Transfer car system keeps newspaper's presses rolling
Cars move huge paper rolls from storage to press room, saving the Dallas Morning News up to $150,000 a year.
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/1/1998
The Dallas Morning News produces 225 million newspapers each year. DMN recently had to create a better system to transport raw material from the warehouse to the presses.Years ago, DMN had a two track, manual tow truck system with chain in the floor to deliver raw material. Newspaper rolls weighing 2,000 lb each were transported on dollies. This method was very labor intensive because the rolls had to be manually off-loaded to specific printing presses. In 1987 DMN upgraded to an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) system.
Yet this AGVS was extremely inefficient and expensive to run: the system required up to 120 hours a week of monitoring by highly skilled personnel.
In contrast, a new system replacing the AGVS and using transfer cars provides the required high level of performance while being virtually maintenance free.
DMN had been spending between $100,000 and $150,000 per year to keep the AGVS running. Expenses with the transfer car system are negligible, says Paul Webb, production manager.
"The downender and transfer car system has helped us smooth out the delivery of raw materials to the presses," explains Webb. "We now have a more cost-effective and efficient method of delivering paper from the warehouse to the press room." In addition, the transfer car system gives DMN the ability to restock the pre-press "laydown" area with the proper sized rolls of paper in advance of a press run, something that could not be done with the AGVS.
The new system accepts a roll of newsprint from the warehouse, downends and orients the roll onto a transfer car, which travels on a track at the back of the roll laydown area. ("Downending" refers to a reorientation of the roll from an upright position to a horizontal position.) When the transfer car reaches the proper lane of the laydown area, the roll is discharged. Roll dollies circle the presses and transport individual rolls from the laydown pre-press area to the presses.
"The new system had to be installed in the fall, which is our busiest season," says Webb. The system supplier completed the installation, which involved major modifications to the press room, "without hindering us from maintaining 100% production. The supplier actually finished the project a month ahead of schedule and [we kept] the presses rolling throughout.''
Mathews Conveyor 800-628-4397
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