Oosterhout – After investments in Q.I. Press Controls’ closed-loop colour control system by printing plants in Sweden and Norway, now also Denmark will follow. Fynske Medier is the first printing plant in Scandinavia to acquire the closed-loop colour control system fitted with IDS-3D cameras.

Fynske Medier is based in Odense, Denmark and will merge in January 2015 with Syddanske Medier and Jyske Medier. The new organisation will be called Jysk – Fynske Medier. As a result, Jysk-Fynske Medier will be the third largest media group in Denmark and will reach one-third of the Danish population with its media activities. Following the merger, it is the group’s intention to make more efficient use of its resources. It is anticipated that group businesses can save up to as much as €32 million euros. Fynske Medier will take on many of the group’s printing operations, which means that 40% more orders now have to be produced on the KBA Colora press. The organisation aims to achieve these savings without making any concessions to the quality of its products, the number of staff and the amount of waste. As far as the organisation is concerned, the most crucial aspect is reliability.

Fynske Medier has found the solution to this in acquiring the fully automated systems from Q.I. Press Controls. This solution consists of the mRC-3D for colour, cut-off, fan-out and sidelay registration, the IDS-3D for dampening, ductor and colour control and the IQM for quality reporting. As such, the current IRS system will be given a major upgrade. Six IDS-3D and twelve mRC-3D cameras will be fitted to the three full-colour towers on their KBA Colora printing press. Jesper Thomsen, technical manager at Fynske Medier, believes great things can be achieved with this revamped system: “Closed-loop colour control has been available on the market for years. We believe that the product has now reached a stage of development where we are able to get the best possible performance out of our presses. This includes such aspects as consistent printing quality, optimisation of our pre-set curves and minimisation of downtime. The product gives us more accuracy in quality control than even before.” 

The KBA Colora printing press is controlled by EAE software. For that reason the organisation has also bought EAE’s V.I.P. Statistic IQM link. This software provides a good example of the cooperation between EAE and Q.I. Press Controls. EAE’s software enables IQM data to be visualised in a clearly defined way, which means the strengths of the VIP Statistic programme and IQM can be combined. What’s more, this is the first KBA Colora printing press that Q.I. Press Controls has fitted with the closed-loop colour control.

The collaboration with Fynske Medier started in 2004, when Q.I. Press Controls replaced a competitive register system with IRS. This worked to the satisfaction of the customer, which created a bond of trust between the two. Thomsen: “Over the years we have been extremely satisfied with the IRS system, so it was pretty obvious to come back to Q.I. Press Controls this time.” 

Together, Fynske Medier and Q.I. Press Controls have continued the development of its IQM, for example, with a real-time module. Erwin van Rossem, area sales manager of Q.I. Press Controls said of the partnership: “For the last ten years we have had a genuine partnership, with new technologies being developed which are now being sold worldwide. With the innovative IDS-3D technology we can take new steps in this partnership, which will lead to even more cost savings on the part of Fynske Medier. Thomsen is extremely positive about the collaboration with Q.I. Press Controls: “I’m convinced that the system is working as professionally as it has always done. The cooperation with Q.I. Press Controls has always been to our satisfaction. (…) I have no reason to doubt the ‘quality’ of our relationship!”

With this acquisition Q.I. Press Controls expects that Fynske Medier will be able to satisfy its ambitions. IDS-3D is the solution. “In this highly competitive market, where revenue margins are under pressure”, Van Rossem explains, “automation is providing the answer. Fynske Medier’s order should be seen as example with which other organisations in Scandinavia can acquaint themselves at close quarters.”