The significant level of productivity improvements experienced by Broughton Printers since it installed Baldwin’s Litho Spray World units on three Goss HT70 presses have resulted in a major order for 72 spray bars to be fitted to the company’s remaining four Goss presses. Installation of these latest Litho Spray World units will be carried out at the Preston site early in 2006. “When compared to the dampening system previously used on our Goss the benefits of the Baldwin units are extremely impressive,” says operations director Peter Smith. “Baldwin’s Constant C technology eliminates the problems caused by blocked spray bar nozzles, which can be a big production headache. For instance, clogged nozzles during the run change the spray pattern of the fount solution on the plate, which leads to print quality variations. “To unblock nozzles is generally awkward and when you stop the press there is inevitably loss of production and increased wastage due to press start ups. The maintenance required on the Baldwin units is minimal, while the accurate control of fount temperature and spray levels eliminates a major variable in the printing process. It would be fair to say that the operators are very pleased with the system.” Baldwin’s Constant C technology provides an air curtain around the nozzle tip to keep ink mist and debris away, ensuring that nozzles remain unblocked during production. The World units are easy to install and maintain and are suitable for a wide range of web offset presses. The robust design and use of non-corrosive materials ensure reliability and long product life. Other benefits include a reduction in ink and water consumption plus greater quality control at press start ups, which results in less wastage and a short payback period. “Retrofitting the Baldwin units to our Goss was straightforward, so we’re not expecting any problems equipping our second Goss line and the job should be completed within six to eight weeks,” says Peter Smith. “The Litho Spray World units have been in operation on the Goss for just over a year, and this has allowed us to compare this element of production and quality between the two Goss lines. With production running at eight million copies a week, a small percentage reduction in wastage, or copies returned, can amount to a significant cost saving.” Broughton Printers, which is owned by the Northern and Shell group, prints around 35 titles each week, including the daily Blackpool Gazette, Wigan Evening Post and Lancashire Evening Post. During the night shift the company prints copies of the Daily Express, Daily Star and Daily Sport News. The two Goss lines offer a combined output of 128 pages collect, with 48 pages in full colour. Newspapers printed at the Lancashire site are delivered as far away as Birmingham, Newcastle and Scotland.