News Limited orders Geoman press for Townsville

manroland stays on track with News Limited in new $52 million deal.

News Limited's decision to spent $52 million building a new printing press in Townsville was announced last week. The 4 by 2 Geoman press is expected to be commissioned in 2010 and will be housed in a new print hall built on News Limited's current Townsville site.

Dietmar Zutt, (pictured) vice president of sales at manroland described the announcement as an extension of the good relationship between both companies.

"The success we had in Chullora has led to another project in Townsville and we are very happy to continue our partnership with News Limited," he said.

The Geoman press offers full trimming, stitching, gluing and folding capabilities and can produce two products simultaneously. "It is capable of printing 160 pages of back-to-back four colour and has the flexibility to print other products," Zutt said.

Jason Scott, general manager of North Queensland Newspapers, believes the purchase of a new press was long overdue.

"The introduction of world-class printing means the paper will finally have the look and feel to match its editorial standards," he said.

"The announcement is a huge vote of confidence not only for the Townsville Bulletin, but also in the local economy."

Scott dispelled the belief that newspapers and printed media is dying in the face of the internet. "People are still writing epitaphs for newspapers but the reality is that the industry is still building more presses today than it ever has," he said.