An update of its Comet press has been the opportunity for a Lee paper to upgrade presetting and production planning features.

The 3/2 KBA Comet at Lee Enterprises’ Herald Courier in Bristol, Virginia, was the first of its kind in the US when it was installed in 2004. A similar was later installed at then Media General sister paper the News & Advance in Lynchburg.

The format in what was traditionally sold as a double-width press allows three broadsheet pages to be printed across one web.

With the German-made press still be in good mechanical condition, Lee has commissioned EAE to upgrade the current control solutions. The press consists of five towers and three folders, and was equipped with an EAE system with four consoles from the start. Now existing EAE hardware and software components are being modernised and replaced.

Production manager Kevin Arrington says modernisation was necesssary to maintain quality and efficiency: “With the upgrade of the EAE solutions, the reliability and run ability of the press are maximised again,” he said.

In addition to exchanging the PC console hardware and updating software, the EAE PrintPP system has also been upgraded.

The Herald Courier has a daily circulation of up to 41,000, plus Sunday circulation of 44,000. Lee owns daily newspapers, digital products and more than 350 weekly and specialty publications serving 77 markets in 26 states.