October 9th, 2006 – Existing Goss press user, Agderposten Trykk AS, has placed an order with Goss International for a new footprint shaftless Goss Magnum 4 press. This will be the first of the latest generation Magnum presses to be installed in Europe. The new press will increase color and pagination at the company's facility in Arendal, Norway, and will be used to print both Agderposten newspaper titles and contract work. Nils Gauslaa, managing director at Agderposten Trykk comments, “The demands of our customers in recent years for 100 percent four-color newspaper products of the highest quality has led us to re-evaluate the processes and current equipment at our facility. Having run a Goss Community press very successfully since 1976, with numerous upgrades to increase color and capacity over the last 30 years, we feel that Goss is the best partner for this latest investment.” He continues, “We visited the Goss manufacturing facility in China where the Magnum press is made and were impressed with the plant and equally impressed with the flexibility and automation the Magnum press could offer us. By installing the new Goss Magnum press we will significantly increase both our color capacity and speed – improvements of 40 and 70 percent respectively over our current press – as well as increasing the pagination from 64 to 72 pages.” The single-width one plate around Magnum 4 press is capable of producing broadsheet, tabloid, quarter-page or double-parallel products. With printing speeds up to 40,000 copies per hour and with the latest integrated controls and technology, the new Magnum 4 press combines flexibility with ease-of-use and high-quality reliable operation. The press at Agderposten will be used to print one of the “top 20” leading regional Norwegian daily titles of the same name, as well as a host of other daily and weekly titles for the domestic market. “When deciding to replace our existing Community presses there were a number of factors that made the Magnum press stand out for us. Not only the obvious benefits that come with increased pagination and color capacity but also the increased levels of automation which will reduce overhead and therefore production cost per unit. This is extremely important for the newspaper sector in Norway where price pressure has increased substantially in recent years. The added flexibility of the configuration will also increase our production capacity, enabling us to produce a variety of different products,” Gauslaa added. The new 560 mm cut-off press for Agderposten Trykk will comprise nine footprint shaftless Goss Magnum 4 four-high towers, nine Megtec AR70 reelstands, one Goss N-40 folder with balloon former and quarterfold and two Goss N-40 folders with quarterfold. The press will also be specified with an integrated Goss Omnicon level three control system for advanced automation including imposition control and presetting of ink keys. The printing units will feature Goss remote control ink keys, spray bar dampening and motorized register. The press will also include QuadTech multicam color to color and cut-off register systems. The press main drive will be configured footprint shaftless and will utilize AC technology. According to Gauslaa, new business opportunities for Agderposten will primarily be as a result of the increased capacity it will gain with the new press. He confirms, “We will be significantly more attractive for larger volumes in the commercial market and will also be competitive in the contract market for regional newspapers.” Regional newspapers in Norway currently have between 70-80 percent coverage of the total population. While competition from other media continues to grow, Gauslaa is confident that print will continue to be an important income source in the near future. “As a regional media group, competition in the commercial printing market is increasing from Eastern European countries and the Baltic States. While we have positioned ourselves to also expand in other media including radio, TV and the web, print will continue to be our main revenue base. This is why placing the Magnum order now is very important in terms of increasing our competitive power for the future.” Urban Svenhage, Goss sales manager in the region, comments, “Goss are very proud to have once again been selected by Agderposten to supply their press equipment. I believe the Agderposten installation will be a show site to be proud of, and given the levels of presetting and automation available in the Magnum 4 press system, this product will be a very attractive proposition for many businesses in Europe and around the world.” Agderposten Trykk AS was founded in 1997 as a result of a de-merger from Aksjeselskapet Agderposten. The Agderposten Group now consists of 10 companies including newspapers, a regional TV station, a regional radio station, a distribution company (newspapers and commercial products), the printing company and the holding company Agderposten Medier AS.