Alma Media’s new printing press to be delivered by manroland

Alma Media Corporation   Stock Exchange Release   March 31, 2011 at 11:00 EEST

 

ALMA MEDIA’S NEW PRINTING PRESS TO BE DELIVERED BY MANROLAND

 

Alma Media’s printing and distribution company Alma Manu Oy today decided to purchase the printing press for its new newspaper printing facility in Tampere, due to be completed in 2012, from manroland AG. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the purchase.

The new printing press can simultaneously print three large-volume daily newspapers for early-morning delivery. It can also be used for extensive daytime production, and, thanks to its high degree of automation, for economic printing of smaller runs than today. The new press can print both broadsheet and tabloid formats.

-We selected manroland as the supplier after a thorough evaluation. Their central competitive advantages were the operational efficiency of the machine and its first-class print quality. For example, the new press will allow us to print the entire run of Aamulehti in three hours instead of the current five. The decision was also affected by our trust in manroland as a long-term, experienced partner, says Helvi Liukkaala, Managing Director, Alma Manu Oy.

Environmental factors were high on the list of selection criteria. The material and energy efficiency of the new press are clearly better than those of present equipment, which will decrease the environmental impact of the newspapers.

-The investment in the new Tampere printing facility is in line with Alma Media’s strategy and will contribute to a profitable publishing business while we at the same time keep developing our digital services. The new, efficient printing facility will also create the opportunity to collaborate with publishers outside the Alma Media Group, says Kai Telanne, President and CEO, Alma Media Corporation.

Alma Media announced on January 5, 2011 that the financing of the machinery for the new printing facility (printing press, mailing equipment, and auxiliary equipment) was arranged with Pohjola Bank plc, the maximum amount being €50 million.

Construction work at the new facility is advancing according to schedule. The installation of the new printing press will start in the summer of 2012, and its first newspapers will be delivered to customers in early 2013.

 

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION
Rauno Heinonen, Vice President, Corporate Communications & IR

More information:

Helvi Liukkaala, Managing Director, Alma Manu Oy, telephone +358 10 665 3009
Kai Telanne, President and CEO, Alma Media Corporation, telephone +358 10 665 3000

Distribution: NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Stock Exchange, principal media

 

Alma Media in brief
Alma Media is a dynamic media company whose best-known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Alma Media employs approximately 2,800 professionals. The company’s net sales in 2010 totalled MEUR 311.4 with an operating margin of 13.9 per cent. Alma Media’s share (ALN1V) is listed in the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Exchange. Read more at www.almamedia.fi

manroland in brief
manroland AG is the world’s second largest manufacturer of printing presses and the market leader in web offset presses. The company has approximately 7,000 employees in different parts of the world. Read more at www.manroland.com

 

Photo of the construction works at Tampere, Finland

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