Final pieces fitted

THE final piece of a $5 million investment has finally arrived and ardent The Fiji Times readers can now look forward to a more vibrant newspaper after the installation of another two tower pressers and a mono unit.

With a total of four tower pressers, readers can now flip through fully-coloured pages of the newspaper.

Newspapers general manager Hank Arts said the two tower pressers and the mono unit would add to the two existing pressers which enabled the production of 32 coloured pages in a single run.

“Unfortunately, some old pressers have to be taken out and new ones installed, so for the next two days, you will see some disruptions to the paper, maybe few less pages for two or three days, and we apologise to the readers for that,” Mr Arts said.

“The completion of the total modernisation is going to be well worth it with just a few days’ disruptions.”

He said the installation of the machines is the culmination of five years work.

The Fiji Times productions manager, Penina Magnus, said the upgrade was inevitable and things had to move alongside the introduction of modern technology.

“Old equipment can become unreliable, and in some cases, outdated where spare parts are no longer available.

“The new machines also use the latest technology and are thus very efficient,” Mrs Magnus said.

She said the investment by The Fiji Times parent company, Motibhai Group was rewarding as it would cut printing time.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about working smart, utilising your knowledge to produce the best out of your machinery for the betterment of the company, advertisers and most importantly, our loyal readers,” Mrs Magnus said.