CHINA PRINT, held every four years, is the largest printing technology exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world. The leader of Komori’s project team—assembled to ensure the success of CHINA PRINT 2017 and strengthen sales strategies in the Asian market—was the Manager of the China Sales Division from Export Department 1. He reflects on his mindset when first assigned to the role:

“As the administrative lead for the exhibition, I launched the company-wide project in the summer of 2016, a year before the event. My responsibilities ranged from developing sales strategies and coordinating progress between the Japan and China subcommittees, to booth layout and design, event planning, and managing the transport and installation of large printing presses. Although I had been involved in China-related business since 2010, this was my first time leading a project of this scale, and the pressure was significant.”

Demand for high-mix, low-volume printing was rising in China, mirroring trends in Europe and the U.S. Alongside traditional offset presses, interest in high-quality digital printing press was increasing. The key challenge was how to clearly communicate Komori’s strengths—integrating offset and digital technologies to deliver superior quality.
The Section Chief of Development Division 2, who was stationed at a subsidiary in China at the time, was responsible for booth layout:

“Following the 2016 drupa exhibition in Germany, the world’s largest international printing technology exhibition, we continued presenting the concept of ‘integrated offset and digital solutions.’ With limited booth space, determining how to arrange large printing presses to convey this message effectively required extensive planning.”

To optimize visitor flow and guide prospects naturally toward business discussions, he coordinated closely with local Komori staff and exhibition organizers. Despite numerous constraints, thorough communication and repeated discussions within the project team led to a final layout that met all functional and design requirements.

The Manager of the Global Marketing Division—responsible for graphic design, booth decor, lighting, video, audio, and overall presentation—emphasizes the importance of preparation:

“In my experience, 80% of an event’s success is determined by preparation. One of the biggest challenges was ensuring that visitors could immediately recognize Komori’s brand identity, consistent with what we had presented at past international exhibitions. When visitors sense familiarity, they feel comfortable taking the time to explore our products. For the first time, Komori exhibited in the digital printing zone rather than the offset area, allowing the team to visually express the concept of “integration of offset and digital printing” through a unified design.”

Although decisions on which presses to exhibit took longer than expected, resulting in tight schedules for booth layout and design, the high-quality booth was delivered on time thanks to his deep commitment to preparation.
Right after finalizing the booth design, however, the team faced an unexpected crisis. The Manager of the China Sales Division recalls:

“Just before the event, we were notified that the setup period had been shortened from 12 days to 7 due to venue constraints. With such large printing presses, following our usual installation procedures would never finish on time. We calmly reassessed the workflow, requested additional local staff, and expanded the setup team from the usual 3–5 people to 10. Japanese employees who happened to be on business trips also stepped in to help beyond their assigned duties. Thanks to everyone’s support, we overcame what could have been a major setback.”

The team’s calm decision-making and strong unity allowed them to resolve the emergency swiftly.

During the five-day event, Komori’s booth was filled with visitors every day. The Section Chief who created the layout explains the exhibited products:

“We showcased two offset presses and one digital press. Both offset models featured Komori’s advanced technologies, including our H-UV system for fast-drying printing and a one-pass mechanism for double-sided printing without paper flipping. Our new inkjet digital press achieved high-quality output approaching offset standards through superior tone reproduction. By combining these presses, customers can expand their business into commercial, packaging, and high-mix, low-volume or variable printing. Our software solutions—such as K-ColorSimulator2 for color matching and the cloud service KP-Connect for visualizing press performance—also drew strong interest.”

The integrated demonstrations of offset and digital printing received high praise. As a result, sales in the Chinese market nearly doubled the campaign’s original target, marking a major success. The Manager of the Global Marketing Division reflects:

“The project succeeded because every department involved collaborated seamlessly, demonstrating Komori’s collective strength.”

The Section Chief from Development Division also felt strong market traction:

“We clearly showcased how a single Komori press can accomplish work that previously required three presses, delivering strong productivity benefits. With rising labor costs and staffing challenges, many Chinese printing companies saw excellent value in our solutions.”

Komori’s technological strengths—spanning offset, digital, consumables , and equipment—made a significant impact on the Chinese market. The project leader, the Manager of the China Sales Division, concludes:

“As China’s printing industry faces higher quality expectations, stricter environmental regulations, and rising labor costs, this is a perfect opportunity for Komori to provide solutions we have developed over many years. The strong results of this exhibition demonstrate that our message resonated clearly in Beijing. Moving forward, we will continue promoting workflow optimization and automation with KP-Connect, while also introducing environmental technologies—such as wastewater treatment and filtration—to expand our presence in the printing equipment market.”

He expressed strong confidence in further growing Komori’s share in the Chinese market.