A timely strategic alliance sees KBA and Indian single-width press maker The Printers House promoting each others products in time for the IfraIndia event this month. TPH will promote KBA web presses on the Indian sub continent while KBA promotes TPH’s 2/1 Orient web presses in the rest of the world. The alliance allows both KBA and TPH to cater to any requirement ranging from 16,000 cph to 90,000 cph web offset presses in their respective territories. Orient has a range of single-width printing elements, with China, Russia and the Middle East its main markets outside India. There’s a small overlap with KBA’s smaller Continent press, but the German maker’s range extends into double and triple-wide formats including the highly-automated compact Commander CT and waterless Cortina. TPH director Mon Mohan Kohli says he is delighted that TPH is joining forces with KBA: “We hope that KBA’s excellence, combined with world class price competitive machines from TPH, will open new vistas in the web offset printing industry globally. “It will not only reap benefits in terms of technology but also improve economics for new projects.” KBA executive vice-president for web press sales Christoph Müller says the tie-up will complement KBA’s product range and further enhance its standing in the global market: “We have complete trust in TPH, its products and people and expect it to be a significant alliance for newspaper and commercial web offset printers worldwide.” KBA says the marketing and distribution alliance will be the biggest of its kind in the newspaper industry. It is expected to provide some relief from the ongoing economic meltdown and will open up new avenues for printers and publishers looking to launch or augment their business activities.