Fujifilm to boost plate production with new 75m production line

Fujifilm is to expand the production of its Brillia HD CTP plates with the addition of a new 15bn yen (75m) plate line at its manufacturing facility in Tilburg. Netherlands.

Construction at the 660,000sqm site will begin in October 2008 with plate manufacturing set to commence in January 2010.

The new plate line, the third for the facility, will enable Fujifilm to produce both processless and chemistry-free CTP plates such as Pro-T and Pro-V at its European facility.

Fujifilm Graphic Systems director Keith Dalton told printweek.com the new line "is a response to a growing demand for Fuji plates".

He added: "It's a considered investment, not a speculative one. The market for plates is growing and there is a big environmentally-friendly push helping to drive this."

Tilburg is one of Fujifilm’s five platemaking facilities worldwide and produces plates for markets including the UK, Europe and South Africa. Other sites include Japan, North America and two in China.