Growing in China

With its economy growing at a rate three times faster than other large countries, China's emergence as an economic power is seen even in the graphic arts industry.

The Printing and Printing Equipment Industries Association of China reports that there are now about 150,000 printing enterprises in the country, most all of which are making technological strides. Most of the printers in China have four-color capability, and in 2000, 10 computer-to-plate systems were in operation.

Rapid growth has taken place in the Chinese printing industry over the last 20 years. The book publishing market has grown 833%, while the magazine segment rose 788% and newspapers climbed 975%. Industry employment is up 300%, and the total volume of printing output is now about 12 billion units.

Contributing to the Chinese graphic arts industry's growth is Shanghai Purlux Machinery Company, Ltd., the largest manufacturer of postpress equipment in China for over 50 years. Previously the Shanghai Book Stitching Machine Plant, which was established in 1951, the company was the key enterprise of the Chinese Machinery and Electrical Ministry. In 1993, it became Shanghai Purlux Machinery, partnered to the Purple Scroll Company, U.K., which is partially owned by the Morningside Group in the U.S.

Purlux now is one of a group of four companies that form a mini-conglomerate of graphic arts equipment manufacturers brought together in the late 1990s, jointly owned by foreign venture capitalists, a private investor, and the Chinese government. Two of the companies are engaged primarily in the manufacture of postpress equipment, while the other two make packaging and offset printing equipment. The goal of the alliance is to merge like companies to pool their resources, resulting in two more efficient and financially stronger divisions.

Housed in the industrial area of Shanghai, Purlux's manufacturing processes, using state-of-the-art technology in the design and production of machinery, are as modern as any in the major industrial nations. In November 1997, Purlux was awarded ISO 9001 certification by China Huaxin Technology Inspection Company, Ltd. and Quality System Registration FMRC, a U.S.-based firm.

In its 172,224-square-foot plant, Purlux employs about 700 employees, 120 of whom are engineers. It manufactures 10 product lines: book sewing, wire binders, perfect binders, folders, three-knife trimmers, hard-cover book binders, business form presses, flexographic presses, saddle stitchers, and auxiliary finishing machines—all with multiple models.

Purlux's production capacity is 11 times what it was in 1995, say company officials. It maintains an average of over 80% of the market share in the domestic market in all of its product lines.

Today, Purlux has set its sights on international markets. When Hans Lödders, one of the founders of Hong Kong-based Wingfield, Ltd., embarked in 1995 on a partnership with Purlux to market its machinery to the Western world beginning with the European community, he also took on the challenge of assisting Purlux in adapting its machinery to comply with Europe's needs and stringent manufacturing regulations.

Aware of the arduous task ahead, Purlux and Wingfield chose to begin the process with the saddle stitcher. By 1997, the Purlux saddle stitcher qualified for CE certification, and was introduced successfully to the European and Far Eastern communities.

The North American market was the next target for Purlux and Wingfield, and in 1999 the companies partnered with Vijuk Equipment, Inc. for the project.

The new market presented new hurdles, some of which were foreseen by Vijuk while some were not recognized until the machine was installed and in use. Neal Anderson, Vijuk saddle stitcher product manager, says that he frequently spent weeks at a time in Shanghai, advising Purlux engineers on making a machine capable of competing in the U.S. market.

Vijuk became a design partner with Purlux and Wingfield, and together developed the Vijuk 321-T saddle stitcher (not to be mistaken for its predecessor, a tilt-back-pocket-type stitcher briefly sold in the U.S. during the mid-1990s).

The new saddle stitcher had to be groomed for the U.S. market, so the differences in machine requirements were not borne in the quality of production, but in culture.

Because labor is abundant and cheap in China, machines there are not relied upon for cost-effective production; they are run at moderate speeds for adequate production. In the U.S., with a sparse and costly work force, machinery must meet the demands of a long-prosperous and fast-paced society. Here, machines frequently are run at top speeds continuously for five or six days a week, or sometimes around-the-clock. Further, living in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, Americans also are accustomed to the many conveniences and efficiencies offered in machine operation.

Recognizing and understanding the underlying differences and expectations, Vijuk was instrumental in the addition of many features to the 321-T. For operator convenience, signature racks, diagnostic lights, and reset and start buttons were installed on all pockets.

For production efficiency, high-quality German and Japanese off-the-shelf electronic components were used, along with an inverter drive motor for the main and auxiliary drive units. The horizontal feeders, capable of 1:1 and 1:2 feeding ratios with mechanical and adjustable vacuum-assist opening were improved to accommodate a wider range of signature configurations. The folder feeder now has four-edge air-blast separation and on-the-fly adjustment, as well as in-line scoring capability.

For consistent quality, the stitcher features Hohner stitching heads, and the quality of photocells was improved for detecting irregular gathering of signatures. Additionally, the gatherer chain was replaced with a high-quality German-made chain.

The trimmer design was modified as well, making it accessible from any side of the unit. Trim waste is blown down and away from the blades, infeed timing can be adjusted without tools, and lubrication is central.

At the forefront of China's economic explosion, Purlux officials say the company is poised to expand into the graphic arts world market with new offerings in equipment as a result of its willingness to incorporate changes to fit the demands of the market. Its annual production of saddle stitchers alone hovers around 100 units and is expected to rise.

Presently, the new Vijuk 321-T saddle stitcher offers more features than others in its class, say its manufacturers; Purlux also has in place a three-year plan to further improve the components and operating system of the machine.

On the manufacturing end, to advance its standards to reach ISO 9001-2000 qualification, Purlux says it will upgrade its computer-aided design systems, manufacturing equipment, working environment, and quality control system. The company also plans to gradually implement MRP II (manufacturing resource planning) systems, affording Internet access and enterprise resource planning for internal networking.