Oosterhout, May 2017 - Collaboration between the UK-based printer Newsprinters UK and the Dutch specialist in automation systems for the printing industry, Q.I. Press Controls (QIPC), is progressing nicely. In the wake of a huge order from Newsprinters in 2014, both parties are now reflecting on almost three years of successful cooperation and looking forward to a bright new future.

Biggest order yet for QIPC
At the time, the order that QIPC received from Newsprinters nearly three years ago was the biggest in the Dutch company’s history. A total of 134 IDS-3D cameras were installed at two of Newsprinters’ sites in the UK: at Broxbourne, just north of London; and at Eurocentral, close to Glasgow in Scotland. Fourteen manroland COLORMAN XXL printing presses have been equipped with QIPC’s automatic colour control. “We still feel a sense of pride at landing the order,” explains QIPC’s managing director Menno Jansen. “But even after we sell and install our systems, we aim to stay in close contact with the customer. This way we can improve our products on an ongoing basis.”  

Trial project
QIPC ran an evaluation project at the Broxbourne plant from 2010 so that Newsprinters would know exactly what they were getting. “We've been working with QIPC for some years now,” says Mark Ellington, Group Technical Services Director at Newsprinters. “Originally, to help develop their IDS-3D colour control system and to understand what its potential was. Our experience of working with QI on this project gave us the confidence to place a sizeable order.”

Constant dialogue
The system has now been operating on fourteen of Newsprinters’ presses for over two years. “QIPC has demonstrated its worth and is a tried and trusted partner,” Mark Ellington continues. “They listen carefully to our ideas and requirements. and are able to deliver innovative solutions when we challenge them with a problem.” According to Menno Jansen, a key factor in successful collaboration is maintaining the dialogue with customers who buy QIPC systems. “We communicate with our customers in numerous ways,” he emphasises. “And keeping in close contact with them is the only way we can ensure our systems stay ahead of those of our competitors.”  

IQM
A concrete example of the way in which Newsprinters and QIPC collaborate is the IQM quality management system. This system enables Newsprinters to perform a comprehensive data analysis of their presses’ performance. The system uses IDS-3D cameras and separate software. “We are constantly working with QIPC to develop new features and to raise the performance of the systems,” confirms Mark Ellington. “We believe there is significant potential for using QIPC’s systems to provide condition monitoring of our presses. For example, QIPC have developed a special reporting button which allows us to record an incident. The data is subsequently reviewed by QIPC who will work with us to diagnose and fix the problem.”  

Future
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the 134 IDS-3D cameras and the IQM system continue to do their work at Broxbourne and Eurocentral. Both companies benefit from the partnership. On the one hand, Newsprinters can work more efficiently thanks to QIPC’s automation, and on the other, QIPC has a satisfied customer in Newsprinters. Perhaps the biggest advantage however, is that both companies are able to develop their systems thanks to the expertise of the other. “That’s how successful partnerships are built,” concludes Mark Ellington. “In my view both companies profit enormously from the collaboration and we are keen to continue working with QIPC to develop further innovative solutions for our printing presses.”

Menno Jansen“But even after we sell and install our systems, we aim to stay in close contact with the customer. This way we can improve our products on an ongoing basis.”