Bulk Order for Three Sheet-fed Presses from UAE High print quality and productivity acclaimed by the customer

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December 9, 2005 No.1088

Bulk Order for Three Sheet-fed Presses from UAE
High print quality and productivity acclaimed by the customer

Tokyo, December 8, 2005 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received a bulk order from Al-Ghurair Printing & Publishing House (AGPPH) of United Arab Emirates (UAE) for three sheet-fed offset presses that includes the DIAMOND 3000TP. The 3000TP (Tandem Perfector) is MHI's star offset press that enables one-pass printing of front and reverse sides of a sheet at high-speed.


	MHI's one-pass perfection sheet-fed offset press "Tandem Perfector"

AGPPH is one of the largest printing organizations in the Middle East and a member company of the Al-Ghurair Group, a leading business group in Dubai. The group operates in many business areas, including banking and finance, construction, manufacturing, engineering, food processing, printing, publishing and high technology fields.

The other two sheet-fed offset presses ordered by AGPPH are the DIAMOND 3000LS for single side printing and the DIAMOND 3000R convertible perfector for use in either single side or both sides printing. At AGPPH, the 3000TP and 3000R will be used mainly for printing of school textbooks while the 3000LS is planned primarily for general commercial printing. The delivery of all three presses is slated to begin in March 2006.

The DIAMOND 3000TP is the only press in the industry that enables one-pass printing of both sides without tumbling the sheet after fully printing one side. MHI's Tandem Perfector (TP) features front side and reverse side printing units in line and connected by its proprietary Translink unit*. MHI's unique printing unit arrangement eliminates conventional perfecting (both side printing) press requirements, such as sheet-turning unit; sheet grip mechanism; and wider lead and trail edge gripper margins. By mechanically reducing sheet damage and freed from fan-out and doubling in prints, the TP delivers high print quality and press stability, with highly accurate registration on both sides. Unlike conventional presses, the TP also handles a much wider range of stock thickness.

For jobs involved with printing both sides of the sheet, perfecting presses enable higher productivity compared with single side printing presses. The former is capable of shortening print delivery time to one-third since it does not require the drying time for one side of the sheet - from a half to one day - before the other side can be printed.

Since its introduction in 2002, MHI's TP has been acclaimed for its aforementioned features that precisely meet customers' printing needs and has been receiving many business inquiries from customers worldwide. MHI has received orders for 90 TP units in aggregate, including 50 units from overseas, and is in negotiations with several customers.

Gulf States, including UAE, have established special economic zones that provide various business incentives, including tax benefits and acceleration of custom clearance procedures. AGPPH placed this latest order to expand its printing capacity and thereby meet an increasing demand for printing from its various customers who are intensifying their businesses, leveraging benefits from the special economic zones.

Currently almost 50% of new printing press orders are for perfecting presses. On the strength of the TP's one-pass printing features that enable high productivity and print quality, MHI will further accelerate its marketing activities in the U.S, Europe and rapidly growing China, as well as Gulf States.

Notes:Translink unit transfers sheets from reverse side printing units to front side printing units without turning the sheet.

Major Specifications of DIAMOND 3000TP

Maximum sheet size	720 mm (millimeters) x 1,020 mm
Minimum sheet size	360 mm x 540 mm
Sheet thickness range	0.04 mm to 0.6 mm
Maximum image area	710 mm x 1,020 mm
Plate size	800 mm x 1,030 mm
Plate thickness	0.24 mm or 0.3 mm

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About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,590 billion yen in fiscal 2004 (year ended March 31, 2005). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems.
For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp).

PRESS CONTACT:
Hideo Ikuno: h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp
Tel: +813-6716-5277, Fax: +813-6716-5929
Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)