Newspaper & Mailroom
Granasa, Ecuador, boosts color with Goss Universal press extension
Thursday 17. April 2008 - Demand for color from advertisers and readers drives investment
Newspaper publisher Grupo Granasa recently extended its Goss Universal press to increase color capacity at its printing facility in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The investment has enabled Granasa to increase advertising revenue through the production of advertising inserts and improve the print quality of its two national daily titles, Expreso and Extra.
The expansion of the 70,000-copies-per-hour press included an additional Goss Universal four-high tower, modification of an existing two-high tower into a four-high tower, and installation of a new slitter. The project has bolstered Granasa’s capacity from 32 pages, with 16 in full color, to 32 pages in full color.
Thomas Hanisch, production manager at Granasa, comments, “The productivity and quality benefits we have gained with the Goss press extension are invaluable. Advertising inserts rely heavily on good quality color and are more popular than newspaper advertising in this country, so we are responding to the market demand for such products. Advertising spend fluctuates considerably in the Ecuadorian market, so it is crucial to seize opportunities as they arise.”
Granasa publishes two daily newspapers, Expreso, a 24-page broadsheet morning publication, and Extra, an afternoon tabloid. Hanisch explains why color is so important to Granasa: “Color has huge impact on the perception of our newspapers – enhanced color adds authenticity to the images and supports the quality of the editorial. Our new Universal press produces excellent print quality, and with color throughout our pages, it will help us to maintain and build on our loyal readership.”
Julio Gostisa, Goss International sales manager for Latin America, concludes, “The Goss Universal press is a flexible, robust press that delivers consistent high quality. It is perfectly suited to the speed, pagination and reliability requirements of a daily newspaper publisher like Granasa. The installation at this site also illustrates how the modular nature of the Universal press series allows press lines to be easily extended as required.”