$31 million printing press set for Tasmania

Tasmania may be the state most Australians have forgot, but News Limited value it enough to build a new $31 million printing press.

For Tony Yianni, managing director of Davies Brothers, which publishes the two newspapers, the Mercury and Sunday Tasmanian, investing in the new press was a way of keeping the business active.
"It will allow us to provide a significant new range of services to readers and advertisers and will dramatically enhance the quality of our publications," he said.

The new press will enable full colour printing on every page up to 80 pages. Additional equipment will offer full trimming, stitching, gluing and folding capabilities, as well as automated inserting. A new plant will be constructed at Technopark, north of Hobart, which will replace the current press in Argyle Street. The building will house a single width five-tower press along with conveying, stacking, product finishing and automated inserting equipment.

All other operations of the newspaper group will continue to be based in the city at 93 Macquarie Street where the company was established 150 years ago.

Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon gave the development the thumbs up, saying it was a positive step forward for Tasmania. "It is excellent to see a long-standing Tasmanian company reinvesting with an eye to the future," he said.

"Ongoing investment in Tasmania, like the Mercury's new printing press, is exactly what we need to keep growing our economy and creating new job opportunities and prosperity in our state."

A spokesman from News Limited would not disclose which company would be supplying the printing equipment to the new press. It is also uncertain when actual construction will commence; the spokesman could only comment that the newspaper will be printed on the new press within two years.
Source: print21online