Business

Published: Monday February 4, 2013 MYT 11:03:00 AM

Japan's Dai Nippon Printing to invest RM170.5m in Johor plant

By Joseph Chin


KUALA LUMPUR: Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd of Japan is investing 5bil yen (RM170.5mil)in a plant in Johor to produce dye sublimation thermal transfer media used for photo printing.

It said on Monday the decision to set up the plant was due to the increasing demand for digital photo prints, especially among emerging countries in Southeast Asia.

It said the demand for dry digital photo prints was expanding worldwide in line with the growth of digital cameras and smart phones.

Dai Nippoin said its unit DNP IMS Malaysia Sdn Bhd would undertake the operations.

The plant, which is scheduled to be completed in September 2013, would enable it to expand operations in the region.

"The new company aims for sales of 4.0 billion yen (approximately RM136.40mil) in the fiscal year of 2016," it said in a statement posted on its website.

Dai Nippon Printing had in the late 1980s launched the manufacturing and marketing of dye sublimation media. It has plants in Japan, Europe and the US.

It explained that dye sublimation thermal transfer media was used when printing digital images in a thermal transfer print technology. The media set composed of an ink ribbon (yellow, magenta, cyan and a transparent overcoat layer) and a dedicated receiver paper.

The dye from the ink ribbon is transferred to the receiver paper to match the intensity of the image making it possible to create high-quality photos prints, with smooth gradations, similar to silver halide photography.

Dai Nippon Printing said dye sublimation prints are highly durable, economical and can be quickly produced. It expected the market to increase in mainly in the areas of commercial photo printing such as photo print kiosk terminals, dry mini-labs and ID photos.

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