The Natal Witness Orders Baldwin Impact Global Blanket Cleaning
2/1/2007
South African newspaper The Natal Witness has ordered a Baldwin Impact® Global blanket cleaning system for its six-tower KBA Comet press. The four-year old press is already equipped with Baldwin spray dampening equipment and this latest order comes after extensive research into automatic blanket cleaning technology by the KwaZulu-Natal based newspaper, which is part owned by the Media 24 Group.
The level of work we were handling when the KBA Comet was installed meant that manual blanket cleaning was a sensible option at that time,” says Russell Cumming, general manager operations. “However, over the years we have increased significantly the number of newspapers printed on the press, including our own titles and those published by other Media 24 sites, as well as commercial tabloid and insert work.
“With the press now in operation 24 hours a day we needed to install automatic blanket cleaning equipment to reduce makeready times and improve productivity. Manual cleaning was no longer an option. We’ve spent the last year examining different systems and methods and Baldwin’s Impact Global, with its impregnated cleaning cloth, came out ahead of other products on the market. We also heard some very positive feedback from other newspaper plants operating Impact.”
The Witness will be the first of any of the Media 24 newspaper sites to equip a press with Baldwin’s Impact Global equipment. Installation is scheduled to begin during February and should be completed four weeks later. The Impact Global system utilises Prepac® cloth that is impregnated with a cleaning agent, which eliminates the need for storing and handling liquid solvents to clean blankets and reduces costs because less chemistry is required. Prepac contains the exact amount of cleaning agent and so there is no need for pumps or containers, while the VOC-free Prepac cloth makes Impact an environmentally-friendly cleaning system.
Once the blankets have been cleaned the Prepac cloth is automatically moved on so each blanket is presented with fresh cloth, ensuring a high level of cleaning. The system is very easy to install and maintain, while changing a used roll takes only minutes. All Prepac versions are FOGRA approved, which ensures an excellent performance and compatibility.
“We’ve been impressed by the cleanliness of Baldwin’s Impact system and the effectiveness with which it cleans the blanket,” says Russell Cumming. “The elimination of liquid solvents to clean blankets is also a benefit, while the reduction in makeready times will make the press much more efficient.”
John Leek, sales and service director for Baldwin, adds: ”This order emphasises the importance printers around the world are giving to the impact that the printing industry can have on the environment. Printers have long since acknowledged the need to tackle dirty tasks on the press but they are now also looking for the most environmentally friendly way to carry them out. Impact Global provides them with an environmentally friendly blanket cleaning option and at the same time gives an excellent return on investment.”
Newspapers printed on the KBA Comet include The Witness, with a daily circulation of 23,000 (rising to 30,000 at weekends) and the bi-weekly Ilanga, with a circulation of 97,000, as well as 25,000 copies of the Daily Sun. The KwaZulu-Natal site also produces a wide range of weeklies and other titles, including 50,000 copies of the weekly Soccer Laduma and 35,000 copies of the weekly UmAfrika. The KBA Comet operates from 2,200 sq metre premises, built in 2002 alongside the existing plant to house the new press.
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