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By Joey Hancock
Herald/Review
SIERRA VISTA — In May the Sierra Vista Herald pressroom became automated, which allows for a better product, less work, and less spoils.
A 4- to 5-year process, started by Wick Communications Production Director Scott Green, came to an end in May when the Sierra Vista Herald pressroom was chosen after production in Tucson, Ariz., shut down and the Wick Communications Company moved the operation to Sierra Vista.
These updates dramatically decrease waste by 50 percent and allow for more accurate printing.
“There are only a few of these style presses with our configurations in the United States. The new printing process allows for office copy quality and the color is great,” said plant manager Rhett Hartgrove.
Contracting with Perretta Graphics, the Herald automated all of the machines in the pressroom and installed all new software.
Workers in the pressroom were on hand from day one of the installation to learn the new program from the ground up.
“We have six roll stands that received automatic transitioning which allowed for automatic register, and we installed all the motors,” said Hartgrove.
By installing and learning the programs from the initial install, the Herald pressroom is completely self contained.
“We don’t have an electrician or mechanic. We solve all the problems as a group. Since we were there on the install it is easier to solve problems,” said Hartgrove.
The new process is constantly changing as tweaks are made to the printing process. Perretta’s software learns to change as adjustments are made, allowing software updates for a smoother process, causing manual adjustments to no longer be necessary.
“We are constantly tweaking the process, and working with Perretta on the software side to make everything easier,” said Hartgrove.
The new printing process has also allowed the Herald pressroom to continue its emphasis on being “green.” Paper, ink and press plates are all recycled and the new process has cut down paper spoils from 1,000 to 350 to 500 printed copies, which was accomplished in three months.
All the ink is recycled on site in an ink recycling machine purchased from a company in California. Three hundred to 400 pounds of ink waste is generated and all of the red, yellow and blue ink is then turned into black.
“We create between 600 and 800 pounds of recycled black ink, and nothing goes into a landfill,” said Hartgrove.
All waste is recycled and most of the paper used is 100 percent recycled or 70 percent post consumer waste.
“The new process makes the press room a lot cleaner,” said Hartgrove.
The new printing process has also cut down on the amount of people it takes to run the presses.
Three years ago the press room was run by five-man crews on each 12-hour shift. Now the printing is run by three-man crews.
“We didn’t get rid of the people, but moved them to distribution,” said Hartgrove.
The new process has created less work for the men on the crews.
“The overall morale of the men has increased. The guys were working hard on 12-hour shifts, and now there is a lot less sweat and a lot more smiles,” said Hartgrove.
Each crew works three and a half days a week from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Production runs begin at 5 p.m. and conclude at 2 a.m.
The press room currently prints 13 publications ranging from the Douglas Dispatch, Green Valley News, Eastern Arizona Courier and the Powerpack, to name a few.
The entire process cost around $500,000 to install and update and an expected return on investment is estimated to occur in three to four years.
The new process allows the Herald press room to run more efficiently, decrease it’s carbon footprint and allow for better and easier working conditions for employees.
“We are happy that we were picked for the automation. This was at the top of our wish list and now our wish list is really small compared to three years ago,” said Hartgrove.
