Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery, Ltd. (MHI-PPM), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Mihara in Hiroshima, has received an order for two Mitsubishi 4 x 1 "DIAMONDSPIRIT" newspaper offset presses from Oita Godo Shimbun Inc., a newspaper company with head office in Oita in Kyushu. With its introduction, the newspaper is expecting to enhance its print quality, reduce operation cost, and improve productivity. The new presses are scheduled for delivery in fiscal 2015.
Each DIAMONDSPIRIT press for Oita Godo Shimbun can produce maximum 40 page newspaper with 24 color pages at 80,000 copies per hour. The shaftless drive system, which controls the press by electrically synchronizing all the drive motors without mechanical shafts, enables shorter make-ready time. The DIAMONDSPIRIT also incorporates many newly developed improvements in terms of reducing energy consumption, paper waste, and noise, as well as cutting plate costs in half, resulting in lower running costs and a more pleasant operating environment.
Oita Godo Shimbun was founded in 1886 and is now in its 128th anniversary, being the only one local newspaper in Oita by consolidating two local newspapers (Hoshu Shimpo and Oita Shimbun) in 1942. Oita Godo Shimbun has become widely popular among local residents with its 440,000 daily circulation and enjoys a market share of nearly 60% of all newspapers sold within the prefecture.
Oita Godo Shimbun has opted the Mitsubishi DIAMONDSPIRIT presses for its new plant after in-depth comparison with other manufacturers' press models including the manufacture of the existing presses. The company gave the DIAMONDSPIRIT press high marks for its high productivity, reduction in operating cost, and its solid track record of more than 30 press installations with proven operations. The company also became convinced with MHI-PPM's after-sales service network throughout Kyushu from its regional office in Fukuoka.
With this latest order, MHI-PPM further focuses on solution-providing marketing, and grows with customers in both the domestic and the global markets by responding to diversified customer needs for newspaper production.
