As re-planning of emerging production units (book, magazine and newspaper plants) of JSC Ventspils nafta's subsidiary, JSC Preses nams, is drawing to a close, concrete deadlines for construction works have been set. At the same time JSC Preses nams is already using the latest recently-delivered technical equipment for book printing allowing to boost production efficiency and cut costs thus providing highly advantageous services to its customers. From now, the company is going to implement its development plans and reach long-term goals established by the shareholders under the leadership of Imants Kaņeps, the new president and long-term employee of JSC Preses nams. Such decision was taken by the Supervisory Board of JSC Preses nams today, on 2 November 2007. The main task of the new manager of JSC Preses nams for the nearest future is placement of printing facilities at the new plants outside the centre of Riga, optimizing production process and continuing to develop JSC Preses nams to make it the major printing group in the Baltic States. Deadlines for planning and construction of JSC Preses nams new plants were changed due to different externals which the company had to take into account in this context and because of inflation, especially owing to great boost in construction costs. Along with imposing strict deadlines for construction works, the respective transition period has ended. According to the plan, the modernized book production unit of JSC Preses nams printing group located at Jāņsili, Silakrogs, Ropaži parish will open already in the summer of 2008, while the new magazine and newspaper plant within the technological park of the international airport Rīga is starting to operate at the end of 2008. At the moment, however, JSC Preses nams is working hard adopting the latest technical and technological solutions for fulfillment of customer orders subject to requirements of today. Since the autumn this year, several most up-to-date book printing machines are being used at JSC Preses nams facilities, such as machines for extremely precise hardback cardboard bookbinding and improved binding, as well as sheet-fed offset printing. The newly-appointed president of JSC Preses nams, Mr. Kaņeps, who has worked for JSC Preses nams holding different offices already since 2000 and this year, having performed duties of the president also previously, says, “The customers are a basis for successful development of our business, and our task is to offer them the best. Machinery recently set up at JSC Preses nams plant and the existing high-quality printing machines let our company make printing products complying with the best qualitative indices, as well as considerably decrease its actual cost thus simultaneously raising the company's competitiveness in the printing market.” Mr. Kaņeps points out that, taking into account the set-up of new machinery and the fact that new plants are planned to be put into operation next year, more employees will be hired for work in the printing group, offering them competitive salaries and social protection as previously. Along with putting the new book plant into operation in summer 2008, reconstruction of production complex will also finish helping to hold the key position in the Baltic States because of best-quality book production. Purchase of new equipment will ensure production of two new products that are offered by no other Baltic printing houses: automatic making of Dutch-bound books and hardback bookbinding using seamless technology, thus ensuring faster production and decreased actual costs. The new machinery will open up the opportunity to produce also very thin (2.8-3 mm) books - now the minimum thickness is 4.5 mm. The new magazine and newspaper plant within the technological park of the international airport Rīga will include several Baltic-scale novelties, for instance, the combination of two interconnected printing machines into one that allows simultaneously print 32 A4 pages of a magazine. New finishing equipment for magazine binding will help to develop a wider range of complete products: booklets, brochures and loose leafs, etc. The new newspaper printing machines can simultaneously print 64 full color A3 pages instead of current 32 full color pages, or two separate stitched newspapers of 32 pages. More up-to-date digital feeding system will ensure equally high printing quality. Additional equipment of the new machinery will provide folding opportunities from A3 to A4. In Latvia, this service has never been rendered before although in the Western market it is very popular service related to distribution and delivery of goods. All technological printing machines of the production facilities will be operated under a centralized data management system optimizing production processes and ensuring the opportunity of real time monitoring of these processes. JSC Ventspils nafta For further information please contact Gundega Vārpa (PR and advertising manager), tel. 7229792; e-mail: gundega.varpa@vnafta.lv