Latin American Papers Leap Forward In Technology

By: Mark Fitzgerald Nexpo had a decidedly Latin accent this year.

Latin American publishers and production executives have always attended the Newspaper Association of America's (NAA) annual equipment show in significant numbers, especially when, as this year, it is held in Florida. But among the still-thin crowds in the roomy Orange County Convention Center back in June -- Nexpo drew 2,300 registrants, 12% more than last year's abysmal attendance, according to NAA figures -- the Latin presence was never more striking. And not simply for their sheer numbers.

"We were busy all through the show, and have four or five papers that are going to buy our systems," said Juan Lauro Aguirre, managing director of Inform?tica Dalai S.A. de C.V., a provider of editorial, advertising, and archiving computer systems based in Monterrey, Mexico. "The Latin American newspapers who were here were in a buying mood."

That may seem surprising given the economic troubles of many Latin American nations. The bad news didn't stop for Nexpo: the day the show opened, Brazil's currency, the real, fell to an all-time low against the dollar, and the day it closed, the still-strong Mexican peso nevertheless reached its lowest point this year. In between, Argentina announced that its economy -- already mired in its fourth straight year of recession -- shrank 16% in the 12 months prior to March 31. "There were very few Brazilians" on the Nexpo floor, Lauro Aguirre observed, "and no Argentineans. Zero Argentineans."

Despite the continuing economic problems, Latin American papers are still in the midst of a great leap forward in technology, noted Noel Leon of Medios, a Spanish-language magazine published by the international publishing association Ifra. "They went right from hot type to desktop publishing. They skipped a whole generation." That's certainly been Dalai's experience, Lauro Aguirre said: "A lot of the newspapers where we install equipment, we're replacing typewriters. Even today."

Latin newspapers also are running an enormous amount of color these days and need the technology to do it quickly -- and inexpensively. "Latin American publishers always want the latest equipment, although they don't usually ask for as much automation because labor is cheaper," said David Stamp, director of marketing, Europe, for Goss International Corp. Reflecting the Latin presence, Goss used Nexpo to announce Sao Paulo-based SRS Equipamentos Gr?ficos, a provider of editorial and production software, as its exclusive agent for Brazil.

Latin papers also have different post-press needs than their U.S. counterparts because they do not stuff themselves with large numbers of advertising inserts the way North American papers do. That's one reason the post-press manufacturer Ferag decided recently to begin marketing to Latin America from its Swiss headquarters instead of its perhaps more-appropriately named Ferag Americas, said Joseph Colletti, president of the Bristol, Pa.-based company: "Latin American papers tend to follow the European model so it made sense to market through Europe."