A new star rose in the east this week. The spark of an idea formed by Stephan Peters while visiting events including Australia's Single Width Users Group now promises to shine a torch for the production management of South East Asian newspapers.

Peters has been nursing the idea for a couple of years: A technical group which could discuss and share issues affecting press, prepress and postpress teams in the region.

And just as a date was about to be set for the first meeting of South East Asian Newspaper Group, he was forced into hospital for emergency surgery.

On Tuesday, as the meeting went ahead as planned, and an embryo committee representing newspapers in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia was formed, he paid tribute to members of his Bangkok team for keeping the show on the road: "They just work for this crazy man," he jokes.

Golf and a barbeque at Peters' home - and a revelry for which his impaired right arm left him unprepared - preceded the event at Bangkok's Chaophya Park Hotel.

And although only a handful of newspaper sites were represented, delegates were so impressed they made plans for a repeat event with much bigger numbers.

Language was a recurring issue – and SEANG apparently means 'boring' in Thai – but whatever the name the group goes under, there's a promise of more to come at the next event next November, also in Bangkok.

The city is also the venue for Ifra's PublishAsia in May, and the steering committee plans to get together then.

Bangkok's printing engineering institute, newspapers from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and a trio of supplier companies (including Conti-Air, of which Peters of regional sales manager) are represented, and publishers in other countries including Vietnam and the Philippines are being invited to join.

Fritz Kistler of MAN Ferrostaal (Thailand) joins Peters and co-organiser manroland Asia Pacific managing director KS Ng on the suppliers’ side. Chairman is Kitti Yimnlamai of Siam University's printing engineering institute (and former production manager of 'Thairath Daily').

Tuesday's programme was impressively technical: It began with a welcome from Peters, a 'mini-keynote' from gxpress's managing editor, and continued with 'best-in-class' addresses by regional and overseas speakers.

Former printer and now Conti's head of sales Jan Jungmann traveled from Germany to explain issues which condition blanket performance. From Melbourne, Australia, QI Press Controls' James Haisman (supported by new Malaysian technical manager Donny Lim) reviewed of options in colour registration, fanout and colour density control.

Terry Brissett (attending with his son Craig) demonstrated the passion he has put into his Sydney-based rollermaking business for almost 50 years, and DIC Australia's Steve Packham urged delegates to question what they think they see. Kodak's Mohamad Ibrahim took the group on a forward-looking assessment of opportunities in digital newspaper printing and imprinting, and manroland's Ng discussed life-cycle management as a way of reducing print costs.

And as the questions began to flow, it was clear that SEANG would be an inquisitive, interactive baby. And one already showing signs of sturdy growth.

• the gxpress.net website will devote a section within its South East Asia online department to the new group's activities. For more information contact Stephan Peters, email stephan@pegras.com

Get ready for the surge, delegates told

GXpress managing editor Peter Coleman delivered the forum’s ‘mini-keynote’, recalling industry developments and calling on publishers to exploit the ‘opportunity’ of current economic uncertainty.

He recalled highlights from the major industry events of the year, including Publish Asia in Macau, Nexpo in Washington – where the hot ticket was lunch with barrack Obama – and the 80 kilometres of aisles at DRUPA: “There, the billions of dollars thrown at inkjet technology by giants including HP, Kodak, Agfa, Screen and Oce have brought the technology to a tipping point.”

Ifra in Ifra in Amsterdam brought lessons on how newspapers can better integrate their news and advertising resources, put their content online and on mobile, and produce their print editions better.

“There’s still a way to go, and that’s why we’re all here,” he said. “Because, while online publishing is part of the present and may be the future, print is still the core business for most of us. Print is probably the most successful of ‘push’ marketing media with newspapers the most frequent of these ... but they occupy a space we certainly don’t have to ourselves today.”

Asian newspapers – including the sectionalised, compact Berliner of the ‘Bangkok Post’, delivered to delegates – are among the world’s best: “But the ‘competition’ isn’t just another newspaper. And it isn’t printed on dull, greyish paper from a combination of pigments which make black when rubbed together.

“It’s a magazine or catalogue leaflet, printed in bright, glossy colour on glossy paper ... if it’s printed at all. Maybe it’s a brilliant image in RGB – maybe it’s moving, interactive, linked to our interests and friends ... and always up-to-date.

“That’s not our business here today, but it’s why we need SEANG,” he said. “We need to be our best ... to print the best possible products with the equipment we have, and look for ways and technology to produce ‘newspapers’ which are even better and more appealing.”

That meant more and better colour, improved and ‘value added’ products including glossy daily magazines, and advertising innovations to keep buyers interested in print. And doing it more economically, more consistently and more easily.
Despite the “period of economic uncertainty”, we need to take the opportunity now: “If business is slack, and it takes a couple of years to ‘reset the circuits’, now is a great time to prepare for the surge to follow.”