Web Offset: Shorter Runs, Technology Innovations Enable Competitiveness in a New Print World

Innovations in plant automation also impact materials handling throughout the pressroom production chain. Vince Lapinski cites MAN Roland’s extensive work in inventory control and material logistics, encompassing the flow of paper, ink, and other supplies moving from the loading dock to wherever they are needed in the plant. “We’re seeing this technology becoming more prevalent in big commercial plants,” he says, “not only on the back end of the machine, where good things have been done with robotics, but also on the front end.”