Print strengthens in Australia with web press boom
Total orders with IPP for MAN Roland web presses in 2004 came to more than $220 million, following the order late last year for a new Regioman newspaper press at a APN News & Media site in Queensland (Yandina).
IPP managing director Jonathan Clark claims the results represent a bright future for print media in the country. “What is most encouraging is that these orders were spread across all sectors and media types, says Clark. “Everything from metropolitan newspapers to large regional newspapers, smaller regional newspapers as well as magazine and catalogue commercial work.”
Major web press orders and installations in Australia last year included:
Rural Press:
Upgrades at three print sites (North Richmond, Ballarat and Canberra) and one completely new site at Mandurah in Western Australia that is already up and running. The upgrades in NSW, ACT and Victoria are in response to rapidly growing demand for additional colour capacity.
“This is a fantastic commitment to the on-going importance of print by a media group that has many other interests besides print, but which is still prepared to invest heavily in new press capacity,” says Clark.
PMP Print:
The largest single order for new printing presses at Drupa 2004, with six new Lithoman commercial web presses to be installed at different locations. Represents a major re-investment in commercial magazine and catalogue printing from the region's largest print group.
APN News & Media:
A new Regioman newspaper press, the first of its kind in Australia, combined with a Uniset commercial heatset tower, the first time that a double width/single circumference press (4/1 configuration) has been combined with a single width/double circumference press (2/2 configuration) in the same pressline. Represents a landmark installation for regional newspapers.
News Ltd:
A complete upgrade to full colour at the Chullora print site, part of a huge worldwide investment program in new print facilities.
“Rupert Murdoch has stated his confidence in the continued importance of print media and that is reflected in the scale of the new investment in colour capacity being made by News Ltd around the world,” says Clark.
Clark claims some serious money is being invested in print across Australia, and there's more to come. “While there's no doubt that activity in the web market is cyclical, the underlying message is that print is healthy, print is strong and that it is continuing to grow. In the commercial sector, we're seeing new magazines and creative products on the market, and while circulation figures for newspapers are under pressure, page volumes are growing with more sections being printed. Regional newspapers in particular are doing very well.”
“The success of MAN Roland and IPP is not an overnight sensation. We've worked hard with many of these companies over the years and we've managed to demonstrate that our solutions are the most productive and flexible on the market. That's why MAN Roland is the world leader in web presses and that's why we've been so successful in Australia.”
“The message we should be reinforcing as an industry on the eve of PacPrint05 is that print is alive and kicking and remains a vital element in all media communications.”
IPP managing director Jonathan Clark claims the results represent a bright future for print media in the country. “What is most encouraging is that these orders were spread across all sectors and media types, says Clark. “Everything from metropolitan newspapers to large regional newspapers, smaller regional newspapers as well as magazine and catalogue commercial work.”