Printing in Hong Kong & China
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ AUGUST 28, 2017 80
Yum notes. "This resulted in the closures of small and medium-sized outfits with outdated technology and limited cash flow, which in turn restrained supply and pushed up paper prices." For Howard Musk, president and CEO of Imago, adherence to social and safety compliance is non-negotiable. "We monitor printing plants carefully to ensure that the necessary compliances are in place for particular retailers or licensors," Musk says, adding that international safety standards "evolve with each new chemical that is added to banned lists, and it is critical that we remain up-to-date on this." Imago retains a safety consultant who is involved in some of the legislation efforts to assist the team. "If a project is more than a simple book, we undertake risk assessments at a very early stage of product development so that we can help the client in redesigning any problematic areas or components," Musk says.
In environmental protection and regulatory compliance, very few companies are more aggressive than Leo Paper. The company has been ISO 14001-accredited since 2001; 10 years later, it was recognized as an eco-factory by Marks & Spencer. Last year, Leo Paper was accredited with the China Environmental Labelling Products Certification, which focuses on controls of hazardous substances, factory pollutants, and environmental policy. "In line with our China market expansion plan, we also obtained the 3C Certification—China Compulsory Certification, which is comparable to the European CE Certification—a year ago," says Andy Lau, Leo's general manager for sales.
Protecting the Environment and
At C&C Offset, "printing for a sustainable future" is not just a
vision for social responsibility, says Ken Lee, business develop-
ment director. "It is also a corporate mind-set that pushes us to
improve production efficiencies and reduce waste in all areas
that we can think of. It is about sustainable development and
green printing."
C&C has continued to put in extensive management effort
and investment to bring about environmentally friendly pro-
duction, including the adoption of materials, technologies, and
measures as well as equipment that controls volatile organic
compound (VOC) emissions. "Systems for central dampening
supply for web presses, water treatment, and VOC purification
are among those being changed or replaced for greener results,"
Lee says.
At Hung Hing, improving energy efficiencies while reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major initiative. "Most of our solvent-based raw materials have been replaced with water-based varnish, glue, and cleaning fluids, while our lighting has changed from the traditional T8 fluorescent to T5, and now LED," notes Yum, whose upgrading projects over the past decade have received numerous environmental awards in Hong Kong and Guangdong. "The initial investments in the upgrades were high, but the ROI averaged less than two years," adds Yum, who plans to implement new solutions to track and conserve energy and improve internal air quality and environment control, creating an improved workplace for Hung Hing employees.
Another top priority for print suppliers is protecting content against counterfeiting and piracy. Musk of Imago finds that it is an area of concern for publishers, especially for high-profile titles with wider global appeal. "We have worked on several movie tie-in projects recently, and we were able to provide the highest level of security at the factory for all processes, from file handling to delivery, including ensuring that waste sheets were secured prior to shredding," Musk says.
To protect online content that supplements a book, Imago has added a Web key to the inside front cover. "It was a great solution for Black Dog & Leventhal's The New York Times Book of the Dead," Musk notes.
At CTPS, product protection and authentication is the goal of the company's QR-code-enabled solutions Phygitalbook. Empowering publishers with back-end analytics to assess student performance and provide dashboards to stakeholders are just some of Phygitalbook's features.
Getting in the Middle
Leveraging China's growth in children's books is a no-brainer for many print suppliers including Leo Paper, which counts many big-name overseas children's product licensors as clients. "Local publishers want to offer a wider variety of well-known
The following articles are available online in conjunction with this print report:
● Outsourcing Print: Perspectives from Two Publishers (Jumping Jack Press and the Rodder's Journal)
● Asia Pulp & Paper in China: A Quick Tour and Brief Observations (on trends affecting the print and publishing industries)
Visit publishersweekly.com/asianprinting2017 to read the full coverage and publishersweekly.com/printingmarketplace to find out more about the companies featured in this report.
Online Coverage of the Asian Printing Industry