Fixed-gain and variable-gain PID control of tension in the winding section of a simple web transport system were evaluated. An open-loop mathematical model for the web transport system was derived and used for the design of the PID controllers. The winding roll radius is a timevarying parameter in the model. The fixed-gain PID controller designed at a particular instant of time could not meet the desired specifications, whereas the variable-gain PID controller could produce accurate tension control in the winding section. An advantage of the variable-gain control is its simplicity. This approach is easy to implement and shows promise for applications where the time-varying parameters are easily measured.