'NYT' Chose New Goss Colorliner Over Two Older Presses from Edison

By: Jim Rosenberg The New York Times' decision last week to order a new Goss Colorliner press from Goss International, Bolingbrook, Ill., for its production facility in the College Point section of New York City's Queens Borough came after consideration of rebuilding, relocating and reusing some its other plant's existing Colorliner capacity.

Installation of the new press is slated for early 2008. That same year, the Times plans to shutter its Edison, N.J., plant (E&P Online, July 24).

The new press will consist of 12 four-color towers (96 printing couples), have a 22-inch cutoff and be equipped with a double-couple folder.

The agreement also calls for Goss to complete projects reducing web widths on the plant's five existing Colorliners to 48 inches, matching the width on the new press.

The Times considered the moving two presses from Edison to College Point, which was built with a pad for a future press. An expanded press hall with two added presses, however, would have been expensive owing to poor soils that require costly pile supports -- beyond what a mailroom expansion plan will require, according to information supplied by Production Vice President Tom Lombardo.

Costs of construction and rebuilding presses that went into Edison in 1988 persuaded management that building costs could be minimized and production investment optimized by focusing on new equipment, according to Lombardo.

In contrast to Edison's presses, the new Colorliner will use a shaftless drive, semi-automatic plate loading, improved tension controls, a double-capacity 2-5-5 jaw folder, among other features. It also is faster -- rated at 85,000 impresions per hour. The Times' shafted Colorliners are ordinarily operated between 55,000 and 60,000 impressions per hour. Lombardo expects to run the new folder's double-capacity feature as often as press capacity permits.

Engineers are conducting a load analysis to determine if the College Point plant's four existing generators are capable of powering all the presses, new and old.