Printing World articles from November 2003

Printing World archives from November 2003

Explosion at Polestar Greaves halts presses.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Production at Polestar Greaves in Scarborough was halted for 48 hours last week after an explosion in the plant's boiler house. Nearby windows were shattered and two staff were taken to hospital suffering from shock but were later...

Scitex considers future of SDP.(Scitex Digital Printing subsidiary)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Scitex Corporation has appointed Goldman, Sachs & Co to consider options for its Scitex Digital Printing subsidiary. It says a sale is possible but denies it has received a $200m offer from Oce. Rumours of a sell off began when SDP...

Williams Lea buys Pierce.(Pierce Corporate Information Solutions )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Williams Lea has extended its European presence with the buyout of Pierce Corporate Information Solutions from its partner RW Pierce Group in Ireland. The alliance began in 2001 to provide Williams Lea with an operation in Ireland to meet...

Printcafe changes.(resignations and office closing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Printcafe's European managing director Robert Berkeley is leaving the company shortly after its takeover by EfI. The new owners are closing Printcafe's office in Windsor and moving the remaining Printcafe staff to EfI's UK offices near Heathrow...

EfI completes acquisition.(T/R Systems)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Meanwhile, EfI has completed its $21m acquisition of T/R Systems, the manufacturer of the Micropress cluster print engine, which was first announced back in September. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

New start up distribution company.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... KPMF Direct is the new start up distribution company launched to market KPMF brand signmaking, printing and digital imaging films throughout the UK. Operating from a new 6,000sq ft sales and distribution centre in Lichfield, KPMF Direct will...

Gallus open day.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Gallus will be opening its doors in Royston from November 18 to 20, to demonstrate how the latest EM280 line can help label printers. The ten- colour flexo/screen/hot foil combination press will be producing a variety of work from clear on...

Laser Printing Conference.(Information Management Institute )(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 6, 2003... The Information Management Institute is currently finalising the programmes for its 12th Annual Laser Printing Conference on February 9-11, 2004 and the 7th Annual Toner and Imaging Chemicals Conference on February 11-13, 2004. Both events will...

Northcliffe halts presses for rebuild.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Northcliffe Press has closed down half its presses in its Plymouth plant for a major rebuild that will almost triple colour capacity for the Daily Mail and other regional newspapers. The current HT60 press at a recently opened...

Maul-Belser hatches plans for Derby plant.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Maul-Belser, the gravure printing subsidiary of the Bertelsmann group, has appointed leading UK surveyor Innes England in the first stage of a project to build a plant in the UK to serve mail order catalogue companies like Littlewoods. The...

Potts retreat goes on.(Thomas Potts sells CCS Potts division)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Thomas Potts' presence in print continues to diminish after it sold off its CCS Potts division to print management rival Dataform this week. CCS Potts is a #10m turnover division with offices in Cardiff and Nottingham, which extends...

Howard's stay.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Michael Howard dropped in to Metloc Printers in Romford as part of a campaign to demonstrate an interest in small businesses. He was shown the family run company's six-colour Speedmaster, installed last year, and was lobbied by director Stephen...

Adare appointments.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Adare on Demand Communications has announced three appointments to further develop technological leadership. Nick Chalk becomes Adare ODC's technical development director assessing emerging technologies and working in strategic partnership with...

All in one service.(CPC design, production and packaging service )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... CD specialist CPC has launched an all in one design, production and packaging service for local authorities. CPC works from a new state of the art distribution centre in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, and as it is a CD production company councils can...

Printing debate.(Institute of Printing's annual debate )(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 6, 2003... The Institute of Printing's annual debate at the House of Commons will discuss the motion, `This house believes that modern printing systems do not require skilled personnel.' The debate will take place at 6.30pm on December 17 and will be...

LabelExpo in Brussels.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Matthew Rous, deputy head of Mission from British Embassy in Brussels visited the 30 British companies exhibiting at LabelExpo in Brussels. For the third consecutive year, Trade Partners UK (part of British Trade International) awarded Support...

Injuries in the printing sector.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Hand injuries account for about 38% of reported injuries in the printing sector according to hand protection specialists, Marigold Industrial. The company believes that many of the injuries, from cuts to skin disease from chemical use, are...

Buxton signals goals with KBA 105 arrivals.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Buxton Press, the Derbyshire magazine printer, is set to be top dog in the UK long perfector stakes when it takes delivery of two further KBA 105s. The two presses, an eight-colour announced earlier in the year, and a newly ordered...

Xerox pioneer Ritchie stays loyal with Docucolor.(Docucolor 6060 installation)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Kilmarnock printer Ritchie (UK), in 1990 the first in Scotland to install a Xerox Docutech digital press, has now installed a Docucolor 6060. "The #250,000 cost is a major investment for us," says managing director Gordon Cunningham, "But...

Xaar strikes digital inkjet Partnership.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Xaar has struck a partnership agreement with specialist solutions provider The Technology Partnership, a UK company able to bring together different suppliers to form bespoke production lines involving inkjet digital printing. This follows...

Abbey Board appointment.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Stewart Morland has joined Abbey Board, Kettering, as national account manager (speciality sales). Prior to joining Abbey he was sales manager at Smurfit in Gosport and has more than 18 years' experience in the corrugated industry, mainly in...

Independent tabloid.(Independent News and Media launches tabloid addition in northwest)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Following the success of its tabloid-sized edition in London, Independent News & Media is launching the tabloid edition in the north- west this week. The company says net sales of the newspaper increased by 20,000 a day, about 9%, after the...

Gwynedd takes delivery of a Heidelberg.(new printing equipment)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Gwynedd County Council takes delivery of a Heidelberg Printmaster QM46- 2 and a Polar 78E this month. The council inplant which handles business cards, letters and two-colour brochures with runs of up to 60,000, is replacing an older QM46-2 and...

Independent accreditation scheme.(Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce has launched an independent accreditation scheme for environmental and sustainable development awards. With more than 300 environmental and sustainable awards open to...

KIP installation.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... KIP UK has installed its KIP8000HDP wide format printer at Quadragraphics' east London printing facility. The printer, the world's fastest wide format LED printer, has replaced two existing analogue systems and enabled the company to increase...

Litho's Fuji deal means top three in portfolio.(Litho Supplies is to distribute Fuji products)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Litho Supplies is to distribute Fuji's film, plates and proofing materials throughout the UK. This will mean that the Beaston based operation will be distributing consumables from the three major manufacturers as it handles Agfa and KPG...

Funding for skills.(Sector Skills Councils )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The government has announced an additional #500,000 for newly formed Sector Skills Councils to help them create an effective infrastructure and be active from day one. The 50% funding increase for SSC's first year of operation was announced at...

BPIF and PCC launch scholarships.(Industries Federation and the Printers' Charitable Corporation )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The British Printing Industries Federation and the Printers' Charitable Corporation have linked to launch a series of annual educational scholarships to assist students further their careers in the UK printing and graphic arts industries. ...

Treasury restates its VAT promise.(value added tax)
November 6, 2003... The government has reconfirmed its promise not to extend VAT to books or newspapers, despite European threats to harmonise VAT across all EU member states. "We remain committed to our manifesto pledge that we will not extend VAT to...

Maxwell questions arise.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Papers filed at the National Archives have raised questions about Robert Maxwell's connections with communist Russia. Foreign Office papers dating to 1959 describe Mr Maxwell as "a thoroughly bad character and almost certainly financed by...

New chief executive.(Learning and Skills Council)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Former Trinity Mirror National Newspapers managing director Mark Haysom has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council, the body which funds vocational education in England and for approving Modern...

Andersons campaign.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Andersons is promising a controversial advertising and promotional direct mail campaign to emphasise its success as the largest independent supplier to the sign, exhibition and digital print market. A series of six advertisements featuring a...

Deltor is growing.(Deltor Communications installs new machinery)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Commercial print house Deltor Communications in Cornwall has installed a Komori five-colour 28 plus coater to run alongside a Komori Lithrone B1 five-colour 40 with aqueous coater and a Heidelberg single-colour press. Managing director Alan...

MGN appointment.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... MGN has appointed Clare Dove as its new director of advertising with effect from January 1, 2004. Ms Dove will be responsible for the advertising sales operation of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the People. She will report to Ellis...

Cove status.(Leicester College School of Print awarded Centre of Vocational Excellence by the Learning Skills Council)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Leicester College School of Print and its business division, the National Printing Skills Centre, have been awarded full Centre of Vocational Excellence (Cove) status in Print Skills by the Learning Skills Council. This confirms the colleges'...

Setmasters shifts production to India.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Setmasters, the collator manufacturer in Lymington, Hampshire, has `done a Dyson' and outsourced production of most of its machines to an Indian company in order to reduce the price to customers. However, unlike Dyson, which last year...

Thomson opts for ctp.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Thomson Litho in East Kilbride is moving from film to ctp with an order that will give it the capacity to produce 100,000 plates a year. It is taking two Heidelberg Topsetter 102PS systems, a five bin and a single bin, each with AutoLoader....

DS Smith gets three Macfarlane plants.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... DS Smith is taking over three corrugated packaging plants from Macfarlane, whose new chief executive Peter Atkinson has pledged to turn the group round after first half losses reached #6.5m this year. The three factories in Dundee, Govan...

Freidheim International moves into packaging field.(Beck Packautomaten acquisition)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Friedheim International is selling packaging equipment for the first time in its history after taking over the exclusive agency for film German wrapping specialist Beck Packautomaten. The packaging market is seen by Friedheim as offering...

In my opinion: Peter Barber.(the demise of IDS)(Column)
November 6, 2003... The King is dead - long live the King! After months of unrelenting pressure, culminating in the added humiliation of Betsygate, IDS finally hit the dust. Although the main element of his demise focused on his apparent ineptness at managing...

Web printers `cut own throats'.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Magazine printers have only themselves to blame for the low margins and reduced pricing in the industry, according to BBC worldwide production director Mal Skelton. "It's not that publishers are moving prices down," he told the PPA conference...

Clegg takes magazine print award.(Periodical Publishers Association awards)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The magazine printer of the year, according to the PPA, is Cooper Clegg. The award was presented to chairman Ian Cooper at the awards dinner last week. Wyndeham Argent won the magazine repro award while Ailec Mailing Services was magazine...

PPA proposes proofing standard.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Around two-thirds of those working in the magazine production chain have no faith in the proofing process, to judge from the straw poll at the Periodical Publishers' Association production conference last week. According to this audience...

COMMENT: The Germans are coming.(Bertelsmann may set up shop in United Kingdom)(Brief Article)(Column)
November 6, 2003... It appears that Germany's largest printer is poised to set up in England's green and pleasant land. That it might come with a gravure investment is doubly ironic as its chosen location in the Midlands is so close to the spot where Howitt's...

Letter: Far from extinction.(Letter to the Editor)
November 6, 2003... I am writing in response to Peter Barber's opinion piece regarding Ipex and Drupa becoming dinosaurs of a bygone age (Printing World, October 23). In fact I am pleased to announce that far from facing extinction these major international...

Letter: Phoenixes and dinosaurs.(Letter to the Editor)
November 6, 2003... Phoenix companies? Print Trade exhibitions? I see it's chestnut time again! Your excellent piece outlining the legislative background to the former (Printing World, October 23) explains why this will remain a problem which can only be...

ABB doubles losses.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... ABB, the engineering group that makes press controls and paper handling equipment, has doubled its losses in the third quarter to $279m but says it has reached `the end of the tunnel'. In its automation technologies division, which includes...

International Paper profits.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... International Paper, the world's largest paper group, has reported third-quarter profits of $122m, well below the $145m it made this time last year. Sales were steady at $6.2bn. The results echo those of Stora Enso whose third -quarter profits...

Quebecor World offers Senior Notes.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Quebecor World, which made a second-quarter loss of $62m in July, is to offer $600m of new Senior Notes, to mature in five or ten years, and will use the proceeds to pay back bonds due to mature in 2008 and 2009. Copyright: CMP Information...

Standard Register sales fall.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... US printer Standard Register saw sales fall 12% in the third quarter to $222.1m, and made a net loss of $1.6m because of restructuring costs. `Our financial performance continued to be hampered by reduced unit demands and pricing pressure,'...

NUR sales down.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... NUR, the maker of wide format inkjet printing systems, has suffered a further fall in sales. Third-quarter revenue stood at $17.1m, down from $20.9m a year ago, mainly due to its decision to stop selling substrates. But the pre-exceptional...

WPP ad revenue increases.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... WPP, the global advertising group, has seen ad revenue increase by 14% in the third quarter, but it says the UK is still the market most affected by recession. Rival advertising group Omnicom has enjoyed a 14.7% rise in third-quarter profits,...

Polestar takes over Httprint software arm.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Polestar Group has taken over the e-commerce division of Httprint, which announced two months ago that it was quitting the US market to concentrate on Europe. Httprint operates two distinct businesses from its base in Milton Keynes,...

Express titles' profits drop by 57%.(Express Newspapers)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Express Newspapers' profits fell by 57% last year, as their publisher Richard Desmond grew increasingly dependent on his 50% share in West Ferry Printers. Newly released figures for RCD1 Ltd, which as owner of the Northern & Shell Network...

Youngsters spurn `boring' manufacturing.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... British schoolchildren regard a job in manufacturing as "hard, dirty and boring" and only one in 25 would actually consider working in the sector when they are old enough to do so, according to a the results of a new survey. The...

Small printers turn to consultants first.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... More and more small printers and copy shops are using external consultants to advise them on their business, according to the latest BAPC survey. BAPC's members are mostly small, with only 32% of the survey respondents employing...

BCF warns over chemicals.(British Coatings Federation )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Printers should start thinking now about how to cope with new European rules on chemicals, the British Coatings Federation has warned. The new rules, known as Reach, were published in draft form last week and will become law in late 2004 or...

Compulsory winding up.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The following case is due to be heard at Leeds District Registry, Oxford Row, Leeds 1 * Milestone Publishing Ltd c/o David Wiles Associates, The Coach House, 7 Carlton Drive, Heaton, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD9 4DL Copyright: CMP...

Appointment of liquidators.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... * Sturfords Ltd Printers. Liquidator: DN Hughes, Janes, 33 Rodney Road, Cheltenham GL51 8HX * Weaver Press (Colour Printers) Ltd Printers. Liquidator: KE Stevens, Wilkins Kennedy, Gladstone Hosue, 77-79 High Street, Egham, Surrey TW20 9HY...

Final meetings.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 6, 2003... * Buzz Publications Ltd at 24 Conduit Place, London W2 1EP on November 27 at 10am for members and at 10.15am for creditors * Britarprint Ltd at Robert Milichap, Grove House, Tillington, Herefordshire HR4 8LW on November 25 at 10am for...

Windsor Print sets a date for Children in Need.(contract to print calendar)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Windsor Print, Tonbridge, has printed the official 2004 Countryfile calendar, the proceeds of which will go to Children In Need. The calendar consists of a 4pp cover, 24pp text printed on a B2 Heidelberg Speedmaster and sealed throughout on...

Q&A: Shining a light on Vision in Print.(interview with Patricia Hewitt )(Interview)
November 6, 2003... Where is Vision in Print? Vision in Print launched with great fanfare and a conference at which DTI minister Patricia Hewitt spoke warmly of the opportunities that would open up to companies in the industry. Since then a chief...

Getting there: David Graham.(Brief Article)(Interview)
November 6, 2003... DAVID GRAHAM What has been the best moment of your career? Joining Premier Print in the knowledge that having the opportunity to buy it would come and it did. What was the One that Got Away? I am sorry I cannot say just in...

Why buy..Python platesetter.(Product/Service Evaluation)
November 6, 2003... HighWater's Python platesetter is a straightforward robust unit, but does it cut the mustard when compared with its rivals in the market place? By Rod Hayes Speaking quite candidly, I do not think making plates is a proper job any...

Python: Runners and riders.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... In its price range Python is challenged by: * Screen Micra, similar philosophy, though probably a little more complex * Presstek Dimension 400. Unit is specific to Presstek plates. Good unit but limited choice of plate suppliers...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Treble top.(Anton equipment)
November 6, 2003... Having the courage to concentrate on B1 printing by investing in three long perfectors means that Anton has not only stemmed margin erosion but been spurred into making other investments and improvements By Rod Hayes Three strikes and...

INVESTIGATION: Repent at leisure.(Enterprise Act and insolvency law)
November 6, 2003... The Enterprise Act, in force since September 15, is widely derided as a `phoenix's charter' despite the government's best intentions By Malcolm Cork of Moore Stephens Corporate Recovery The Enterprise Act (Corporate Insolvency Provisions)...

Act of desperation.(Enterprise Act and insolvency law)
November 6, 2003... `Never was an Act of Parliament so badly misnamed!' says Stuart Hopewell, credit manager at Fujifilm. `To produce a wholesale revamp of insolvency law - much needed I accept - under the guise of encouraging enterprise is something that only a...

Consuming passion.(supplier relationship management)
November 6, 2003... Buying consumable goods is an art where obtaining quality products at fair prices can best be achieved by creating a two-way dialogue with your supplier By Rod Hayes Gerry Mulvaney, joint managing director of Litho Supplies, put his...

Connect Four.(Pass4Press technology )
November 6, 2003... The theme emerging from the PPA production conference was that all links in the magazine chain should work together and Pass4Press is one example of technology making this goal a reality By Gareth Ward The overwhelming message from the...

Wide player.(Xerox's format market equipment)
November 6, 2003... By its own high standards Xerox has only a small scale presence in the wide format market, but all that is about to change By Jim Larkin How many of Xerox's wide format devices can you name? If you can get to one you will probably be...

MBA: Back to school.(Master of business administration degree)
November 6, 2003... Print bosses traditionally graduated from minding a machine to minding a multi-million pound business. Now the University of Life is being challenged by a new MBA for the printing industry By Robin Meade Twice a week for three years...

MBA: What's in it for me?(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... The Association of MBAs says obtaining an MBA demands a sizeable investment of time and money, but most graduates discover that career prospects and salaries far outweigh the costs. Its Salary & Career Prospects Survey shows the average...

Could do better: The lesson of Hyway.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Hyway was one of London's leading quality sheetfed printers, before it went into administration last year after more than 30 years in business. The company was known for its skill in Hexachrome and waterless offset printing. Then it...

CIGARS: The full cigar.(Empress Litho contracted to print brochures for Habanos)
November 6, 2003... When Empress Litho fought off stiff competition to win the contract to print the Habanos brochures, it was only the beginning of a challenging but very rewarding venture By Alison Carter Of course there are crucial questions to...

CIGARS - Habanos: pointers for your pleasure.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... If this has tempted you to try a Habanos cigar then here are a few key pointers to enhance enjoyment. Firstly, the wrapper must please the eye, the cigar should feel firm and the rich aroma should waft pleasantly out of the box. Novices are...

Irish consumables dealer.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Litho Supplies has become Irish consumables dealer for FujiFilm Graphic Systems and will work alongside Lithotek Graphic Systems which is Fuji's Irish hardware distributor. The appointment will cope with increasing demand for Fuji products,...

Colin McMichael seconded to PrintCity.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Colin McMichael has been seconded to PrintCity from Agfa UK to head the commercial printing activity group at PrintCity. He replaces another Agfa marketing manager, Frank Scheufelt, who has left the company, though continues to be involved with...

RealTimeImage distribution.(RealTimeImage names Dicom Digital Image as distributor)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... RealTimeImage has named Dicom Digital Image as its distributor in Spain for its online proofing applications. The Spanish company has been a distributor of RTI products to the medical market for three years, something it now hopes to replicate...

Distribution deal.(NewspaperDirect and Mitchell's News)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... NewspaperDirect has signed a distribution deal with Mitchell's News, a major newspaper delivery operation in New York. The company will now be able to print and distribute digital versions of more than 185 of the world's leading newspapers. ...

Online training.(Markzware and IO Technologies team up for training program)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Markzware is working with IO Technologies to provide online training for preflight application training. This project will focus on Markzware's FlightCheck Professional 5 software, and it is hoped it will encourage a greater take up of...

Creo takes the fight to Agfa in newspapers.(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Creo is taking deliberate aim at Agfa in the newspaper sector, positioning itself as able to provide newspaper production systems. "Newspapers want different sources of supply," says Creo Europe managing director, Israel Sandler. "We believe we...

Digital is variable.(Digital Print World to employ variable information printing)(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Digital Print World is to practise what it preaches by employing variable information printing to create personalised booklets for visitors to the show. The system is triggered by reading the admission badge which is linked to a database...

Taylor Brothers buys platesetter.(Lotem 400 Quantum )(Brief Article)
November 6, 2003... Charles Taylor, managing director of Taylor Brothers in Bristol, with the Lotem 400 Quantum the company has bought from Creo. The plan is to run Staccato FM screening to be printed on a Speedmaster CD74.6, aiming the output at the corporate...