The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., purchased the Arkitex workflow app and two Advantage DL violet platesetters from Agfa in an effort to automate all of its production tasks at is new facility, scheduled to go into operation this month.

“Our objective is to automate as much of the workflow as possible as we continue to grow,” said Barry LeBlanc, IT manager at The Advocate. “Through the Web browser and online displays that are part of the Arkitex system, all users, supervisors and managers will be able to manage their processes - and their time - much better than they were able to before.”

LeBlanc said the new platesetters would also improve scheduling and lower expenditures.

The Advocate’s new $40 million, 120,000-square-foot facility also features a 4-by-1 RegioMAN press from MAN Roland, which will allow the daily to produce 40 color pages in a 64-page section, doubling its current capacity (See Newspapers & Technology, February 2005).

 

Meantime, Agfa said North Carolina dailies the Salisbury Post and the Fayetteville Observer are adding violet platesetters.

The Post is adding an Advantage X violet platesetter to its production floor, joining a recently installed Advantage DL platesetter and Arkitex workflow. The Post also uses Agfa’s N91v plates.

“We’re starting to get a lot busier and new industry is coming into town,” said Sharon Jackson, prepress manager, citing the paper’s decision to bolster its CTP foundation.

 The Advantage X, a semi-automatic platesetter, complements the Post’s automatic Advantage DL, Jackson said. “With both units, we now have the confidence of 24/7 productivity, with superior platemaking the end-result of using either one.”

The Fayetteville, N.C., Observer chose two Advantage CLS platesetters for its production workflow.

The cassette-model CLS is capable of producing up to 220 plates per hour.

In addition to platesetters, both North Carolina dailies will roll out Agfa’s IntelliTune imaging app.