Austin Expands Packaging with Goss, Ferag Systems

By: E&P Staff The Austin (Texas) American-Statesman will upgrade its post-press operations when it installs two Goss Magnapak packaging systems and Ferag UTR press grippers and MultiDisc storage systems. (Last week, E&P Technical reported that the Cox daily had ordered palletizers and bundle conveyor systems from Schur Packaging Systems.)

The 173,579-circulation daily (215,894 Sunday) expects installations to begin next spring.

The American-Statesman will install two shaftless Goss Magnapak systems, along with Ferag UTR press grippers and MultiDisc storage systems with direct-to-pocket technology. The new packaging configuration will use five Ferag UTR press grippers to carry inserts from the presses to five Ferag MultiDisc winding systems. Products will subsequently be fed from MultiDisc unwinders to four positions on each Magnapak.

The twin 38-station Magnapak systems can handle up to 30,000 papers per hour and be equipped for single or dual delivery. Goss Omnicon machine controls will be interfaced with existing supervisory controls.

Goss International, which represents Ferag products in the North American market, announced that U.S. newspapers have ordered 18 Magnapak systems, 28 lines of UTR gripper and four MultiDisc systems through 2006 and the first four months of 2007.