Consumables
Baldwin Wins First Dutch Order For Combination Jetstream And Impact Global Cleaning Platform
Monday 22. September 2008 - Baldwin Technology is celebrating its first direct sale of a combined Jetstream web cleaner and Impact Global automatic blanket cleaning system in the Netherlands.
The order is part of a 33 million Euro investment by the Dutch newspaper/book publishing group NDC|VBK de uitgevers, which is extending its newspaper plant in Leeuwarden to house a new six-tower manroland Geoman 70 web offset press, along with new CTP and mailing facilities.
The publishing house is the owner of the newspaper printer NDC Grafisch Bedrijf, which produces the dailies Dagblad van het Noorden (170,000 copies) and Leeuwarder Courant (100,000 copies), as well as contract work at sites in both Leeuwarden and Groningen. The Groningen site is scheduled to be closed in 2010 so that all production can be carried out more efficiently at one factory. The company operates Baldwin Impact blanket cleaning equipment on its current manroland Colorman press, and it was partly the excellent results it has achieved with this system that led to the purchase of Baldwin technology for the new press line.
“This is a long term programme of change,” says Hans Verwijs, who is in overall charge of the project at NDC|VBK. “The first two Geoman 70 towers should be in operation by February of 2009 and will be fully equipped with Baldwin Jetstream and Impact Global systems. After this point we will start to dismantle the Colorman and by the beginning of 2010 the full Geoman 70 press line should be in production.
“The main cause of dirt in the newspaper press is debris and loose fibres, carried by the paper web into the printing units. Cleaning blankets covered in contaminated ink and paper fibres is much more difficult than if the ink does not contain dirt and fibres. Weve seen Baldwins Jetstream web cleaning technology in operation at other newspaper sites and it is extremely effective at removing this material before the paper enters the first unit. The results are excellent. However, at NDC|VBK we have a philosophy of world class manufacturing in terms of the equipment we use and the results we achieve, so we decided to also install Baldwins Impact Global cloth blanket cleaning system.
“The combination of these two industry leading technologies, along with investment in other top class equipment, will enable us to achieve the highest levels of productivity from the new Geoman 70. Weve worked with Baldwin Jimek in Sweden for seven years and the first class service we have had during this time gives us great confidence in relying on Baldwin for its part in this mammoth expansion plan. We have also been impressed by the way Baldwin interacts with other manufacturers and suppliers to help ensure the overall project goes smoothly,” says Hans Verwijs.
Jetstream is a revolutionary approach to improving print quality, productivity and profitability on a web offset press, whether for commercial or newspaper applications. The special aerodynamic nozzle, positioned close to the web surface, works via a combination of vacuum in the cleaning module and a high velocity air flow, which moves along the web surface and into the cleaning module. The airflow breaks the boundary layer on the paper and forces the particles that were trapped in this layer into the cleaning module. The compact system requires little space, maintenance is minimal and one module will clean both sides of the paper web.
“Having all production on one site will enable great cost effectiveness, while Baldwins process automation technology will reduce wastage to the minimum and ensure the new press is as efficient as possible, which is also good for the environment. When the Geoman 70 is commissioned it will allow us to print 40 broadsheet pages in full colour, at speeds of more than 73,000 cph. At these levels of output, even small reduction in press downtime and material waste can have a huge impact on profits. We believe the Baldwin equipment will play a significant part in the success of the new press facilities.”