HP Japan has announced that eight units of HP’s digital printing solution have been installed into KADOKAWA’s digital publishing manufacturing facility at “Tokorozawa Sakura Town”, in Tokorozawa-city, Saitama-prefecture. Installing the presses means KADOKAWA realizes the new potential of its “Publication Manufacturing and Distribution DX Project” by printing and delivering books at speed to customers.
The installation rolls out the HP PageWide Web Press T490M HD, HP Indigo 50000 Digital Press, and HP Indigo 15K HD Digital Press to help KADOKAWA produce the precise number of books required at speed, while meeting the diverse needs of each reader.
Conventional manufacturing and distribution systems have many financial and environmental challenges, such as batch production and large volumes of returned books, resulting in excess inventory and disposal of large quantities. Through KADOKAWA’s Publication Manufacturing and Distribution DX Project, the company has already published more than 30 million books, with the rate of return books dropping to 26.8%, almost -10% from the industry standard. In addition, KADOKAWA has reduced lost sales opportunities by delivering books within 24 to 72 hours after they receive orders, in comparison to the 10-day industry average. HP’s digital printing offering continues to contribute to KADOKAWA’s efforts to revolutionize distribution in the publishing industry through more effective and sustainable manufacturing and distribution processes.
Additionally, KADOKAWA leverages HP PrintOS, an application that simplifies and automates the print production process by actively maximizing the performance of each digital press. KADOKAWA leverages HP Site Flow, which efficiently managed the print workflow from data transmission to production. KADOKAWA is now producing text, frontispieces, covers, and obis of paperbacks, light novels, new books, comics, and literary books through 100% digital printing.
Shinobu Murakawa, Chief Operating Officer, KADOKAWA recognizes that by promoting the “Publication Manufacturing and Distribution DX Project”, KADOKAWA has significantly improved the return rate of digitally manufactured titles, including Kadokawa Bunko. “This not only streamlines our business but also can contribute to revitalizing the distribution process for the entire industry. Digital printing, which enables the production of a wide variety of books in small quantities, is an indispensable element for this realization, and we believe this was made possible by HP’s solutions. HP offers the world’s most advanced and highly practical digital printing technology.” Moving forward, KADOKAWA will continue to work alongside HP to build new publishing solutions with even greater reach.
Nobuki Okado, President of HP Japan said, “Digital printing, which enables both sustainable and flexible print solutions, is expected to change the structure of the publishing industry. KADOKAWA has been at the forefront of this and recognized the potential of digital printing, and benefit by offering a solution to customer needs. We are delighted that KADOKAWA recognized the value in HP digital print solutions and look forward to working together in the future.”
