Oosterhout, July 2016
- Wenatchee World has decided to
invest in a Q.I. Press Controls (QIPC) automation system for its newspaper
printing press. The KBA Comet press in Wenatchee
(Washington)
is to be fitted with the IDS-3D system for register and closed-loop colour
control. To quote Wenatchee World: “QIPC is the best solution for us.”
Long sales cycle
Talks between the newspaper
from Wenatchee
- the apple capital of the world - and QIPC date back as far as 2004. At the
time, the investment climate was not at its best, nevertheless the necessity
for register control on the press remained. “This was one of the longest sales
cycles ever”, says Ronald Reedijk, managing director of QIPC-EAE Americas,
explaining why the order took so long to complete.
It took until 2014 before
talks were reopened. Up until that time QIPC’s Print2Finish agent, Juan
Echavarria, had maintained close links with Wenatchee World and manufacturer
KBA also kept its ear close to the ground. “The good contacts between KBA and
QIPC were definitely a key factor in the eventual decision to opt for QIPC”,
says general manager of Wenatchee World, Joe Pitt. “Despite there being lots of
other similar products on the market, we decided that QIPC was the best
solution for us. And anyway, QIPC is the closest match for our KBA Comet.”
Consistency in quality
The eight IDS-3D cameras on
the KBA Comet with four towers have been installed with register control,
colour control, dampening control and print fault detection. “This
allows them to make savings in personnel and ink”, adds Ronald Reedijk. “What's
more, Wenatchee World will now be able to print more consistently at much
higher levels of quality.” In addition to the daily newspaper Wenatchee World,
the plant also prints for commercial clients. “Quality is especially important
for these clients. When compared to other printers, full automation means added
value for these commercial clients.”
Joe Pitt not only has high expectations of the system, but also of the
partnership with QIPC. “During the whole sales process, the talks we had with
QIPC were extremely cordial. We expect the relationship to improve even more
once the installation has taken place.” The said installation of the press at
Wenatchee World is yet another feather in the cap for QIPC in the west of the
USA.
