Newspaper & Mailroom
I-print Oy upgrades with Goss Colorliner press
Thursday 03. January 2008 - - Increased capacity, flexibility and quality at one of Europes first newspaper print factories - Close partnership to achieve fast execution
I-print Oy, the print production division of the Ilkka-Yhtymä Group in Finland, is extending and enhancing its existing Goss Newsliner press to provide more color, greater flexibility in press utilization and improved print quality. This will be achieved by the addition of a Colorliner four-high tower as well as spray bar, tape lead and ink motor upgrades.
The original shaftless press, which went on production in 1999 to the sound of Finlands foremost opera singer, Karita Mattila, at its grand opening, still forms the nucleus of one of Europes first newspaper print factories. With a four-tower, double-width Newsliner press using two folders, high levels of automation and a mailroom integrated into the local Postal Distribution Centre, the factory can feed two consecutive 32-page broadsheet products directly into the mailstream. 64-page and 48-page products are also possible, but running 48-page products for local and international contract work has often left the fourth tower underutilized.
According to Allan Halonen, production manager at I-print Oy, “With the trend towards more color pages, we explored two options to increase capacity for higher pagination products. We could either extend the press or invest in new inserting equipment in our mailroom. Fortunately, the modular design of the Goss presses made the first option more attractive.”
The additional tower will give the press hall a total capacity of 80 broadsheet or 160 tabloid pages, with the ability to run a 32-page and a 48-page product side by side. Currently, all jobs have color on every page with an approximate split of 70 percent broadsheet and 30 percent tabloid.
Halonen believes supplier support has contributed to the many prestigious awards won by I-print and that a strong relationship with Goss International will help the company in its ambitious target of having the press completely upgraded by the end of next summer. This tight deadline is to ensure full production before the fourth quarter, which is always the busiest time of the year for I-print.
“Our work with I-print has illustrated why it is one of the most respected printing houses in Finland,” states David Muncaster, commercial director at Goss International. “As a company, I-print combines enthusiasm with exceptional organization and attention to detail. These attributes will complement Goss Internationals own project management approach and make it very rewarding to work with them towards a successful enhancement.”
With its expanded capabilities, I-print expects to realize new opportunities in contract, freesheet and export printing. In addition it will be able to take advantage, with its own title Ilkka, of the growth in Finnish newspaper advertising which is continuing at around seven percent through 2007.