Plastindia 2015 to reveal
latest
developments from BOBST
BOBST announces its participation at
Plastindia 2015 to be staged from February
05-10 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The
company has announced its latest innovations
and developments in web-fed equipments and
services for the processing of plastic film.
Representatives from all European BOBST webfed
product lines and from Bobst India are
looking forward to meeting professionals from
the industry to present them BOBST’s wide
range of printing and converting equipments
including F&K CI flexo presses, Rotomec gravure
presses, CL multi-technology and SL solventless
laminators, the array of extrusion coating &
laminating machines, latest developments in
coating lines, general vacuum metallizers, and
the General Registron Hawkeye pinhole detector,
during the expo.
Unearthing the great potential for development
in the Indian flexible material printing and
converting industry, BOBST has been a regular
participant in Plastindia since the 1990s. Along
with the dramatic growth of the Indian economy
over the last decade, BOBST has experienced a
constantly growing interest and as a consequence,
a significant increase in sales of its equipment
for the flexible packaging industry in South Asia.
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Management change at KBA Deutschland
With effect from January 01, 2015, a
new managing director has taken the
reins at KBA Deutschland. Reinhard
Marschall (49) succeeds Ramona Weiß-Weber
at the helm of KBA’s German sales and service
subsidiary for sheet-fed offset presses. The previous
managing director has left the company after
three years to pursue new challenges. Given the
ongoing structural changes in the print industry as
Management change at KBA Deutschland
the new managing
director of KBA,
Deutschland aims to ramp up
communication with clients
in order to find potential
improvements in production
areas. This is in addition to
strengthening the regional focus
of sales and service activities.
nnn
KBA gains
positive growth
Having made significant progress with the
implementation of its Fit@All programme
and in achieving its sales and earnings
targets for 2014, Koenig & Bauer (KBA) has
rocketed its group sales to €791.8 million in
8.5 percent growth. The increase in sales, the
expanded service business and cost savings
achieved have resulted in an operating profit of
€7 million. Over the next quarters the management
board expects a further reduction in costs from
Fit@All with positive effects on earnings. But
military conflicts and concerns about Ebola result
in dampened expectations for the future and act
as a brake on new orders.
Sales of sheet-fed KBA offset presses increased
by 6.5 percent to €406.3 million compared to
€381.4 million 12 months ago. Notwithstanding
poor capacity utilisation at KBA’s web press
facilities the web and special press division
posted an operating profit of €4.2 million, an
improvement on last year’s loss of €2.9 million.
KBA’s export level has witnessed high once again
at 85.3 percent. Along with the success already
achieved by expanding the service business, the
expansion of activities in growth markets, such
as digital and special packaging printing, is
aimed at contributing to stronger group earnings.
nnn
Web offset spare parts
order just a click away!
PRAKASH Web Offset
Pvt Ltd, a leading
web offset machine
manufacturer in India, announces the introduction
of one of the world’s largest online web offset
spare parts store (www.prakashoffsetspares.com).
Now, order for machine spare parts is just a matter
of the click of a mouse. Apart from saving time,
this online store offers various added advantages
that web offset printers in the industry have never
been privileged before.
The added advantages that PRAKASH Web
Offset offers on its online spare parts store
include: cost savings of around 25 percent, which
can certainly save huge annually. There is no
hidden cost on this online store as everything is
completely transparent; all prices are fixed and
online. Free shipping on orders over Rs 10,000
is available and no charges will be applied for
packing. Products available in the store are 100
percent genuine with guaranteed quality. Also, this
store provides cash on delivery option. Another
key advantage of online portal is that users can
order spare parts for different brands of web
offset machine. Most of the GOSS community
type machines are covered. Gone are the days
when one needs to know exact part numbers for
ordering, with this portal PRAKASH has given
the flexibility that one can browse through parts
based on assembly, type and various other filters,
see photograph, study specifications and order at
single click.
PRAKASH Web Offset boasts of its state-of-the-art
manufacturing plant at Faridabad where produced
all the machine components, which comprise
spare parts, rubber rollers, copper rollers, etc.
Those register on www.prakashoffsetspares.com
now may avail inaugural discounts!
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Punjab Kesari Group flags off 391st
truck
of relief materials for J&K migrants
Vijay Kumar Chopra, CMD
& editor-in-chief, Punjab
Kesari Group flagging off
the 391st truck of relief
materials sponsored by
Maa Chintpurni Sewa
Mandal Jagran, Langar
Sewa Samiti and Rani Ka
Bagh. Also seen standing
with him are Sonu Sharma,
Gaurav Bajaj, Sunny
Aggarwal, Davinder
Puri and Lion JB Singh
Chaudhary.
|
Philanthropic work of Punjab Kesari Group
(Jalandhar) continues generously as the
newspaper group has recently flagged
off the 391st truck of relief materials for the
recent flood victims in J&K. The materials
were delivered to the villagers affected in the
ill-fated natural calamity in Kurlpora village
of Budgam district in the state. The group
has been indulging in sending trucks carrying
articles of daily use for migrants in the region
who have been trapped in ill-fated natural
calamities or affected by terrorist activities on
the Indo-Pak borders. This benevolent social
work of the group has been carrying out since
1999 and so far 390 truck-loads of materials
have been dispatched to the migrants who
particularly in view of terrorist activities on
the border areas are compelled to migrate to
safer places in Jammu and its surroundings,
leaving everything behind.
nnn
Q.I. Press Controls delivers
its first IDS-3D in Denmark
Now the turn is for Denmark as printing
plants in Sweden and Norway have already
invested in Q.I. Press Controls’ closedloop
colour control system fitted with IDS-3D
cameras. Fynske Medier at Odense in Denmark
has been merged with Syddanske Medier and
Jyske Medier and the new organisation is now
named Jysk-Fynske Medier, the third largest media
group in the country. The company is taking on
many of the group’s printing operations, which
means that 40 percent more orders now have to
be produced on the KBA Colora press. In this
respect, What Jysk-Fynske Medier has found the
ultimate solution to this is the adoption of fully
automated systems from Q.I. Press Controls.
The Q.I. Press Controls solution consists of
mRC-3D for colour, cut-off, fan-out and sidelay
registration, IDS-3D for dampening, ductor and
colour control and IQM for quality reporting.
As such, the current IRS system will be given
a major upgrade. Six IDS-3D and twelve mRC-
3D cameras will be fitted to the three full-colour
towers on their KBA Colora printing press. Jesper
Thomsen, technical manager, Fynske Medier
believes great things can be achieved with this
revamped system.
nnn
Entries open for
SOPA 2015
Awards
for Editorial Excellence
Marking its entry into 17th year,
The Society of Publishers in Asia
(SOPA), an organisation dedicated
to best practices in professional publishing,
announces call for entries for its ‘SOPA 2015
Awards for Editorial Excellence’. The premier
publishing awards represent the most outstanding
j o u r n a l i s t i c
a c c o l a d e i n
Asia. This year,
new judging
criteria for the
award category
‘Journalist of
the Year’ will
be adopted, in which entries from Group A,
B and C will be combined for judging for one
winner. This accolade is designed to honour the
journalist who has best demonstrated excellence
in editorial achievement. Last year Todd Pitman
of Associated Press bagged the award.
The SOPA Awards highlight editorial excellence
in both traditional and new media, and are
designed to honour and encourage editorial
vitality and innovation throughout Asia.
Entries are allowed from English and Chineselanguage
publications for Asian journalism
and the awards cover a broad range of
categories reflecting diverse geo-political
environment and vibrant editorial scene
across the continent. Deadline for entries is
February 26, 2015.
nnn
JPL forays into radio
media segment
by acquiring
Radio City 91.1 FM
The board of JPL (Jagran Prakashan
Limited) has approved the company's
entry into the radio industry via
acquisition of MBPL (Music Broadcast
Private Limited). As part of the acquisition
the company is acquiring MBPL’s holding
company and fellow subsidiary that provides
activations. Through an all cash deal the
acquisition will primarily be funded from
internal accruals and investments.
Publishing 12 newspapers (over 100 editions
and 250 plus sub-editions) from 36 different
printing centers across 15 states in five
languages JPL is a leading media and
communication group with interests spanning
across newspapers, magazines, outdoor
advertising, etc. In the meanwhile, MBPL
runs India’s leading radio network under the
name Radio City and is present in 20 stations
across seven states.
“This deal will catapult JPL into a leadership
position in the radio industry and enable the
company to benefit from the rapid growth in
radio advertising. The acquisition of Radio City
further consolidates our position as India’s
leading media and communication group,”
said Mahendra Mohan Gupta, CMD, Jagran
Prakashan Limited.
nnn
The Times of India opts for
Q.I. Press
Controls mRC-3D
India’s leading media conglomerate The Times
of India has opted for Q.I. Press Controls’
press automation solution. With a turnover
exceeding a billion dollars, The Times Group
has the support of more than 25,000 advertisers,
11,000 employees and an audience spanning
across all continents. With its flagship Bennet,
Coleman and Company Limited (BCCL) and
its subsidiaries, the group is present in every
existing media platform – newspapers, magazines,
books, TV, radio, internet, music, movies and
more. It boasts of 13 newspapers, 18 magazines,
11 publishing centres and 26 printing centres.
The investment on Q.I. Press Controls mRC-3D
is for the group’s manroland GEOMAN doublewidth
press installed at its Ghaziabad location
– 6 tower and 1 folder (twin). The order consist
of 12 motorised mRC-3D cameras for register
control and 12 motorised mRC-3D cameras for
cut-off control. Additionally each folder will be
equipped with waste gate control. With these
features The Times of India will ensure the
continuation of monitoring and tracking for good
and consistent print quality delivered to end users.
On the landmark delivery, Vijay Pandya, MD,
Q.I. Press Controls India said that the order is
very important for them to state that they deliver
proven and reliable solutions. He added that it
also proves the effects of Q.I. Press Controls
India’s continuous efforts to provide high standard
services offered by a highly skilled technical
team who speak the language of the customer.
nnn
Agfa Graphics Calendar 2015:
Much more than a time manager
The combination of unique photography,
creative design, supreme print quality and
state-of-the-art finishing of Agfa Graphics’
2015 VIP Calendar emphasises the calendar’s
underlying message
of the ‘Power of
Print’ and makes
it appealing to
people across
the globe. As a
leading graphic
industry provider,
Agfa Graphics did
not make just
another calendar.
Instead, it created
a showcase for
a number of
different printing
techniques. A
wide variety of
technologies and
materials were
used, ranging from Agfa Graphics' offset
printing plates, over the Avalon platesetters and
Apogee workflow software, including InkSave
and Sublima screening, to the Anapurna wide
format inkjet printers.
A few pages deserve special mention. The
month of February was designed using Agfa
Graphics' Fortuna security software and the
month of June was printed on Agfa’s PVC-free,
wood-free and lamination-free synthetic print
medium Synaps. The month of December was
printed on 1mm heavy rigid with the Anapurna
M2050i wide-format inkjet printer. “For the
third year in a row, we decided to create a
state-of-the-art VIP calendar,” said Kristof Van
Cleemput, global communication manager, Agfa
Graphics. “We have combined many techniques
to create a stunning testimony of what print
can do. This year, each image relates to the
common theme of ‘People & Contrast’. The
calendar was again a joint effort of the entire
Agfa Graphics community. Each calendar page
features a detachable postcard with a picture
made by one of our employees.”
The Agfa Graphics 2013 VIP Calendar received the
‘Prize Awarded by the Public’ in the prestigious
Dutch ‘Kalenderwedstrijd’ (calendar contest)
and earlier this year the Agfa Graphics 2014
VIP Calendar was a silver award winner in the
‘Calendar’ category of the Gold Ink Awards from
Printing Impressions magazine (US).
nnn
Indian Magazine Conference, Chennai
The 9th edition of the Indian
Magazine Conference is
scheduled to be held at
Chennai from February 23-
24, 2015. The theme of this
year's congress is Magazine: 2X, Engage:
Connect: Work. Association of Indian Magazines
(AIM) had commissioned a study to create an
involvement index, for establishing the efficacy of
the magazine medium. They will
unveil the findings in this year’s
congress. AIM is also partnering
with Google for conducting a
workshop on ‘Grow Your Digital
Business'. The workshop will immensely help
in understanding the fast changing Digital Eco
System better and aligning the digital businesses
accordingly, for better monetisation from it.
nnn
WoodWing partners
with
Managing
Editor Inc (MEI)
Establishing a new partnership to market its
multi-channel publishing solution Enterprise
and its digital asset management application
Elvis DAM across the US and Canada, WoodWing
has joined hands with Managing Editor Inc (MEI),
a widely acclaimed Adobe Premier development
partner specialised
in quality and
proven publishing
solutions. Founded
in 1990, MEI delivers products, services, consulting
and custom development to publishers and creative
teams working in a wide range of media.
Also, MEI offers its own products and services
ranging from ad-layout software for smallscale
shops to enterprise asset and workflow
management for multi-national operations. The
company maintains a user base of more than 3,000
publications in 53 countries. On the other hand,
WoodWing is a global provider of software and
services for publishing and communications. Both
companies serve the publishing and communications
industry, enabling magazine, newspaper and book
publishers as well as marketing and corporate
communication departments and agencies to
publish and print web, social media, mobile and
tablets in a highly efficient manner.
nnn
Soft censorship in
print media criticised
Ac c o r d i n g t o
WAN-IFRA, soft
c e n s o r s h i p i n
Malaysian print media
shows the governmentlinked
and governmentcontrolled
newspapers
monopolising the country’s
print media landscape, aided
by the Printing Presses and
Publications Act, under which
non-government-friendly
interests or contents are locked
out. A report, edited by Dr Tessa Houghton of
the Nottingham University, Malaysia, recommends
that The Printing Presses and Publications Act,
currently used to construct and maintain a media
system dominated by the ruling coalition, should
be abolished along with the provisions in The
Sedition Act that criminalises media contents.
Malaysia report is the fourth in a series in the
country reports, after Serbia, Hungary and Mexico,
on soft censorship to be released by WAN-IFRA.
The reports, part of a global project in partnership
with Open Society Foundations, show a growing
pattern of soft censorship as a formidable weapon
in governments’ arsenal to prevent a free press.
While Mexican journalists are frequently targets
of physical attacks, soft censorship is another
more subtle and very significant danger to press
freedom, according to the report released earlier
this year on Mexico.
nnn
GOSS joins hands with Innotech to
give
The New York Times new supersize
GOSS International
has completed a
press enhancement
project with Innotech involving the
installation of full-colour panorama
gatefold capabilities for The New
York Times. The new formats allow
the newspaper publisher to offer
advertisers innovative placement
opportunities to create maximum
impact. Completed to a tight schedule
of around 20 weeks from initial order
to the first test run, the project involved
retrofitting each of two existing GOSS
Colorliner press lines with a custom-configured
Innotech Panorama Gatefold System.
The gatefold system now running at The New
York Times enables the GOSS Colorliner presses
to produce an additional four-page-wide centerfold
or a separate eight-page pull-out section, up to a
maximum format of 48 x 22 inch. In addition, it
is possible to make smaller gatefolds or coupon
folds at one or both edges for special promotions
providing new display areas for advertisers. It
is also possible to make gatefolds in the cover
page or have the gate folded section as a wrap
around the main section. Vinod Kapoor, president,
Innotech mentioned that GOSS and Innotech
have engineered a solution that provides The
New York Times ultimate flexibility with regard
to the positioning of specialised sections without
purchasing a new press.
nnn
Boettcher introduces
‘Vita’
range of
products in India
As the world is
growing smaller,
globalisation of
culture and consumer awareness, global presence
of the internet and rapid evolution of international
logistics systems are now becoming very much
local marketing activities. And the face of a
product is becoming increasingly important in
such environment. Brand owners, distributors
and especially customers are posing increasingly
demanding aesthetic requirements. The pressure
to set products apart from their competitors
through attractive, high-quality packaging is
relentless. And cost pressure is equally persistent
as manufacturers strive to optimise costs through
local or regional productions, while maintaining
brand integrity and global quality standards.
In order to achieve these objectives, networked
production systems need fully standardised
processes and materials that are equally good and
reliable all over the world. In this respect, Vita
products from Boettcher meet the test criteria of
the machine manufacturers and it is approved
by the ‘ISEGA’, in-tended use provided, Vita
range of products is therefore appropriate for
the application in the food packaging printing.
This complete portfolio can be caught live
at Boettcher’s Stand H-22 in Hall 12 during
PRINTPACK INDIA 2015 from February 11-15
at Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR.
nnn
Süddeutscher Verlag
selects ABB to
replace
obsolete press
control components
ABB announces a new order from
Süddeutscher Verlag Zeitungsdruck
GmbH, which prints Süddeutsche Zeitung
at its Munich print center in Germany, for a
modular retrofit of three printing towers and one
folder on one of its manroland Colorman printing
presses. The newspaper house was confronted with
the situation where various Interbus components
on their presses were obsolete and spare parts
were either very difficult or, indeed, impossible
to obtain. By placing this order the company
has ensured the future availability of its printing
capacity as the retrofit on the three towers and
the folders frees up spare parts for the rest of
the presses.
The forward-looking solution from ABB replaces
all proprietary Interbus Loop devices with standard
components. The list of devices to be replaced
includes the LBA Interbus Loop master units,
manufactured by manroland, control panels, web
break detectors, ink level sensors, interfaces to
the Festo valves and positional encoders. The
long-term availability of the entire system will
be further increased by replacing existing PLC
units with new control systems based on ABB's
Advant Controller AC500. The commissioning
will begin in the first quarter of 2015.
nnn
Peter Voser
proposed to be new
ABB chairman
Current ABB chairman
Hubertus von Grünberg
and Michael Treschow
have decided not to stand for
re-election to the company’s Board of Directors
at the next Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The board unanimously nominated Peter Voser
to succeed Hubertus von Grünberg as chairman.
David Constable will stand for election at the AGM,
as previously announced, and
all other members of the board
will stand for re-election.
Hubertus von Grünberg said,
“I am delighted that Peter
Voser has accepted to stand for
election as chairman of ABB”,
Peter Voser brings intimate
knowledge of ABB and its key
markets as well as an excellent
track record. Shareholders elect
board members for a one-year
term and will vote on the
nominations at the AGM on
April 30, 2015. The board intends to elect Jacob
Wallenberg as vice-chairman of the board after
the AGM. Von Grünberg has been chairman of
the board since May 2007. During his tenure
ABB’s revenues have risen from about $23
billion in 2006 to $42 billion in 2013, whilst
net income has doubled. Under his leadership,
the company also achieved an unprecedented
global balance in its business across Europe, the
Americas, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
nnn
KBA workshop in Würzburg predicts
existence of printed newspapers till 2030
The 10th KBA Cortina User Workshop held
recently in Würzburg pulled a host of users
of the machine from all over Germany
and abroad. At the workshop organised in the
birthplace of this waterless newspaper press,
Peter Benz, KBA Cortina project manager, put
together an extremely varied agenda for this
user group which has proved it is open to new
ideas and new paths regarding the application
and marketing of high-quality waterless web
offset printing. He also hosted the event that
focused on providing the latest information on
hot topics and a pooling of news and views
between the Cortina users whose
This year’s user meeting unveiled at Marienberg
Fortress, a famous Würzburg landmark. Talking
at the event, Claus Bolza-Schünemann, KBA
CEO and president, welcomed 75 participants
from the newspaper and supply industry to the
world’s oldest press
manufacturer ’s
main plant the
following morning.
W h i l e g i v i n g
a n o v e r v i e w
of the curren t
d e v e l o p m e n t s
in the ma rke t
a n d r e s u l t i n g
realignment of the
KBA Group, Klaus
Schmidt, marketing
d i r e c t o r, KBA
ment ioned that
printed newspapers
will still be around
in 2030. “However,
t h e y w i l l b e
different to today’s newspapers in terms of
contents and look. We all have to contribute to
promoting the strengths of print in the media
arena. Simply reducing costs leads to a downward
spiral. Surprising contents, smart commentaries
and an attractive appearance are in demand. Good
editors and cutting-edge technology are thus
essential.” In a conclusive note, he mentioned
Cortina users have taken the lead with their
creative ideas.
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