Manroland Web Systems and QI Press Controls have been contracted to upgrade the drive and control systems on four presses at News Ltd’s Sydney and Brisbane plants.
The work will be done over a six-month period and should be finished by early 2014, said Manroland Australasia managing director Steve Dunwell.
He told ProPrint that the deal would be “a big boost to our figures, because it’s multi-millions”.
“I think it shows that our customers have got confidence in Manroland again. News Ltd wouldn’t have placed an order of this substance without feeling very comfortable that Manroland has a positive future,” he said.
“Obviously they’re now very, very comfortable with the Manroland operation in Australia, the Manroland operation in Germany and that we’re financially very strong now.”
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Dunwell said Manroland’s servicing capability had also impressed News Ltd during the year-long negotiations.
“Our technical support team locally will have a big involvement with the project, because we probably have more technical support people in Australia than any of our competitors.”
The four News Ltd presses currently use Reliance drive and control systems, which were fitted in the early 1990s, said Dunwell.
Those systems have now reached the end of their life and parts are increasingly difficult to find. They will be replaced by more automated and reliable Pecom systems, he said.
News Ltd’s national production and logistics director, Geoff Booth, said the upgrade would help the newspaper giant meet “objectives around customer deliverables, quality and efficiency”.
“This investment is an important message to the industry, our customers and our staff, that News Ltd is committed to newspapers,” he said.
QI Press Controls chairman Menno Jansen said: “We are pleased to be recognised by News Ltd as one of the world’s leading companies in optical measurement and control equipment for the graphics industry.”
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