Oosterhout, January 2023 – CH Media Print AG in St. Gallen (CH), decided to invest in Q.I. Press Controls’ (QIPC) IDS-3D for colour and damp control. Their main focus was to save on manpower, paper and ink and now that the system has been in operation for six month, CH Media Print AG can certify that all set operational targets have been achieved. CH Media is one of the leading Swiss media companies.

After the successful installation of QIPC’s solutions at their other printing facility in Aarau, CH Media Print, wanted to investigate the possibilities to equip their WIFAG OF47GTD newspaper press in St. Gallen. This is a double width newspaper press that consists of six printing units and two folders. The key factors for the investment were saving on manpower, paper and ink. After several discussions between CH Media Print, QIPC and their area agent Koenig & Bauer (CH) AG, QIPC was able to offer suitable solutions by means of the IDS-3D for colour control and the additional functionalities of damp and inkductor control. This in combination with the Smart pre-setting for both damp and inkductors, gives maximum efficiency and consistent printing quality. These smart systems continuously improve itself by the implemented intelligent selflearning algorithms, which allows for customised self-learning behaviour. It further improves start-up sequences in order to significantly decrease the amount of copies needed to reach a sellable product. 

Daniel Küng, Production Manager of CH Media Print AG in St. Gallen: “The investment has resulted in clear quality improvements within the printed product. At the same time, colour management across all layers has been standardised so that our newspapers comply with both standardised and customer-specific specifications at all times.” Regarding further cost savings he states: “The system installation has also enabled us to make our shift schedules more efficient, thus reducing on manpower and thus on our cost structure. At the same time, the control system will help us to keep our waste figures low in the years to come.” 

All parties involved are very satisfied with how the project went overall. Daniel Küng: “After a slightly extended commissioning phase, we are very satisfied with the control system. By matching our needs, QIPC succeeded in optimally adapting the software to our press in the best possible way. We would like to thank all those responsible for their tireless efforts.” 

Further Peter Rickenmann, Managing Director Koenig & Bauer (CH) AG: “It is both a pleasure and an honour for us that the CH Media site in St. Gallen is now also using QIPC's measurement and control technology. We are particularly pleased that the added value of the system manifests itself positively for our customer in the qualitative as well as in the economic aspects.” 

CH Media Print AG is part of CH Media, which is one of the leading Swiss media companies and employs around 1,800 people in German-speaking Switzerland. With its daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, CH Media offers high-quality journalism. As the number 1 in both Swiss private radio and private Swiss television, CH Media also stands for first-class entertainment. With its publishing and entertainment brands, CH Media reaches over two million people daily on all channels. State-of-the-art printing plants round off the media group's range of products and services.

Daniel Küng "By matching our needs, QIPC succeeded in optimally adapting the software to our press in the best possible way"