French Group's Plants Rely on Ferag Technology

By: E&P Staff Using technology from Ferag, Hinwil, Switzerland, France's Groupe Riccobono has configured its new printing centers -- Midi Print, Ouest Print and Paris Offset Print -- so that an immediate response is possible to any customer demands.

One surprise was the change in format for La Tribune. A new press already was configured for the large format when the new owners of the traditional financial paper decided on a Berliner format. An in-line Ferag SNT-U trimming drum efficiently reduces La Tribune's format, retaining the contract for the daily that circulates 100,000 copies.

At Ouest Print, in Bournezeau, western France, format change also was accomplished quickly and economically with the same model trimming drum for the Direct Soir freesheet.

Using Ferag mailroom technology, the plants produce well-known national and international titles such as Le Figaro, La Tribune, Lib?ration and the International Herald Tribune, and have achieved sustained growth over the years. Under the fourth generation of family ownership, the group also operates large printing centers in Belgium and Luxembourg, where it prints newspapers for Spanish publishers for distribution in the north. English, Belgian and Dutch titles are produced in France for distribution in the south.

At Paris Offset Print, the group commissioned three new presses, with the Ferag trimming drum coupled to two, increasing not only flexibility but also security. POP's three UTR conveyors, six MultiStack units and a PKT bundle conveyor form the backbone for automated post-press processing, from press to truck.