The deal includes also comprehensive upgrades to the press and console technology. Märkische Oderzeitung is active over a wide area of Eastern Germany with a diversity of daily newspapers, advertising frees, Internet offers and postal services. It belongs to the Ulm-based publishing house Neue Pressegesellschaft, which in turn holds a 50% stake in the Ulm-Oberschwaben print centre in Weingarten. It is there that the manroland press line with its two four-high towers, folder and four reelstands has been in production to date.

Tailored solution

Parallel to the relocation, specialists from PHS will be performing an extensive overhaul, with a whole host of retrofits on the printing units and folder, and the present PECOM system is to be replaced with a production planning and press presetting system from EAE. At the same time, the settings of the impression cylinders, the dampening and inking units and the ink ducts are to be optimised. The refurbished press will be brought in over the roof, without disturbing production on the other presses in the press hall, and is scheduled to come on stream at the beginning of 2014. Andreas Simmet, management board chairman at Märkische Oderzeitung: “With this tailored retrofit solution, the press installed in Weingarten back in 2000 is to be firmed up for the future, and will hopefully give us another eight to ten years of good service together with the other Geoman presses at our print centre in Frankfurt/Oder.”

PHS: Competent service for the print industry

PrintHouseService GmbH offers a broad spectrum of services for the print industry, also for presses and equipment from other manufacturers. It was the experience of engineers such as Harald Klein, head of the system service division, which helped to convince the media house to choose PHS as its partner for this important project. Another decisive point was the proximity of service centres in Hamburg and Plauen, which promise fast and cost-oriented response whenever necessary. And last but not least, the longstanding reputation of Fritz Torneden, who now supports KBA in the web press sector in the north of Germany from his Hamburg offices, was no doubt also helpful in securing the contract award for the PHS team.