The Sun-Times News Group wrapped up a two-month project to shore up an aging Goss International Corp. Community press at its Pioneer Press printing facility in suburban Chicago.

Britton Services Inc. performed the work, which involved respacing six of 10 units, adding an 11th unit as a backup, installing ink levelers and other miscellaneous upgrades, said Jim Serpico, STNG’s technical services manager.

Photo: BSI
Crews from Britton Services upgraded a Goss International Corp. Community press, re-spacing some units and adding an 11th unit for backup.
 

BSI also regrouted the machine.

The decades-old press, installed in Northfield, Ill., by former owner Hollinger International Inc. from the Jerusalem Post, had serious performance issues, Serpico said.

“We had Britton do a complete realignment and brought the press back to the original Goss specs,” he said. “The units were never spaced properly and we were having a lot of problems running webs through it.”

 

STNG needed to upgrade the press in order to begin printing The Doings, a group of local papers in suburban Chicago.

“We needed to give the pressroom some additional capabilities” to be able to print the publication, Serpico said. Prior to the installations of the levelers, press operators had to hand-fill the press’ units.

In addition to The Doings, the facility prints more than 270,000 weekly papers distributed in 50 suburban Chicago communities.