The press has a 600mm cut-off and can produce 70,000 48pp broadsheet copies an hour. The Irish News is currently produced at Mortons in Portadown under a five-year deal, which expires in 18 months time. It can currently produce 64pp tabloid with 24 in colour on a 630mm-cut-off press.
Dominic Fitzpatrick, managing director of the Irish News, said the firm had considered having the Berliner-format newspaper printed on contract but had opted to bring production in-house after a break of three and a half years.
I dont see how any newspaper could survive in the next five years without full colour, he said. We looked at other press suppliers [including KBA and Goss] and talked to a lot of clients. I think it would be hard to find a happier customer base than MANs.
He didnt think that the newspapers readers would notice the smaller size but thought they would appreciate the increase in colour.
The Irish News, which has a circulation of more than 50,000, is also looking into the possibility of taking on more contract work.
The 4m press should create 10 new jobs at the firm. It will be installed from November 2004 and will be running by March 2005.
MAN Roland GB web director Norman Revill said: The Irish News is a very significant order for us. It shows that we are the market leaders in this format.
Story by John Davies at IfraExpo
