When a Publishing Company Starts Producing In-House ...

06/04/2016

Kadokawa, one of the largest Japanese publishers, is set to start producing itself, using a Muller Martini Alegro MC Digital for perfect binding.

Kadokawa, which employs 2,400 people and is based in Tokyo, is one of Japan’s largest publishing companies. It not only publishes books and magazines, but also operates in the electronic media segment (television, films, internet, and games). To date Kadokawa has outsourced the production of all its print products. Now, however, the company is adopting a new strategy and therefore starting up its own production and sales operations for book-on-demand.

The eight-member Kadokawa delegation at Muller Martini’s drupa booth with Rudolf Müller, Bruno Müller and Yasuyoshi Miyazaki.

“Our aim is to speed up the entire logistics chain, i.e. the path of each book from the printing plant to the customer,” says Koichi Sekiya, Director of the Board of Kadokawa, at drupa. Kadokawa has therefore decided to use the Alegro MC Digital perfect binder, which premiered in Düsseldorf and boasts two new important features for digital printing – block thickness correction and touchless workflow with Dynamic Job Change functionality – for perfect binding.

Koichi Sekiya saw the advantages of the Alegro MC Digital for himself at Muller Martini’s Bookbinding Academy. “We performed our own tests, with impressive results all round.” The company head was convinced to invest in the Muller Martini solution not only by the innovative technology but also by another important factor. “Since we’re new to production, we need a reliable service and support partner, and I’ve heard a lot of positive reports in Japan about Muller Martini.”