Waterless makes the difference!

Since 6 years heatset and coldset waterless is prooven technology with

tremendous benefits for editor and printer.

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Editor (De Persgroep) and printer (Eco Print center ) made the difference!

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De Persgroep is active in newspapers,

magazines, television, radio

and electronic media

and its mission is to build

the strongest media brands in each market.

We believe that this is the best way

to create long-term value for our company,

and its shareholders.

De Persgroep: mission statement.

De persgroep: brand strategy.

1 billion euro turnover – 2.700 people

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Turnover Ratio by Media Type.

Magazines

1991

Newspapers

Magazines

Newspapers

TV

2008 2010

Magazines

Newspapers

TV

RadioInternet

80 mio euro 550 mio euro 1 billion euro

Radio

Internet

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Press configuration (cold- and heatset).

Configuration: 12 towers Printing couples: 96Cylinder circ.: 940 mmMax. web width: 1,260 mmSpeed: Max. 40.000 cyl. rphProductions 192 pages broadsheet

384 pages tabloidDrying: 1 heatset dryer installed

Reelstands: 12 Pastomat RC 1500 Folders: 4 KF 5 (2:5:5) Fully automatic plate changing at all printing

couples

First production:

April 06 coldset Jan. 07 heatset

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Timeline of the reconversion project.

2004 2005 2006January

Contract KBA - EPC

Site purchase 89,025 m²

May

October

Ground-breaking

Shell complete

September

Delivery of 1st part (section 20)

December

First commercial production

Start for DM inBerlin format

22/03

24/04

Startheatset

07/112007

Deliverysection 10

Startsection 10

21/08

Startsection 30

5/10

Startsection 40

12/11

ConversionHLN to Berlin format

21 jan.08

May 07

History

* Before April 2006: � Editor believes that only the journalism determines the Quality of the

newspaper.� 4 Conventional Colorman presses (4 folders): 1984 / 1989 / 1994 / 1999.

� Day shift with 14 FTE for mainly maintenance and some (5) dayjobs.

� Night shift with 24 FTE on the presses.

* Since April 2006:

� New technology helps the editor to put a new ‘standard’ of newspaper quality = opportunity for readers and advertisers for “De Morgen”

� Start 1st Cortina-part (3 printing towers +1 folder in CS / 1PT + 1 folder in HS).

� At the beginning = real pioneering with the new technology.� First steps in commercial area with ‘learning money’ (newspaper =/=

magazine).� Newspaper production: higher Q, produced with 50% less FTE.

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History

* September 2006:green light for the extension of the press towards 12 tower and 4 folder configuration.

* January 2008:� Start up of the full Cortina version = 12 operators instead of 24 before …

� Night : we Print 3 Newspapers (6 days/week): ‘Het Laatste Nieuws’ (21 editions) 325.000 cps week / 360.000 cps weekend ‘De Morgen’ (1 Edition) 65.000 cps week / 110.000 cps weekend

� Day: further development towards external customers.

* 2009 – 2011:

� Internal further optimizations, year by year operations beat the budget by 3 mio €!

* 2012:°Extra newspaper at night : ‘De Tijd’ (1 Edition), 3 5.000 cps week / 65.000 cps weekend.°Internal optimizations, year by year operations be at the budget in very positive way!

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How explain waterless printing?

Compared to the conventional polluting chemical process (based inks and water with liquid additives and/or isopropyl alcohol and / or their deputies) the printing process changed this with waterless printing into an environmentally friendly mechanical process .

Instead of constantly monitoring the very difficult ink/water balance (which requires years of experience),waterless printing is only a matter to ensure that a perfect temperature curve (according to the speed ) is created to transfer the ink to the paper.

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Conventional Offset

Ink Water Pressing force

Waterless Offset

How explain waterless printing?

People need water, the Belgian pride:

Small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a nakedlittle boy urinating into the fountain’s basin.

Our pride “Manneken Pis”

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Waterless Waterless OffsetOffsetConventional offsetConventional offset

Section of printing tower.

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1 Blanket cylinder (Minigap)2 Plate cylinder (temperatured)3 PlateTronic (Option)4 ink rollers5 oscillating rollers 6 Inkrollers7 anilox roller ceramic (temperatured)8 Doctor chamber9 ink tube

10 on-off Doctor chamber11 inktray12 blanketwasher

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3

4

5

4

56

6

710

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9

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12

°C adjustable

°C adjustable

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Waterless inks versus conventional.

� March 06 to June 06: quality of ink supplies relatively unstable, first ‘large volumes’ = ‘commercial’

� July 06 to September 06: more stable inks

� September 06 to december 2008: Positive development curve.Very positive cooperation with all suppliers

°European: Flint, Huber, Sun, Siegwerk°Asian: DIC, Toka, Toyo

� 2009-2012: Ink recepture developed up to actual standard.

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Waterless inks versus conventional

Inks in conventional wet offsetIn conventional wet offset, the inks are still an issue even after 40 years, and are still not optimal. Ink mist is one of the key problems for fast-running presses

Quote from Ian McDonald (Managing Director, News International GB)

“The new presses (20 Colorman XXL presses) are designed to run at 86.000 cph. Work is continuing with ink suppliers on formulations to minimise ink fly at this speed, one of the issues that remains outstanding …”

The real difference waterless - conventional?

Blanket cylinder daily operation (just after production stop):

Conventional compact (after 18 months) EPC waterless Cortina (after 60 months)

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Plates (rain water washed): Toray.

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Waterless plate ConventionalOffsetplate

Ink

Silicone layer

Ink

Water

Advantage waterless versus conventional print.

� 1°) Less starting waste :

We experienced average of maximum 100 copies in 2011.

� 2°) Waterless print = no tapwater consumption:

not for the print and not for the plate making.

� 3°) Heatset is also printed on a standard newspaper (coldset) press:

without the VOC and alcohol problems.

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� 4°) Cleaning clothes:

Less than 50% before, and also less then 50% cleaning agent.

� 5°) No inkmist problem:

= clean working area + easy and reliable automatisation.

� 6°) Maintenance costs: dramatically lower.

Manning / inkrollers / no ink misting

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Advantage of waterless versus conventional print.

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Mindset change: newspaper at nigth / commercial during day.

* Newspaper printer =/= Commercial printer

speed/time quality

printer = lionking service driven

fix / rigid flexibel

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Some figures

HLN DM

2008 22h30 22h38

2009 22h49 22h43

2010 22h53 22h39

2011 22h56 22h45

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Average deadline newspapers (newsway ok)

HLN DM

2008 22h49 22h58

2009 23h03 23h00

2010 23h10 22h59

2011 23h14 23h05

Average start presses :

Some figures

Average speedex/h.

Edition HLN+DM

Timings

2008 25.764 407.631 3h23

2009 27.555 405.681 3h14

2010 28.028 403.803 3h17

2011 28.620 400.327 3h16

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Actual limit : 3h30 (week) / 4h00 (weekend)

2006 2008 2010

Copies/day 45 mio 160 mio 180 mio

Copies/night 15 mio 122 mio 126 mio

Nr. external customers 5 33 65

Headcount 17 113 98

Some figures

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Remark headcount:•2005 old plant 118 (105 blue collar/13 white collar)•2010 new plant 98 (81 blue collar /17 white collar)

What helped us to realize these figures at EPC?

1°) Waterless print = new printing standard with tr emendous advantages: * no maintenance time needed during day.* print Q.* www.waterless.org with the butterfly.

2°) Dedicated sales manager (since summer 2007) for PR relationship with external customers: www.epc-nv.be .

3°) Integrated finishing (see following slides).

4°) High standard off Automation

5°) We are implementing a new color register and de nsity system (3TControl) which allows us to do more in 2012 with less people = extra day capacity.

6°) Green stamp: ecotech award / IWPA / local gover nment

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www.waterless.org

� Combined with ecological advantages document.

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Integrated finishing = added value operations.

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Paper logistics.

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Paper logistics: unloading joloda.

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Coldset.

� ‘Standard’ Berlin newspaper format: e.g. Het Laatste Nieuws, De Morgen, commercial inquiries …

� Tabloid products:(online/offline stitching/adhesive binding/trimming)

� Paper : - standard newspaper : 45 g/m² (trials on 28 gr/m2 Bible also done)- ameliorated newspaper : 52-54 60g/m²

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Heatset.

� Stitched magazines:e.g.: Nina, De Morgen Magazine …

� Paper : - LWC (recycled and non recycled): 60 - 115 g/m²- SC papers : 56g/m²

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Waterless project after 6 years Eco Print center

1. Newspaper printers are not heatset printers!°Input of necessary “know-how”°Quality aspects°Benefits of waterless: simpler learning curve!

2. Ink change heat- to coldset: yes or no?°In operation every week since 15 January 07 …

3. Paper: °No Fan-out.

4. Automation:°No ink mist = automation is less problematical°Conventional process is more difficult due to ink a nd water mist!!!

5. Maintenance costs drops dramatically:manning for maintenance / frequency of replacing rollers / spare parts life time.

Why waterless?

Conventional Compact (after 18 months): EPC waterless Cortina (after 70 months):

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Questions ?

Thank You for your attention

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