Interview: Kyohei Fujisawa President of Media and Precision Technology Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company Limited

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Ever since we heard about Screen’s “Rakusai — white canvas concept” in January 2008, we were intrigued. We were curious about how this very Japanese company based in Kyoto was looking at the changes in our industry. We thought that maybe, Rakusai White Canvas was a special Japanese way for describing “blue sky” thinking or some other kind of creative idea mongering — perhaps another way of planning its transformation for the future. Certainly it seemed that Dainippon Screen with its acquisition of the Inca inkjet and its persistence with both the high-speed TrueJet 520 and the DI Truepress was a company that was achieving transformation.

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• Kyohei Fujisawa President of Media and Precision Technology Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Company Limited

At drupa08, the transformation of Screen was evident – not only were the Truepress 344 and the TrueJet 520 shown in action but each already had an extensive installed base. Since the TrueJet 520 was first shown at Print05 in Chicago, it had been sold to transaction printers in Europe and North America and the Truepress 344 DI had a strong installation base in Western Europe as well. The most startling Screen product at drupa08 was the TruePress Jet SX — a sheetfed inkjet press. Although this was not a unique development at drupa08, from our encounter in Kyoto with Screen’s president we think that it may be the first such product to market.

We have visited Screen in Kyoto several times since 2001. At the end of November 2008 we got a chance to visit Kyoto again, and this time we were able to satisfy some of our curiosity about the Rakusai centre and also to meet with Screen’s President, Kyohei Fujisawa at the company headquarters which is across the city toward the hilly part of the city not far from the famous Kyoto palace.

The building itself is faced with gridlines reminiscent of Screen’s heritage as a nineteenth century printing company that went on to manufacture the first Japanese glass screens for halftoning in 1936 with a precision scoring machine. There is an adjoining museum that displays its beginnings as a printing company, its subsequent achievements as a screen manufacturer, and its diversification of this expertise to electronics, since the manufacture of printed circuit boards and semi-conductors also began with precision photolithography techniques. Screen has now become the leading supplier of coating, exposing, measuring equipment to PCB, semi-conductor chips, flat panel displays and solar panel manufacturers.

IPP: As far as White Canvas Rakusai, what part comes from tradition and what part is practical industrial research and development or perhaps strategising and product development?
Kyohei Fujisawa: Rakusai is focussed! Our core technologies are in cleaning, coating, exposing, and checking. For instance laser exposure technique came from our scanners to printed circuit boards, and then to flat panel displays. We have to show new technology in the four-year cycle. 

[Fujisawa san has managed to simplify Screen’s more than 100 core technologies and special tools in micro-stereo lithography, ultra-precise chemical coating, damage free cleaning, “nanospray,” microscopic image exposure, micron order precision, colour management, virtual colour 3D, workflow and automation, and flow detection.]

IPP How does Screen view the current graphic arts markets? At its predrupa press conference in Dusseldorf in January 2008, Screen said that the CtP market is now flat.
Kyohei Fujisawa: Seventy per cent of the market for our graphic arts products is overseas. If we look at three main segments, computer to plate (CtP), print on demand,  and precision equipment, we would have to conclude that CtP is saturated in many markets such as North America and Europe. Here we are looking at the replacement market. We expect Screen to take about 40 per cent of the CtP market in the current year. This would include our OEM production for some other manufacturers. In any case the market this year would be something like 5,000 CtP’s. It could even be less. 

IPP  So far Screen has been manufacturing only thermal CtPs. What about violet?
Kyohei Fujisawa: We are considering the newspaper market and thinking and planning for newspapers. We may have to reconsider. I want to understand the market and for this we have to watch the market conditions. Now it seems that violet plates have a future and we are looking at machines for this market.
 
IPP What is your strategy for the inkjet market? For the TrueJet 520?
Kyohei Fujisawa: More than a 100 of our Truejet 520 systems are already sold. This includes our OEM sales mostly in the transactional market. Our own sales strength is in the commercial printing and newspaper markets. . .  We are now developing several types of inkjets and several types of new machines. We may produce a just black and white system or a less expensive machine.  

IPP Do you have any plans to develop your own inkjet heads in the future? And do you envision consumables as big part of your revenue streams?
Kyohei Fujisawa: No we are not planning to develop ink jet heads ourselves. However, in the future consumables will be an important part of the market. We should develop inkjet products. 

IPP What about the Jet SX sheetfed press that was shown at drupa in May2008?
Kyohei Fujisawa: Many customers are interested in this press and the quality is good on any paper. We plan to launch the Jet SX in the first half of 2009! 

IPP Does Screen have any plans to manufacture in lower cost countries?
Kyohei Fujisawa: In future we should consider the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries because of the trade taxes and the currency exchange rates. The Japanese Yen is too strong. For example we already have a manufacturing company NTMC in China.

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