CLEVELAND — The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer plans to examine upgrading its postpress operations now that the daily finished up a multifaceted project that included new press consoles, a web width reduction and a move to lightweight newsprint.

Photo: Newspapers & Technology
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer plans to examine upgrading postpress equipment now used at its Tiedermann Production Plant, which opened in 1994.
 

Joseph J. Bowman, director of operations for the paper’s Tiedeman Production and Distribution Center, told Newspapers & Technology that the paper plans to “take a long look at our future requirements in postproduction. We’re going to take a clean slate approach to see how we should manage our packaging.”

The Plain Dealer (daily, 336,339; Sunday, 446,487) said it’s seen continued growth in preprints and is also increasing its commercial work, as evidenced by its recent deal to print and distribute Sun Newspapers, a chain of 25 weeklies. The additional production work is putting more pressure on its postpress equipment, the bulk of which was installed in 1994 with the plant’s opening, Bowman said.

To handle some of the increased demand in the interim, The Plain Dealer is automating its Ferag conveyors, using software from Aragon System Products. The deployment will enable the paper to better monitor conveyor performance through its Rockwell Automation controls platform.

Other improvements

Meantime, The Plain Dealer is evaluating Cannon Equipment’s ST stacker, which the vendor is introducing this year.

It is also in the midst of commissioning nine automatic press-loading vehicles from FMC Technologies to ferry newsprint to its presses. The APLs are expected to be in production later this year.

The postpress investigation follows a series of upgrades on The Plain Dealer’s four Goss International Corp. Colorliner presses, which included Rockwell’s control software and consoles, a conversion to 27.7-pound newsprint and a web cutdown to 48 inches orchestrated by Hall Contracting Services LLC. The paper also tapped Smith RPM Corp. to install new spraybars and, on the prepress side, upgraded to computer-to-plate, installing three Kodak Trendsetter News 150 platesetters an d associated Nela plate processing equipment.

“It’s been a busy year,” said Keye Daus, the plant’s assistant director of operations.