The fact that the places at the Muller Martini booth for in-depth discussions between representatives of the newspaper industry from around the world and mailroom experts of the Swiss machine manufacturer were frequently all occupied shows that the annual World Publishing Expo remains a highly important event. K. Balaji, Managing Director of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., Chennai, which publishes the Indian daily newspaper “The Hindu,” agreed. “I’ve attended this newspaper fair nearly every year since 1985, and since becoming a member of the board of WAN-IFRA it’s become even more significant for me personally. In particular in times when newspapers are under pressure, the World Publishing Expo gives publishing houses and producers fresh impetus and ideas, from pre-press through printing to the mailroom.” K. Balaji noted that Muller Martini and “The Hindu” have been linked for more than one decade by “an excellent partnership,” and expresses particular appreciation of the “good service provided by Muller Martini India.”

“Close Partnerships are Crucial”
Such close relationships between newspaper publishers and systems suppliers are important for enabling newspapers to continue to withstand the competition from digital media, said Daniel Langenegger, member of the Muller Martini Corporate Management. More than 500 million newspapers are printed daily around the world and are read by some 2.5 billion people, while digital newspapers reach “just” 800 million readers, explained Langenegger at the traditional customer event with a dinner in Amsterdam. “Yet despite these impressive figures, newspapers are facing constant challenges,” he said. “For newspaper producers to continue to be successful in the future, not only technical advances, such as our new NewsGrip F conveyor, which serves as the backbone of the mailroom, or the new double production mode of our ProLiner D inserting system, are important. Close partnerships between producers and machine manufacturers are equally crucial.”

Fynske Medier Shows How It’s Done
Fynske Medier, in the Danish city of Odense, shows how it is possible to remain successful in the daily newspaper business, despite the digital competition, thanks to close cooperation with system suppliers. The circulation figures of “Fyens Stiftstidevde” and “Fyns Amtsavis” have been increasing continuously for years, while newspaper circulation figures have fallen in Denmark in general. “Firstly, that’s because we consistently focus on regional topics,” explained Production Manager Jerk Hammelsvang. “Secondly, we enhance our newspapers with special-interest inserts, which we produce using a NewsStitch and NewsTrim from Muller Martini. That ensures great success not only with our readers, but also our advertising customers.” For Jerk Hammelsvang, the World Publishing Expo is a must every year. “I meet the key suppliers of the graphic industry here and we can take the time to discuss the latest solutions,” he explained.

In addition to the new NewsGrip F and ProLiner D developments, as well as the Connex.Mailroom data and process management system, which functions as the production control center of the mailroom, life cycle management and retrofit programs also attracted a great deal of interest at the Muller Martini booth. Numerous visitors keenly followed the on-screen presentations of the TABA I top sheet feeder and the new referencing function of the NewsGrip, which increases efficiency, leading to shorter production times in the mailroom.