Offset Printing
Saga Shimbun Co. Selects Mitsubishi DIAMONDSPIRIT 4×1 Newspaper Press
Friday 16. April 2010 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), the parent company of MLP U.S.A., has made a new customer out of a Goss newspaper press user. In March, MHI signed a contract with Japanese newspaper publisher Saga Shimbun Co., Ltd. for the purchase of a DIAMONDSPIRIT 4x1 newspaper offset press.
Scheduled for delivery in early 2011, the new press will print Saga Shimbun Co.’s flagship daily, The Saga Shimbun. With its investment in the DIAMONDSPIRIT, Saga Shimbun Co. will provide its readers and subscribers with the latest news and local stories in more vivid colors.
Saga Shimbun Co. operates from a single facility located in Saga City. The Saga Shimbun has a weekday circulation of 40,000 copies, currently printed on a 4×2 press. When the company set out to find a replacement press for its existing Goss equipment, press reliability was of paramount importance. Saga Shimbun Co. became convinced about the reliability of the DIAMONDSPIRIT following discussions with Mitsubishi and a thorough evaluation of actual production results at Nikkan Sports Printing, where Japan’s first 4×1 press was installed.
The DIAMONDSPIRIT purchased by Saga Shimbun Co. is rated at 80,000 copies per hour. The press has a cutoff of 21 1/2 inches and a web width of 60 inches. It will be configured with two 4/4 tower printing units, two 2/1 tower printing units, one 2:2 double rotary folder and four reelstands.
Furthermore, the DIAMONDSPIRIT will be operated by the Mitsubishi press control system with automated features that include color register control and ink presetting with computer-to-plate interface. It also will incorporate DIAMOND EYE Jr. Mitsubishi’s newly developed color quality defect detection system can be readily upgraded to the automatic closed-loop color control system, DIAMOND EYE, at any time.
Saga Shimbun Co. was established in 1884 in Saga Prefecture in Kyushu Island. The corporate vision at Saga Shimbun Co. is to grow inline with the prefecture’s prosperity. The newspaper actively participates in various media endeavors that contribute to the industrialization and welfare of Saga Prefecture. Through these activities, The Saga Shimbun has become widely popular among local residents. It enjoys a market share of nearly 50 percent of all newspapers sold within the prefecture, despite competition from national newspapers.