During restructuring of the organization, deep-rooted changes were also underway in the area of production technology, with the emphasis on postpress processing. Having already made the change to MultiStack technology, in the summer of 2010 Coldset Printing Partners began to replace the 20-year-old inserting technology by installing the first MSD-2C MultiSertDrum. The performance gain exceeded expectations and the following years saw the replacement of two further ETR lines with MSD technology.
Speed was the main reason for the change to the new inserting technology from Ferag. The three inserting lines run at speeds between 42,000 and 43,000 copies an hour, and compared to the earlier ETR technology it was possible to increase output by 45 percent. But the MultiSertDrum had more than speed on its side. When it comes to the number of inserts that can be processed and also the diversity of formats, the MSD system has far more scope – which in turn contributes to welcome growth in the supplement business.
From a journalistic standpoint, the three Ferag production lines bring new freedoms. The investment enables an even better response, based on hyperlocal reporting, to the readership's demand for information from their direct community. During the day a range of preprints with hyperlocal content are produced and inserted during night production into the newspaper jacket products. In the offline process, the MSD drums turn at a maximum 43,000 finished products an hour. That way, ten different editions can be produced within the shortest of time-spans.
In addition to the burgeoning business with inserted advertising, thanks to quarterfold production Coldset Printing Partners has also accessed a further, financially interesting area of activity. Approximately three years ago a StreamFold line was integrated into the Ferag system. Commercially, this relatively simple technical upgrade has made a big impact. Thanks to the quarterfold line, new jobs have been acquired and the job volume has been more than doubled. Compared with a quarterfold unit built into the printing machine, StreamFold is genuinely competitive. The system has no trouble keeping up with output, at lower operating costs. Like the three new MSD production lines, StreamFold has also been a worthwhile investment.
