At Fairfax Media’s print operation in Ballarat, Victoria, Q.I. Press Controls will replace existing technology on 11 towers on Manroland Uniset 75 and Geoman presses with mRC-3D colour register control, and install mRC-3D cut-off ribbon control for the three heatset webs.

On the Manroland Geoman press in the Fishwyck, Canberra, facilities of Fairfax Media, Q.I. Press Controls will install mRC-3D colour register control on four towers, including four motorised bars for the UV towers for safety considerations, and mRC-3D cut-off ribbon control for two UV webs.

This project highlights Fairfax Media’s ongoing investment in new technology for the improvement of its print products as it undergoes major restructuring in its “Fairfax of the future” transition programme. This includes the shutdown of its Chullora (NSW) and Tullamarine (Victoria) print centres by June 2014, and shifting their print workloads to five regional centres, including Ballarat and Canberra. Alongside the print plant restructure, Fairfax Media has changed the format of its major metropolitan daily newspapers for the Sydney and Melbourne regions, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age respectively, from broadsheet to compact.

Q.I. Press Controls’ chairman and managing director, Menno Jansen, said, “Q.I. Press Controls paid close attention to the future needs of Fairfax Media in its print operations’ transition to regional centres, and offered solutions that will ensure the company’s Manroland presses will deliver optimum performance and print quality for the foreseeable future.”

“This order confirms the partnership we have built over the years at various installations within the Fairfax organisation,” he said.

Fairfax Media Print CEO, Bob Lockley, said that the Fishwyck installation will occur in about six months, and the Ballarat installation will take place in the second quarter of 2014.

“This is part of Fairfax Media’s rationalisation to its regional printing sites, and its change in format from broadsheet to compact. This includes the New South Wales part of the business for the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review and part of the Sun Herald, and Ballarat is the Victorian part for The Age and the Australian Financial Review,” said Mr Lockley.

“We have relocated products around the Group to get the best utilisation of equipment, and are working with our partners — Manroland, Ferag, Muller Martini and Q.I. Press Controls — to make the presses as effective and competitive as possible. The transformation from big metro to regional sites was a step we had to take to help secure the future for our newspapers in this changing world.”

Mr Lockley added, “Q.I. Press Controls was deemed to be the best solution provider for those presses based on their technology, their service in Australia, and the fact that they were price competitive.”

The new technology from Q.I. Press Controls will also assist Fairfax Media to find extra operational flexibility and ensure print quality in its considerable commercial print business for over 200 external clients.

“These Q.I. Press Controls systems will improve quality and consistency in our print products, which is critical, especially for our advertising clients, who wish to see consistency across the Group’s products. This technology will help us to achieve that,” said Mr Lockley.