Vibal Publishing House, Inc., the Philippines' leading publisher of educational materials for basic education, recently played host to officers and members of the Printing Industries Association of the Philippines (PIAP) for a plant tour on September 13, 2011 at the Vibal headquarters in Quezon City. 

Led by PIAP President John L. Choa, the tour was part of the trade group's lineup of activities for its annual national convention dubbed Print Philippines 2011. With the theme “Sustaining Growth Through Continuous Innovation,” the convention runs from September 14-17 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. 

The PIAP, of which Vibal is a member, is a network of printers and organizations engaged in printing equipment, supplies, paper, and service shops. Its primary objective is to promote the welfare and development of the printing and allied industries in the country.  

In her opening remarks, Vibal Vice President Nila Vibal-Mata reiterated the enduring resilience of the print medium, noting that "it will not fall into oblivion" and is instead here to stay. 

A 7-minute video of Vibal's evolution from churning out print-only products to integrating the latest digital innovations in the production process underscored the company's commitment to excellence in publishing. 

The actual tour covered Vibal's industry-leading portfolio of high-end machineries and production facilities. Guests were given the opportunity to take a look at the company's graphics and prepress section, post-press section, UV coating section, press section, and digital printing section. 

The tour likewise introduced guests to Vibal's latest press equipment – an HP Indigo 5500 Digital Press, which features an array of capabilities including in-line connection to UV coating, an additional 3-drawer feeder and support for thicker substrates, enabling broader application coverage, greater operational efficiencies, and lower total cost of ownership. 

This newest acquisition is complementary to Vibal's entry into the print-on-demand (POD) market as an effective cost optimization strategy in light of the fast-growing popularity of e-books.  

Graced by Vibal matriarch Esther Vibal, the event culminated in a product presentation by Adrian Fong, Country Manager for Singapore, Vietnam and Philippines for Indigo & Inkjet Solutions of technology giant Hewlett-Packard.  

The event was jointly sponsored by Norde International Distributors. (September 13, 2011)