The Windsor Star, ON, part of the Postmedia Network, has selected Harland Simon to complete a critical upgrade to its post press operations. Postmedia and Harland Simon have a long standing relationship following projects at its publications in Montreal, Saskatoon and Vancouver.
Windsor's inserting business is impressive and continues to grow yet its equipment and system infrastructure relies on aging equipment and obsolete controls.
The need to address the situation in order to guarantee The Stars excellent service has been clear for some time, working with Harland Simon allowed Doug Shillington, Director of Production, to put together the a compelling justification for the project. Once the benefits of the Harland Simon solution were presented and the danger of standing still laid bare the project moved quickly through the approval process.
The project involves the replacement of all ICON controls, legacy drives and obsolete PLCs on two NP630 inserters, the GSN controller, Sunspark interface machine, Heidelberg management systems and in house Insert Controller. Harland Simons standardized deployment of InsertNet and MMS software combined with off the shelf Allen-Bradley and standard PC hardware continues; providing the most open, reliable and locally available system on the market.
Charlie Brackley, Sales Manager for Harland Simon, commented, "Doug and his team have worked diligently to achieve this upgrade and we look forward to fulfilling his expectations while securing production and revenue for many years to come."
Doug Shillington, Director of Production for The Windsor Star commented, "this is an exciting time for the Star's packaging department. John Bradley, Mailroom General Foreman, will be the team leader for the removal of a 16 head MP630 from our sister paper in Ottawa. This will allow us to expand our two current lines to meet our client demands and improve efficiencies. Our Team is handling all aspects of the two line expansion in house. Marc McVittie will oversee all mechanical aspects of the project and Denis Beaulieu will be in charge of the electrical preparation and install. It has been a real pleasure working with Charlie and his team to get this multiple phase project over the goal line."
