Offset Printing
Eight-tower Goss Magnum 4 press for leading Ugandan newspaper publisher
Thursday 15. January 2009 - Investment led by New Vision's continued business growth Magnum 4 press selected for higher speeds, quality and reliability
Ugandan media group NVPPCL has signed an order with Goss International for an eight-tower Magnum 4 press to produce the national daily newspaper New Vision. The investment will enable the publisher to print the 64-page publication in full-color in a single pass.
Configured as eight four-high towers with eight zero-speed splicers and an N40 folder with quarterfold and tabloid stitcher, the new Magnum 4 press will increase page and color capacity and provide production flexibility for NVPPCL. The press will operate at speeds up to 40,000 cph and feature a 578 mm cutoff.
New Vision has enjoyed significant growth since its inception in 1986 from a state owned corporation, to incorporation as a public limited liability company in 2002 and to a listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange Ltd (USE) in 2004. Robert Kabushenga, New Vision CEO, states that the newspaper title has maintained a strong position in the market throughout its history, currently enjoying a 60-percent share of total daily newspaper sales. He comments, “We’re the leading daily in Uganda and we will continue to improve our competitive advantage when it comes to print quality with this latest investment. The new Magnum 4 press will support our commitment to both readers and advertisers to provide them with a top quality publication.”
Kabushenga continues, “Newspaper circulation figures in Uganda continue to rise, so our business must grow with it in order to maintain our position as number one. The higher pagination capability of the Magnum 4 press will enable us to print New Vision in just one run. This, in conjunction with the improved speeds of 40,000 cph, will dramatically reduce the production window required, which is great news for our production team.”
Scheduled for delivery this summer, the new Magnum 4 press will be installed in a new building at the company’s site at Kampala. The order for the press was completed with Spicers East Africa, Goss International’s agent for newspaper presses in East Africa.
“We have been a Community press user for many years and have successfully completed several press extensions. These projects have delivered excellent results, the equipment has been very reliable and we received first-class service and support. It was a natural decision to work with Goss International and Spicers for this considerable investment,” Kabushenga concludes.
New Vision is owned by media group NVPPCL, which also publishes weekend titles Saturday and Sunday Vision, Luganda language daily Bukedde and three regional newspapers: Orunuri, Rupiny and Etop serving the West, North and East of the country respectively. Magazine titles include quarterly Bride and Groom, monthly entertainment title City Beat, Uganda’s only monthly publication on soccer, Premiership, and leading women’s title Flair For Her. NVPPCL also has interests in internet publishing and radio. The government of Uganda owns 53-percent of NVPPCL’s shares whilst the remaining 47-percent is owned by the public.