Almost two years after North Jersey Media Group unveiled a production infrastructure built around integrating as many of its publishing systems as possible, the company contends it’s close to meeting its objectives.

“From a technology point of view, the majority of the goals we established we’ve been able to reach,” said Peter VanLenten, NJMG’s vice president of IT.



The company in 2005 and 2006 spent more than $60 million to update its Rockaway, N.J., production plant, becoming the first U.S. publisher to install a WIFAG evolution 371 press. The plant was also stocked with new equipment and software from Agfa, Nela, Ferag, ProImage, FMC Technologies Inc., Quipp Systems Inc. and others to support prepress, postpress and other operations (see Newspapers & Technology, September 2006).

Biggest deployment

Stitching it all together was software from ABB, which supplied its suite of newspaper workflow, press control and automation software. The vendor installed 10 apps, including MPS Cockpit, ABB’s flagship production management software. It represented the most comprehensive deployment of ABB software by any newspaper in the world and touched almost every facet of NJMG’s printing operation, from press to roll handling.

The goal, according to NJMG’s executives at the time, was to create a highly efficient manufacturing environment that would allow NJMG to lower its cost per page as well as to decrease the number of disparate systems anchoring the plant’s operation.

VanLenten said NJMG is close to reaching that target. “The integration was challenging, but based on what I know of the original plans, we’ve realized about 90 percent of the automation we thought we would,” VanLenten said. “And we’ll continue to evolve,” he said, citing the addition of ink optimization software from OneVision and the forthcoming deployment of an ICC profile tool, both of which will further automate operations.

More tweaking

That said, some operations still need additional fine-tuning, according to VanLenten. Among those are some of the protocols linking the Ferag postpress equipment to ABB’s MPS InsertManager app and a communications glitch that prohibits the WIFAG press from receiving certain maintenance and best-practices data.

VanLenten said integrating the reporting functions of FMC’s roll handling system into NJMG’s management architecture is another hurdle. “We have come up with a workaround to handle that,” he said. “The newsprint management part works, but being able to track the performance of the roll requires additional attention.”

Integration, he added, “is always challenging, but I think that some of the disconnect was fueled by communications (between NJMG and the vendors). It happens and it’s to be expected. I know that ABB came out of this knowing more, and I’m optimistic that if I were to do another implementation that I would be confident that it would all work.”

The press, meantime, is performing as expected, said John King, NJMG’s manager of manufacturing operations.

“We’re starting later and finishing earlier and we have color on every page. It’s a noticeable improvement. The press automation is just as we planned,” King said, “and we’re using everything — other than the direct imaging — all the presets and planning.”

Room for expansion

The 90,000-copy-per-hour, 21-inch cutoff press is configured as six towers, two 2:5:5 folders and a variable web width ranging from 48 inches to 60 inches. It’s engineered to run as two separate machines and features automatic color and cutoff control as well as the ability to support flying plate changes.

It also supports computer-to-press production, using a proprietary system of laser imaging units that permits the direct imaging of non-process offset printing plates.

NJMG evaluated the direct-to-press technology when it installed the machine, but put further research on hold after Agfa stopped manufacturing the thermal plates needed to support the process. VanLenten said NJMG is talking with other plate suppliers to see if another firm can fill in the gap.

King said the press, in addition to helping boost NJMG’s print quality, has helped the publisher reduce waste and staffing. “On the mains and preprints, we’re running anywhere between 1 percent and 1.5 percent waste,” he said. That’s compared to the 5 percent of waste NJMG formerly recorded before commissioning the evolution press. The publisher assigns two to three operators per section to manage the press.

Coordinated postpress

On the postpress side, NJMG tapped Ferag for a mailroom that consists of two MultiSert inserters, four RollStream units, two MultiDisk winders/unwinders and eight stackers. Ferag also orchestrated the installation of Kodak inkjet printers, Quipp wrappers and Go Packaging strappers.

Agfa supplied two Advantage CLS violet CTP systems.

NJMG prints The Record in Bergen County, N.J., the Herald News in Passaic County, N.J., more than 40 weekly papers and, under contract with Gannett, USA Today. The majority of the work, a mixture of 50-inch-wide broadsheets and 15-inch-high tabs — is performed on the WIFAG press, except for USA Today, which is produced on a Mitsubishi machine.

“All the vendors did a good job,” VanLenten said. “WIFAG, ABB and Ferag in particular made an over-the-top investment and every issue we raised was addressed right away.”

Jeff Gelfand, ABB’s national sales and marketing director, said the NJMG deployment could pave the way for other U.S. newspaper publishers to adopt the same framework.

“With the cooperation of Pete VanLenten and his group, the installation was very successful and we look forward to similar projects with other U.S. publishers.”