Rossel Printing Co. recently rolled out ABB’s MPS Cockpit planning app at its new printing facility near Nivelles near Brussels, Belgium.

Rossel prints newspapers from four different editorial sites, including Le Soir from its own editorial department, Vlan, a free newspaper, as well as papers for Sud Presse including La Capitale and other products.

The app oversees all printing and mailroom operations via publication-specific templates. Users generate the long-term plans that define the range of dates to which the template should be applied, ABB said.

MPS Cockpit contains all of the planning data required for the various software systems that handle different aspects of production. For example, newsprint requirements for upcoming editions are sent to ABB’s MPS Roll Handling app, which controls Rossel’s AGVs and ensures the correct rolls of newsprint are delivered to the right reelstands at the right time.

All newsprint roll movements are automated from goods-in to disposal, ABB said. Production planning data is passed to ABB’s press management app, MPS Production, which can calculate plate imposition and pass the data on to ABB’s MPS PlateWorkflow module.

This data is used to control the entire plate production process including controlling the publisher’s four Agfa Polaris platesetters. Page content is imported from the various editorial offices, MPS PlateWorkflow calculates the required ink zone values and that information is passed onto the MPS Production for presetting the press.

MPS Production passes the production plan data, including ink preset values, on to the MPS Control Console where it is available to press operators.

Rossel’s Ferag mailroom equipment also interfaces to MPS Cockpit.

-Tara McMeekin