And Heidelberg Web Systems of Dover, N.H., unveiled its Mainstream newspaper press, which borrows gapless blankets and other technologies from the commercial-printing world. Goss Graphic Systems of Westmont, Ill., for instance, unveiled its Uniliner, a double-width version of its highly flexible Universal press series. The push for faster speed and better color drives these improvements, as do staffing needs in an industry that simply can't find enough technical talent. These benefit from production managers' unit-loading focus as they try to match press speeds by keeping large pallets of newspapers moving from inserter to loading dock. In other words, it's stretched to the point where it snaps around the bundle, eliminating the need for turntables and reducing space requirements by up to 25 percent.
Space demands attention as a mounting tide of preprints flood mailrooms.
Pa.-based GMA Inc.'s The Bundler combines functions of several pieces of equipment for just that reason. Shaftless drives and faster speed characterize the bigger pieces of equipment, such as Heidelberg Web Systems' NP1280 inserter. Its individually driven hoppers allow quick zoning changes. Baldwin Kansa of Emporia, Kan., will introduce an eight-station shaftless multifeeder. Copyright 2000, Newspaper Association of America.