The prominent Japanese engineering company has informed its customers that, despite its significant market presence, it will cease the production of newspaper presses.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has communicated to its customers about its decision to exit the newspaper press market. The company reaffirms its dedication to its stake in RMGT, the sheeted press business formed through the collaboration of Mitsubishi and Ryobi a decade ago.
There is currently no partner for the newspaper and web offset press segment of the business. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has stated that it will discontinue press manufacturing once existing orders are fulfilled. This decision will result in TKS being the sole newspaper press manufacturer in Japan. This shift mirrors the decline in newspaper and web offset press orders in Europe and other regions, with the limited deals being divided between Koenig & Bauer and Manroland Goss.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has informed customers that it will provide maintenance and servicing for machines until 2036. Despite this assurance, some customers have expressed dissatisfaction and frustration.
Despite facing circulation challenges similar to other regions, newspaper readership continues to be substantial in Japan. The Yomiuri Shimbun, equipped with approximately 40 Mitsubishi presses, prints over 6 million copies daily. The Hokkaido Shimbun, a regional daily serving the northern island, distributes 763,000 copies daily and acquired three Mitsubishi presses as recently as 2017.
The manufacturer has had minimal presence in Europe. However, at the beginning of the century, Mitsubishi made strides in the market by selling heatset web offset presses, with two units installed at Roularta in Belgium. These presses have since been replaced by Manroland equipment.
Nevertheless, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries maintains a presence in the industry through its corrugated handling systems. This includes the introduction of Compox, a division dedicated to creating custom three-dimensional boxes from corrugated sheets. Notably, this initiative does not involve any printing component.
The Compox machine targets distribution and e-commerce companies, capable of producing ten fully formed boxes per minute. This will aid in minimizing manpower, optimizing space efficiency on trucks, and consequently lowering carbon emissions from transportation. Deliveries are set to commence next month.
