A new press installation for Japan’s ‘Nishinippon Shimbun’ will include Mitsubishi’s fault detection and splicing preparation systems.

Two 4x1 DiamondSpirit presses will be installed next February at the publisher’s flagship plant in Fukuoka City, the largest city in the island of Kyushu, where the million-plus circulation title is the most-read daily.

They will replace existing 16-year-old equipment.

While press efficiency and reliability were the two most important considerations in the investment decision, current tough market conditions also demanded a higher ROI ratio, and the DiamondSpirit is the only 4x1 press in Japan being operated at 80,000 cph in daily operations.

The new presses are rated at 80,000 cph and will have a cutoff of 541 mm and web width of 1626mm. Each will be configured with two 4/4 towers, three 2/1 towers, one 2:2 double rotary folder and five reelstands. They will be operated by a Mitsubishi press control system with automated features including ink  and press presetting, automatic webbing up, automatic dual web tension control, automatic colour register control and Mitsubishi’s upgradeable DiamondEye Jr colour defect detection system.

The SPR splicing preparation robot (pictured) will work with an AGV system for full automation of reel floor operations.

The history of ‘Nishinippon Shimbun’ is traced to 1877, with the founding of ‘Tsukushi Shimbun’, later changed to ‘Fukuoka Nichinichi Shimbun’ and merged in 1942 with ‘Kyushu Nippo’.

One of its creeds is “to walk together with the local society and support its independence and development.” In line with this creed, the company hosts a variety of events annually throughout the entire Kyushu region. These include national school judo and kendo tournaments established in the 1920s, and the world’s longest relay race (ekiden) covering a distance of 1064 kilometres.