Komori has recorded its best quarter for incoming orders since 2008, the peak year for the offset press industry.
For the quarter to the end of June, the first of its 2025 financial year, the company reported incoming orders of ¥45.6 billion (£268 million). However, this was not down to a super Drupa, but thanks to orders for its security presses as well as for sheetfed presses. The company has had a good run for security and currency presses, booking ¥20 billion (£117 million) of business from 10 countries since April 2023.
Q1 orders for security and web presses reached ¥14.9 billion (£87.6 million), three times the ¥4.8 billion (£23.2 million) in orders in the same period last year. Orders for sheeted presses also rose sharply, from ¥12.3 billion (£72.3 million) in the quarter a year ago to ¥21.7 billion (£127.6 million) this year a rise of 176%. Orders by region showed increases across the board: China up 268%, North America by 194% and Europe by 194%. Japan ran counter to this with incoming orders at 93% of last year’s level.
Sales for Q1 were also higher than last year, though not to the same extent. These were ¥24.3 billion (£142.9 million) compared to ¥19.4 billion (£114.1 million), a 26% rise resulting in an operating income of ¥400 million (£2.35 million) compared to a loss of ¥700 million (£41.1 million). Sheetfed sales were ¥11.6 billion (£68.2 million) compared to ¥9.5 billion (£55.9 million).
The company says that despite the uncertainty due to Ukraine and Middle East conflicts was mitigated by easing of inflationary pressures in Europe and the US, while investment in Asian countries (other than China) remained strong as production was relocated from China to avoid the increasing inclination to impose tariffs on Chinese exports. Komori’s orders to China were led by packaging investments aimed at streamlining production.
Its Drupa presence was led by two new presses: a highly automated offset press with improved sustainability and an digital press (J-Throne) running newly developed UV inks and with a high precision sheet reversing unit. Komori Europe has announced multiple press orders from Yongcheng Shanda Printing Technology for G40 Advance machines and from C&C Joint Printing Company in Hong Kong for a number of GX40RP Advance presses. These joined many orders from India as well as for the GLX740A+CC at the centre of stand heading for Wilkins Group in the UK.
