A staged upgrade of reel handling systems at Gannett Publishing Services' Indianapolis Star will spread costs while safeguarding against breakdowns.

The contract at the Pulliam production centre will see Harland Simon replace the Jervis system which maintains reel inventory within the warehouse, storage bins and preparation areas. Application software servers will be replaced with Harland Simon's system, using off-the-shelf hardware.

So that costs can be spread over several financial cycles, the new system will be integrated with the current induction and roll preparation stations. Initially, current roll retriever robots will be retained and the most critical system parts will be replaced early in the project. The new system will maintain interfaces with the manroland Pecom controls and splicer system, as well as the Abitrol stock and billing system. Burr-Brown HMIs are to be replaced with 'ruggedised' Windows tablets, an option which also gives flexibility for the future.

The project is the latest in a series which includes a 2013 Aurosys replacement at the Des Moines Register, another Gannett site."

The project is scheduled for completion early in the second quarter of 2016.