The German press manufacturer used this week’s IfraExpo show in Vienna to unveil an automatic plate changing system that is based on robotic arms built by a firm based near its own headquarters in Augsberg.

Speaking exclusively to PrintWeek at the show, MAN Roland chief executive Gerd Finkbeiner said a prototype for the system had been devel­oped at the end of last year on a triple-width press. The system, he said, was key to newspaper printers responding to the need to produce shorter runs and multiple editions.

He said: “Everybody agrees that the challenge for newspapers is to have further segregation and more editions. Doing this in the fastest possible way will be a top priority in the future. This system will allow a tower to have its plates changed in two and a half minutes.”

The first installation of the system, which can be retrofitted, is expected early next year.

MAN Roland also moved further into personalised and variable-data newspapers with a tie-up with Kodak in which the digital manufacturer’s Versamark technology can be incorporated onto a press.

The partnership, also revealed at IfraExpo, is aimed at allowing newspapers to carry late-breaking stories, regional variations and personalised promotions and contests.

Finkbeiner said: “Particularly in the UK, newspapers run lotteries and competitions. With an inkjet system that runs at the same speed as the press, each newspaper can be personalised.”