April 10, 2003 -- The Web Offset Champion Group has welcomed bindery and finishing leader Muller Martini as its tenth member. As its name indicates, the WOCG is a partnership among leading manufacturers involved in the web offset sector who work together to champion best practice among web printers. Its member roster now constitutes a veritable top ten of equipment and consumables suppliers: Aylesford Newsprint Kodak Polychrome Graphics MacDermid Printing Solutions MAN Roland MEGTEC Systems Muller Martini Nitto-Permacel QTI SCA Sun Chemical “The group’s best practice tools offer our customers an extremely valuable guide in their daily operations and to transfer knowledge to the global printing industry”, says Gerhard Tschan, Vice President Marketing of Muller Martini Print Finishing Systems. “We have already contributed to two guides and attended a WOCG workshop. We are impressed by just how professional and efficient this group of specialists are in addressing the total printing process.” WOCG participated in 10th Web Offset Conference and Exhibition in London, sponsored by the European consultancy Pira recently. The session on “improving efficiency and cost reduction” was chaired by the group’s managing editor and coincided with the release of the latest guide “Productivity Maintenance . . . How to run leaner, longer, faster”. “We decided to participate because of the excellence of the Pira 2003 conference program and its speakers,” notes Josef Aumiller, head of MAN Roland Web Products Marketing, “We see this being of very high value to European printers.” WOCG guides are available in North America through GATF at www.gain.org/store/item.cfmproductid=639. The cost is $12 for GATF/PIA members and $12 for non-members.