CEPOD PROJECT MARKS NEW MILESTONE IN SMYTH EXPANSION IN THE FAR EAST MARKET

28 August 2014

Smyth and its Chinese distributor -Pinghu Bindex Machinery Co. Ltd. - representatives at CEPOD Grand Opening Ceremony in Beijing

What is Cepod? Cepod (Chinese Education Print on Demand) is a very ambitious Chinese project. Its purpose is to spread access to information and knowledge through the distribution of digitally printed books in China and beyond. So far, in this country the access to foreign knowledge has been granted by the traditional import of physical books in the territory. Now, thanks to the introduction of the Print On-Demand technology, it is possible to produce books directly on-site by receiving contents in digital format from the major Western publishers. For this purpose, Chinese government allocated 58.000.000 CNY (i.e. 7.000.000,00 EUR) to build a new state-of-the-art production facility in Beijing able to produce finished books, starting from the digital content through the complete production process. The aim is to dramatically increase efficiency in book production, shorten lead-time and satisfy the Customer demand by providing the right quantity at the right time at the right cost.

Who was involved? CEPOD project involved the world’s top companies that pioneered developments in the printing and bookbinding industry in recent years.

Giordano Farronato - Smyth Sales Manager - signing CEPOD Wall of Fame

Smyth contribution In this context Smyth has been selected to supply Smyth DigitaLine, which is an integrated modular system that offers several different patented technology solutions for in line production of thread sewing books, starting from the digitally printed flat sheets. Firstly, its capability to produce in one process (8), (16) or (32) page signatures in any combination, as well as simply insert (4) pages, sets it apart from the competition. This unique feature gives the distinct advantage of dramatically increasing production output while reducing printing clicks, saving money. In addition, Smyth DigitaLine is a dual use machine able to produce hybrid books in any configuration of traditional off-set signatures and digitally printed sheets for book personalization. The possibility to use Smyth DigitaLine components to run multiple jobs concurrently (i.e. folding and inserting jobs and thread sewing jobs) further enhances the versatility of this system, which is available in six different models.

Smyth Digitaline at CEPOD state-of-the-art production facility in Beijing

CEPOD Grand Opening Ceremony

On August, 28th Smyth Board of Directors attended the Grand Opening Ceremony held in Beijing to officially open CEPOD new production facility. A number of Chinese government representatives and public administrators, along with business leaders, media and worldwide publishers (i.e. John Wiley & Sons, Cambridge University Press, Simon & Schuster Inc.) enjoyed the event upon invitation. Mr. Zhu Hongtao, General Manager of CEPIEC – CEPOD’s parent company - delivered an important speech at the ceremony. He pointed out that CEPOD project is predicted to be only the first of many pioneering projects in the Chinese territory, conveying the message that the growing trend of digital printing is expected to continue over the medium term. After that, Mr. Zhu Hongtao started the crystal ball together with government representatives and business leaders to officially open CEPOD new state-of-the art production facility. During the factory tour we could view the whole book production process and appreciate its efficiency. Digital printing allows for efficient production that very closely follows the demand curve, minimizing costs related to ordering, over production, returns, inventory and wastage. Thanks to Smyth contribution, CEPOD facility is now able to provide top quality sewn books to international and domestic publishers, institutions, national libraries and individuals.

CEPOD venue in Beijing on August 2104

Factory tour pic Factory tour pic