Piece-by-piece, the recovery and removal of presses in a US location is typical of many happening in that country and throughout the world.
ImPressions Worldwide’s Tom Loesch talks of a different ‘three R’s’ to the ones learned at school: it’s rigging, removals and relocations at the former print site of the Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, which closed in September 2025 with the loss of 20 fulltime and 29 part-time positions.
A six-unit Goss Colorliner press is being taken apart piecemeal, with the emphasis on recovering hard-to-find control and other unique parts; removed whole, a Goss Community press will likely find a new home.
Owners Lee Enterprises – now controlled by Florida billionaire David Hoffmann – moved printing of the Quad-City Times, Dispatch-Argus and Muscatine Journal to Munster, Indiana, and the 11,400m2 building was sold last July with plans to convert it for multi-tenant use.
Loesch says it’s a familiar story, with equipment reaching end of service in one location while still holding real value for others: “We approach these transitions with care – recovering usable components, documenting everything thoroughly, and treating the machinery with the respect it has earned,” he says.
“The emphasis is on orderly recovery rather than simply clearing space – giving proven components the chance for productive second lives.”
The Community is one of many changing hands, and provides a practical opportunity for operations seeking a reliable single-wide platform – “a full press line that can be relocated and supported for continued production” – and may already have found a new home.
Pictures with thanks to ImPressions Worldwide