Fifty Is Nifty at Tribune
Two Tribune Co. newspapers, the Sun-Sentinel of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., andthe Chicago Tribune, have been putting the brakes on their web breaks.
For the Sun-Sentinel's Web Break Task Force, the mission was clear andsimple: Figure out why the pressroom was seeing so many breaks during regularpress runs, and do something about it. When the team was formed, the pressroomwas averaging about one break for every 20 rolls. So far in 1997, the average is52 rolls per break, according to Pressroom Manager Becky Brubaker. Each webbreak can cause a press to be down from between 15 minutes and an hour, andwaste about 400 to 500 newspapers.
Production Maintenance Manager Tom Steck says the team had its hands fullidentifying the problems because there are so many variables that cause webbreaks.
Early on, the team developed a new reporting system that allowed members toanalyze causes for the breaks. Crews could determine what mill produced a rollof paper that broke, if a certain unit had more breaks than another, and if aparticular paster was having a problem.
The team discovered that web-break detectors on some of the presses weresensing false web breaks. They were, in essence, creating downtime.
"I just started replacing web-break sensors wholesale," says teammember Steve Parker.
Meanwhile, in December, the Chicago Tribune's Freedom Center productionfacility also ran a record-breaking 50 rolls without a break. Accordingly,Freedom Center's celebration bash on Jan. 31 had a '50s theme, featuring '50smusic, 50-inch sub sandwiches and '50s-style clothes.
A team was formed last spring to work on the web-break problem, and by fall,considerable progress had been made. The number of rolls run without a break hadimproved from 30 to 48 in early December. Suddenly the 50-roll record seemedpossible.
December posed a special challenge, however. "Throughout our history,performance has dropped in December because the cold, dry air makes thenewsprint more brittle," Rodney Pols, press project manager, explains. "Thistime, we were so close to our goal of 50, but then it got cold in December andeverybody was saying, 'Oh no. Can we do this?' "
The web-break team included employees from electrical, mechanical,maintenance, newsprint and press operations. Every Wednesday at 5 a.m., theyinvestigated the web breaks from the previous week and what could be done toprevent them.
The Tribune's four newsprint suppliers and its press supplier also played arole in setting the record. For example, says Tom Henkle, newsprint trafficmanager, one mill changed the way it winds its rolls, reducing wrinkles. Themills also have adjusted pulp mixture to strengthen the paper.
Now that the 50-roll barrier has been broken, the goal for 1997 is 55 rollsper break. "There's always room for improvement," says projectcoordinator Tom Beilke.
This story was adapted from articles in the Sun-Sentinel and ChicagoTribune employee newsletters.