Screen也要进入报业紫激光CTP市场？

shmily0051 · 2009-02-04, 14:05

近日在国外的网站上看到一篇新闻，SCREEN公司也有进入报业紫激光CTP市场的计划？
http://printceoblog.com/2009/01/is-screen-to-introduce-a-violet-technology-newspaper-ctp-unit

Is Screen to Introduce a Violet Technology Newspaper CtP Unit?

By Andrew Tribute on January 24th, 2009
At risk of muddying the water in the eternal CtP debate about thermal and violet technologies, I would like to quote from an interview recently given by Kyohei Fujisawa, the President of Media and Precision Technology of Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company. This quote is from an interview given to the respected editor of Indian Printer and Publisher, Naresh Khanna. He interviewed Mr Fujisawa during a recent visit to the Screen headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. The following is taken from the weekly Indian Printer & Publisher Newsletter No. 101 of January 24, 2009.

“IPP: So far Screen has been manufacturing only thermal CtPs. What about violet?

Kyohei Fujisawa: We are considering the newspaper market and thinking and planning for newspapers. We may have to reconsider. I want to understand the market and for this we have to watch the market conditions. Now it seems that violet plates have a future and we are looking at machines for this market.”

Now I appreciate that this is not a product announcement, but knowing Screen very well having worked with them for over twenty years, and knowing how reticent they are to make forward looking announcements, I would guess there will be a violet newspaper CtP unit coming this year. What we have been seeing, predominantly outside of North America, is that sales of violet newspaper CtP units are maintaining their lead over thermal devices in the newspaper sector. Even in North America we are seeing many of the metro size newspapers installing violet devices from Agfa and Krause, and also some smaller newspapers installing devices from alfaQuest and ECRM.
Screen does make violet CtP devices for the commercial market on an OEM basis that are sold through Agfa, and in Japan through Mitsubishi Paper Mills, but so far Screen has not made a violet CtP newspaper engine. If Screen is to introduce a violet newspaper product I would say this is being done because of the Asian markets that are still just starting on newspaper CtP, and where there are a huge number of small newspapers where the lower capital and running costs of violet units will be a key sales point. The arrival of a number of new violet plates, including some from China, as well as the new so called chemistry free plates from Agfa and Fuji are the factors that have caused Screen to re-evaluate its position. Unlike some other companies Screen is willing to change technologies if it sees that doing so will take it into new markets.