A new 'smart presetting' feature from QIPC-EAE is delivering on a promise to save an extra 150-200 copies with each press start-up.

And among pioneering users is Auckland-based NZME, a long-time user of the Dutch specialist's technology and a first customer for QIPC director Menno Jansen.

Smart Pre-setting is an additional application to improve press performance without the requirement for new hardware. In addition to the keys, it regulates the amount of damp based on self-learning software. "In this way, 150 to 200 copies can easily be saved during start-up," says Jansen.

NZME - which prints the group's New Zealand Herald as well as a range of other titles including some for Fairfax Media unit Stuff - is among sites where these savings are already being realised and fine tuning promises more. Production manager Russel Wieck says the software gives them more control over start-ups: "We don't work with a single press line here and often switch between our three presses. It happens that we run for hours with a number of towers and then suddenly have to add a new, cold tower for the next production. There was a big imbalance between these hot and cold towers at the next start-up. The new software recognises hot and cold towers and decides on the basis of this how much damp should be added at the next start-up. This makes a big difference."

A feature of the Auckland implementation was that it was completed almost entirely remotely, a task made easier by the strong relationship the two have had over many years. "In cooperation with NZME, we did a lot of research into the precise adjustment of the system," says Jansen. "Fine-tuning such a software package requires a lot of time and energy. Yet it proved possible to do this with their technicians on site and our coordination from the Netherlands."

Wieck says the cooperation has been flawless: "The support is perfect, with it helping that our night is their day," he says. "This allows us to have direct contact with QIPC during our production."

The result is that the presses in New Zealand continue to compare favourably with more modern machines. "We can now look ahead," says Wieck. "Our press is more than 20 years old, but thanks in part to this development, it is future-proof. This is important in our business. No one else but QIPC is doing much to keep old presses up-to-date."