German regional newspaper printer Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei is updating press systems to enable planning and analysis of its production.

The company - which prints the 268,000-circulation Rheinische Post and other titles - is installing ABB's MPS Production systems and software to optimise printing processes and reduce costs and maintenance.

The update follows replacement last year of control systems on two towers and turner bar units of their KBA Commander press.

The Düsseldorf company publishes the Rheinische Post, Westdeutsche Zeitung, Remscheider Generalanzeiger and the Solinger Tageblatt, totalling 600,000 copies as well as 3.3 million advertising papers and magazines.

MPS Production enables operators to plan print products after importing specifications, and the tooling package also maps out installed presses to optimise production. Reductions in preparation time, start-up waste and ink and water use will also bring significant savings.

Managing director Kirsten Klaszussays the latest upgrades will ensure the company is "fit for the future" of an industry that continues to work to tight financial margins.

The ABB tools create virtualisation of the system though conversion to run with PostgreSQL, allowing independence from the hardware and operating system lifecycle. This means the application can be moved to a new platform when required.

Says ABB head of printing Damian Staedeli, "Our technologies have developed beyond recognition since we first worked with Rheinisch-Bergische Druckerei more than 35 years ago.

"We are looking forward to seeing our customer realise the benefits of working with such a flexible system that provides oversight of the whole printing process and ease of operation."

The software system upgrades will replace obsolete hardware operating systems in early 2021.