Ten years of printing editions of German regional daily Schwarzwälder Bote without stopping have prompted a press extension to expand the application.

The Wifag OF 370 PCU pressline at Druckzentrum Südwest in Villingen/Schwenningen is being extended with an extra colour tower with the page change unit (PCU) functionality.

For the last ten years, some regional editions of the 130,000-circulation paper have been produced without stopping: Editions with the same number of pages are changed by engaging and disengaging printing units ‘on the fly’, a time saving which the publisher says, makes it possible to delivery deliver the newspaper on time across a wide distribution area.

Integration of the PCU-enabled extra tower into the existing pressline from next April will mean all the editions will be produced without stopping and in full colour.

As well as Schwarzwälder Bote – one of the largest daily newspapers in Baden-Württemberg – the plant prints a further 400,000 a week of other newspaper products. The extra printing tower will help to absorb some of the workload and open the door for more contract work.