‘The popularity of advertising cards
glued to newspapers will continue to grow’
–conveys Ali Saif Al Neaimi,
CEO of United Printing and Publishing,
the first newspaper printing
house in the Middle East
that has decided to opt
for a ValueLiner from Muller Martini
Ali Saif Al Neaimi
|
Timed to coincide with the commissioning of its third SLS3000 Muller Martini newspaper inserting system, United Printing and Publishing, based in the United Arab Emirates, also became the proud owners of a ValueLiner a few months ago. The new card gluer opens up attractive advertising possibilities for UPP, using the front and back pages of four daily newspapers published at the new production facility. CEO Ali Saif Al Neaimi explains, “The card gluer allows us to boost our versatility in the area of publisher marketing and to generate additional advertising revenue.”
The eye-catching effect on the front and back pages of a newspaper really does generate high response rates, making this form of advertising extremely attractive. In addition to extra added value in the mailroom, this form of advertising provides, newspaper publishers with a significant and attractive return on investment, because the cards can be printed at their own premises – as is the case at United Printing and Publishing. “By following this approach, we are able to process additional print orders,” says Ali. UPP did not waste any time putting the ValueLiner to work – the printing house is already using the system two to three times a week. “We receive a lot of requests relating to this new form of advertising,” continues Ali.
Founded back in 2006, UPP has integrated the ValueLiner into a Muller Martini SLS3000 inserting line as a component of the Muller Martini modular mailroom concept. The ValueLiner is being used at the new UPP production facility, which was opened just a few months ago. The company is the top newspaper publishing house in Abu Dhabi and is part of the Abu Dhabi Media Group, which runs five TV stations and six radio stations. UPP currently operates a total of three SLS3000 newspaper inserting systems, which were all commissioned between 2007 and 2010 and are equipped with two lots of six and one lot of four feeders. The latest SLS3000 allows UPP to produce from three folder deliveries at the same time (two from the KBA Continent hybrid printing press and one from the Manugraph Hiline printing press). Due to gate solutions employed in the NewsGrip-A newspaper conveyors, the main sections from both KBA folder deliveries can be added to all three SLS3000 lines. Two SLS3000s can be operated from the Manugraph Hiline.
Commissioning a third inserting system has enabled UPP to cut production times and also simultaneously boost backup. According to Ali, the Muller Martini inserting solution, featuring PrintStack CN-80 packet lines with TABA automatic top sheet feeders, a loading and labeling system, and the Mailroom Production Control (MPC) system, came with a whole host of benefits. “The solution offers a solid price/performance ratio, impresses in terms of mechanics and is incredibly reliable and user friendly.” What’s more, the solution provides the necessary versatility. “Unfortunately, we are not always able to start production at the scheduled times,” conveys the CEO, with a smile.
UPP prints both newspapers owned by the Abu Dhabi Media Group: Ittihad (in Arabic/60,000 copies) and The National (in English/40,000 copies). In addition to these newspapers, the company also prints newspapers for other publishers: the free ‘7 Days’, which is the only tabloid newspaper, (in English/40,000 copies) and the local edition of the Financial Times (in English/18,000 copies). The production process for the publisher’s flagship newspaper, the Ittihad is particularly multi-layered. During the night shift, the three pre-printed sections printed during the day shift and a minimum of one advertising supplement are inserted into the main section. “Despite a decline in advertising sales, we are seeing a healthy insert business,” concludes Ali.
