Russian media enterprise, KP Group, based in Moscow has ordered three new Goss Community presses for new plants across the Russian Federation. Part of an ongoing expansion project, completion of this phase will bring to ten the total of KP Group print facilities equipped with Community presses.

The identical Goss Community press lines have been ordered for producing regional circulations of daily tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, its weekly sister edition, and a range of other popular titles in the major cities of Vladivostok, Stavropol and Kemerovo. Consisting of three four-high towers, two mono units and two folders, the modern capabilities of the 578mm cut-off presses are also expected to win outside contract work for each of the KP facilities, as they have done at other sites.

Vadim Churbakov, manufacturing director for the KP Group, says the support of Goss International and NISSA Mediaproject, the agent for Goss newspaper presses in the region, has been vital to the success of the ongoing upgrade project.

The KP Group has successfully established seven Goss Community press sites across the Russian Federation since 2004. The new plants have each achieved recognition as reference points for high-quality printing in their regions. With three more plants in development, the KP Group is almost halfway towards its goal of achieving 20 self-administered, self-sufficient print facilities.

KP Group's program of expansion was initiated in 2004 to meet growing market requirements in Russia for high-quality color production, especially to better serve advertisers. As a Federation-wide distributor of daily newspapers across nine time zones, the company was utilizing more than 50 different printing sites at the time, and production capabilities were restricted by antiquated, former Soviet equipment.

"It was clear that by setting up our own print facilities, we would be able to print our newspaper to our own schedule, to the quality customers were demanding, and make a profit while doing so," explains Churbakov. "By installing modern equipment, we could save on paper, time and consumables; we could take on contract work, and we would have full control to explore marketing initiatives for our own titles. The dependability of our equipment supplier was the most crucial factor."

Maintaining its lead position against powerful competition is KP Group's biggest challenge, according to Churbakov, and this requires ongoing plant development and expansion of capabilities. The first Goss Community presses installed by the group are already being extended to provide more color and higher paginations. The company also has plans to create new freesheet titles and to investigate other activities to promote newspapers and achieve continued growth. In this, asserts Churbakov, the partnership with Goss International and NISSA Mediaproject is central. "In price, quality, warranties and, above all, the on-the-ground service and support through NISSA, the relationship is exceptional."