Top-grade printing press arrives in Cork
The first of 145 lorries carrying the equipment reached the site of the new printing presses at Mahon Point on the outskirts of Cork city, from where Webprints Concept Ltd will print the paper from early 2006.
The press, manufactured by KBA in Germany, will be supplemented by additional machinery and services from suppliers in Britain and Europe, and will allow for colour printing on every page.
It will also print 76,000 copies per hour double the existing print capacity or 'through-out' a rate which will be supplemented by other top-grade machinery. It will have the capacity to print 48 broadsheet pages and 96 tabloid pages, while the associated 'mail room' will allow that production level to be doubled, if required.
The press will also allow for panoramic plates, which will allow for a complete broadsheet centre-page spread if required.
IT and production manager at Thomas Crosbie Holdings, John McKenna, said the press would benefit the newspaper and its sister titles long into the future.
"It will revolutionise the flexibility and quality of the printing. This is top of the range, state-of-the-art machinery," he said.
Thirteen titles, including the Irish Examiner, the Sunday Business Post and the Evening Echo and regional titles from Waterford to County Down, will benefit from the increased printing capacity.
