A Journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

December 2018 | Volume 39| Issue 12| Rs 50 www.pressinstitute.in

RIND Survey

1

A Journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

1

INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS, THANKS TO THE DIGITAL WAVEThe moment you see this picture, you know it is about technology. Digital technology continues to transform our world. Isn’t it remarkable that for an organisation like Koenig & Bauer, the oldest printing press manufacturer still in service, the focus is on using digital technology to actively exploit available market opportunities and produce enhanced products for flexible packaging printing, flatbed die-cutters and marking and coding? And digital transformation is not only happening on the shop floor. It is happening in newsrooms as well. According to Trushar Barot, the digital launch editor of Indian Languages at BBC World Service, artificial intelligence or AI could help journalists find stories – bots scanning news websites, processing feeds and social media accounts, gathering potential leads, and processing big data. A Reuters survey says 59 per cent of publishers in Europe and parts of Asia are already using AI. See pages 19 and 12 for more.

3December 2018

FROM THE EDITOR

Journalism is a service and journalists must be allowed to function freelyJournalism is a service to society and the nation.

Anyone wanting to make money should not be in the profession. Only those who have the flair, the passion and the right attributes should enter, for only such people can take on the challenges and survive in the long run. This is what I told journalists via Skype at the Meet the Press programme organised by the Guwahati Press Club, with National Press Day lending a special significance.

Nava Thakuria, secretary of Guwahati Press Club, had a series of questions to ask me. One of which was whether the Press Council of India should also oversee the functioning of the broadcast and online media. While stressing the watchdog role of Press Council of India to ensure ethics and quality in news presentation, I agreed that there could be a sort of overarching body that oversaw the functioning of various media platforms, including print.

The usual question was also asked – will print die? I said India still remained a country of newspapers and even in the digital age many couldn’t do without reading the newspaper over a morning cup of tea or coffee. Significantly, most Indians continued to trust newspapers as conveyors of factual information. I pointed out that the circulation of newspapers in India was healthy compared to downward trends in other parts of the world and that this was a good sign. And it was in the semi-urban and rural parts of India where the newspaper reading habit flourished, where people were often seen gathered around one newspaper and sharing information. One of the reasons could be patchy broadband connectivity and the costs associated with data plans.

Do today’s editors retain the influence of the ones of earlier generations? I said most of today’s editors were no longer the larger-than-life figures (or giants, if you will) of the past, certainly not of the stature of a Frank Moraes or a B.G. Verghese or a Chanchal Sarkar. It was a reflection of the changing times, and things, in any case, were never the same after the invisible wall between editorial and advertising had crumbled several years ago, I told the audience.

What would some of the main challenges for journalists be in the days ahead? One of the main challenges, I said, would be tackling fake news or misinformation. Listing out various examples, I

Sashi Naireditorpiirind@gmail.com

said there was no solution in sight yet to tackle the problem and the onus was on editors and journalists to double-check at every stage and be very careful before publishing content.

I also spoke about the hardships journalists in India faced today, especially if they were investigative reporters. India ranked low on the Press Freedom Index (compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders), journalists often faced harassment, intimidation and threats, and without doubt the killings of journalists who were just doing their job (Gauri Lankesh, Shujaat Bhukari, Santanu Bhowmick, Sudip Datta Bhaumik and others) had cast a dark shadow and created fear. It was just not right that this should happen in the largest democracy in the world, I said, adding that journalists must be allowed to function freely without feeling fettered in any way, and be protected.

When asked about the woeful coverage of subjects such as health and agriculture by newspapers, I said that it was indeed true save for a few newspapers, and that a lot more attention was being paid towards politics and entertainment than hard issues that concerned the common person.

To a question relating to some publications inflating circulation figures to attract government advertisements, I was convinced that publishers of repute would not resort to such a practice. Such instances must be reported in any case, I said. I was all for transparency within the media and for news publishing houses publishing their accounting figures yearly. When journalists talked about the need for transparency and wanted individuals and companies to adhere, they should lead by example.

Finally, the question about salaries came up, and why journalists could not be paid well. I said news publishing houses must pay journalists reasonably well, provide them the necessary facilities to function, and also take adequate care of them if there was an accident or illness while out on work – many journalists braved odds to do a story. The financial and social security of journalists mattered, after all.

4 December 2018

C o

n t

e n

t sDecember| Volume 39 | Issue 12

Cover page Photo: Koenig & Bauer

A focus on waste reduction, for better profitability 6P.T. Bhasi's presentation at WAN-IFRA Hyderabad Conference

Aiming to improve workflow between operations 8Neha Gupta reports on a panel discussion at WAN-IFRA Hyderabad Conference

How Artificial Intelligence is likely to change newsrooms 12Trushar Barot's talk at WAN-IFRA's Digital Media India Conference

The argument for print 14Manfred Werfel on trends ahead of the World Publishing Expo

Industry Updates 16

General News 33

Events Calendar 37

6 December 2018

A focus on waste reduction, for better profitability

Listing profitability and social responsibility as the chief drivers for introducing control, P.T. Bhasi, general manager – Production,

The Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co, in his presentation, Optimising Cost and Improving Efficiency Through Better Tracking and Data Analysis, told the audience that sustainable performance improvement can be achieved through continuous review of various parametres, including input material, execution processes, waste and output products.

Faced with competitive pressure such as worldwide overcapacity and rising costs of raw material, resources and energy, it becomes even more important to harness technology to see how efficiency can be improved, he said.

Mathrubhumi, established in 1923 in Kerala as a mouthpiece of India’s Freedom Movement, now has editions from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Dubai and Doha, aside from the ones in Kerala itself. It consumes more than 50000 tonnes of paper

Data analytics refers to qualitative and quantitative techniques and processes that enhance productivity and business gain. P.T. Bhasi, general manager – Production, The Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Co, gave delegates at the 26th WAN-IFRA India Conference in Hyderabad insights into the way his organisation used the techniques to track and reduce waste. Susan Philip reports

every year, and paper waste is an area with scope for significant cost efficiency.

Paper contributes about two-third of total costs and accounts for around 85 per cent of all production costs, Bhasi said. On an average 3-5 per cent of raw material has to be scrapped. If paper waste levels are reduced, there will be significant financial impact, he said, explaining the rationale behind his company’s decision to focus on the area.

Data Science is a concept that unifies statistics, data analysis and related methods in order to understand and analyse situations. He cited the example of the Web Break Analysis System. It allows the printer to optimise the printing process and prevent (recurring) web breaks caused by paper-related issues, among other things, in order to improve overall productivity and reduce printing costs. For every web break, the system considers the exact time, the exact location, the process circumstances at the moment of the web break, and the variations in paper quality (holes, cracks, etc) to arrive at the most probable cause of the incident.

The goal is to reduce waste by 0.8 per cent in 2019. Towards this end, the latest addition to Mathrubhumi’s tool set is CopyTrack, a software solution from the MWM stable. “In order to better fine-tune, we need an organisation-wide view of production in real-time to see where in the production process paper waste is generated and the types of waste generated. We need to know what the main causes of paper waste generation are and what actions need to be taken by the company in order to reduce paper waste,” Bhasi said.

CopyTrack captures various production data automatically across the entire press and mailroom,

CASE STUDY

Photo

: WA

N-IF

RA

P.T. Bhasi speaking at the conference.

7December 2018

<

including details of copies, material consumption (paper reels), malfunctions, downtime, etc. All information is available to operators in real-time showing targets and actual values. The data is automatically stored for analysis and building business intelligence. It makes mobile tracking of events in the press and the mailroom possible.

Automated data collection and web-based reporting is available in real time. Simultaneous monitoring of several presses and print sites is possible. The aim is to identify in the production process where waste is generated, pinpoint the main causes of waste generation and proactively take steps to minimise waste. Apart from overall waste reduction, CopyTrack

lets the press operator know exactly when the right number of good copies has been reached. This is a key feature since it reduces overproduction by 60 per cent.

Bhasi explained how Mathrubhumi intends to use CopyTrack – connecting to existing signals for real time tracking, to track production events and machine details and also to generate tracking reports and alerts in order to improve control over waste figures and newsprint usage through continuous tracking. The system will free press managers to focus on productivity improvement and cost reductions, he added.

Alan Gray, editor and proprietor of the news portal, Newsblaze.com, interacted with scribes at the Guwahati Press Club via video conferencing from Jerrabomberra in South Australia on October 12. He pointed out that the Indian newspapers in various languages would continue to serve a huge population with news, views and analytical pieces.

Gray asserted that the basics of journalism across media forms remained the same. Aspiring journalists must do proper groundwork before writing a story, whatever the format, else they might lose themselves in the crowd, he said.

Alternate media may be growing in India, but the conventional and mainstream medium, including newspapers, still have a future here. India has emerged as a land of millions of smartphone users and millions on the Internet. However, there is a sizable population which lacks access to the digital space and continues to depend on print. Nava Thakuria sent us this report

Onus on journalists to be committed and pursue excellence

Gray said that journalists in Australia strove to maintain high professional standards and enjoyed a fair degree of job security and a good pay package. He pointed out that the Australian press was quite nationalistic, but it was issue-based and scribes did not shrink from constructive criticism. Various media forms in Australia coexisted in a dynamic media landscape.

Gary, for many years now based in Australia after shifting from the United States, said India was given due coverage by Australian media. Responding to queries from the audience, he admitted he had not come across any journalist of Indian origin active in Australia.

“We do receive a good amount of write-ups from Indian contributors, though the quality is sometimes uneven. A considerable number of unskilled and inexperienced people are entering this field,” Gray said, adding that many media-house managements in India seemed to prefer raw recruits rather than experienced journalists, to cut down on expenses.

Agreeing that fake news was emerging as a major threat to both alternate as well as mainstream media, Gray said it put greater responsibility on working journalists. To maintain credibility and retain the trust of readers or viewers, he reminded, editor-journalists had all the more reason to be committed and pursue excellence.

(The author is a senior journalist and secretary, Guwahati Press Club.)

<

Alan Gray.

Photo

: NT

8 December 2018

“Every link in the organisational chain needs to take ownership. We started measuring our key performance indicators (KPIs)

at HT Media to fathom the time spent between releasing the last editorial page and starting print,” said Sharad Saxena, executive director of Operations, at India's HT Media.

“At one point, HT was clocking 28-29 minutes, and we worked to bring it down to 7-8 minutes. If you’re able to save 10-12 minutes of production time at a large capacity plant, it adds to the objective of having a timely product,” he added.

Saxena was speaking at a panel discussion at the WAN-IFRA India Conference in Hyderabad recently that focussed on some of the challenges news publishing houses faced today.

Indians enjoy sipping morning tea or coffee with newspaper in hand and, thus, expect timely delivery of the paper. However, across the Indian print market, expeditious delivery takes place only 20 per cent of the time, said K. Shanth Kumar, director, The Printers (Mysore). Does the answer, then, lie in smoother collaboration between the different pillars of the organisation?

Revenues are hard to come by and newsrooms try to accommodate as much advertising as possible. One needs to strike a balance between capturing late-night news breaks and on-time production. These were some of the subjects the panel tried to address.

Aiming to improve workflow between operations

At the WAN-IFRA India 2018 Conference in Hyderabad, publishers and editors discussed the implications of a divide between the various working links -- editorial, technical and business functions -- in a news publishing company’s workflow. A panel discussion, moderated by K. Shanth Kumar, director, The Printers (Mysore), had Mukund Padmanabhan, editor, The Hindu; Shriram Pawar, editor-director, Sakal Media Group; Sandeep Gupta, executive president, Dainik Jagran; and Sharad Saxena, executive director of Operations, HT Media, discuss crucial issues plaguing news organisations, including delivery of the newspaper to the reader on time. Neha Gupta reports

Bridging the gap imperativeThe objective of a news publishing house is to get the

latest news to the readers, and marrying that process with business functions is key, Mukund Padmanabhan, editor, The Hindu, pointed out. Business, technical and production functions need to work around editorial. “Planning and processes should revolve around being able to procure every story. We need to see if there are enough presses and circulation vans to get papers to readers. If the backend is right, missing a story or keeping the advertising window open beyond hours would not arise,” he said.

Sandeep Gupta, executive president, Dainik Jagran, suggested the key to smooth production and editorial functioning is backward integration. “Margins need be incorporated in our schedules to accommodate any delays to ensure timely delivery.” Regular interaction on circulation and product promotion between departments – sales, marketing, production, editorial and business – is desirable to efficiently shape the product, taking feedback from market trends.

While inter-departmental smooth-sailing is imperative, Padmanabhan is uncertain if bridging the gap is necessarily the right way to go about it. Bridging the gap does not mean completely closing it down. “Different teams have different priorities, and there needs to be a mutual respect for the same,” he said. “If the editorial and business priorities are the same, the resultant product would be a piece of puff, not a newspaper. Creative tensions are inevitable in a healthy news organisation. It is important to engage

10 December 2018

in healthy dialogue and work towards a common goal, best suited to the brand.” Working in tandem

A brand can have a great product but all the hard work goes in vain if the product never reaches the consumer on time. A company needs to be certain of the larger goal – timely delivery, profitability, quality of the product. “It is important for every link in the chain to know what the goal and align to it,” said Saxena.

While profitability might be one of the biggest goals of a news company, it is not the sole goal. Departments can’t work in isolation, in silos. They must work in tandem; interdependence and independence are both important. It is crucial for an organisation to research, understand the market, and invest time and money accordingly.

“People say Indian newspapers are not aware of their readers in a granular and detailed way. There needs to be regular in-house surveys to understand reader preference,” said Padmanabhan. “Are we going to be led by analytics alone? A story might be gaining huge traction because it’s titillating or salacious. It’s important for the company to take a call on what it stands for, as a newspaper.”

Shriram Pawar, editor-director, Sakal, echoed Saxena's sentiment: “Our business is to provide readers with the latest news at the earliest, but sometimes we face challenges with news and advertisements. With better coordination between production, editorial and business teams we can smoothen the process of timely newspaper delivery.”

From the discussion, it was clear that news publishers need to adapt to how news consumption has shifted in recent years or risk dire consequences. “Consumption

patterns are changing in a big way and if we decide to not adapt significantly, the storm is going to hit us. We must have our short-term goals ready. We must re-visit our vision and tweak it according to the changing market habits,” said Saxena.

(Courtesy: WAN-IFRA Blogs. The writer is a multimedia journalist with WAN-IFRA South Asia,

Chennai.)

<

Mukund Padmanabhan speaking at the panel discussion. From left, K. Shanth Kumar, Sandeep Gupta, Sharad Saxena and Shriram Pawar.

Photo

: WA

N-IF

RA

WhatsApp has announced the appointment of Abhijit Bose as head of WhatsApp India. Bose will build WhatsApp's first full country team outside of California and will be based in Gurgaon. Bose and his team will focus on helping businesses, both large and small connect with their customers.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp released the WhatsApp Business app for small business owners and the WhatsApp Business API to serve larger businesses that engage with customers at scale. Today, there are over one million users of these WhatsApp business products in India

Bose joins WhatsApp from Ezetap where he served as co-founder and CEO. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Cornell University. Bose will join WhatsApp in early 2019.

(Courtesy:exchange4media.com)

Abhijit Bose to head WhatsApp India

<

12 December 2018

“Visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation have been very difficult in the past for

computer systems to manage because they are all very distinctly human behaviours to be able to do, but that’s begun to change thanks to machine learning,” said Trushar Barot, digital launch editor of Indian Languages at BBC World Service. He was speaking at WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India Conference earlier this year.

Underpinning AI and machine learning is automation that comprises analytics tools (Chartbeat, Crowdtangle) and social publishing and news gathering tools (Data Miner), Barot pointed out. The BBC used Geofeedia during the Boston Marathon bombing (2013) and quickly put a Geo Fence around the marathon route. As a result, they immediately started seeing the first pictures and videos that the public was putting out.

Implementation of AIFifty-nine percent of publishers in Europe and

parts of Asia are already using AI, according to a recent Reuters survey. Companies are using AI in

How Artificial Intelligence is likely to change newsroomsArtificial Intelligence (AI) is not only capable of changing the way newsrooms produce and discover content but it can also go a long way toward improving user experience, says Trushar Barot, the digital launch editor of Indian Languages at BBC World Service. Neha Gupta covered his talk at WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India Conference earlier this year

several ways – to improve commercial optimisation, ad targeting, and dynamic pricing.

Barot said AI could also potentially be helpful to journalists in finding stories. The idea is for bots to scan news websites, process feeds, social media accounts and gather potential leads for journalists to follow up on. Another field where AI could see huge success is in processing big data.

When the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released leaked documents from the Panama Papers scandal in 2016, one of the journalists responsible for disseminating data said that the 400 journalists and news organisations around the world working on the case had to manually go through all the data and find stories relevant to their areas / regions. It took more than a year before the first story started to emerge.

Implementation of AI could power a future where an algorithm would enable automated working and provide significant story leads to journalists, saving time and energy, Barot said. To optimise subscription rates, several commercial organisations are now closely looking at AI-driven paywalls, where the rates would be automatically adjusted according to the visitor’s online habits.

In another example Barot provided, The New York Times looked at its entire cache of troll comments, years worth, from its website and developed an algorithm examining at each comment and quality-testing it. It has now layered this AI moderating algorithm across 80 percent of its articles. It requires very little human moderation to keep it going.

Voice-driven AI systems“If I want to find out what the weather is today, I

would get out my phone, tap on the weather app a

Phot

o: W

AN

-IFRA

Trushar Barot speaking at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media India Conference.

13December 2018

few times for it to give me information based on my location,” said Barot. Here’s where touch-less interactivity steps in, to lessen the effort. “A user would be able to speak into the air and enquire about the weather, without having to pick up or touch their device.” Such voice-driven devices could, in the future, use the phone as the first and last device one interacts with when they wake up and go to sleep.

The idea of AI systems helping journalists’ productivity is a new thing but something that could be quite transformational in the way journalists manage their work flows, Barot said. AI could help them book appointments, meetings, and most importantly, manage emails.

Barot drew his address to a close by talking about fact-checking. “Norway has 100 percent digital literacy and penetration in smartphones. In India, there are still 500 million people who are yet to discover the Internet, something that is likely to change in the next 3-4 years,” he said. This offers the Indian news media industry massive potential in reaching out to those people.

What would happen if those 500 million people were given smartphones with Internet connectivity? Would it change their lives? Barot said the answer is no. “These people have never used the Internet, they have no idea how to navigate a website, use apps or digital services. These are things we take for granted because we have been educated in those navigation systems for years.”

Here’s where voice assistance comes into play. One of the ideas is that when an Internet amateur opens their phone for the first time, they could have a voice guiding them, in their language, giving them an option of talking them through in using their phone. “Some of the most transformative things for this

segment of people that would seem normal to us are calculator, flashlight and setting up voice reminders for medication. Another important thing is reading out text from documents or signs by simply pointing your phone at them, something Google has already started experimenting with,” Barot explained.

(Courtesy: WAN-IFRA Blogs)

<

<

N. Ram, chairman, THG Publishing, The Hindu Group’s publishing company, was presented the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his lifetime contribution to journalism. The award was presented on November 16 on the occasion of the National Press Day.

Winners of the Press Council of India’s National Awards for Excellence in Journalism for 2018 included Ruby Sarkar, chief correspondent of Deshbandhu, Bhopal, and Rajesh Parshuram Joshte of Daily Pudhari, Ratnagiri; both were named joint winners for Rural Journalism. V.S. Rajesh, deputy editor, Kerala Kaumudhi, was selected in the award category of Developmental Reporting.

Subhash Paul, Rashtriya Sahara, Delhi, was named as a winner of the award in the Photo Journalism-Single News category, while Mihir Singh of the Punjab Kesari, Delhi was selected in the category of Photo Journalism-Photo Feature. In the category, ‘Best Newspaper Art: covering cartoons, caricature and illustrations’, P. Narasimha, cartoon editor, Nava Telangana, Hyderabad, was selected.

No entry qualified in the newly introduced category of Sports Reporting. The selection of awardees was carried out by a jury comprising eminent working journalists, senior editors, owners and managers representing print media.

(Courtesy: The Hindu)

Ram Mohan Roy award for N. Ram

Phot

o: V

.V.K

rish

nan/

The

Hin

du

Eminent journalist and chairman of the Hindu Publishing Group, N. Ram receives the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Lifetime Achievement award from Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as Press Council of India Chairman Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad look on in New Delhi on November 16, 2018.

14 December 2018

WAN-IFRA: We’ve had a number of reports published in the past year or so espousing the effectiveness of print, in

terms of engagement, reach, advertising and sustainability. Much of that is in comparison to digital. Why does the print vs digital debate still make sense?

Manfred Werfel: Unfortunately, even newspaper industry insiders tend to forget that print is the mainstay of the business, accounting for more than 90 per cent of total publishing revenues. It is therefore important to keep the performance of the printed newspaper in mind. Print is strong in terms of reach, reading time and reading intensity – or engagement – as well as sustainability. To this end, we have prepared and published reports on these topics.

Neil Duncan, PwC’s director of media insight, performance and assurance, said recently: “Replacing traditional media with digital is wrong.” I think he is right.

How would you characterise the investment vs cost savings environment here in central Europe for newspapers and printers? And where is the focus on that?

In Europe, investments are still being made in newspaper production, even though investment targets have been changed. The main objectives are to maintain and extend the lifetime of machines and technical equipment and to increase efficiency and automation. Retrofit and services have become more important. The importance of new investments has decreased.

BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH WAN-IFRA

World News Publishing FocusYour Guide to the Changing Media Landscape

The argument for printAhead of the World Publishing Expo this year, Manfred Werfel, deputy CEO, WAN-IFRA, spoke about the trends and innovations that according to him would dominate discussions at the event

What do you think production executives visiting this year’s World Publishing Expo will be investigating?

Production executives will probably be interested to explore the changing set-up of the press manufacturers’ arena. The just-merged company manroland Goss web systems will – for the first time ever – seek contact with customers at an exhibition. In addition, Wifag will be back after years at Expo with a new business concept as Wifag Services.

There are a number of interesting new developments and products in the area of technical prepress and CTP. And many exhibitors offer automation, closedloop solutions and retrofit services.

Mailroom systems are of special interest as production tools for standard and commercial products. And the paper market has changed considerably in terms of prices and availability. I can imagine that discussions will be manifold and lively at Expo.

What print innovations have caught your eye recently?

The IKEA 'pee-on' ad, published at the beginning of this year, was a great surprise for many and an eye opener as well. IKEA combined a printed magazine ad with a pregnancy test. In case of a positive test result, the price of the advertised children’s bed was reduced automatically. They used sensitive ink to do that. Then, in spring we saw the first embedded video chip in a newspaper of the Star Media Group in Malaysia. Automatically playing video and audio chips were part of a bigger creative campaign for Pepsi.

15December 2018

<

The World Printers Forum published the report on High-Value Print Production last year and will publish a follow-up to that early next year. What will be the focus of the follow-up report?

High-Value Print Production mainly comprised the results of detailed surveys conducted across three separate areas: printing and publishing, materials manufacturers and equipment suppliers. The surveys included questions about product sectors, business targets and ambitions, and the materials and techniques used to fulfil them, after which the results were evaluated. For the most part the results were optimistic and upbeat, with some interesting regional differences.

The broad consensus was that for those companies willing and able to invest in widening their product appeal – either by staying with coldset production, augmented with upgraded papers and inks, maybe

employing stitching and trimming; or expanding wholeheartedly into semi-commercial printing to attract new customers – the rewards are out there for the taking.

Those themes of protecting the longevity of publishers’ printing assets by maintaining the traditional newspaper business, whilst looking to supplement order books by expansion into new areas, were developed further by in-depth interviews with three of the printing industry’s leading-edge practitioners. Based on the results of the first report, we developed questions for a more indepth presentation. We plan to interview six industry experts for this follow-up project.

(This article had appeared in WAN-IFRA Technology Guide & Directory 2018 – Helping Publishers

Connect with Today’s Innovators.)

Suresh Balakrishna has joined The Hindu Group as chief revenue officer effective November 1. He will report to MD and CEO Rajiv C. Lochan. He has been brought on board at a time when The Hindu Group is celebrating 140 years of being in business and is looking to focus on its advertising revenue. Balakrishna shall be accountable for all India print advertisement sales (National accounts and South accounts), THEME (Events & Activations), and Brand Marketing & Solutions.

Balakrishna will be based in Mumbai. His mandate is to build a sustainable, future-oriented high-performance sales and marketing team that delivers performance with purpose on the advertising front. He shall be accountable for revenue generation through Print – National and South accounts, Events & Activations and Brand Marketing & Solutions, and make The Hindu Group a more competitive and sustainably growing organisation.

Prior to joining The Hindu Group, Balakrishna was Chief Executive Officer, South Asia and Middle East, Kinetic Advertising India Private Limited, part of the WPP Group. In his 31 years of professional journey, he has deep experience and expertise in all forms of media (print, television, outdoor) as well as the agency side of the business.

(Courtesy: exchange4media.com)

The Hindu Group appoints chief revenue officer

<

Industry updates

16 December 2018

QIPC further expands activities in India

Kalptaru Offset, Natraj Print House, Saraswati Press, Hexagon Print & Pack and Sanat Printers are five new Indian partners with whom QI Press Controls (QIPC) will collaborate. The Dutch specialist in measuring and control equipment for the printing industry supplies Indian printers with various mRC-3D systems for colour register control.

Rakesh Dave, managing director of QIPC-EAE India, is delighted to respond to the different orders. He emphasises the versatility of QIPC's automation systems. “Every press and printing company is different, of course,” he explains. “These orders also involve three different types of machines. For each specific installation, we will really deliver custom work. These orders show once again that QIPC systems can be integrated in any type of web offset press.”

Kalptaru Offset: In Ahmedabad, an mRC-3D system for colour register and cut-off control is installed on a TPH Orient press. In total, two cameras are involved. Kalptaru will print fewer wasted copies, work more efficiently and deliver higher quality prints thanks to QIPC's innovative system.

Natraj Print House: Natraj Print House, also based in Ahmedabad, will also equip its Pressline press with an mRC-3D system for colour register and cut-off control. This also involves two cameras. As with Kalptaru Offset, these will be installed by QIPC and the staff will receive technical training on site.

Saraswati Press: The order Saraswati Press placed with QIPC consists of four different projects, all of which will be carried out at the Kolkata printing plant. Four of these are two colour register mRC-3D cameras installed on a NAPH Graphics press. “Our systems are already installed on several NAPH presses,” says Rakesh Dave. "That turns out to be a successful combination. Hence this new order.”

Hexagon Print & Pack: This print shop in Mumbai has an mRC-3D colour register system installed on a TPH Orient press. The first priority of this quality printer from the Bombay region is to further improve the quality of their printing. In addition, the QIPC system will contribute to a reduction in the number of lost copies and a more efficient production process.

Mat

erials

in t

his s

ection

: Pro

vided

by

respe

ctive

compa

ny /

PR a

gency

Sanat Printers: Sanat Printers from Sonipat already has experience with QIPC systems. The good reputation of the Dutch company also contributed to Sanat Printers having a new mRC-3D system for colour register and cut-off control installed on its Harris M600 press. The printer wants to save on the number of lost copies and is convinced of the high technology used by QIPC.

QI Press Controls develops and delivers innovative, high quality optical measure and control systems. They are globally active in the newspaper and magazine printing industry and their total solutions are supported by a worldwide service network. Their reliable systems are proven in the market of existing and new printing presses and offer our customers structural better results.

ABB controls, drives retrofit for Neckar-Alb

Druckzentrum Neckar-Alb has awarded ABB with an order for an extensive controls and drives retrofit for modernisation of its Wifag OF470 newspaper presses. Druckzentrum Neckar-Alb’s press line in Reutlingen, Germany, comprises six printing towers, three folders and six reelstands. Divided into two main phases the modernisation project carried out by ABB will see extensive work on the press.

The original Wifag positioning system on the printing towers, the folders and the turner bar decks will be replaced by ABB’s APOS solution. It is based on ABB’s AC500 system, a PLC that has been used in countless demanding industrial applications. The many advantages of the system include scalability, ease

The Druckzentrum Neckar-Alb facility.

Industry Updates

17December 2018

of handling in a service case and spare parts available from both ABB and third-party suppliers worldwide. While the original functionality of the positioning system will be retained on the new platform, the new system will provide a state-of-the-art visualisation of diagnostics.

The printing tower and folder control systems will also be equipped with AC500 PLCs and the operator displays on the individual units will be replaced with new ABB CP635 touchscreen monitors. The drives on the printing towers, folders and turner bar decks as well as for the ink doctor will be replaced with the new drives being mounted in the original drives cabinets. The communication protocol will be upgraded from SERCOS 2 to EtherCAT.

With the control systems for the six reelstands equally being replaced with ABB’s AC500, the number of hardware components used in the overall control system of the press will be reduced.

The six existing ABB MPS Control Consoles on the press will be upgraded to the latest touchscreen version and the production management system MPS Production will be upgraded to release 6.0-1.

Ulrike Köhler, joint head of the print centre, and publisher Valdo Leharijr, also joint head of the print centre, explain “This retrofit project replaces numerous components that are at the end of their lifecycle and gives us the production security that we need for the future. ABB has proven to be a very reliable partner over many years and ensures the long-term availability of our presses. We are delighted that the outstanding cooperation with ABB has led to this new project and we are convinced that this modernization will be another great success.”

The first phase of the project, commencing in January 2019, will cover the folders, turner bar decks, control consoles and the production management system MPS Production. In the second phase, scheduled for early 2020, the printing towers and reelstands will be upgraded.

ABB is a leading automation supplier to the newspaper industry. ABB Printing delivers solutions that provide unique and totally integrated end-to-end control, protect existing investments and provide management information essential to improving profitability.www.abb.com/printing

Compacta 818 for SIB Imprimerie SA

SIB Imprimerie SA (Societe D´Impression du Boulonais) is investing in a Compacta 818 from Koenig & Bauer. It will be joining two existing Compacta 318 presses at the company in the north of France and is scheduled to enter production in spring 2019.

The Compacta 818 is engineered with a cylinder circumference of 1197 mm for a maximum web width of 2060 mm. Up to 45000 copies with a maximum of 72 pages can be printed per hour. The press features an automatic reelstand for paper loading, four printing units with semi-automated plate changers, a high-performance Contiweb dryer with integrated afterburner, and a variable V5 folder for long- and short-grain production.

An inline colour measuring and control system ensures maximum process stability, while the LogoTronic production management system handles the exchange of digital presetting data, along with production monitoring and evaluation.

Says SIB print shop manager Francis Verbeke: “Our two presses from Koenig & Bauer run like clockwork. We are convinced that Koenig & Bauer is also the right partner to have at our side for this new press.” The press... was previously installed at a location near Paris. “Our customers appreciate our longstanding

experience and our professional team,” says Martin

After signing the contracts (l-r): Volker Löber, service manager, Koenig & Bauer Digital & Webfed; Jérôme Barlet, project manager, SIB Imprimerie SA; Francis Verbeke, print shop manager, SIB Imprimerie SA; Sofie Bulteau, financial director, SIB Imprimerie SA; Martin Schoeps, head of service management, Koenig & Bauer Digital & Webfed; Pierre Pommier, sales manager, Koenig & Bauer (FR); and Najib Moumni, service manager, Koenig & Bauer (FR).

Industry Updates

18 December 2018

Schoeps, head of service management at Koenig & Bauer Digital & Webfed. “We have earned a reputation for always completing our relocation and commissioning projects on schedule. And the fact that we have now received another order from SIB is naturally seen as confirmation of our successful work.”

SIB Imprimerie SA was founded in 1974 and pursues a strategy geared to constant growth. With a turnover of €37 million and almost 200 employees, the company is in the meantime one of the largest printing companies in northern France. In the course of digital transformation, SIB has further broadened its portfolio of high-quality and classic print products such as magazines, catalogues, posters and business cards. From layout through to the finished product, the company’s digital division acts as a single contact and supplier for all process steps.

Bradford & Bigelow selects Lithoman for press addition

Bradford & Bigelow, the New England specialty printer well-known for its diversified and best-in-class product portfolio, announced the purchase of a Lithoman 48-page four-colour press for its 50000 square-foot pressroom addition at its Newburyport, Massachusetts plant location.

Bradford & Bigelow’s President John Galligan stated, “We are delighted to partner with manroland Goss. Very simply, the Lithoman technology with its advanced colour and quality control, automation, minimal waste, two-colour zero make-ready feature, and excellent setup times makes 70 per cent of the existing web presses in North America obsolete. The 48-page Lithoman will enhance the productivity and capacity of our existing sheetfed, digital, and web press platform with increased quality, speed, and significantly lower waste.”

The Lithoman press, one of several new machines planned for the updated facility in the future, includes a full portfolio of automated inline controls, including InlineRegistration Control, InlineCutoff Control Dynamic, and InlineDensity Control (IDCm). The press also includes the DynaChange imprint function, which uses only the blanket cylinders of engaged printing units, allowing for increased production speed, and a fully automated printing plate changing device (APL). Remote diagnostics systems will allow

technicians from manroland Goss to quickly and accurately diagnose any variables to the printing process and ensure uptime for maximum productivity results.

Bradford & Bigelow Executive Vice President Rick Dunn appreciates the value of automated controls for the company’s role as a best-in-class print facility.

“As an ISO9001:2015 and G7 certified supplier, we measure twice and cut once, and these tools are the next step in maintaining our technological excellence. More and more of our clients are asking B&B to expand our 4-colour capacity and also offer a print warehouse & distribution model which economically and environmentally makes sense.” Along with the increased press capacity, Bradford & Bigelow will add 50,000 sq ft of warehousing space.“Bradford and Bigelow has positioned the

company for growth by adding Lithoman presses to their pressroom operations,” says Jason Elliott, vice-president of Sales for manroland Goss web systems, “The automation, efficiency, and speed of the Lithoman is currently unmatched in the market, and has become the preferred press equipment for companies looking to create new opportunities.”

(L-r): Bradford & Bigelow EVP Rick Dunn, Marketing Manager Emily Kotecki, and President John Galligan, manroland Goss web systems CEO Alex Wasserman, Marketing Manager Denise Lease, and VP of Sales Jason Elliott celebrate the sale of the Lithoman at Print 18 in Chicago, Illinois.

Industry Updates

19December 2018

Koenig & Bauer order intake up 4.4 per cent

Driven by strong security press business and growth in packaging printing markets, order intake in the Koenig & Bauer group rose by 4.4 per cent over the previous year to €943.2m in the first nine months of 2018. At the end of Q3, order backlog was up 25.5 per cent, standing at €769.3m. Group revenue came to €788.8m but fell short of the previous year’s figure of €847.7m due to the even greater accumulation of delivery dates requested by customers in Q4 and bottlenecks in the parts availability. This was also reflected in EBIT, which at €28.6m was lower than in 2017 (€36.4m).

While the project situation is good, order intake, revenue and EBIT in the Sheetfed segment were affected in particular by bottlenecks in the availability of parts. Says President and CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann: “The situation with respect to parts and the high order backlog dampen our new business

due to longer delivery times. We are currently working intensely on optimising our entire supply chain to achieve a sustained reduction in delivery times.”

Despite the growth in flexible packaging printing, order intake for Digital & Web was up only slightly on the previous year’s figure due to fewer orders for newspaper and digital printing presses. Together with market-entry and growth-related expenses for corrugated board and flexible packaging, the lower revenue exerted pressure on EBIT in this segment. Despite substantially higher orders, revenue in the Special segment was slightly below the previous year’s figure. However, the EBIT margin remained stable in this segment.

Cash flows from operating activities rose substantially over the previous year (–€24.6m) to €50.5m. Although free cash flow was burdened by the final payment instalment of €34.8m made in Q1 for the external funding of a part of the pension provisions, it also improved substantially. In addition to net liquidity of €74.3m and securities of €15.7m that can be liquidated at any time, the group also has

New orders for flexible packaging printing rose at a particularly gratifying rate.

Industry Updates

20 December 2018

access to syndicated credit facilities. The equity ratio widened from 36.4 per cent at the end of 2017 to 37.4 per cent.

Referring to the targets for 2018, CFO Mathias Dähn says: “The numerous press deliveries and service activities scheduled in the final months of the year will trigger a surge in revenue and earnings in Q4. In view of this business concentration, which is challenging due to the high capacity utilisation and the parts situation but not really unusual, we aim to achieve organic growth of around 4 per cent in group revenue for 2018. As things currently stand, we cannot rule out a shift of around €35m in revenue into 2019 as a result of delivery delays caused by bottlenecks in the parts availability.

In terms of our earnings target for 2018, we are confident that we will achieve an EBIT margin of around 7 per cent for the full year with higher revenue in view of the EBIT margin of 6.6 per cent in the third quarter with low revenue. Global macroeconomic risks have increased due to trade conflicts and barriers, rising US interest rates and political uncertainties in Europe (Brexit, Italy) and in the emerging markets.”

Depending on trends in the global economy, end markets and the necessary investments in growth, management is targeting a group-wide organic revenue growth rate of around 4 per cent p.a. and an EBIT margin of between 4 per cent and 9 per cent by 2021. The effects of the additional growth offensive 2023 which the management board presented in conjunction with the announcement of the Q3 figures are not included in the medium-term targets, neither revenue nor costs.

Describing the additional growth offensive 2023, CFO Mathias Dähn says: “For a stronger profitable growth, we want to actively exploit the currently available market opportunities in corrugated board printing, flexible packaging and 2-piece can decorating alongside our service initiative. The same thing applies to marking and coding and post-press equipment such as rotary and flatbed die-cutters. Based on an addressed total market volume of currently around €2bn p.a. for machines, these business fields are expanding at annual rates of between 2 per cent and 10 per cent as they are benefiting from growth in consumer spending and demand for packaging around the world as well as long-term trends such as e-commerce, more sophisticated packaging and smaller sizes due to more single-person households.

With newly developed products such as CorruCut, CorruFlex and CorruJet for corrugated board printing, CS MetalCan for 2-piece can decorating and the Rapida RDC 106 rotary die-cutter, we want to stand out from the competition with improved total cost of ownership, shorter make-ready times for ever more frequent job changes, greater ease of operation and high production output. The same thing also applies to our new and enhanced products for flexible packaging printing, flatbed die-cutters and marking & coding. Complex customer surveys and analysis always form the basis for our decisions. Our growth offensive 2023 necessitates additional experts and specialists in our global service and sales network as well as targeted portfolio additions based on platform concepts.

We estimate the cumulative market-entry, growth-related and R&D expenses for 2019 to 2021 at around €50m. By 2023, we want to gradually generate additional revenue of around €200m in these addressed business areas. Given this favourable market environment with structural and above-average growth as well as less cyclical end markets such as food, beverages and pharmaceuticals, we want to gradually increase the EBIT margin from additional business to a double-digit figure at steady-state.”

The supervisory board has appointed its member, Andreas Pleßke, to the management board for five years with effect from 1 December 2018 for managing the Special Segment. His area of responsibility also includes the optimisation of the internal production network. Furthermore, the company has been able to find Prof Dr-IngRaimundKlinkner as his successor to the supervisory board.

Second Gipfelstürmer for Weiss Druck

After the overwhelming success by the first Colorman e:line newspaper printing system, commissioned in 2014 under the name, Gipfelstürmer (Summiteer), Weiss Druck has now ordered the second identical machine. The highly modern newspaper printing machine series e:line of manroland web systems successfully prevailed on a difficult market, for it provides immense benefits for users and is the answer for the modern, efficient and profitable newspaper printing.

Industry Updates

21December 2018

The Colorman e:line from manroland web systems will help Weiss Druck in Monschau to deliver top performances in the future. The installation is the second identical Colorman e:line at the printing location already – this demonstrates the satisfaction of the customer, who, in this way, invests both in modern newspaper production and the potentials of the manroland technology.

Managing Director Karl-Heinz Carell summarises as follows: “The outstanding performance and fascinating quality of printing have significantly contributed to the further development of newspaper printing in the company Weiss Druck. The system has provided us immense savings in setup times and misprinted paper, and completes our range of products by brilliant printing quality in coldset. We appreciate to have found a technology on a difficult market, nevertheless enabling us to make profit and to efficiently produce.”

Successful World Expo for manroland Goss

manroland Goss web systems, the company recently established by the merger of manroland web systems and Goss International, looks back at a successful World Publishing Expo 2018 (WPE) in Berlin: “We are pleased to announce a successful show, with many interesting and promising customer discussions. Our participation in WPE 2018 was a great success,” Alexander Wassermann, CEO of manroland Goss declared.

What does the industry need today? What does modern newspaper production look like? And what does automation mean for newspaper printers? These questions were raised and fully addressed by manroland Goss in their invitation to the largest newspaper printing fair in the world in Berlin from October 9 to 11. manroland Goss presented itself as the automation partner for the printing industry. Comprehensive retrofit solutions and upgrades for longer life cycles of print operations, more productivity, and better quality of the existing machinery were introduced.

Innovative customers also appreciated the promising automation concept, Maintellisense. “Whereas other manufacturers still dream of predictive maintenance, we have already taken first steps for its implementation in the portfolio and presented them at WPE 2018,”

Wassermann says. Automated maintenance programs were of great interest to numerous companies at WPE and confirmed that manroland Goss is the high-performance business partner for the printing industry. “We are very happy about our success at WPE and

look to the future with confidence. Our products and innovations will sustainably promote the printing industry, particularly in web printing,” Wassermann says.

Koenig & Bauer scores with 11th roadshow in China

Koenig & Bauer recently invited Chinese print users to specialist events in various regions of the country to its roadshows. The roadshows have taken place since 2007 without interruption – and now for the

The manroland Goss booth at the World Publishing Expo saw visitors turning up at regular intervals and engaged in discussions.

Representatives of Hubei Jinjia and Koenig & Bauer in China and Germany proudly present China’s longest Rapida installation, a Rapida 106 with 14 printing and finishing units.

Industry Updates

22 December 2018

eleventh time. This year's motto was ‘Built for your Needs - High-level sheetfed configurations’. Each event consists of a seminar section and practical print demonstrations at a Rapida user. Over 700 print users attended this year’s events in Tianjin, Guiyang, Yiwu, Huangshi and Taipei, which covered the regions of north, southwest, east and central China and Taiwan.

The choice of presentation topics was closely linked

to the installations at the local print companies, which opened their halls during the event and presented Rapida technology live. The success stories of the respective users as well as business models and equipment aroused great interest among the trade visitors. Each event thus became a local event for the graphic arts industry.

In Tianjin, the focus was on highly automated printing with inline cold-foil finishing, four-over-four printing with a RS 106 reel-to-sheet device and postpress with the Rapida RDC 106 rotary die cutter. At Tianjin Haishun, a dedicated commercial and packaging printer, visitors saw an eight-colour Rapida 106 with perfecting unit for four-over-four production, an RS 106 and additional coater, a six-colour Rapida 106 with coater and a Rapida 145 with five inking units, coater and pile logistics.

Cold-foil production, rotary die-cutting and highly complex machine configurations were also the focus in Guiyang. GuizhouYongji, a manufacturer of cigarette packaging, opened its doors to show visitors its Rapida 106 with coater, interdeck dryer,

Print samples with high-quality finishes were looked at closely.

The Rapida 106 with pile logistics in Tianjin Haishun's modern pressroom.

Industry Updates

23December 2018

ten printing units, an additional coater, cold-foil module and extended delivery, and an eight-colour Rapida 106 with coater, UV equipment and cold-foil module at production speeds of 18000 sheets per hour.

Printing on plastic material and film was one of the main topics in Yiwu. Yiwu Zhongyin is a specialist in this market segment and, together with Zhejiang Xibulun, a company specialising in UV printing, showed high-quality print production on non-absorbent substrates. Yiwu Zhongyin uses a Rapida 75 PRO with seven inking units and coater. Zhejiang Xibulun has a Rapida 105 PRO with six inking units and coater.

In Huangshi, visitors saw the longest Rapida installation in China, a Rapida 106 with nine inking units, coater, two interdeck dryers, another printing and coating unit and a delivery extension – 14 printing and finishing units. It is in operation at Hubei Jinjia. It produces high-quality packaging for spirits inline with printing speeds of up to 18000 sheets per hour.

At the events in Taipei experts from Koenig & Bauer in Radebeul and the local sales team explained the printing plant 4.0, inline cold foil production with Vinfoil Optima, the opportunities for UV production and the digital packaging printing of the future with the VariJET 106.

The Chinese printing industry is facing difficulties due to the economic slowdown, characterised by rising production and labour costs, tougher competition, and partially ineffective business models. The insistence on traditional production methods makes it difficult for companies to survive. This is where Koenig & Bauer's series of events came in: New ways of thinking and new business models based on high-quality, complex technology were presented. These can be used to increase production capacity, significantly improve productivity and thus market

position and manufacture new products using more effective processes.

Hamillroad Software wins settlement

UK-based prepress company Hamillroad Software has successfully defended its IP in a trademark dispute with German printing firm, DruckhausHaberbeck. The settlement clears the way for the relaunch of Auraia DMS Screening in Germany.

In March 2016, DruckhausHaberbeck claimed a trademark infringement in Germany and issued a cease and desist action against the use of Auraia by Hamillroad's German distributor. Hamillroad supported its distributor and defended the matter up to the point that the Regional Court of Bielefeld dismissed the claim in March 2017.

In parallel with the actions, Hamillroad initiated legal proceedings against Haberbeck for the illegal use and validity of their trademarks. In November 2017, the German Patent and Trademark Office cancelled one of Haberbeck's trademarks on the grounds of deceptive use. The matter is under appeal by Haberbeck.

Following the loss in Bielefeld, Haberbeck appealed the original court’s ruling and took the case before the Higher Regional Court of Hamm. On the 23rd January this year, two days before the appeal hearing, Haberbeck agreed to settle all the pending legal trademark actions. The settlement includes both legal costs and compensation, paid to Hamillroad and their German distributor.

Andy Cave, Hamillroad’s CEO commented on the settlement: “This dispute should never have gone to court in the first place as it was clear from the outset that there was no case to answer. We tried on numerous occasions to settle with Haberbeck, but they insisted on pursuing the legal proceedings. We prefer not to engage in court action, but if someone tries to attack us (or breaches our IP) we will defend ourselves and, if we must, take the matter to court, no matter who it is, how long it takes or what it costs."

Cave continues: “The legal proceedings put a pause on our Auraia DMS business in Germany, resulting in a negative impact on our German partner’s sales. We are pleased to have finally closed this chapter and are happy to confirm that we have re-opened the door for new business in Germany.”

Another highlight at this year's roadshow: the presentation of the Vinfoil Optima cold-foil unit on the Rapida 106 at GuizhouYongji.

Industry Updates

24 December 2018

Auraia DMS is Hamillroad’simplementation of their patent protected Digitally Modulated Screening technology for offset / lithographic printing.

Raft of awards for Koenig & Bauer users

from the print and media industry.With the motto, ‘Everything. Colourful.

International’, this year Gmund Papier was looking for the best print and paper products. The ten-strong jury selected the winners in six categories from a total of 320 submissions. Two Rapida users were delighted with their top rankings. In the category Packaging bag-in-box packaging with gold foil finishing and relief embossing by Casimir Kast Packaging and Display took first place. Vogl and Studio Digital Storytelling / Andrea Uhlig were able to win the jury over in the category Corporate with a stiff soft cover printed in UV offset.

The awards were presented by Gmund owner Florian Kofler who hosted the awards ceremony on 8 November together with Bayern 3 radio presenter Simone Faust. The awards ceremony took place for the fifth time.

The first Unfolded Design & Print Festival on the Gmund Campus the following day was attended by more than 700 experts from various industries. Renowned keynote speakers unlocked new perspectives for the industry, and a panel discussion on the subject of “Beauty comes from within” rounded off the creative programme. Over 30 exhibitors also presented their latest communication solutions.

Deutscher Drucker Verlagsgesellschaft has been presenting the Druck&Medien Awards every autumn since 2005. The award honours people, teams and companies in 25 categories. Freiburger Druck (Badische Zeitung), a creative and successful user of the Cortina waterless offset press, received the award

“Newspaper Printer of the Year”. The silver award in

Several users of Koenig & Bauer presses have recently received prestigious awards. Printers from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were among the winners at this year’s Gmund Awards and the Druck&Medien Awards. The awards honoured high-quality print products from various disciplines as well as outstanding expertise, companies and personalities

Freiburger Druck received the Newspaper Printer of the Year Award (from left to right): Thomas Stumpf, sales manager web offset hubergroup Deutschland, Matthias Schwab, head of web press production Freiburger Druck, Patrick Zürcher, managing director, Freiburger Druck, and TV sports presenter Esther Sedlaczek.

B&K Offsetdruckerei received two awards (l-r): Frank Winkler, sales, B&K, Jörn Kalbhenn with Monika Kalbhenn, managing director B&K, Wolfram Oertel, sales manager, B&K

Area Sales Manager Fabian Gries (left) and Sales Manager Tim Keller (both Casimir Kast) are delighted with their Gmund Award in the category, Packaging.

Industry Updates

25December 2018

this category went to Druckerei Konstanz (Südkurier), another dedicated Cortina user. Commercial printer B&K Offsetdruck from Ottersweier received two awards – Socially Committed Printing Company of the Year and Print Shop Manager of the Year for B&K Managing Director Jörn Kalbhenn. Other Koenig & Bauer users also scored well.

Hammer-Lübeck commissions a Rapida 145

In spring 2019, the Hammer-Lübeck packaging plant celebrates its 100th anniversary. The traditional company, which specialises in folding carton for the food and luxury food industry, commissioned a Rapida 145 with coater and extended delivery just in

time for its big celebration. The new press produces up to 18000 sheets per hour in 106 x 145cm (41.7 x 57in) format and is equipped to meet the needs of printing operations down to the last detail. Its high level of performance has proven itself even in the first few months of operation.

Whereas printing time was 70 per cent with previous technology and around 30 per cent was spent on make-ready, now more than 93 per cent of the time can be planned for the printing process. Unproductive make-ready times have fallen to 6.8 per cent. The press often goes back into operation after job changeover times of just 10 minutes. A whole range of automation solutions, which have meanwhile become indispensable to the company, contribute to this.

Inline ink density measurement and control with QualiTronic ColorControl has delivered huge improvements. It has halved waste during production and reduced it to a quarter or less than 100 sheets during make-ready. Production can often start right

L-r: Peter Dettendorfer, Tobias Kazmaier, Michael Villotti, managing director Ralf Vogl and Sandor Ertl are very pleased with the Gmund Award in the category Corporate for Druckerei Vogl.

The Rapida 145 with coater and extended delivery is Hammer’s most valued production tool. From left to right: Ralf Engelhardt, sales consultant for Koenig & Bauer Deutschland, Dietmar Weber, print shop manager, Michael Kansy, press operator, and Steffen Klingbeil, production manager, are delighted with the high-performance Rapida 145.

The Rapida 145 in Hammer's pressroom is tailored exactly to the needs of the packaging industry in every detail.

Cutting-edge underfloor logistics – here at the Rapida 145 feeder.

Industry Updates

26 December 2018

after the first print. This was a different story in the past. Today, electronic systems support the register-accurate setup of each individual job via register marks. The press is also extremely stable during production thanks to permanent measuring and control.

The use of the digital colour databases has greatly changed the process of printing spot colours. The Lab targeted colour range is always the same, no matter the board type. Thanks to the measuring and control technology, it can be quickly achieved using ink density values dependent on the substrate. Both Lab target colour coordinates and target colour densities are managed in the colour database.

The company mixes its own special inks. Cutting-edge measuring technology simulates the required illuminant ensuring that all specifications are met in order to get as close as possible to the colour rangerequired. The CXF files provided by the customer not only determine the Lab colour range, but also provide all information about the ink.

QualiTronic ColorControl can also measure and evaluate measuring strips at the trailing edge of the sheet so that existing cutting dies, creasing plates and blank separators can continue to be used. Thanks to an extended sheet guide, this works up to substrate thicknesses of about 350g/m² (225lbs), depending on the material.

Plate stretching is also possible on the Rapida 145. When using simple types of board, dimensional changes occur repeatedly during the printing process at the rear sheet edge. This can have a particularly negative effect on the display of small reverse type, which is almost standard for folding carton for food. Whereas in the past the plates were pressed into the correct position with a wrench, patience and skill, this process can now be conveniently controlled from the press console with ErgoTronicPlateStretch.

The enlarged 145 format, combined with small measuring strips only 5mm high, has an effect on the number of blanks per sheet. Output per hour thus increases significantly. Due to the short job changeover times and the high production output, B3 jobs also run on the large press. Despite the smaller sheet format in the large-format press, this can be effective as makeready and production run faster than on the existing B3 press.

In addition to the press equipment for high performance, it was important to Production Manager Steffen Klingbeil that the operators of the Rapida 145 were relieved of routine tasks and physically heavy work. As a result, the press has particularly wide galleries with unusually large storage areas. The plate carriage loaded with the printing plates for 3-4 jobs is delivered directly to the press and lifted to the gallery level. At the delivery, there is also a lift system for

Relief for the press crew: the pallet of waste paperis lowered from the gallery to the pressroom floor.

The Hammer-Lübeck packaging plant mainly produces packaging for the food and luxury food industry.

Industry Updates

27December 2018

the pallet cage with waste paper. The press crew only has to cover short distances with the large sheets. In addition, DriveTronic SFC enables the coating plates to be changed automatically and extremely quickly.

The Rapida 145, the company’s first ever Koenig & Bauer press, automates a whole range of tasks that had to be carried out by the operators on the previous press. Therefore it is no wonder that the company soon realised that no one wanted to go back to the old technology.

Today, the Hammer-Lübeck packaging plant processes 20000 tons of cartonboard per year into 750 million folding cartons. In addition to the plant on the outskirts of Lübeck, which was built on a greenfield site in 1981, it has had a further production facility in Poznan, Poland, since 1995. The production and storage area in Lübeckcovers an area measuring 10,000m² (107,639ft²) with 7500 pallet spaces added for logistic companies. Everything is equipped to

meet future challenges in packaging production. From substrate logistics on sheetfed offset presses to robots on folding box gluers and driverless transport systems, everything is designed to enable the plant to respond quickly and flexibly to all customer requirements. These are predominantly brands that operate throughout Europe.

The new Rapida 145 is the perfect solution. It was configured together with the print management system and meets the requirements of the packaging company in every detail. No wonder the company produced as many large-format sheets in the first seven months as they used to within a year. And there is extra capacity to print even more.

Fujifilm India launches second demo centre

Fujifilm India has launched its second graphic arts demo centre in Gurugram. The demo centre has been designed to demonstrate Fujifilm India’s latest innovations in graphic arts technology and will give a first-hand experience of the company’s wide-format printing prowess. The company’s other such centre is located in Mumbai.

The Gurugram demo centre will house Fujifilm’s latest version of Acuity LED 3200R and Acuity EY wide format printers. The super-wide printers with LED UV technology can print on a range of rigid and flexible media for different types of application.

Says Haruto Iwata, managing director, “The objective of opening a demo centre is to give a live experience of our printing products to our customers as ‘seeing is believing’. With our world-class printing technology, we are committed towards providing the best user experience. Our Acuity range of printers has been a success with their speed, quality and precision in work. Moreover, they are energy efficient and much kinder to environment. We look forward to add more products to our centre going forward.”

S.M. Ramprasad, head, Graphic Arts Business, Fujifilm India adds, “We want our customers not just to experience our products, but to experience the complete application which can create lasting impact for their brands in the sign and graphic communications. Also our customers can see for themselves the value that our solutions can bring to their business. We are confident that the Gurugram demo centre will provide benchmark levels of customer

Inline colour control is now an indispensable production tool. The system also measures control strips at the rear edge of the sheet.

Industry Updates

28 December 2018

and ownership experience and benefit them in taking a more informed decision about our products.”

The centre is part of Fujifilm India’s aggressive expansion plan as the company is targeting double-digit growth for its business, of which the graphics arts segment is a key driver for growth. The company has already crossed 100 units of Acuity installations in India, selling almost five to six units a month. It is now targeting doubling its current installations on the Acuity range with more innovative products with focus on tier-2 and tier-3 markets as well.

The Acuity range of printers has been a success with their speed, quality and precision in work. Moreover, they are energy efficient and much kinder to environment. The new Acuity LED 3200R can produce quality super-wide display and exhibition graphics in the most cost-effective way. With low energy LED UV curing technology, the Acuity LED 3200R delivers

excellent production efficiency with impressive productivity. Its specially formulated Fujifilm Uvijet inks can print on a wide range of display materials.

The flatbed Acuity EY is a breakthrough in wide-format UV digital imaging technology from Fujifilm, offering the perfect combination of near photographic print quality, production output and investment cost. With Uvijet inks, the Acuity EY can print on to a broad range of rigid and flexible PoP materials up to 48 mm thick and the white ink option provides an opportunity to print high value materials like wood, metal, clear and coloured products.

The Indian sign and graphic printing Industry is growing at an annual rate of around 10-15 per cent. There has been a revolutionary change in the past 5-10 years in the printing industry in India. Being part of the global economy, the recent changes in the India as well, has opened doors for the industry to modernise and has attracted investment in the latest technology and machinery. The advent of global brands, rising consumerism and growth of FMCG/ Telecom/ Automobile industries have contributed to an increase in Signage printing as well.

Color-Logic certifies Xerox print server

Color-Logic has certified the Xerox EX-P 6 print server powered by Fiery for the Xerox Iridesse production press. Discussing the certification, Color-Logic Director of Sales and Marketing Mark Geeves

(L-r): S.M. Ramprasad, head, Graphic Arts Business, Fujifilm India; Pradipta Chowdhury, senior product manager, WJIF; Kevir Jenner, business manager, Commercial Group, Wide Format Division, Fujifilm Global; and Haruto Iwata, MD, Fujifilm India.

The classy Xerox Iridesse Press.

Industry Updates

29December 2018

says: "The latest Xerox product enhancements and the new Xerox Iridesse press (shown at Print 18 in Chicago) enable graphic designers using the Color-Logic Process Metallic System to differentiate their products in ways previously unseen in print. The latest Xerox developments, combined with the Fiery DFE, provide printers with a platform that can truly differentiate digital print from conventional. Not only is the new Xerox Iridesse press a superb example of workflow automation in print, it enables graphic designers using the Color-Logic tools to take advantage of the latest silver and white dry inks from Xerox."

Richard Ainge, Color-Logic chief technology officer, says: "Time-to-market is critical today, and embellishments require longer at the design and concept stage than ever before. At Color-Logic, we worked with Fiery developers to ensure that Color-Logic files may be processed quickly. Graphic designers preparing files for use on the Xerox Iridesse can use our design tools for Adobe CC and CS and be confident that the press will produce their files exactly when using the Fiery DFE. With our design tools, creatives can produce dramatic decorative effects in just seconds, while eliminating the guesswork and trial-and-error typical of metallic file preparation."

John Henze, vice president of Fiery Marketing and Sales at EFI, says "We're proud to collaborate with Color-Logic to leverage their exclusive technology and unique Fiery capabilities so that customers can easily create and print brilliant, high-value metallic files on the Xerox Iridesse."

Color-Logic develops colour communication systems and software tool sets for a variety of special effect printing applications. Color-Logic provides brand owners, product managers, corporations, and their advertising agencies the ability to differentiate themselves and their clients with a simple print production process that yields dramatic results. Color-Logic decorative effects utilize the existing workflows of printers and designers, yielding dynamic results without the use of special equipment. Color-Logic supports the value of print and works with designers and printers to enhance their printed media.

Kodak, Evolve Additive Solutions tie up

Eastman Kodak and Evolve Additive Solutions, Inc have announced a technology partnership where Kodak will supply Evolve imaging systems, parts and consumables based on the Kodak Nexpress digital electrophotographic platform.

In addition, the companies have signed joint development agreements for equipment and materials with the goal of helping further develop Evolve’s Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process (STEP) technology in anticipation of the commercial release in 2020. STEP is Evolve’s proprietary 3D printing technology for additive manufacturing. Kodak has also licensed relevant intellectual property to Evolve in support of the development effort.

Kodak has been pioneering work with electrophotographic technology for more than 40years. The award-winning Kodak Nexpress Platform delivers unique print capabilities in a modular and upgradeable package, making it an ideal platform for Evolve to leverage and transform into a leading production technology for additive manufacturing. Evolve will be utilising a Kodak-developed toner manufacturing process to make the part toners for the Evolve system.

The electrophotographic technology is part of the whole solution comprising hardware, materials, processes, workflow software, and services required to print and finish parts cost effectively at high quality and high speed. Collaboration and cross fertilisation of ideas between the two teams is expected to reach beyond materials and components to manufacturing, service and support.

Evolve now has the STEP technology for 3D printing.

Industry Updates

30 December 2018

“We are very encouraged by the opportunity to expand our electrophotographic platform capabilities outside of 2D imaging to the 3D printing or additive manufacturing sector,” said John O’Grady, President, Print Systems Division, Kodak. “Having worked closely with the talented staff of engineers working on the STEP technology for several years, we are confident Evolve will help change the way the organizations approach production of plastic parts for manufacturing.”

Evolve’s STEP technology will sit alongside traditional manufacturing processes, such as injection molding on the manufacturing floor, augmenting an organization’s production capabilities allowing freedom of design and ‘toolless’ production. The first STEP system has shipped under an alpha development program and has been installed at a strategic partner location utilising resources from both Kodak and Evolve. “Creating a strong technology partnership with

Kodak is an important element in the development of STEP,” says Steve Chillscyzn, CEO, Evolve Additive Solutions. “The selection of the Kodak systems and technology for STEP allows us to deliver to the market a highly reliable solution, based on a proven engine that is recognised as one of the most productive printing systems in the world. By working with Kodak, we have a technology and a collaborative relationship that will not only allow us to get to market quickly, but we will have the throughput expansion to grow as we push STEP capabilities into the future.”

Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. It provides – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives.

Evolve Additive Solution is an organisation whose mission is to produce innovative manufacturing solutions that enable customers to manufacture in revolutionary new ways. Evolve is pioneering the manufacturing market with technologies and solutions centered around production applications with real-world thermoplastics. Its revolutionary STEP technology will radically

improve manufacturing and enable disruptive new business models for organizations by unlocking the full capabilities of Additive Manufacturing.

Weldon is exclusive agent, Sonic Solutions

Mokena, Illinos USA headquartered Sonic Solutions, LLC has appointed New Delhi-based Weldon Celloplast as exclusive agents in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for their Ultrasonic anilox roll cleaners.

Sonic Solutions is a leading global manufacturer of ultrasonic anilox roll and sleeve-cleaning equipment and cleaning solutions. With the broadest range of solutions and advanced systems, Sonic Solutions has been supplying the flexographic industry for over 25 years worldwide.“This alliance with Weldon Celloplast is an excellent

opportunity to expand in this important region, considering the constant growth in label printing and flexible packaging in India and surrounding countries. Our wide range of product offerings are perfectly aligned with the market demand for cost effective anilox roll cleaning options – from smaller rolls to our newest dual sleeve cleaning system. Our cleaning solutions save printers time and money so that their presses keep running,” says Joe Walczak, president of Sonic Solutions. “We’re very optimistic with this alliance and how deeply entrenched Weldon Cellopast is within the flexographic market. We look forward to putting our trust with them. It’s a great opportunity for both companies.”

Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi represent globally renowned manufacturers of printing equipment, tooling, inspection and waste management systems besides offering tamper evident security label materials. “It is our continuous endeavour to bring in world-

class products for the printing industry. We are committed to support the printing companies in achieving excellence in print,” says K.D. Sahni, managing director, Weldon Celloplast. Our association with Sonic Solutions will bring value to printers by helping them become more profitable, efficient, consistent, and productive.

Industry Updates

31December 2018

Color-Logic certifies Skandacor Sleekpro

Color-Logic has certified the Skandacor Sleekpro cold foil system. "The Skandacor printed test results of the Color-Logic test form files were stellar," states Color-Logic CTO Richard Ainge. "The decorative effects and colours produced using the Skandacor cold foil system will enable Skandacor printers to differentiate what they can provide their clients."

The Skandacor cold foil system, together with the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System, enables printers using CMYK digital presses to provide their clients with 250 predictable foil colours and unlimited decorative effects while using just one silver-based foil, making it also economical for printers to produce luxurious special effects for their clients."

Stunning results using the Skandacor cold foil system.

Drytac reveals new advertising product

Drytac, an international manufacturer of self-adhesive materials for the large format print and signage markets, has announced the launch of the ArmourPrint Emerytex and ArmourGrab combination counter mat solution. Having been previewed successfully at recent trade shows, the products are now available globally.

ArmourPrint Emerytex is a clear, heavy-duty, slip-resistant monomeric 15 mil (381μ) PVC film with a matte pebble textured finish on one side and a smooth printable surface on the other. It has been approved by the FDA for incidental food contact, making it ideal for advertising applications in hospitality and retail environments.

ArmourGrab is an 8 mil (203μ) co-extruded white anti-slip film coated with a heavy coat weight, permanent, pressure sensitive clear acrylic adhesive. Used together, the two products create a food-safe counter mat solution ideal for eye-catching POP advertising.

Thanks to the slip-resistant qualities of both ArmourPrint Emerytex and ArmourGrab, these products can also be used for applications

Eye-catching PoP advertising, thanks to Drytac solutions.

Industry Updates

32 December 2018

The global elite in the fields of digital printing and paper processing will convene at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019, from February 25 to 28, at the Messe Luzern exhibition center in Lucerne, Switzerland. 2019 will mark the thirteenth staging of the event, with the theme ‘Success with automation’.

Continuous workflow automation will be one of the focal points of Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019. Transactional printers, direct mailers, book manufacturers and commercial printers are seeing print run lengths decline, driving up the number of make-ready processes. Efficient new production lines must minimise or eliminate manual interventions to save costs and

such as placemats and mouse pads. Their UV protection also enables outdoor use, while a moisture barrier protects the printed image and aids hygiene. No white ink is needed to create vivid and eye-catching counter mats as the white ArmourGrab backs the ArmourPrint Emerytex to eliminate the extra cost of printing with white.

The ArmourPrint Emerytex and ArmourGrab dual-product counter mat solution was previewed at the SGIA Expo 2018 in Las Vegas in October to over 25,000 registered delegates.

Drytac is an international manufacturer of adhesive-coated products, including graphic films, window films, double-sided tapes, self-adhesive print media, label stock, industrial adhesives, and heat-activated and

pressure-sensitive laminates and mounting adhesives. The company also creates unique customized adhesive products to customer specifications.

Drytac now has an extensive image resource library featuring high-resolution, high-quality images of Drytac products and their use in a variety of applications and markets which could prove to be a valuable resource for journalists working in industries including print, display and signage, labels, industrial adhesives and tapes, laminating and more. If you are interested in accessing and using these images - free-of-charge – you could contact Amanda Brown (amandabrown@drytac.com).

Registrations open for Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019

A picture of the crowd and the ambience from an earlier Hunkeler event.

increase margins. The ‘white paper in, finished product out’ business model depends on advanced automation. Hunkeler AG will demonstrate the leading-edge automation now available on their Generation 8 production system platform.

Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019 will have slightly more exhibitors than in 2017. Almost 100 partners will present their latest products in all areas of digital printing and processing in Halls 1 and 2. The partners include all the major manufacturers of printing and finishing systems, software developers and providers of finishing materials and consumables. As in previous years, some of the exhibitors will again use the exclusive surroundings of Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019 to offer a global premiere of their latest innovations.

Hunkeler Innovationdays has always featured an interdisciplinary concept and a collegial atmosphere, and that spirit continues today. In the two, comparatively compact halls, all major players in the space meet up with owners, CEOs and management staff. Several exhibitors collaborate closely to demonstrate tightly-integrated production processes. Visitors also gain insight into a wide variety of practical, real-world applications that have immediate business relevance.

Those interested in visiting Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019 can register today at innovationdays.com. Entrance to the event is free of charge.

Photo

: Hun

keler

AG

<

General News

33December 2018

Call for UN Convention to protect journalists

WAN-IFRA has joined forces with a coalition of international organisations to campaign for the adoption of a new UN Convention dedicated to the protection of media professionals. The consortium includes representatives of journalists, media workers, broadcasters, and newspapers from around the world

Meeting at the UN headquarters in New York with state representatives from Europe, the Middle East (West Asia), North Africa, Latin America, Asia and North America, the coalition set out the case for a new UN Convention with the objective to rectify a gap in international law for binding norms establishing safeguards for journalists and media professionals, including cameramen, photographers, technical supporting staff, drivers and interpreters, editors, translators, publishers, broadcasters, printers and distributors

The initiative was launched by the International Federation of Journalists, with a Convention drafted by International Human Rights expert CArmen Draghici, senior lecturer in Law, City University in London. During the meeting in NYC, Draghici said that there was a clear case for a dedicated instrument to tackle crimes against journalists as a result of the deliberate targeting of journalists and the systemic impact of attacks on media workers for citizens right to know

IFJ President Philippe Leruth said: “A journalist’s murder simply because of his or her activity is a scandal, but a far bigger scandal is that nine out of every ten journalists' murders remain unpunished. The Khashoggi case, like all the others, illustrate that journalists are singled out as a target and as such they need dedicated protection”.

Elena Perotti, executive director, Public Affairs and Media Policy at WAN-IFRA, said "In the current international legal framework there are no binding norms establishing safeguards for media workers specifically. This undeniably contributes to the phenomenon of the accountability bar being reset to the lowest level by states getting away with the normalisation of a culture of violence against journalists.”

Johannes Studinger, general secretary of UNI-MEI told the meeting: “Not a week goes by without us receiving reports of yet more attacks or repression against media workers. Unless there is action we fear that we will just keep talking about more and more attacks. We express our support for the IFJ initiative”.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “Today was an important first step towards securing enhanced protection for journalists and media professionals. We welcome the support and commitment from member states and our fellow professional organisations and will continue to build a broader coalition to deliver real action on impunity”.

Two senior digital editors join World Editors Forum Board

Ingeborg Volan, audience director of Dagens Næringsliv, Norway, and Dmitry Shishkin, outgoing digital development editor of BBC World Service, UK, were accepted on to the board of the World Editors Forum at a meeting in Oslo recently.“Both Ingeborg and Dmitry are skilled digital news

leaders who bring a depth of international and practical newsroom knowledge to our board at a time when world events demand we take action to protect our industry and promote its importance,” said Dave Callaway, president of the World Editors Forum. “We welcome their talents and strategic insights and look forward to putting them to work.”

Through the board, Shishkin's considerable experience in newsroom transformation will remain accessible when he becomes chief content officer of @CultureTrip in January. Culture Trip is a global hyper-growth startup operating in travel, media and entertainment.

Volan, a respected digital pioneer, replaces Helje Solberg who has recently been appointed news director of the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, one of the top editorial positions in the country. “We thank Helje for her tireless efforts and look forward to staying in touch as she goes on to great things,” said Callaway.

The World Editors Forum is the community for editors and newsroom executives within WAN-IFRA. It is focused on building trust in quality journalism,

General News

34 December 2018

supporting newsroom transformation and increased diversity, and promoting and defending press freedom. In 2018, the World Editors Forum has been highlighting the development of agile, efficient and sustainable newsrooms, that can help organisations understand and better engage with the audience – to help organisations monetise content.

Biggest challenge for media is to retain its credibility: Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley believes that technology has made press censorship impossible as it does not permit any kind of restraint. Jaitely said this while speaking at an event held on the occasion of National Press Day. He talked about press freedom and how technology has ensured free speech."Your free speech can't be in danger if you are

criticising seven days a week. You have multiple forums. The technology has made censorship impossible. It has made pressuring impossible. You can pressurise one or two media houses but not thousands. Technology does not permit any kind of prior restraint today. You will get access to information through various means that technology provides," he said.

Jaitley also spoke about the 'price page policy' brought by the previous government. "In 1974, there was a move that the size of newspaper should be restricted in national economic interests because newsprint was expensive. Every paper was given certain number of pages that they could publish. And if you publish news, you could not publish advertisements. But ads keep the news alive by financially supporting the publication. So cutting down advertisement is effectively a denial of your right to publish news," the minister said.

Speaking about the challenges facing the media today, Jaitley said, “The biggest challenge today is how the media retains its own credibility so that it continues to become a maker of public opinion.” "These days, it is fashionable to say it's another Emergency. Even if Emergency were ever to be re-imposed today, it would collapse for the simple reason that one of the strengths of Emergency was press censorship and technology doesn't permit press censorship now," he added.

(Courtesy: exchange4media.com)

The Printers (Mysore) has new head of digital business

Arpan Chatterjee has been designated chief operating officer - Digital and will report to The Printers Mysore’s chief executive officer, Karthik Balakrishnan. The Printers Mysore, publisher of Deccan Herald and Prajavani newspapers and Sudha and Mayura magazines, has appointed Arpan Chatterjee as its new head of digital business.

Chatterjee, who joins The Printers (Mysore) from The Hindu Group, has over 20 years of experience across leadership roles in Indian media companies and new economy businesses. He has previously worked for companies such as NaiDunia, Webdunia, Dice Inc, Andale Inc and The Times of India. He has been associated with industry bodies like MRUC (Media Research Users Council) and RSCI (Readership Studies Council of India).

(Courtesy: exchange4media.com)

The Indian Express unveils new brand identity

The Indian Express has announced its rebranding by unveiling a new masthead logo, as well as new and enhanced features. According to a post addressed to readers on their website, the media group stated,

“From a masthead logo that had three elements -- the pen, flame and the brand name -- we have now refined it to have one primary purpose in the masthead and a strong secondary element to communicate authority that stems from legacy.”

The company also said that it aims to expand its reach through print, web and app, by “By furthering our powerful, original journalism and making it come alive through images, audio and video across diversifying coverage” thus, enhancing the user experience. According to the website post, the rebranding will focus on three main areas: Look and Feel, Navigation and Context.

A new look, including, new typography, which aims to clearly communicate the brand's “core values of fairness, independence and transparency” has also been introduced. Enhanced navigation will feature clearly defined showcases for breaking news stories, photography, long-form, video, and opinion. The

General News

35December 2018

website will also feature widgets to help users discover more. The number of ads has also been reduced with an aim to make advertising more impactful and clutter-free for users.

(Courtesy: exchange4media.com)

Sportstar turns 40Sportstar, the multi-sport magazine published every

fortnight by The Hindu Group in India, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. A 108-page issue was released to commemorate this milestone. "In such an age, it’s a challenge for a sports magazine

to stay relevant, but throughout our journey we have reinvented and re-vigourised our content to suit the palate of the changing times. We have been steadfast in offering our readers what they want to read, taking them closer to their sporting icons. Our journey has been made memorable because of the love and encouragement of our readers – who also include the top sporting personalities of the country. We want to thank our readers with this collector's edition of the magazine," says Ayon Sengupta, editor, Sportstar.

On July 1978 the first issue of The Sportstar was published with tennis legend Bjorn Borg on the cover. Priced at Re 1, the magazine offered a ringside view to the world of domestic and international sport.

(Courtesy: exchange4media.com)

World Editors Forum to meet alongside Digital Media India

The eight edition of WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India (DMI) Conference will take place in Mumbai along with the World Editors Forum (WEF) South Asia Summit on February 19 and 20 at Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport. The subjects covered will range from digital trends and revenue strategies to newsroom transformation and women in news and journalism.

Themed Driving Revenue in Digital, DMI 2019 will focus on strategies that can help increase reader revenue, harness technology as a strategic driver of business, and manage partnerships in the digital future. Several case studies, coupled with workshops, make

the conference a must-attend event for executives engaged in the digital media business.

WEF South Asia Summit 2019 will feature leading editors and business leaders from India and abroad discussing some of the hot-button issues such as newsroom transformation, social media impact on journalism, combating fake news and gender parity in newsroom.

Welcoming the move to bring DMI and WEF together, Mukund Padmanabhan, chairman, World Editors Forum India Chapter, says ‘It is an excellent move to bring these two events together. Newsrooms today are undergoing a digital-led transformation. And digital teams have ushered in a huge change in the way newsrooms operate today. I am confident that this event will provide a platform to hear and discuss best practices in newsrooms and the opportunity to implement new ideas.”

The event will be followed by a post-conference workshop on ‘Digital subscription revenue’ from 21 to 22 February at the same venue. Timely updates on the event will be available on the website, dmi.wan-ifra.org, on Twitter with the hashtag #dmi2019 and on the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ wanifraindiaconference. The event offers various sponsorship opportunities for suppliers. The booking for info table and sponsorships is open now. You could send an email to sureshbabu.kr@wan-ifra.org for more information.

General News

36 December 2018

Singapore Press Hold-ings (SPH) and South China Morning Post (SCMP) emerged as the biggest winners at the 9th Digital Media Awards organised recently by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The prize delivered in Hong Kong awards two new Gold winners from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Singapore Press Holdings topped the chart with 13 awards including four gold, while South China Morning Post clinched five awards, including two

Singapore Press Holdings tops awards chart

Asia’s digital best: Gold, silver and bronze Asian Digital Media Awards winners across the competition’s 10 categories received their trophies in Hong Kong on Thursday, November 8.

gold in the Best Data Visualisation and Best Digital News Start-up categories.PT GVM Network and Rappler.com are two first-time winners. PT GVM Network (Womantalk.

com) from Indonesia won gold in the Best in Digital Marketing and bronze in the Best in Social Media Engagement categories. Rappler from the Philippines won gold for Best Use of Online Video

– the most competitive category with a record 38 submissions, the highest for this year’s event.The awards are the most prestigious recognition in Asia of outstanding work by publishers in

adopting digital media and mobile strategies as part of their total offerings to meet the changes in how people consume news today. This year’s Awards, sponsored by Google News Initiative, attracted 157 entries from 27 media companies across 10 Asian countries. The ceremony was held at Digital Media Asia 2018, WAN-IFRA’s annual digital conference which opened on November 8.

The gold winners of the Asian edition will compete with counterparts from other regions – Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and South Asia – during WAN-IFRA’s World Digital Media Awards in June 2019.

Photo

: WA

N-IF

RA

<

EVENTS CALENDAR

37December 2018

2018 - 19

December January

January 25, 2019 organised by INMA, in New York: INMA Global Media Awards. More information on INMA website

March

March 6-7, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Dubai: 14th WAN-IFRA Middle East Conference/ Middle Eastern Digital Media Awards. More information from mechthild.schimpf@wan-ifra.org

March 18-22, organised by INMA, in Stockholm, Sweden: INMA Media Subscriptions Week. More information on INMA website

March 20-23, organised by FESPA, in Sao Paulo, Brazil: FESPA Brasil 2019. More information on FESPA website

February

April 1-2, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Vienna: Digital Media Europe. More information from maria.belem@wan-ifra.org

April 10-12, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Singapore: Publish Asia 2019. More information from wilson.leong@wan-ifra.org

December 3, organised by WAN-IFRA in Vienna: Media Lab Day Vienna. More information on the WAN-IFRA website

December 6-9, organised by FESPA, in Istanbul: FESPA Eurasia 2018. More information on FESPA website

December 17-18, organised by WAN-IFRA in New Delhi: Election Reporting with Smartphones. More details from vijayalakshmi.murali@wan-ifra.org

February 1-6, organised by IPAMA, in Greater NOIDA: 14th Printpack India. More details on IPAMA website.

February 19-20, organised by WAN-IFRA, in Mumbai: Digital Media India 2019 Conference. More information from sureshbabu.kr@wan-ifra.org vijayalakshmi.murali@wan-ifra.org

February 21-23, organised by FESPA, in Bangkok: Asia Print Expo 2019. More information on FESPA website

April

38 December 2018

Last date for receipt of material

15th of every month

Material (images / pictures in 300 dpi and text in 600 dpi)

as a PDF file (created in CMYK), can be sent to

rindgeetha@gmail.comor by CD to our address

Advertisement TariffFull Page:

B&W Rs. 6,000Colour Rs. 12,000

Half Page:

B&W Rs. 3,000Colour Rs. 6,000

(Plus 5% GST)

OverseasFull Page : USD 450

Half Page : USD 250

(Plus 5% GST)

Mechanical Details Page : 185 mm x 255 mmBleed : 210 mm x 280 mmafter trimming

Vertical half page :93 mm x 255 mm

Horizontal half page :185 mm x128 mm

Visit www.pressinstitute.in

Annual Subscription

India : 12 Issues Rs. 600

36 Issues Rs. 1,500

Overseas : USD 50

Director & EditorSashi Nair

editorpiirind@gmail.com

Assistant EditorSusan Philip

Assistant Manager & Editorial Coordinator

R. Suseelaasst.edit@gmail.com

Design & LayoutSeetha Ramesh

Senior Manager - Accounts & AdministrationN. Subramanian

subbudu.n@gmail.com

Office AssistantB. Rajendran

Published by Sashi Nair on behalf of Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development (PII-RIND), Second Main Road, CPT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600 113 and printed by Sashi Nair at Lokavani Southern Printers Pvt Ltd,122 Greams Road, Chennai 600006. Editor: Sashi Nair

The Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, Chennai 600 113

Tele: 044-2254 2344 Telefax: 044-2254 2323

PII-RIND does not take responsibility for returning unsolicited material. It may not always be possible to reply to senders of unsolicited material. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or publisher.

Every effort has been taken to assure that the accuracy of information contained in this publication is based on reliable sources. All trade marks and trade names mentioned in this magazine belong to their respective owners. In case of error, editor/publisher shall not be liable for any loss or prejudice caused to the reader. The publisher reserves the copyright of the materials published in the magazine. No part of the articles or photographs can be reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher. All disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of Chennai only.

A journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

38

Please note that the cheque or demand draft or at par cheque

payable in Chennai, for the subscription amount should

be drawn in the name of Press Institute of India ONLY and

NOT in the name of the magazine.

A Journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

December 2018 | Volume 39| Issue 12| Rs 50 www.pressinstitute.in

RIND Survey

1

A Journal of the Press Institute of India - Research Institute for Newspaper Development

1

INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS, THANKS TO THE DIGITAL WAVEThe moment you see this picture, you know it is about technology. Digital technology continues to transform our world. Isn’t it remarkable that for an organisation like Koenig & Bauer, the oldest printing press manufacturer still in service, the focus is on using digital technology to actively exploit available market opportunities and produce enhanced products for flexible packaging printing, flatbed die-cutters and marking and coding? And digital transformation is not only happening on the shop floor. It is happening in newsrooms as well. According to Trushar Barot, the digital launch editor of Indian Languages at BBC World Service, artificial intelligence or AI could help journalists find stories – bots scanning news websites, processing feeds and social media accounts, gathering potential leads, and processing big data. A Reuters survey says 59 per cent of publishers in Europe and parts of Asia are already using AI. See pages 19 and 12 for more.