March 28, 2003 -- Recently a large order awarded to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) was installed at the Shenguorni Printing Service Center in Shenzhen, China. It includes eight Printmaster PM 74 two-color presses with numbering devices and extensive systems for the finishing stage. In total, the Chinese printshop has invested the equivalent of over EUR 3.3 million. This represents the largest individual order for the Printmaster PM 74 series since its market launch in 2001. The press room already houses a Speedmaster CD 102 two-color press, a Speedmaster SM 74 four-color press and two GTO 52 two-color presses. Shenguorni Printing has 210 employees and prints all of the customs forms, multicopy invoice sets and tax assessments for the province of Guangdong. The eight new Printmaster presses will be used exclusively for 30g paper with 10-figure inline-numbering. Production manager Chen Shaofen confirms that “the well thought-out engineering concept and the flexibility of the Printmaster PM 74 with the numbering device tipped the scales in Heidelberg’s favor.” The Printmaster PM 74 is undergoing continuous development. It has been available with the numbering device since spring 2002 and, since fall 2002, has also been equipped with a washup device for the blanket and impression cylinder. At the end of the last, Heidelberg sold its 1,000th printing unit in this series to France. Two- and four-color versions of the press are available. The main sales markets are Germany, the USA and Brazil. The Chinese growth market Heidelberg has been represented in China for more than forty years. Since 1998, the company has had its own direct sales organization in the Asia-Pacific region, and this includes China. The product spectrum of Heidelberg China Ltd. Co. includes prepress, press, postpress and consumables from the Heidelberg solutions portfolio. Around 500 employees offer on the spot support to around 9,000 customers and prospective buyers. The company's headquarter in China is situated in Beijing. Four further key centers – Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shenzhen – boost Heidelberg's sales and service operations in the region. China is Asia's most important growth market and the company is committed to expanding its presence in this region. In terms of sales, China is Heidelberg's fourth largest market, behind the USA, Germany and the UK. The demand for print media in China is high. The average Chinese person spends the equivalent of $ 3 a year on print products while the average German spends $300 and the average Japanese $600. The graphic arts industry in China encompasses over 181,000 businesses and around three million employees. There are more than 2,053 newspapers and in excess of 8,135 magazines. To be successful on the Chinese print market, presses must deliver high quality, be easy to operate and handle a variety of printing stock. All this must be possible with a short makeready time and at a low investment price.