productivity and showing a fast ROI," and Peters GmbH's managing director frames it as the difference between manual roll changes that took about 10 minutes each, roughly twice an hour, and automated handling of heavy rolls.
What drives the payback
- Roll-change frequency. Faster presses and large-diameter rolls change more often, so each avoided stop is worth more. A converter running narrow-web labels at high speed with frequent splices gains more per shift than a slow, wide-web line.
- Manual change time. Time the actual task: stopping, cutting, taping, restarting and re-registering. Peters GmbH's observation of roughly 10 minutes per manual change is a useful benchmark to test against your own floor.
- Waste per restart. Every stop produces web waste and rejected output until register and tension recover. Butt splicing, which joins the new roll to the expiring one without an overlap tail, reduces the lump that can snag downstream.
- Labour and ergonomics. Large rolls are heavy and slow to handle by hand. Barthel Group's director notes a motivational effect on production teams delivering more saleable product with less physical effort, which matters where recruitment and retention are difficult.
A simple way to estimate it
Take your shifts per year, multiply by splices per shift, then by minutes saved per splice, and convert to press-hours recovered. Multiply recovered hours by your contribution margin per hour. Add waste saved per splice times splices per year, and subtract the machine's annualised cost plus maintenance. That gives a defensible internal payback estimate rather than a borrowed one.
Choosing between splice types
| Consideration | Butt splicer (e.g. MBS) | Lap splicer (e.g. ECP) |
|---|---|---|
| Splice profile | Near-flush join | Overlapping tail |
| Best fit | Thin films, labels, digital hybrid lines where a tail would disturb downstream | Heavier stocks and applications tolerant of a lap |
| Trade-off | Typically tighter tension and register demands | Simpler join but a thicker lump through the press |
Martin Automatic lists the MBS butt splicer, LRD automatic transfer rewind and ECP lap splicer among its featured products, so the right starting point is the splice type your substrates and downstream processes tolerate. For converters weighing automation more broadly, Martin Automatic publishes customer stories; comparable industry context is available from PFFC and Labels & Labeling.
Next step: log two weeks of actual roll-change times, waste per restart and splices per shift on the press you would retrofit, then ask the vendor to model payback against those figures rather than a generic claim.
How does non-stop roll changing reduce manual labor and physical effort on press?
Non-stop roll changing reduces manual labor by automating the two most physically demanding moments on a press: loading a new roll and splicing it to the running web. Instead of an operator lifting, positioning and taping a heavy roll while the press is stopped, an automatic unwind/splice unit performs the transfer itself, so the press keeps running and the operator moves to monitoring rather than lifting.
Where the effort goes away
- Roll handling: Large-diameter, heavy rolls no longer have to be manhandled into position and aligned by hand for each change.
- Splicing: The unit makes the join automatically, removing the manual tape-and-cut step and the need to time it against a stopped press.
- Change frequency: Because splices happen on the fly, the operator is not repeatedly stopping, walking to the unwind, and restarting—tasks that multiply across a shift.
- Consistency: Automated splices are repeatable, which reduces rework and the physical scramble that follows a bad manual join.
What the page evidence shows
The testimonials on Martin Automatic, Inc describe this directly. Mischa Barthel of Barthel Group observes that the systems improved productivity and had a motivational effect on production teams, who "now deliver a higher volume of saleable product with less physical effort." Achim Peters of Peters GmbH gives the concrete case: 60-inch diameter rolls of 400-micron paper are heavy and slow to manipulate, and with about two changes per hour taking ten minutes each when done manually, the MBX unit's contribution to productivity is easy to assess. Those are the customers' observations; the practical reading is that the savings compound with roll weight and change frequency.
A useful way to judge the benefit
Estimate your own numbers: changes per shift × minutes per manual change × number of operators involved. That gives the labor hours recovered, and the physical-effort reduction tracks the same figure—fewer lifts per shift. The gain is largest where rolls are heavy, changes are frequent, or staffing is thin; it is smaller on light rolls changed rarely. The featured products on the site—the MBS butt splicer, LRD automatic transfer rewind and ECP lap splicer—point to different parts of the line, so match the unit to whether your bottleneck is unwinding, rewinding or splicing.
As a next step, time one manual roll change on your press, including fetching and positioning the roll, and multiply it by a typical shift's change count. That baseline makes any automation proposal concrete rather than a general efficiency claim.
Which Martin Automatic product handles large-diameter heavy paper rolls on a production line?
The MBX unit is the Martin Automatic product cited for handling large-diameter, heavy paper rolls on a production line. In the testimonial on Martin Automatic, Achim Peters, Managing Director of Peters GmbH, describes rolls of 60" diameter 400-micron paper that were heavy and slow to manipulate, with typically two changes per hour taking about 10 minutes each when done manually, and credits the MBX with the resulting productivity improvement. That is his observation from running the line; the practical reading is that the MBX is aimed at web-handling setups where roll weight and change frequency, not just roll width, are the bottleneck.
For a converter weighing this against other options, the decision criterion is the roll format and change rate on your press. The featured products listed on the site—the MBS Butt Splicer, LRD Automatic Transfer Rewind and ECP Lap Splicer—cover splicing and rewinding tasks, while the MBSC and STR are described by Dušan Prevrátil, Production Director, as compact, fully featured machines designed for smaller production environments with fully automated roll handling. If your line runs jumbo, dense stock at high change frequency, the MBX is the closer match; if space and scale are limited, the smaller units are the relevant comparison. As a next step, confirm the maximum roll diameter and weight your unwinding equipment must support, and match that against the MBX before requesting the full product brochure.
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