WAN-IFRA launches printing conference

The conference is organised into three, one-day modules encompassing various aspects of print: day one is dedicated to materials, mailrooms and printing technology; day two to new business models, marketing and the future of newspaper printing; while day three covers sustainability models and environmental issues.

Manfred Werfel, deputy CEO and executive director, newspaper production at WAN-IFRA, said the conference would focus both on technological innovations and on new business models emerging for the printed press.

"Press technology is developing rapidly towards automatic newspaper production, including automatic plate transportation and plate change, closed-loop controls for web tension, cut-off and colour register as well as automatic density control," he said.

"At the same time, new business models for newspaper production are emerging and new newspaper products are tested in the market. What will be the future of newspaper printing? How will it position itself in an even more competitive and environmentally sensitive market? What will be the product range newspaper printers will have to produce and what will be the production conditions?

"These questions will be discussed at the Printing Summit with experts from all over the world of newspaper publishing. Practitioners, scientists, publishers, technicians, designers and marketers will meet to exchange ideas and concepts that lead the industry into the future," he said.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Tack Whan Kim, director of the Multimedia Lab at the JoongAng Ilbo in Korea;
  
• Michael Hack, marketing consultant, Marketing für Druckereien, Germany;
  
• Jacek Utko, design director Bonnier Business Press International, Poland;
  
• Niko Ruokosuo, chief operating officer for the Saudi Special Publishing Holding Company in Saudi Arabia;
  
• Rick Stunt, group paper director, Associated Newspapers, United Kingdom;
  
• Ronald Weidel, a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig, Germany;
  
• Asa Moberg, a researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden:
  
• Martha Stone, director of the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Project at WAN-IFRA,
  
• Hans-Joachim Putz, chair of paper technology and mechanical process engineering at Technical University Darmstadt in Germany;
  
• Beatrice Klose, secretary general of the International Confederation for Printing and Allied Industries (INTERGRAF) in Belgium; and
  
• R.D. Bhatnagar, chief technology officer - Bhaskar Group, DB Corp Ltd., India.

The event, designed for publishers, editors, printing managers and production directors, will be held at the conference centre at the Salzburger Nachrichten and will include visits to the newspaper's printing plant and newsroom.

For more information, go to www.wan-ifra.org/printingsummit2010.