Centralisation of print resources in one place has seen a Berliner-sized press relocated to the medieval city of Ulm, just 20km west of Germany’s Legoland.

The three-tower manrolandGoss Colorman autoprint, installed in 2011 at the then Druckzentrum Hohenlohe-Ostalb (DHO) site in Crailsheim, has been moved to NPG Druckhaus’ site in Ulm.

Thanks to the efforts of its maker, the press – which was installed to print 90,000 newspapers a day – including six daily editions – was relocated in Ulm, just over 100 km south, in a “record” six months.

The city is home to the headquarters of parent Neue Pressegesellschaft, and centre for a number of print and digital products covering the south-west and east of Germany.

manrolandGoss’ challenge was to dismantle and transport the complete printing system in record time, and put it back into operation at the new location. The company says the target was achieved thanks to precise planning, an experienced team and close cooperation with NPG Druckhaus.

The press, equipped with three reel splicers, three printing towers and a classic Berliner-format folder superstructure, took over daily newspaper production at the new location in Ulm on time after a smooth production start.

The relocation was part of a programme of consolidation of NPG production sites, expected to optimise machine utilization and increase efficiency of the entire production chain, making daily newspaper production more economical and more sustainable.

NPG Druckhaus managing director Christian Gaidies said he knew the ambitious project was in the best hands: “Once again the professionalism and competent project support and realisation.”

NPG has 2100 employees, its publications including Südwest Presse, the Märkische Oderzeitung and Lausitzer Rundschau, reaching a million readers a day.