Cutting-edge KBA technology
makes remarkable contribution
-to a high-growth Indian market for colour newspapers
Being one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, India’s newspapers are expanding at the same headlong pace, becoming ever more colourful. Koenig & Bauer AG (KBA), the inventor of mechanical newspaper printing presses and the global market leader, is fuelling this growth with cutting-edge technology – both as a vendor to the Indian newspaper industry and as a partner to domestic press manufacturer The Printers House (TPH) in New Delhi.
The new print centre in Ahmedabad.
|
One of the biggest newspaper press projects in India in recent years was the purchase by Diligent Media Corporation and DB Corporation, two enterprises owned by media major Dainik Bhaskar Group (DB Group), of seven KBA Prisma presses totalling 25 towers for production plants in Bangalore, Jaipur and Ahmedabad. The double-width, single-circumference press lines redefined the benchmark in newspaper quality and colour.
The Prisma press lines, with their full colour capability and high level of output, have enabled DB Group to signally boost the circulations of its many titles, among them Hindi newspaper, Dainik Bhaskar, Gujarat’s leading regional title, Divya Bhaskar, and an English-language daily, DNA (Daily News & Analysis), which quickly established a foothold in the market following its launch in 2005.
DB Group originally considered production plants in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, but after scrutinising the market the final choice was changed to Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Bangalore. Of the seven Prisma press lines ordered, six were brought on stream within the space of one year. No decision was made on the location for the seventh press. “The timing, installation quality, commissioning and training were excellent at every facility. Technical acceptance in Ahmedabad took place twelve months to the day after the start-up of the first press in Bangalore. For our company this represented the harmonious completion of a circle,” commented Dinesh Sharma, head of production, DB Group, emphasizing on the trouble-free collaboration with KBA. “The feedback from readers, advertisers and other newspaper publishers has been overwhelmingly positive. We have become a showcase for cutting-edge KBA newspaper press technology in India,” added Rakesh Singh, head of production in Gujarat State.
India is an engine of growth in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, as is clear from the circulations of its newspapers and consumption of other print media. While circulations are declining in Europe, North America and Japan as the result of demographic shifts, they are on an upward trajectory in densely populated countries like India, with its boisterous democracy, and China, with its huge pent-up demand. Catering to a diversity of opinion and maintaining a local presence in a vast geographical landscape require investment, and there is a soaring demand in India for more advanced technology. Although the consumption of online media is also rising in India, printed newspapers still have huge potential for growth, and this is what distinguishes the country from many European counterparts, the USA and Japan. As people grow more prosperous they tend to read more, increasing their knowledge and thus promoting further prosperity.
Looking at the immense potentials, KBA is intensifying its presence in the Indian market as part of a long-term commitment, and its alliance with TPH has since evolved far beyond sales. “We were delighted to join forces with KBA to serve the web offset printing industry under one umbrella. KBA’s excellence, combined with world class price competitive machines from TPH, has opened new vistas in the web offset printing industry globally. It will not only deliver benefits in terms of technology but also improve economics for new projects,” conveyed MM Kohli, director of TPH.
