Oosterhout, July 2016
– The 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 color 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. Additionally, 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, color 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.
