L-R: Erik van Holten, chief executive officer, QIPC; Paul Huybrechts, managing director CPP, and Erwin van Rossem, head of sales at QIPC
Q.I. Press Controls (QIPC) and the Belgium-based Coldset Printing Partners (CPP) have further solidified their cooperation. CPP is modernizing its printing plant in Paal-Beringen in Belgium. Meanwhile, QIPC is playing a big role in automating both its existing and its newly acquired presses. The two companies have been cooperating since 2009. QIPC develops optical measure and control systems. Additionally, it is globally active in the newspaper and magazine printing industry.
CPP placed the order with QIPC for the mRC-3D system for register and cut-off control on the new KBA Cortina presses. The Belgium-based company is responsible for printing Flemish dailies such as De Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad, Het Belang van Limburg and the Gazet van Antwerpen, as well as Dutch newspapers, such as De Telegraaf and De Limburger. It is anticipating better working practices. THe overall quality of its printed matter will improve as well.
State-of-the-art machines
“We attach great importance to innovation. We are therefore keen to work with partners who have a proven track record in this field. In our experience, QIPC is such a partner. Our new orders are based on that partnership. And we regularly hold meetings with them about innovations that we can introduce into our production operations,” Paul Huybrechts, managing director of CPP says.
Erwin van Rossem, head of sales at QIPC says, “Back then, they were one of the first businesses to invest in automatic color registration. Having had a chance to put the new technology successfully through its paces, they were bold enough to make further investments. This kind of collaboration only comes when mutual trust and satisfaction about the partnership is high.”
In addition to two new KBA Cortina presses, all machines currently operating in the plant are to be modernized in partnership with QIPC. “At the moment, we have three printing plants in Amsterdam, Paal-Beringen and Groot Bijgaarden. The latter is due to close at some point, which means the focus will be even more on Paal-Beringen. What’s more, as well as the newspapers printed for Mediahuis, we also produce for other partners. Working under pressure and to tight deadlines means we have a need for reliable, efficient systems. It is partly down to the partnership with QIPC that we can refer to our printing presses as state-of-the-art machines,” says Huybrechts.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
