Automation System Projects – Newspaper Post Print Handling Projects

Despite the internet, newspapers continue to generate significant revenue through subscribers and newsstands. However, one of the most significant changes over the newspapers of long ago is that the publisher has had to develop strategies to target, print, insert, and deliver relevant advertising to segmented neighborhoods. It used to be common for an advertiser to take out an ad in a local paper. The ad would be printed in every newspaper, and fees covered the entire circulation. As the competition for advertisers increased the newspaper needed to increase its revenue by offering more relevant circulation coverages. These limited circulations are what are known as zones.

With zone pricing and zone advertising came a need to improve the handling of newspapers. A “run” of the newspaper needed to be tailored to a neighborhood and the handling of a zoned paper needed to be controlled.

This one strategy has meant newspapers needed to adapt the handling of the printed products and manage them in a way that preserves the zone intent of the printing process.  Thus, the advent of a gripper conveyor. Gripper conveyors latch onto each individual newspaper and manage its movement to ensure proper placement that preserves the zone.

The gripper conveyors are technological marvels as they contain sophisticated controls that allow one gripper to intercept, grip, and transport a single newspaper.

Projects Overview

Company:  Hall Processing Systems

Organization structure:  matrix organization

Project Type: Design Build

Number of Projects Managed: >15

Several specific projects:  Bangor Daily News, Portland Press Herald, Louisville Courier, Camden Press Herald, Arizona Republic Phoenix Gazette

Range of project value: $275,000 to >$3,500,000

Largest single project team: 95

Organizational authority of project manager:  engineering and installation

Outcomes of all projects:  on or below budget and on schedule.

Project specific tools:  Microsoft Projects, Excel spreadsheets