Oosterhout, August 2015
- In January 2014, Karlskrona-based Sydostpressarna in Sweden opted to
install a fully automated system from Q.I. Press Controls. One year
later, Q.I. Press Controls went back to find out what happened next. The
organisation, it seems, is more than happy with the results.
Sydostpressarna forms part of Gota-Media AB, the owner of eleven
national dailies and some weeklies with a strongly regional focus. In
the first instance, the printing company was interested in a register
system, but after a fact-finding visit to a satisfied client they soon
became enthusiastic about a fully automated solution. In January 2014,
Sydostpressarna became the first company in Sweden to invest in the
mRC-3D for colour register, IDS for colour control (including humidity
control) and the IQM reporting tool. The system was installed on a
manroland GEOMAN press and the company had two clear objectives in mind:
cost savings and improved quality. Jan-Åke Lundgren, Sydostpressarna’s
Plant Manager explained why Q.I. Press Controls had been chosen: “We’ve
known about Q.I. Press Controls for years. We were looking for a system
whose primary objective would be to cut down on labour. After
painstaking research, it became clear that Q.I Press Controls had the
solution we were looking for and was really able to cut back on staffing
costs. Because the image-based functionalities of the system match the
very same tasks carried out by an operator, the system is able to repeat
these operations in full.”
In September 2014, Erwin van Rossem, Area Sales Manager at Q.I. Press
Controls, visited the Karlskrona-based plant together with Jarl
Söderqvist, agent for Q.I. Press Controls in Sweden. Like Lundgren, they
too are avid sports cyclists. The deal was, that if the system
delivered on its promises, Lundgren would take them on a bike tour in
the wonderful countryside around Växjö. The system had only been in
place for a couple of months and “in this short space of time, the
product had already proved its quality in this short space of time, in a
way that the company had never experienced before,” according to Van
Rossem. Not only that, waste had been reduced by almost a 1/3 and it had
already saved on one full-time job.
According to Lundgren, one year on and it is expected the following
economies will have been achieved: “We continue to make savings in terms
of materials used, staffing levels have been curbed and quality has
improved markedly.” From the very outset, the mRC-3D performed in line
with expectations and at the current moment, density control is
operating according to plan. Although ink levels are now stable, savings
have not yet been achieved. Lundgren believes that this can be put down
to the much improved resolution of the images they are now working with
and ink reductions will soon follow. System reliability is exceptional
Lundgren explains: “So reliable in fact that the operator is standing
around for much of the time. One push of the button is all it takes!”
The printers agree with this comment: They have mounted a ‘golden’ medal
onto the reporting screens because to them, the system is the best
printer we have ever seen!
Over
time, the system is improving in line with expectations. The customer
is extremely happy in having opted for the Q.I. Press Controls solution
and that results are in keeping with those that were forecast. When this
continues, the target will certainly be met and the investment will end
up in extremely attractive payback times to say the least. “Q.I. Press
Controls is now putting the finishing touches to the fine-tuning of the
water control,” explains Lundgren. “I therefore expect that we can
achieve even greater savings in the future so that we can improve on
quality even more.”
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