A retrofit ordered at WPE two years ago has brought new life to a 19-year-old manroland Geoman .

DCOS has completed the retrofit of the drive system and PECOM control system at Senner Medien in Nürtingen in southern Germany, following confirmation that the press was in good mechanical condition.

Originally installed in 1996 and extended in year 2000, it consists of two towers, a folder and two MEG reelstands, which were also upgraded.

Senner Druckhaus chief executive Markus Krichenbauer says that - with his IT and technology background - it has been interesting to see a nearly 20 year old press undergo such a huge makeover: "Most of the existing control system components were obsolete and it was hard to support the systems, we simply had to address this situation in order to secure our future production capability.

"That investment being a necessity, it's the added automation that really made a difference for us.

To remain competitive and ensure future profitability, the press needed more automation, including closed-loop colour, register, fan-out and cut-off. Krichenbauer says the company's quality standards are "probably very high" for a coldset printer, with some products that are very colour sensitive, plus a lot of multifold bookwork that puts the cut-off system to a test. "With the closed-loop systems this all becomes an automated task and our operators can focus on other things," he says.

"And last but not least, we have seen our waste levels drop well below our targets for the investment."

Two new integrated DCOS control desks, new control system and the inspection system were installed in parallel with the existing PECOM system, with the retrofit carried out function by function.

DCOS chief executive Mattias Andersson says despite the challenges of retrofitting old generations of PECOM where everything is obsolete, he has been amazed by the new productivity of the press: "I'm convinced this is the most productive Geoman of its generation and I believe it's a combination of a very stable and robust press model, modernised with the latest technology."

DCOS is represented by WRH Global Germany in Germany.

Pictured: Christian Fritsche (Senner), Jürgen Mauser (IB Mauser), Markus Krichenbauer (Senner), Monika Krichenbauer (Senner), Mattias Andersson (DCOS) and Thomas Neumayer (WRH Global) share a 'ceremony of acceptance'