Advertiser completes deal to buy 2 presses for Kapolei

Advertiser Staff

The Honolulu Advertiser has completed a deal to buy two new presses and is moving forward with plans to build an $81 million printing and distribution facility in Kapolei.

The Advertiser is building the plant on 11.6 acres on Kalaeloa Boulevard. The 147,000-square-foot facility is expected to be operational by 2004.

AM Partners of Honolulu and Eurographica Architects and Engineers of Augsburg, Germany, are collaborating on the design of the facility.

The environmental review process, surveying and permitting for the project are under way.

"We're very excited about signing the contract to purchase these new presses, and we're equally excited about moving forward with this important construction and expansion project," said Mike Fisch, president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser. "We're committed to Hawai'i for the long term, and this is just another example of our belief in the long-term viability of Hawai'i as a place to do business."

The new offset presses, from MAN Roland of Augsburg, Germany, will take about 20 months to manufacture and will allow the newspaper to expand its color printing capabilities, as well as increase the speed with which papers are printed.

The new Regioman presses will allow The Advertiser to print simultaneously two newspapers of up to 56 pages with 40 pages in full color. Each new press can produce up to 70,000 copies an hour. The new presses can also print a 64-page newspaper with each page in color.

The new presses also will provide higher-quality resolution so images in the newspaper will be clearer and sharper.

"We believe The Regioman will offer the next advanced level of printing speed and quality," said Dennis Francis, general manager of The Advertiser. "Its state-of-the-art technology will also allow for an easier learning curve for our press operators."

The current presses, at the newspaper's printing and distribution facility on Kapi'olani Boulevard, are more than 30 years old.

The printing, packaging and distribution functions at the downtown Advertiser facility will move to the new Kapolei printing plant.

The Advertiser's business and editorial operations will remain at 605 Kapi'olani Blvd., the site of the newspaper since 1929. The Kapi'olani building is scheduled for renovation after the press project is completed.

The development at Kapolei also provides an added impetus for the growing community there.

Major construction projects valued at more than $165 million were planned, have been completed or are under way in Kapolei this year.