About half of the approx. 800,000 copies that make up the total print run of Germany's highest-circulation news magazine “Der Spiegel” will continue to be printed in Gütersloh and Marienfeld: Spiegel-Verlag has renewed its contract with Mohn Media for another five years.
Almost exactly three years ago, the go-ahead was given for production of the “Der Spiegel” to begin in Gütersloh and the Marienfeld district of Harsewinkel near Gütersloh. And this go-ahead was special for a number of reasons: First, because the magazine was going to be produced using offset rather than gravure for the first time in decades. Second, because the magazine would now be published on Saturdays rather than Mondays. And third, because the very first issue “made at Mohn Media” was a special on the attacks on the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo” in Paris and involved cover changes and special pages.
“We may have already laid the foundations for the renewal of the contract at that time,” speculates Thomas Coesfeld, Product Line Manager Magazines at Mohn Media, “because from day one we proved to our clients in Hamburg that we can master any challenge while meeting their high publishing standards regarding quality, flexibility and punctuality.”
‘A shared understanding of quality, professional expertise, and flexibility’
Jesper Doub, Publishing Manager at Spiegel-Verlag, confirms this: “We are pleased that the new long-term contract places our successful collaboration of the past years on a solid basis. Our shared understanding of high quality, technical expertise combined with a high degree of flexibility make Mohn Media and Spiegel-Verlag suitable partners in a market that continues to be of key importance to us in the face of constant challenges.” Spiegel-Verlag’s Production Manager Silke Kassuba also thanked everyone, “who work to ensure, week after week, that “Der Spiegel” is ready for collection in top quality and on time.”
50,000 copies per hour
For Mohn Media, the “Der Spiegel” contract is far more than just a matter of prestige. More than a hundred employees in Gütersloh and at Probind in Marienfeld are involved in magazine’s production of the week after week, from data collection, printing and finishing, to delivery. The magazine has between 128 and 152 pages. It is produced entirely using web-fed printing and always consists of at least four sheets. At peak times, more than 50,000 copies are printed per hour. There can be up to 30 versions at the finishing stage, including extensive issues with several supplements and inserts.
Mohn Media has only 20 hours between delivery of the first data, on the night of Thursday and early hours of Friday, and delivery of the final issue, because the new “Der Spiegel” must be in all sales outlets and subscribers’ mailboxes on Saturday morning.
Special production: The ‘Brexit’ edition
“In the past three years, the processes have become very well oiled, and we have been able to realize a number of interesting and sometimes very elaborate projects,” explains Stefan Fiedler, Team Manager Customer Management Magazines at Mohn Media. For example, the production of the Brexit issue was particularly exciting. Says Fiedler: “For the majority of the print run, prepress didn’t get the print data until 7 a.m., so our production window was 13 hours instead of the usual 20 – but we had the most up-to-date magazine on the market following the British decision.”
