Switzerland: effectively contributing
to newspapers and general print industry
One of the richest and competitive countries in the world, Switzerland is known for all round precision. The expertise with this feature is not limited just to watches, but can be observed in many products of Swiss origin. It is home of various major companies who are offering range of products in different areas. Interestingly, being majority family-owned is another feature regarding most of the companies in this country. Taking a purview of their contribution to graphic arts industry, AAN discovers that Swiss companies have been playing vital role for betterment of the industry enriching with cutting-edge technologies dedicated to all segments, be it pre-press, in-press, post-press, or converting. Some of these companies are directly operational in India as well. A brief.
Print solutions from ABB have proven their value in many printing installations around the world and offer substantial advantages regarding asset and value chain optimization. Their scope of operation ranges from the page planning, the digital workflow, the roll supply, the press automation up to the total planning and tracking of the entire production chain. ABB has supplied electrical equipment for newspaper printing for more than 60 years. ABB’s continuously extended range of workflow solutions for newspaper production includes: MPS Cockpit, for managing and optimizing the entire newspaper production process, MPS Insight, which not only tracks the progress in the production process but provides the basis for detailed long-term analysis, and also MPS DeliveryPlanner for optimizing the coordination between the production and distribution of newspapers, etc.
Dedicated to packaging industry, Bobst Group is leading supplier of equipments and services for the folding cartons, corrugated boxes and flexible materials. The company established their subsidiary in India in 1995 and also has production facility in Pune.
Being focused on conveyor and processing technology, Ferag AG/WRH (Walter Reist Holding) AG has been actively promoting technological progress in the interests of print industry, since its inception. Offering technologies across the world, this Swiss mailroom specialist company is also increasing its commitment to the Indian market. To effectively serve Indian newspaper industry with a wide range of additional services and products ranging from XtraWin to MemoStick and MemoFlag, a newly established subsidiary of Ferag AG, Ferag India Pvt Ltd’s office was formally inaugurated in New Delhi in September 2009. On the occasion, ‘innovations and increased revenues’ was a key message delivered by Ferag India. Now, the spare parts from Ferag are easily available locally and the service needs of newspapers can be fulfilled promptly.
Since its inception in 1922, Hunkeler AG has focused on the development and production of paper processing machines and systems. With headquarters at Wikon, the company specializes in three areas including: digital, web finishing and manufacturing. Digital comprises pre and post solutions for digital production lines in computer centers and letter shops, in print-on-demand and in mailing and form production. In web finishing, advanced modular concepts lay the groundwork for flexibility and economy in the production of modern multi-functional communication and promotional media. In manufacturing, Hunkeler makes its know-how and resources available to commerce and industry for the production of prototypes, single components as well as small and medium series. Proximity to the markets and clients is ensured globally via three subsidiary companies in Germany, Italy and Hong Kong with appropriate distribution partners.
Splendor in newspapers!
No other country has as many newspapers in proportion to its size as Switzerland. Over 200 newspapers with a total print run of 3.8 million copies are in circulation in the country. Switzerland also has several free daily newspapers, which are particularly popular with commuters, says Swiss portal (www.eda.admin.ch).
One of the oldest newspapers in the country is St. Galler Tagblatt which started its journey in 1789 as weekly newspaper and from 1839 it became daily as Tagblatt der Stadt St. Gallen before changing to its present title in 1841. Tages-Anzeiger is the leading title in the region of Zurich and one of the leading newspapers in German-speaking Switzerland. Basler Zeitung Medien, publishers of the daily Basler Zeitung, is leading media house in north-west Switzerland. The Coopzeitung is said to be the country’s highest circulation newspaper with more than 3.3 million readers.
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Muller Martini is an international operation and a market leader in the development, manufacturing and sale of a wide range of print finishing systems and of infinitely variable web offset printing solutions. Their comprehensive product range include: from variable-format web offset presses through press delivery systems, saddle stitchers, perfect binders, hardcover systems, newspaper mailroom systems to digital on-demand book production. The flexible, cost-effective and fully integrated solutions allow customers to remain on top of the challenges today and tomorrow.
Founded in 1927 with headquarters in Lausanne, SICPA’s security expertise are high-technology security inks which protect the majority of the world’s banknotes, identity documents as well as many other value documents from counterfeiting and fraud. Being established in 22 countries in five continents, the company is a trusted security solutions provider to governments, central banks and high security printers. It started India operation in 1995. WIFAG Maschinenfabrik AG has been a long-term, reliable partner for publishing houses and newspaper printing companies. The WIFAG innovations and the quality of the newspaper printing presses set market standards.
Besides, other prominent companies from Switzerland operating in the print industry include: ATP adhesive systems AG, producing one-sided and double-sided adhesive tapes as well as adhesive and non-adhesive thermosetting adhesive films for a broad range of applications in industrial, graphics and labels branches; Blumer Maschinenbau AG, providers of complete solutions in the label and card processing sector; Daetwyler Graphics, focusing on the development, manufacturing and distribution of pre-press systems for rotogravure and flexo printing; Durrer Spezialmaschinen AG, offering a wide range of customised graphic machines for the paper processing industry (index cutting, etc) world-wide; FAG Graphic Systems, offering range of products from colour measurement and colour control up to the corresponding software, not to forget the distance colour control on offsetpresses and colour mixing programmes; Folex AG, manufacturing films and papers, which are used in current imaging technologies, such as inkjet, laser printing or copying; Folien Fischer AG, a manufacturer of high-quality coated films and papers, providing innovative systems and consumables for print processing, web-finishing (the intelligent system to integrate cards, labels and stickers into all kind of documents) and packaging; Gietz in Dietlikon developing, manufacturing and distributing machines for the erecting and gluing of conical trays made of cardboard; Graph-Tech AG, a manufacturer of PC-based controller systems, designed for inkjet-imaging and personalisation in the graphical and mailing industry; Kern AG, offering precision systems for the processing and inserting of documents; Lüscher AG, with specialization in the development and manufacturing of high-quality CtPs; Photobook Technology PBT, providing solutions creating innovative machines from proven components for the photobook industry; Robatech AG offering comprehensive systems for processing and applying thermoplastic hotmelt, reactive hotmelts, cold glue or any softening agent as used in the printing and graphic industries; Sefar, manufacturer of monofilament precision fabrics for customer-tailored solutions for separating, coating in screen printing; SignTronic, with focus on prepress technology for screen printing and offset printing, while continuing to lead the market with their StencilMaster CtS system; Steinemann Technology AG, offering varnishing and laminating machines for print finishing around the world; System Brunner, leading provider of systems for process control, quality assurance and standardization in the graphics industry; Zünd Systemtechnik AG, redefining digital cutting (signage and packaging segments) technology for more than 25 years, which is renowned for performance, modularity, and productivity; etc.
