IFRA

WAN-IFRA: The name of Toray is known at least in Europe in connection with the Cortina press. Could you please introduce your company with some facts and figures?

SHOHEI KOSHIBA:  The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Toray group of 238 companies including plants and trading companies around the world employ around 38,000 people. Recent annual sales exceeded 10 billion Euro. Besides printing plates the company is a manufacturer of synthetic fibre, carbon fibre, plastics, films and chemicals as well as specialty products for engineering and medical applications. Traditionally the company has been a major producer of textiles and still makes high tech fabrics used by the apparel and the automotive industries. Toray also is a leading supplier of plastics and carbon fibres used in modern fuel saving aviation and automotive components. Special film products are used by the packaging and electronic industries. Toray has a joint venture with Panasonic manufacturing flat screen displays. The company is listed on the Nikkey stock exchange.

WAN-IFRA: What products does Toray offer for the Graphic Arts field? What kind of special products for the newspaper printing?

KOSHIBA: Toray offers analogue negative working and CTP waterless offset plates for
commercial offset printing as well as plate products for letterpress
applications. The special CTP offset plate for newspaper printing (MX7) is
compatible with 808 and 830 nm thermal image setters.
 

WAN-IFRA: Where are the waterless plates produced?

KOSHIBA: The waterless plates have been produced in the Okazaki factory in Japan for
more than 30 years. A modern new facility and coating line was erected at
the same site in 2003 as part of the company's overall strategy to increase the capacity to produce environmentally friendly products and
responding to the needs of the KBA Cortina project for newspaper printing.

WAN-IFRA: How is the sales of Toray waterless plates organized in Europe?

KOSHIBA: Toray is selling through independent distributors in all major European
market areas.

WAN-IFRA: How many square metres do you sell monthly at an average?

KOSHIBA: We are pleased with the strong growth of the waterless plate sales. Since the start of the Cortina business in 2004 we have experienced a minimum of 20% volume increase in each of the following years.

WAN-IFRA: How flexible can Toray react against the growing plates demand? Do the newspaper printers have to worry about the plate shortage
because of the growing Cortina users?

KOSHIBA: We can react quickly to increasing demand.The factory in Japan has
sufficient coating capacity to serve the market in the short to medium
term. A European coating line is in the planning stage and can be realized
at one of our existing factories if the need arises. Service to newspapers
is secured by the flexibility of our European converting facility in the
Czech Republic. Due to the stable nature and long shelf life of waterless
CTP plates, Toray is able to keep sufficient stock locally to prevent any
problems with deliveries. Between our own warehouses and those of our
distributors a minimum of 6 months stock is being maintained in Europe at
all times.

WAN-IFRA: Is there any further progress with the plates? Is there any improvement trial in cooperation with other supplier (Ink, blanket) and press
manufactures?

KOSHIBA: We are maintaining close cooperation with KBA regarding new products that could make waterless an attractive option for titles requiring longer
runs than those typical in the regional newspaper segment. A CTP plate requiring no chemical processing is also under development.