Punjab Kesari opts for Q I Press Controls systems

Amit Chopra, vice chairman and joint managing director, Punjab Kesari Group, said, “We are investing in a completely new printing plants and upgrading existing presses with more automation like motorisation, automatic colour and cut-off register controls, spray bar dampening. Our business strategy keeps us in a profitable position and amongst the leaders in the newspaper industry.”

Each of the seven four-high printing units of the Manugraph Cityline Express will be equipped with two MRC+ camera’s for colour register control and one MRC+ camera’s for cut-off control with marks at their new printing plant in Noida. The same system has been opted for the six four-high printing unit counting Ronald Web Offset press, 129 register cameras in total. The MRC+ is a digital camera with an integrated microprocessor ensuring that the measured data is processed in real-time.

Vijay Pandya, managing director, Q.I. Press Controls, said, “It has three functions in one, namely scanner - colour register, cut-off register and side lay register. As the camera can read from an unsupported web, the system can be mounted directly after the last print couple ensuring a very tight control loop. Because the different colours are automatically brought into register while starting up substantial savings can be realized with regard to labour and waste whilst enhancing the print quality to a constant, high level.”

“Q I Press Controls can add its first big newspaper group in local language of the northern part of India to its client base. It will help us to enter other similar vernacular newspaper groups in that part of the country,” added Pandya.

“Because of good references from users of Q I Press Controls’s MRC+ systems, our team was convinced that the partnership with Q I Press Controls would be the better option for our upgrade investment. The fully automated operation of Q I Press Controls’ systems, the user-friendly and logical operating interfaces will considerably increase the effectiveness of Punjab Kesari Group’s production platform," said Chopra.

Chopra concluded, “We also feel that Q I Press Controls’ personal way of approaching customers whether it is in sales or service will be beneficial to us.”

Established in 1948, the group has also launched a new title of Hindi broadsheet daily Navodaya Times from New Delhi. All four dailies (Punjab Kesari, Hind Samachar, Jagbani and Navodaya Times) have a combined circulation of around 1.15 million copies on week days and 1.2 million copies on Sundays.