A new high-speed single-width press, a systems component to write summaries for journalists, and a plethora of iPad and tablet publishing solutions were among the innovations unveiled at IfraExpo in Hamburg yesterday.

The heavy metal is from Goss, which has further extended its long-established Universal offering with a new 2/1 model which prints at 75,000 cph – pitched particularly at Chinese and Gulf buyers – while the ‘content forensics’ software is from DTI.

Organisers WAN-Ifra say a record 85 first-time exhibitors – most in the systems and digital areas – are among them. But president Gavin O'Reilly says there is also “new creativity” in the print product, with big developments in the automation of newspaper production.

Press and ancillary vendors also have the problem of being in two places at once, as North America’s GraphExpo event in Chicago – this year with a special newspaper-focussed section within it – is being held at the same time.

In  Hamburg, the two big German press makers, manroland and KBA – both pioneers of automation technology which continues to drive new press sales, especially in Germany – were still congratulating themselves on surviving the financial crisis and looking to better times. Both had major new orders to announce.

And even Swiss maker Wifag, still reeling after a failed merger with manroland, had a press extension at ABP in eastern India to talk about, while TKS had an order for a 22-tower press from an unnamed US customer.

While things were better than 12 or 24 months ago, KBA deputy president Claus Bolza-Schünemann told how his company had adjusted to the loss of sales worth 700 million a year, while manroland’s Gerd Finkbeiner said his company now looked to a standalone business 70 per cent of its previous size and new ways of leveraging its skills outside the printing industry.

It’s not an unusual trend: CTP systems developer Krause preceded its announcement of a new 350 pph multiformat platesetter by explaining that its biggest market was now bakery equipment.

Somewhat pragmatically, Goss also announced an upgrade programme for users of the CT45/50 reelstands on its older double-width presses. The enhancements address a space in the market currently dominated by specialist Harland Simon, which is currently upgrading reelstands on the Goss presses at Singapore Press Holdings while Goss and rival ABB do other work.

iPad and other tablet and mobile solutions are of course, widespread at IfraExpo, with EidosMedia – which had Jim Pensiero of the ‘Wall Street Journal’ talking on its stand – among those with new authoring products.

WoodWing, which has been prominent in publishers’ app releases, announced support for new-generation Android-based tablets like the Samsung GalaxyTab.

And for those like Finnish specialist Conmio who have pushed the mobile publishing wagon over a number of recent expos, the time has finally come.

Pensiero mentioned that his boss, Rupert Murdoch, had recruited 100 new staff for an iPad-only publication.

About 9000 visitors are expected during the three-day event, including nearly 500 attending the World Editors Forum. Awards in WAN-Ifra’s crossmedia competition were announced last night, and menbers of the association’s International Newspaper Color Quality Club – including three from the Asia-Pacific – will be honoured on Wednesday.

Encouragingly this year – and a contrast to 2009 – a healthy number of visitors from companies in both Australasia and South East Asia are in the aisles.