Novus Holdings to list as part of plans to unlock growth potential
T
he Paarl Media Group, a leader in the printing and
manufacturing sector, has announced its intention to
list on the JSE as Novus Holdings.
Chiefexecutiveofficer,StephenVanDerWaltsaidthe
listing is a step as part of the Group’s strategy to unlock
its growth potential and diversify into manufacturing and
technology that is related to its current core business of
print. This is reflected in the name change to Novus Hold-
ings, which in Latinmeans ‘new’ and is consistentwith its
new strategy, new prospects and new technology.
‘Over the last two decadesNovusHoldings has built a
strong financial platform through successful acquisitions,
organic growth and an innovativemanagement team, uti-
lising world-class technology in our various facilities. As
a result, the company has emerged as a market leader,’
he said.
‘With such strong foundations in place, and with sig-
nificant growth potential on offer through extending and
diversifying our product range in the sub-Saharan region,
we believe the time is right to take the next step and ex-
plore diversification directly linked to our core competen-
cies while consolidating market positions in our current
facilities,’ said Van Der Walt.
‘Subject to JSE approval, the Group intends to trade
its shares under the ‘Diversified Industrials’ sector clas-
sification on the JSE, alongside companies with a similar
diversification strategy and mindset,’ said Van Der Walt,
adding, ‘We are confident of our growth prospects and it
will be our intention to consider the payment of dividends
to shareholders as the Group sees fit.’
According to Van Der Walt the listing should enable
Novus Holdings and its subsidiaries to attract and retain
key and talented staff and build a strong brand presence
while diversifying in sub-Saharan Africa.
The listing price will be announced shortly before list-
ing, which is expected to be duringMarch 2015.
The Board of Novus Holdings is intended to comprise
of 11 directors of which sixwill be independent non-exec-
utive directors. Two of the 11 directors will be appointed
from the majority shareholder, Media24.
‘The re-naming of Paarl Media Group to Novus Hold-
ings does not affect the current brands of theGroup. Paarl
Media, Correll Tissue and Paarl Labels will retain their
identity under Novus Holdings and additional brands will
be added during the diversification process,’ said Van Der
Walt.
‘The company has a strong market position in work-
books, magazines newspapers, catalogues, retail inserts
and books with most major publishers and retailers
throughout sub-Saharan Africa as clients,’ concluded Van
Der Walt.
Capacity in self-adhesive labels, wet glue labels and
tissue manufacturing is currently being enhanced as mar-
ket share is gained.
Kodak introduces world’s fastest black and white inkjet press
K
odak has developed the world’s fastest black and
white inkjet press, the KODAK PROSPER 1000 Plus
Press. The press is powered by proprietary KODAK
Stream Inkjet Technology and leverages the base Kodak
Prosper 1000 Press platform with new enhancements to
the transport and software capabilities. Delivering speeds
of up to 1000 fpm, these enhancements enable the imme-
diacy and versatility of digital printing for black and white
applications.
With speeds of up to 4364 A4 pages per minute, the
Kodak Prosper 1000 Plus Press is well-suited to meet the
changing needs of print service providers (PSPs) in the
book publishing industry. Modern publishers face de-
manding supply chains, shorter print runs, more frequent
orders, faster cycle-times, additional demand for drop
shipments and an increased need for customization. The
Kodak Prosper 1000 Plus Press enables PSPs to address
these challengeswith high quality, world-class speed and
job customization. This powerful combination provides a
tight alignment between supply and production demand.
The Kodak Prosper 1000 Plus Press is a compact
monochrome press that leverages Kodak Stream Inkjet
Technology to offer one-over-one perfecting with a print
width of up to 622mm and speeds up to 300mpm. It also
joins the advanced family of KODAK PROSPER 6000
Presses in offering:
• Kodak 700 Print Manager Digital Front End designed
to drive open connectivity and ease-of-use for high-speed
digital inkjet presses;
• Ink saver mode providing up to 30% reduced ink usage
depending on the application;
• Micro-level text enhancement, a new finishing inter-
face and job estimating and reporting features.
TheKodakProsper1000PlusPressisexpectedtoship
in the fall of this year and is field-upgradable for current
customers of theKodak Prosper 1000 Press, who can eas-
ily upgrade at the time of its release.
‘The book printing and publishing industry has been
greatly impacted by emerging digital technologies,’ said
Will Mansfield, worldwide director of Sales and Market-
ing for Inkjet Presses, Eastman Kodak Company. ‘Printers
are searching for ways to produce shorter runs quickly
and profitably. The Kodak Prosper 1000 Plus Press meets
these needs head on, delivering print quality and produc-
tivity akin to offset, but with the immediacy and versatility
of an all-digital workflow.’
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