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    FKI Logistex Alvey Systems News International Installation Wins British Newspaper Award

    Oct. 1, 2003
    (St. Louis, MO) FKI Logistex Alvey Systems (www.alvey.com), an FKI Logistex (LSE: FKI.L) member company, and leading integrator of automated material

    (St. Louis, MO) FKI Logistex® Alvey Systems (www.alvey.com), an FKI Logistex (LSE: FKI.L) member company, and leading integrator of automated material flow solutions announces that its client, News International, a subsidiary of the global media company, News Corporation, received "Highly Commended" honors in the 2003 Newspaper Awards "Most Innovative Technology of the Year" AdFast Award competition. News International received the commendation for its automated palletizing installation at its Wapping, London facility.

    The Wapping installation includes 12 customized Alvey Systems palletizers and automated stretch wrappers. Each machine efficiently handles bundles at extremely high throughput rates of up to 68 bundles per minute, with the flexibility to switch from any of the 16 presses to any of the palletizers. Ed Zahler and Martin Clark of Alvey Systems, St. Louis, led the project team, in conjunction with an installation and management team from UK-based FKI Logistex ASI. The automated handling system has improved operational efficiency, reduced product damage, and has allowed News International to conform to new occupational health and safety laws passed in the European Community.

    Competition judges lauded the installation for its ambitious nature, saying, "The entry stood out because of its scale and complexity and that, for health and safety implications alone got the vote."

    Held at London's Dorchester House Hotel and hosted by Jon Snow, news anchor of ITN's Channel 4 News, the ceremony drew hundreds of attendees from the newspaper print and design industry. The annual Newspaper Awards are given to newspapers and related organizations in recognition of outstanding contributions to the newspaper industry in the United Kingdom by the Britain's leading publishing association, the Newspaper Society. Founded in 1836, the Newspaper Society is believed to be the oldest publishers' association in the world.

    The "Most Innovative Technology of the Year" category was a new addition to the annual awards competition for 2003, and required that nominees demonstrate the most innovative implementation of a technology, introduced since January 1, 2002, that resulted in added-value production and quality improvements within a newspaper publishing and printing environment.

    "Alvey Systems is very pleased that News International has received this honor," said Steve Ackerman, president of Alvey Systems. "It is a testament to the innovative palletizing technology that the Wapping installation was the only material handling application honored in a competition dominated by hardware, software, and printing technologies."

    Alvey Systems, Inc. (www.alvey.com), an FKI Logistex (LSE: FKI.L) member company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a leading integrator of materials handling solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and distributors.