Flagship Newspaper Goes Full Colour For first Time

Societa Europea di Edizioni has pressed the button on the first two single-width KBA Continent press lines in Italy.

Societa Europea di Edizioni has pressed the button on the first two single-width KBA Continent press lines in Italy.

The simultaneous debut at the company's main production plants in Paderno-Dugnano, near Milan and Oricola-Carsoli, outside Rome, in KBA's opinion, consolidates its pole position in the Italian newspaper market.

The two identical 55,000 copies per hour (cph) press lines have a 700mm (27.5") cut-off and can handle web widths variable from 635mm to 1,000mm (25" - 39.752).

Configured as eight towers, each for 4/4, they have enabled Societa's flagship daily Il Giornale, which has a current total circulation of 330,000 copies, to be printed in full colour throughout for the first time in its history.

The start-up of the two Continent presses was accompanied by a change of format from broadsheet to tabloid to enhance the title's appeal to readers and advertisers alike.

The 17m Euros ($21m) press package is part of a move by the Italian newspaper industry to see off competition from e-media and free sheets by expanding capacity, upgrading equipment and increasing automation.

The two KBA presses join three Goss Universal presses which, though only seven years old, have a capacity of just 56 pages with 16 in full colour, compared to the Continents' 64 to 80 pages, all in full colour.

Giornale's technical director Maurizio Gregotti, said: "The Continents give us much greater production flexibility and are extremely cost-effective.

The four-page increments possible with the four-across, one-around configuration enable us to respond more nimbly to market demand.

He continued: "The Seregni group in charge of production at Paderno-Dugnano runs four KBA Comet web presses with heatset capabilities, setting a benchmark in the Italian semi-commercial market.

Our two Continent presses also have provision for thermal dryers, insertion decks and two-directional perforation.

They are the first completely shaftless web presses at our newspaper operations and have proved to be far superior to our previous equipment in terms of automation, production output and quality.

The console technology, with Inksetter ink pre-setting, RIP interface and diagnostics PC, makes for easier handling, faster make-ready and more reliable production." To support the press, Societa upgraded its pre-press with CTP and installed customised finishing equipment.

Gregotti commented: "This has given productivity an enormous boost and furnished the fire-power we need to keep ahead of market demand.

In the course of my career I have brought 22 newspaper presses on line but I have never experienced such a smooth and efficient start-up as with the two Continent presses.

We were equally impressed by the short lead time - the presses came on line just nine months after the contract was signed.

KBA and its Italian sales agent for newspaper presses, GAM International, really pulled out all the stops.

"In Paderno-Dugnano we print 120,000 copies and in Oricola-Carsoli 85,000 copies of Il Giornale's total circulation.

We were proud to enhance the image of such a prominent title with cutting-edge technology, a fresh layout and a new format.

Of Societa's seven production sites - the others are in Naples, Bologna, Catania, Cagliari and Mechelen in Belgium - we have now the most advanced technology." In July another major Italian newspaper publisher, Rizzoli Corriere della Sera (RCS), pressed the button on nine KBA Commander and two KBA Comet web presses at six different locations.

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