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The Print Media Academy (PMA) of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will run the English-language  "Print Buyer University" for the third time from June 15th to 18th 2010.The four-day program in Heidelberg is tailor-made for marketing, purchasing and production professionals in advertising agencies, publishing companies and manufacturers who want to take offset print projects to a new level.

High quality of brochures, packaging or other print products is a key to successful marketing communication. The challenge is to usher a job through the procurement and production process while guaranteeing a high level of quality, regardless of where and when a job is printed. This requires outstanding expertise! The feedback from former Print Media Universities is that the know-how that participants receive in the workshops helps them to understand the value of print and to work together with their printers on a high level.

Whether the participants manage print projects for their own company or a client, they will benefit enormously from this program of information-packed seminars and workshops with emphasis on practical experience. The program will provide expert knowledge which is indispensable for professionals to oversee offset print projects and to achieve top quality, and which ideally supplements the expertise they already have in areas such as design, marketing or purchasing.

Participants also will be provided with guidance in applying international standards in drawing up job specifications and selecting providers. They will be able to judge print quality and to make "press pass" decisions with confidence.

The participants will gain an understanding of print in all its complexity straight from the best possible source: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the world's largest manufacturer of printing equipment. They will benefit from the knowledge of print experts, who have extensive experience with sheetfed offset equipment and efficient production processes. The groups will be kept small to ensure effective learning. Heidelberg's technical facilities will be available for practical exercises involving actual pressruns. At the end of the program, participants will be certified as "Print Media Advisors" to document their ability to manage complex offset print projects.

The Print Buyer University will take place from June 15 to 18, 2010 in Heidelberg, Germany. Registrations are to be sent to the Print Media Academy by May 7, 2010. Detailed information and references are available at www.print-media-academy.com .

Global network and knowledge forum for the print media industry
The Print Media Academy was founded back in 2000 in Heidelberg and offers technical and management staff in the print media industry a comprehensive range of training courses tailored to the specific needs of the industry. High-profile speakers and trainers from the print media industry and business world impart information on the use of Heidelberg products, technological innovations, and successful management. The Print Media Academy portfolio includes one-off seminars, international management programs, advanced training, specialist congresses, and a range of publications.

The network is growing all the time and today comprises 19 PMA sites in 16 countries around the world. The Print Media Academy is represented in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Egypt, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and Australia. In Europe, there are PMA sites in Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Belgium, and now in the Netherlands. All the sites communicate regularly and share information on the latest trends in the print media industry. This makes it possible to develop the training program in close cooperation with one another and to tailor it to the specific regional requirements. In 2008, more than 21,000 participants took part in almost 2,500 training courses staged by the PMA network.

Contact & Enrolment
Print Media Academy Heidelberg
Silvia Becker
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 92 50 11
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 92 49 29
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information for journalists
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Dirk Henrich
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 92  5910
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 92 5069
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Between 2000 and 2005, Chinese timber imports tripled from 10 million to 30 million cubic metres. The import of sawn solid wood products also experienced a similar trend. During the second quarter of 2009, China was the world's second-biggest importer of sawn softwood products.

The biggest volumes originate from Russia and Canada. Imports from Europe remain relatively modest. During the first six months of this year, almost 30% more sawn solid wood products were imported than during the corresponding period in 2008.

Chinese wood businesses visiting SCA
Autumn 2009 several wood finishing companies from visited SCAs saw mills in Tunadal, Bollsta, Rundvik and Munksund. Several of SCA's customers from China expressed the hope of establishing a close collaborative relationship with the aim of securing longterm and reliable supplies of raw material.

Swedish wood has become popular in China, partly due to IKEA starting operations there. "The lighter Nordic wood varieties are seen as modern and trendy amongst young Chinese," says Edmunt Tong, SCA in China. Spruce and pine from Scandinavia have increasingly replaced dark wood varieties in furniture and interior design.

Doing business together since 2005
Since 2005, SCA Timber, working in collaboration with a wood finishing company in Southern China, has licensed the manufacture of window components from Swedish raw material for distribution to customers in Italy and the United Kingdom.

However, the focus has recently shifted to the sale of sawn timber to companies who produce items for the local market. The 1.3 billion Chinese, who are rapidly garnering an increasingly higher standard of living, constitute what is an almost insatiable market.

One such company is Shenzhen Sampo Furniture, the owner of which CEO is Guo Xian Yang. Previously his company manufactured pine furniture for the Japanese market. When demand for furniture in Japan fell, Yang decided to focus on the domestic Chinese market instead.

Today, his company has more than 70 stores in 20 or so Chinese cities. In a few years, he estimates he will be selling his furniture in more than 500 stores. "I work from the conviction that each store will generate sales of USD 100,000 a month," notes Yang delightedly.

Wood finishing for the export market
Another customer category in China being prioritised by SCA is those companies which manufacture products for the export market. Simon Wang is CEO of Zhanjiang Huapin Wooden Products, whose 300 employees produce doors made from pine, primarily for customers in the UK and Ireland, but also for customers in the Middle East.

"We make around 150,000 door sets per year," says Wang, "both in solid and veneered woods. But we're now also taking a look at furnishing components such as panels and mouldings, made from both pine and spruce."

Wholesalers and distributors
A third customer category for SCA in China is timber wholesalers and distributors on the domestic market. One of these companies is Jiang Men Gao Hong, which will soon be celebrating 10 years of importing wood raw material intended for use in sauna furnishing and furniture manufacture.