QuadTech has supplied 10 QuadTech Autotron Newspaper 2800 Register Guidance Systems to one of India’s fastest growing media corporations, HT Media Ltd. HT Media has installed 10 Autotron Newspaper 2800 systems on presses at its plant in Delhi. The company, which produces leading national paper Hindustan Times, ordered seven Autotron Newspaper 2800 systems through Indian press makers Manugraph for its five tower Citylineline presses and three systems thorough MAN, Germany, for its three tower Colorman presses. Mr B.S. Shesh, Associate Vice President- Production at HT Media, comments, “The QuadTech equipment has significantly improved the efficiency of our presses. For example start-ups are quick and easy, and register correction at a reel splice is smartly handled. This saves precious time and drastically cuts waste.” The modularity of the Autotron Newspaper 2800 system provides newspaper printers with uncompromised register controls on multi or single unit presses. Offering an integrated approach to register control, which can accommodate a multitude of different web paths and imposition plans. The Autotron Newspaper 2800 system has the ability to expand from a single web to multi-tower press runs, by simple selection from the operator console. Using a number of different control modules such as color, folder length and web guiding, the Autotron Newspaper 2800 system guarantees quality standards throughout the print process. Mr Shesh continues, “I am very impressed with QuadTech as an organisation. The company is always taking steps to ensure that its technology remains the most user-friendly. The Autotron Newspaper 2800 is probably the most flexible piece of equipment of its kind on the market. It performs equally well on both our Manugraph Cityline and MAN Colorman presses.” The installations at HT Media are representative of the recent boom in the Indian newspaper industry as a whole. India has bucked the global trend of decreased newspaper sales, with rapid growth in both regional and national titles. This has been attributed to several factors, perhaps most significantly a rise in literacy among the population in more rural areas. Mr Shesh comments, “The last few years have seen many changes in our industry. There has been a big swing towards back-to-back colour pages, which has increased the revenue we make from advertising. In turn, this has lead to more investment in equipment and plant expansion, exemplified by the significant increase in the number of publishers with four-high printing towers.” Mr Shesh concludes, “The boom shows no sign of stagnation. There have been numerous newspaper launches recently with many new tiles emerging in different regions. As the competition for readers increases, so does the importance of producing a quality newspaper that stands out from the rest.”