A secondhand 48-page manroland Lithoman with upgraded stitching, folding and control options has replaced a similar press of the same size at German print partnership WKS.

As a result, the manroland press at WKS Druckholding in Essen includes a range of features including components for A3 and A4 delivery and a full connection to the maker's PECOM PressManager systems and data management, visual display and reporting functions.

With plants in Essen and Wassenburg, Germany, WKS was formed by the partnership of Westend Druckereibetriebe and Kraft-Schlötels, and now has 335 employees. manroland web systems was contracted to handle the relocation from Fetsund (Oslo) in Norway, and retrofit upgrades.

WKS has eight Lithoman presses ranging from 32-80 pages including a twin-web 80-page press with a 4500mm web width, equivalent to a 160-page press and believed to be the world's largest heatset commercial press.

Managing director Ralph Dittmann says the second-hand press had to be imported to the European Union, transported 1400 km, equipped with numerous retrofits and upgrades, and integrated to WKS' production environment. "Thanks to this investment, we can now serve our customers optimally and I am certain that we opted for the best partner for our project," he says.

Pictured: WKS project members with the twin-web 80-page press