China Print 2013:poised to set new benchmarks of success

Under the theme ‘Green, Efficient, Digital and Intelligent’, the 8th Beijing International Printing Technology exhibition (China Print 2013) is scheduled to be held during May 14-18 at New China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, presenting a number of innovations and advancements in the printing industry. In order to update all stakeholders about the preparations, progress and highlighted features of the show, China Print 2013 organizers recently held an international media week, witnessing around 150 attendees including government officials, leaders of local printing and packaging associations, as well as the representatives from the major exhibitors: Heidelberg, HP, manroland, Komori, Konica Minolta, Founder, Shanghai Electric Printing and Packaging Machinery Group, Beiren Group, Masterwork, and Cron to share their exhibition plans. SK Khurana, editor, Print & Publishing, who joined the moments, briefs. Constantly setting new benchmarks of developments for thirty years, China Print has become not only a stage for printing machinery manufacturers, but also a grand gathering of the printing industry. Sponsored by Printing and Printing Equipments Industries Association of China (PEIAC) and China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation, and organized by China Print Show Company (CPSC), China Print 2013 is also to be the most important printing exhibition of the year. With the concept of ‘Grow beyond limited’, the show is expected to build an international communication platform for every industry insiders ensuring fruitful business results, attracting a record number of around 1,80,000 visitors. Being an effective way of promotion and an interaction forum for information exchanging between government, associations, organizers, exhibitors, visitors and media, the China Print 2013 International Media Week comprehensively highlighted the strengths of the show, with presentations by leading exhibitors, special reports, and elaborative interactions.

Yu zhen, honorary chairman of PEIAC, Yu Ping, vice chairman of CCPIT, Wu Feng, official of equipment industry department of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Yin Haixing, vice president of CIEC delivered a speech on the occasion. The development situation of China’s printing industry was introduced by Zhang Jianmin, secretary general of digital and network printing sub-association. Lichen, secretary general of China Print Awards made a presentation on the progress of China Print Awards. Xie Senshu, vice secretary general of PEIAC and general manager of CPSC introduced the progress of China Print 2013. “Ministry of Industry & Information Technology always helps associations to develop industries. Acceleration of processes is very important, specially regarding digital and other recent innovations,” informed Wu Feng.

Special features…

As per the organizers, six special features of China Print 2013 shall include: larger scale, industry leaders, latest technologies, various concurrent events, top-level services, global buyers, making it the largest printing exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world.

Until the end of December 2012, over 1,000 companies have applied to attend China Print 2013 and the total net booth area has reached to 1,60,000 sq m, increased by sixty percent compared with last event. Conventional printing press manufacturers such as Heidelberg, KBA, Komori and manroland would exhibit with larger booth areas. Digital printing press manufacturers such as HP increased its booth from 1,000 sq m in 2009 to 3,600 sq m in 2013. Kodak, Canon, Ricoh, Fuji, Konica Minolta would also attend with large exhibiting area. Major manufacturers from China as Shanghai Electric Printing and Packaging Machinery Group, Beiren Group, Hans-Gronhi, Masterwork, Founder will also exhibit with large scale. Resultantly, the visitors will be able not only to see the new international products and technologies, but also the equipments made in China, covering the complete industry chain.

A series of high-level international seminars will be held during CHINA PRINT 2013. The third FORUM-PI, Asia Print Annual Meeting, Global Print Secretary-general Meeting, Opening Ceremony Banquet, China Print Awards and other meetings of local printing associations will be held. At the same time, the organizers will hold a series of activities covering digital printing, green, standard, packaging, label, and inkjet segments. On this line, the International Function Materials Forum and the G7 Printing Standard Forum will be held during the show. To promote the China Print 2013 platform, the organizers have been offering an online business-matching service.

Segmenting the show…

Post Press area with relevant equipment is to lead segment wise display, forming almost 30 percent of the total display at China Print 2013. The next category at the second place is going to be prepress/digital activities accounting for 19 percent and leaving offset printing segment at 16 percent. This practically provides the trends of today being seen. In fact there has been enormous production and installations of printing equipments but less focus on finishing equipments in terms of comparative numbers. And now as such the coming phase of installations will definitely belong to beyond printing per se. The digital printing process, which has seen rapid growth over the years, has in fact no boundaries to limit to. As such double digit growth cannot be ruled out in whole of Asia. As of now it was informed during this International Media Week that in China alone more than 500 units of Indigo presses are installed and the growth in CtP installation went around 20 times in last three years. During the year 2012, more than 2,000 CtP units were installed.

Highlights from majors…

The major exhibitors, who made their presentations and revealed their new launch programmes for China Print 2013, include: Heidelberg, HP, manroland, Komori, Konica Minolta, Founder, Shanghai Electric Printing and Packaging Machinery Group, Beiren Group, Masterwork, Cron. Each one of them elaborated their existing portfolio, their missions for future and programmes to target the growing markets globally, and did not forget to announce the initiatives towards green and environment strategies. For Heidelberg it was their flagship HEI-ECO, feasibility, productivity, which was the focus in their presentation. For HP, year on year growth for Indigo and complete portfolio of equipment targeting changing print-runs was the goal. With over 20,000 installations base in 2000 cities of over 100 countries, HP as a leading IT company offering imaging options from A4 page size to five meter wide printing is all set to bring ‘drupa concept’ to China Print 2013 as well.

Komori is planning to demonstrate K-Press Navi for the very first time in Beijing. Another display from Komori would be digital printing offerings as shown in drupa. With the concept of ‘Komori-on-Demand, packaging solutions shall also be a major agenda in China Print 2013.

Konica Minolta, on the other hand targeted more Chinese printers to work with. With the second position being enjoyed in China, they are optimistic to achieve major market share soon. Already having established manufacturing facility in China, employing around 750 staff locally, believing very strategically in the growth of digital print market, they also have developed and launched ‘PrintSquare’ as Web2Print solution in China. The company will showcase the complete portfolio of mono and colour digital machines at China Print 2013.

Founder and Cron announced their focus on software as the lifeline in imaging industries, both companies are planning to launch and demonstrate newer solutions to face the recent challenge posed by higher labour cost. Founder, while focusing on anti-counterfeiting, ink savings also announced 3-D solution in the year 2013 onwards. Cron talked about colour management solutions and their expanding globally as well. Shanghai Electric Printing and Packaging Machinery Group, having very large portfolio of sheetfed, web, finishing and employing over 3,500 people announced their focus on brand, service and environment protecting in the years to come. Similarly, the new initiatives were announced by Beiren Group, who are planning to target organized printing solutions, and shall be present in China Print 2013 with vast portfolio displaying their full range of equipments, including the specialty machines.

Kodak and manroland, both after having structured their working pattern shall be present with more vigor and strength. Kodak, with ever strong digital portfolio and manroland with value addition concept shall offer environment protection practices, by print what you need and minimum waste respectively with the help of advanced technologies.

Three decades of tremendous growth

Undoubtedly, a trade show is known as barometer of economy and industry development. In the 33 years after adopting the Reform and Opening-up policy, China has created an epic with average double-digit annual GDP growth. The total output value of the printing industry has increased from 4.8 billion RMB in 1978 to 867.7 billion RMB in 2011, which is 180 times larger. The steady growth of the printing industry is the foundation of China Print’s development in thirty years.

In 1984, China Print was established with the approval of the State Council, and the first event was organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the State Economic Commission, at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center (NAEC). In 1988, the second China Print was approved by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, also known as UFI, to be the first UFI member exhibition in China. China Print kept a steady development in the 1990s. Its size reached 16,000 sq m in 1992 and 21,000 sq m in 1996. In 2005, the 6th China Print occupied all show area of both the CIEC and the NAEC, reaching 92,000 sq m. In order to meet the need of growing market demand, China Print sponsors decided to partner with the Guangdong Printing Association (GPA) to establish a new exhibition, Print China, in the Dongguan city of Guangdong province. The first Print China 2007 reached 80,000 sq m and in 2011, the second Print China achieved a growth of 50 percent comparing with its debut, reaching 1,20,000 sq m.

In 2009, the 7th China Print was successfully held during the global financial crisis. The exhibition moved to the NCIEC and exceeded 100,000 square meters, becoming a top-three printing show in the world, with 1,284 exhibitors,162,580 visitors from 108 countries and regions to attend.

Marking constant success, the 8th China Print 2013 is writing a completely different story. During the press conference on Drupa in May of 2012, the organizer announced that 1,00,000 sq m of NCIEC’s indoor show space has already been sold out, with over 200 exhibitors still in the waiting list. In August of 2012, the organizer decided to build up temporary halls to meet exhibitors’ demand. Since then, the total show area kept increasing till 160,000 sq m, with nearly 1,000 exhibitors participating, which shows around sixty percent increase in the event’s size, comparing with the previous edition of the show.

MASTERWORK: masters indeed in producing
state-of-the-art packaging equipments

During China Print 2013 International Media Week, the media representatives were also guided to Tianjin to visit MASTERWORK Machinery’s factory and then visit the economic development zone to experience the development of China’s printing enterprises.

A brief visit to the MASTERWORK’s plant becomes an eye opener for any one not only in terms of quality equipments but more so in the size of their operations. Staffed with over 700 employees, working round the clock, all 365 days in a year MASTERWORK produces around 360 machines every year. That makes one machine coming out every day, and the machine is not just small equipment. It is indeed heavy duty, equipment combining of numerous components. To produce such quantum of machines, the machine tool centre also has to be of massive size. Yes, they indeed have such a large supporting equipment to fulfill the need of components including number of CNC machines from prestigious brands like Toshiba.

The line of machines under assembly at various stages in different halls, provides an idea as to how such a large number of orders from all over the world, they must be executing. A look at their components storage system is yet another highlight of the operations, MASTERWORK maintains. Enormous number of multi-tire storage racks system assists them in maximum utilization of space not only at the floor area but towards ceiling as well. And the lighting system is yet another feature wherein they utilize natural light to the optimum level. The movement of equipment/components within the factory premises has been arranged in such a convenient mode by using heavy duty rails filled into the floor.

With an annual turnover of over 570 million RMB (last year), MASTERWORK is undoubtedly a leading manufacturer of high precision, high speed automatic die-cutting machine, high precision automatic platen foil stamping with hologram system, and the high speed automatic folding and gluing machines. Established in the year 1995 as ‘Tianjin Changrong Printing Equipment Co Ltd’ which became ‘Masterwork Machinery Co Ltd in 2007, the company has been ensuring reliability and multi function capabilities with customer satisfaction at all levels.

Masterwork’s range of machines also include: Duopress, a unique machine that gives advantage of performing two seamless operations (die cutting and foil stamping/embossing) at a time in one go thereby saving time, energy, manpower and wastage; Inspection Machine 420 Q, a technological breakthrough in its design with a spectacular speed of 240m/min; MK 420, a fully automatic sheet inspection machine which enables automatic detection of products ensuring quality; MK920YMI which caters to normal foil stamping, hologram and die cutting; MK920SS foil stamping/die cutting combination machine; MK1060ST for executing the complex jobs; MK1060M/MF automatic platen die cutting machine with stripping, the excellent new cost effective solution featuring high quality, high speed, fast delivery, quick return; MK550/650/800/1000FBII high speed automatic folder gluer to produce various kinds of boxes; and many more. With such a broad range of machinery, the company is all set to grow significantly in the years to come! In India, Masterwork is represented by Mumbai based Manugraph India Ltd and some of the equipments have recently been introduced for packaging printers to cater packaging market effectively.

Manugraph’s strength and success has always been excellent national network with various offices at important cities and after sales service. The company assures their customers that Manugraph is committed to serve them for years to come, not just by supplying them quality printing machines but packaging machines as well with top-class after sales service.

At the Printpack India 2013 show (hanger No 1, stall # H14/05), to be held at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, NCR Delhi during February 23-28, 2013, Manugraph, in association with Masterwork, would present live demo of MK 1060M/MF automatic platen die cutting machine with stripping, the excellent new cost effective solution featuring high quality, high speed, fast delivery, quick return; and MK 420, a fully automatic sheet inspection machine which enables automatic detection of products ensuring quality.