Publishers Weekly - August 28, 2017

Printing in Hong Kong & China

CTPS

Operational restructuring is the buzzword at CTPS. “With smaller print runs from educational and professional publishers—which are our core clients—and heightened demand for a reduced-inventory and rapid-replenishment business model, we have to adjust our operations accordingly,” says CEO Peter Tse, adding that these factors have also pushed more volumes to the company’s digital ink-jet printing business.

In fact, CTPS’s digital sales are set to grow nearly 50% this year, with expansion expected throughout 2018. “It is business as usual on the offset printing side as we continue to serve clients in the niche segment of lightweight high-page count STM, Bible, and reference materials,” adds Tse, who is working on a much leaner manufacturing model to improve process efficiencies.

Early this year, CTPS embarked on a partnership with a large
U.S. printing conglomerate because, as global business
director John Currie puts it, “the shifts in the print
supply chain make it the logical thing to do. Increased
manufacturing costs, lower print runs, and shorter
delivery times, for instance, have seen publishers looking
into region-based manufacturing and logistical support,
and such partnerships are a win-win solution.”
CTPS, the first print manufacturer in Asia Pacific to
venture into digital ink-jet printing back in 2011, is also
a pioneer in anti-counterfeiting solutions. Last year, it
launched Phygitalbook, a QR-code labeling technology
for brand protection that also provides authentication
and track-and-trace capabilities to enable publishers to
monitor inventory from distributors and third-party
channels. “This encrypted solution is most effective with
international student editions, which have always been
targets of piracy,” adds Currie, who will be demoing
Phygitalbook at the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair.

“Phygitalbook goes beyond anticounterfeiting,” Currie explains. “Our first adopter, Hong Kong-based educational publisher Marshall Cavendish, is using the QR codes to link physical books to their LMS. The back-end of this solution, which is the data analytics portion, then kicks in to track student learning and offer actionable business intelligence. The intrinsic values and potential revenue stream coming from this solution is something that is clear to our client.” (Currie and his team are currently running tests on replacing access cards with Phygitalbook for another client.)

For Tse, CTPS is well placed to meet the demands of a fast-changing publishing industry, where digital ink-jet printing has become more acceptable. “Even the most skeptical print buyers cannot ignore the strides made by the application of high-definition nozzle architecture in high-end print quality,” he says. “And remolding CTPS operations to suit digital or anticounterfeiting demands is not just practical but crucial to our clients and their businesses.”

John Currie (l.) and Peter Tse of CTPS

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e Adoption of Phygitalbook at Marshall
Cavendish

“With Phygitalbook, our printed books are now seamlessly integrated with online learning services aimed at providing teachers and students with comprehensive online/offline teaching/learning experience,” says Sharon Wong, general manager and publisher of Marshall Cavendish Education (Hong Kong).

With each printed book now having a unique digital identity, capturing statistics on individual learning outcomes is possible. “Our LMS analyzes and anticipates learning trouble spots, personalizes the learning process, and improves learner results,” adds Wong. “We can help a teacher identify struggling learners and provide appropriate support, tools, and assistance.” Phygitalbook allows for ability-based individualized learning paths—simpler or more complex than another student’s—to be taken. “This adaptive learning approach opens up student pathways, encouraging student voice and choice in their education,” Wong adds.