The deal is claimed to make Gronhi the biggest producer of offset presses in the Chinese market.

According to the manufacturer, Gronhi now holds a 70% market share of new B3 press sales in China and has had recent installations in the US, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

Gronhi, which will manufacture presses under both Sanxin and Gronhi brands, already produces more than 400 B3 machines a year.

As a result of increasing demand, Gronhi is set to open a new 385,000sqm factory later this year as part of a A$225m investment.

Gronhi, which was founded in 1974, became part of the Hans group of companies in 2006, joining sister firms that were producing CTP and laser-cutting equipment.

In a recent printweek.com poll on the appeal of Chinese print products in Europe, 41% said they thought the quality was now good enough to be considered alongside the encumbent manufacturers and 24% thought that the cheaper prices would prove hard to resist. Around 34% said the second-hand market was strong enough to make the need to Chinese presses redundant, while 27% thought that the after sales service and reputation of European manufacturers would stand them in good stead.

Read the original article at www.printweek.com.

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