Plateroom upgrades have kept vendors and integrators busy in Europe.

Nela has reported five projects in Norway and Germany, while marks-3zet has completed an upgrade at waterless printer Freiburger Druck in southern Germany. A six-tower KBA Cortina press installed here in 2006 produces a variety of work including the daily Badische Zeitung.

Three heavily-used CTP systems have been replaced and an automated bilevel sorting facility with 100 delivery fans integrated into a new workflow (pictured).

Nela says Swiss newspaper printer Mittelland Zeitungsdruck has ordered a comprehensive plate automation system including two VCPevolution HS800 punch/bender systems and a lift to transport press-ready plates directly to the press room for automatic sorting.

At Badisches Druckhaus in Germany, a new KBA Commander CT press will be complemented by plate automation including two VCPevolution HS800 punch/benders capable of 360 singlewide plates an hour. Plates are conveyed through the wall to the press room and sorted into a two-storey 52-bin sorter consisting of two groups of bins.

Two VCPevolution HS800 register punch-bending systems are going to sold to Polaris Trykk Trondheim in Norway, where an existing Barenschee plate sorter will also be integrated, and two additional VCPevolution systems are to be installed at BVZ Berliner Zeitungsdruck, complementing older Nela equipment.

At Druckhaus Ulm-Oberschwaben in Germany, the extensive systems at their two print sites is being increased with a third VCPevolution HS800.

A late 2013 order also sees Weiss-Druck in Germany installing two VCPevolution 900 flexx punch/bend systems to support its existing manroland Geoman and brand-new Colorman e:line presses. The new VCPs are being equipped with servo motors for automatic adjustment of plate lengths and bending radii, as well as with radii changers for leading and trailing edges.