With all the gloom and doom befalling the newspaper industry, it’s a nice change of pace to write about some developments that are neither.

Want proof?

Check out our page one story on The Hartford (Conn.) Courant and its plans to cut waste and improve productivity.

The project, spearheaded by Press Manager Ken Coates, melds technology from Goss International, technotrans and Rockwell Automation in a venture that shows you can teach old iron new tricks.

Or take a look at our page 10 story on The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., and its initiative to produce a tabloid version of the venerable broadsheet to attract new readers.

Production Manager Fred A. Stickel Jr. and his crew concocted a production strategy that permits the publisher to produce both papers without missing a beat, using a combination of straight and collect press runs.

Want more? Our interview with John Brewis, general manager of Trinity Mirror’s huge Midlands printing facility, details how the publisher has geared up for 24/7 production, harnessing technology from myriad vendors to ensure non-stop printing.  

And don’t forget the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, which early next year will literally roll out a fleet of customized guided vehicles designed to automatically retrieve and load newsprint onto its five presses. Director of Printing Operations Dick Ruble and his crew worked hard to guarantee that the new technology would support the paper’s requirements.

The common thread among all these projects? Newspaper production managers and executives are taking the initiative to boost productivity and improve service even as they lasso costs.

It’s not just in press operations. You can find the same inventiveness when you read our story on Boston.com on page 37 or digest the ingredients used to cook up an ROI for a computer-to-plate investment (find those details on page 28).

These types of technological innovations take place every day in newspapers worldwide as publishers react to customer demands for better produced, more relevant products.

Yes, it’s not pretty out there. But newspapers aren’t giving up. Instead, they’re using technology to make their operations more efficient and more cost-effective, in the process creating a more compelling product.

And that’s worth noting.

On a more somber note, we at Newspapers & Technology want to extend our condolences to the families of two industry pioneers, both of whom passed away last month.

H. Howard Flint II and Frank Motter each were hands-on managers whose innovation and energy helped catapult their respective family-owned firms into prominence.

They will be missed.