Business

Best Digital says it has been able to break into more profitable markets since the installation of its Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV wide-format printer.  The company first saw and ordered the world’s first Truepress Jet W1632UV wide-format flatbed printer at drupa in May 2012.

Despite only having the Truepress Jet W1632UV for four months, there has been a massive impact on the business with increased volumes and capacity, reduced staffing levels and more jobs being produced in less time. The new Screen printer has allowed the company to move into new markets.

Geoff Rawlings, co-managing director at Best Digital, comments, "We are now producing work at five times the previous speed and four times the quality we were achieving with the old kit."

“The small picolitre printhead delivers finer type and lines and we can now print anything from A5 car stickers, for instance, to 3.2m graphics,” he continues.

A major benefit to Best is the print speed.  At 100m2 per hour in its fastest mode, the Truepress Jet W1632UV produces high quality work on media up to 1,600 mm x 3,200 mm, with a maximum thickness of 48 mm.

“Our clients really like the machine. They appreciate the increase in quality and they receive their jobs very quickly now,” says Rawlings.

The Truepress Jet W1632UV printer has enabled them to handle longer runs with ease – 1,000 panels are very quickly run through the machine. To prove the point, Best has recently taken on a job for a major supermarket retailer for a 950-run double-sided 2.2 m x 0.7m banner, which is something it would never have taken on with its old equipment.

Investing in the Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV has moved the company into strategically bigger, more profitable markets and the increase in return business has made such an impact that Rawlings is already planning a second printer.

Danny Colegate, co-managing director, Best Digital, adds, “The successful formula for Best to drive growth further forward is investing in excellent quality machines, the ability to produce work accurately at the quality the client wants and at the right price. We can achieve all this with the Truepress Jet W1632UV.”

To see Geoff Rawlings and Danny Colegate talking about their Screen Truepress Jet W1632UV printer and to see the machine in action, please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCn5LFxpr2U

FESPA has announced that its FESPA Eurasia 2013 is gaining significant momentum by partnering with its member association, ARED (Acikhava Reklamcilari Dernegi), the Sign Association of Turkey. The inaugural FESPA Eurasia show will take place between 3rd and 5th October 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.

ARED has been a member association of FESPA since 2001 and has over 232 members. The organisation will have a strategic and consultative role in delivering visitors and content at FESPA Eurasia 2013. The member association will benefit directly from FESPA’s Profit for Purpose programme by receiving surplus revenues from the show to reinvest in new activities and projects for the benefit of the print community across the region.

As an organiser of international exhibitions, FESPA Eurasia will focus on attracting print solution providers (PSPs) from outside of Turkey by developing a marketing plan to engage with markets in Eastern Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia.

FESPA’s Managing Director of Exhibitions and Events, Neil Felton, comments: “The combined GDP growth rate of the countries in the region is 4.82% (*Trading Economics) out-performing countries such as Japan, USA and Australia, making it a very attractive proposition for doing business.”

He continues: “We have been delighted with the positive feedback and support we have received from manufacturers and PSPs during in-depth discussions with the market. As part of our strategic plan, FESPA will bring a world-leading exhibition to the region providing education, networking opportunities and best practice. Imperative to achieving this, we are working with local organisation ARED, who provide exceptional local market knowledge enabling us to create an event that caters for the needs of local printers.”

Halil Eligur, President of ARED, and Sales & Marketing Director at sign company Standart Tim comments: “The Turkish print and sign sector is in need of new ideas and fresh formats from a trade exhibition. As an association we have wanted to take a more active role in delivering an international industry exhibition on a local level and feel FESPA Eurasia is what our market needs. FESPA has similar goals and objectives to ours in terms of sustaining the growth of the market, so we believe they are the ideal event partner.”

Halil continues, “Visitors to FESPA Eurasia 2013 will have access to innovative products, technologies, applications and educational content tailored to market-specific requirements. During FESPA Eurasia 2013, Istanbul will become a hub for global industry leaders, and for the regional sign, screen and digital printing community!”

The launch of FESPA Eurasia 2013, has gained strong support from printers in the area. Samir Sadikoğlu, Chief Operation Officer, ETF, comments, “FESPA Eurasia will bring new life to our community; it will be the catalyst to push the industry forward.”

For more information, please visit www.fespaeurasia.com

Vivid Laminating Technologies - a designer and manufacturer of laminating systems - has recently signed an exclusive distribution deal with Canada’s Sydney Stone for Vivid's Matrix single sided laminating systems.  Leicestershire-based Vivid recently attended Print World Show in Toronto with Sydney Stone to demonstrate the Matrix and a new modular feeding system.

Martin Evans, Managing Director of Vivid, comments, “We are delighted to confirm our new partnership with Sydney Stone. The Matrix is a great system for single sided lamination and the response we received from the Print World Show attendees was superb - which confirms the demand for a system like the Matrix.

“We’re really excited to be partnering with the Sydney Stone team. They have a rich history within the Print Finishing Business and we are confident the Matrix will have the same success in Canada, that it has in Europe, where it is a market leader.”

The Matrix range has 3 models  - the MX-370, the MX-530 & MX-700. Vivid has also recently launched a retrofit feeder for the MX-530, the UK’s first modular laminating system feeder.

Having taken orders at the show, Sydney Stone’s sales director Michael Steele, adds, “Not since 2004 have we sold this many units of a particular system directly from the show floor. The Matrix fills a definite need in the marketplace and its affordability and ease of use makes it easy for business owners to see how much it will add to their bottom line”.

HP has issued a call for entries for the 2013 Sign & Display Print Excellence Awards.  This awards programme is designed to formally recognise HP customers on a worldwide basis for best-in-class large-format graphics produced on HP Scitex and Designjet systems.

A panel of regional experts will select winners in categories spanning from vehicle graphics to retail and point-of-purchase applications, in addition to special recognition for environmentally responsible printing.

The 2013 Sign & Display Print Excellence Awards are free to enter. Customers can submit entries online up until 25th February 2013 for the U.S., Canada and Latin America.  The Americas region winners will be announced at ISA, April 4-6, 2013 and select winning entries will be on display in HP’s booth.

“Print service providers are constantly looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition,” said Xavier Garcia, vice president and general manager, Large Format Printing, HP. “The HP Sign & Display Print Excellence Awards program is an opportunity for our customers to showcase how they  are using HP Large Format solutions to create truly innovative work.”

FESPA has confirmed major international brands and leading printers including Samsung, Tesco, Unilever, Saatchi & Saatchi, JC Decaux and Icon-World as speakers at its Global Summit 2013. The two-day event takes place on the 22nd and 23rd January 2013 at the Montcalm Hotel and Brewery, London.

Over 200 business leaders including more than 100 of the owners and directors of the world’s leading print businesses will attend the 2013 Summit. Printers will have the opportunity to connect and network with brand owners, as well as senior representatives from marketing agencies from around the globe. Printers will also share how they are currently breaking down boundaries by talking about the critical part that print is currently playing within the marketing brand strategy.

The aim of the Global Summit is to support Print Service providers (PSPs) to fine-tune their business development strategy in order to improve the bottom line. As part of FESPA’s Profit for Purpose programme, the delegate fee (from 645-795 Euros) will be subsidised by FESPA. As a result, the Global Summit costs considerably lower than comparable research-led conferences, underlining FESPA’s commitment to making valuable content available to its global community.

As part of the delegate two-day Summit package, delegates will gain access to exclusive FESPA research including the World Wide Survey, as well as the Wider Opportunities Research which evaluates niche vertical markets. The research findings are supported by case study insight from leaders in these markets. They will also have the opportunity to learn and debate the future of the wide format digital and screen printing sector with other sector leaders, addressing key issues, challenges, opportunities and threats relevant to their business.  All delegates will be awarded VIP status to FESPA 2013, London, 25-29 June 2013.

At the Summit, printers can benefit from attending practical and theoretical workshops and seminars from experts in sales, marketing, M&A, leadership and social media.

Key conference speakers include Katleen Pelsmakers, Head Group Marketing Procurement for Print, Paper and Post, Tesco Stores Ltd, who will be discussing the role print plays in broader brand communication. Another key speaker from international agency brand Saatchi & Saatchi, Cindy Bohm, Director of Project Management, Saatchi & Saatchi will provide an insight into her role over twelve years of experience in purchasing retouching, prepress and printing for number of top New York agencies, managing several print production departments at BBH, TBWA, where she was responsible for competitive pricing and the overall quality of output offering an overview of the brand campaigns she has worked on, as well as challenges she and her team had to overcome throughout the printing process.

Haris Munif, Head of Marketing, Samsung Mobile Gulf will look at print’s role in Samsung’s mobile marketing mix. Haris will explore how Samsung Mobile uses print and how they compete with new print advancements to enhance Samsung’s brand power in the Middle East.

Andrew Hodson, Sales & Marketing Director, Icon-world will share his experiences in delivering the look programmes for some of the world's biggest events including the London 2012 Olympics.

There will also be a session on how mobile engagement technologies, such as QR codes and Near-Field-Communication (NFC) can help amplify the impact of print collateral. David McEvoy, Marketing Director, JC Decaux will reveal the results of a recent study into the the use of NFC in outdoor campaigns, and forecast the impact of this technology on the sector.

To register to attend the event, please visit www.regonline.co.uk/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1134380. The delegate package includes access to all conference sessions as well as on-demand access to all sessions post event. Delegates will receive a copy of the FESPA Wider Opportunities research and a copy of the FESPA World Wide Survey research. The Summit will also provide delegates with the opportunity to explore the host city before FESPA 2013.

For more information on FESPA’s Global Summit 2013 and to register for the event, please visit www.fespa.com/globalsummit.

This latest LFR ‘On the Money’ feature looks at how businesses can deter the late payment of invoices.  With businesses across the country continuing to struggle with late paying customers, Alex Hilton-Baird, Managing Director of Hilton-Baird Collection Services, explains that many could be doing more to protect themselves.

"Late payment remains the scourge of business owners and is often their primary cash flow concern in the current climate. As a consequence, many agonise over the credit management strategies they should be employing in order to get paid on time.

One major challenge is the time and money that some processes can consume. Can a business afford to credit check each new customer? Should they really refuse making the next sale because of a couple of missed payments in the past? Is credit insurance really worthwhile?

Hilton-Baird Collection Services’ most recent Late Payment Survey highlighted this dilemma, with fewer than half using credit checks and suspending work and services at the end of 2011.

But a more surprising figure that came out of the research was that only one in five charge late payment interest when an invoice exceeds credit terms. Whether it’s due to a lack of awareness or a conscious decision not to, it would appear that the majority is missing out on one of the most useful and easiest-to-implement credit management strategies in the book.

A proactive stance

The UK was one of the first countries to crack down on late payment when it introduced the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act in 1998. The statute initially enabled small businesses to claim interest for late payment from large businesses with 50 or more employees.

The Act was then extended in 2000 and 2002 to allow businesses to charge interest on any debt that exceeds credit terms. Interest of 8% plus the Bank of England base rate can be levied once it falls overdue, in addition to compensation of at least £40, depending on the value of the debt.

This therefore not only helps to offset the financial impact late payment can have on a business, but it can also serve as a useful deterrent to prevent customers from delaying payment.

Enforcement

One possible reason for this oversight is the fear of losing customers. Would charging late payment interest upset the customer enough to discourage them from placing repeat business?

Crucially, however, businesses have the option to decide whether these charges are enforced. Simply referencing the statute in the terms and conditions of sale and the invoice itself should at the very least make the customer think twice about prolonging payment. If the invoice is still not settled on time, a decision can then be made as to whether the charges are added to the invoice total.

It can additionally be a useful bargaining tool in the chasing process once the invoice becomes overdue, for instance by informing the customer that the charges will be applied should the invoice reach a certain age.

There are several online tools* that will provide an instant indication as to how much businesses could claim in statutory interest, and we would urge businesses to consider every credit management strategy at their disposal in order to best safeguard their cash flow."

* for Hilton Baird's simple online interest calculation tool, please visit http://www.hiltonbaird.co.uk/CS/Late-Payment-Calculator/?utm_source=LFR&utm_medium=website&utm_term=latepaymentinterest&utm_content=paymentcalculatorlink&utm_campaign=interestchargesarticle

About Alex Hilton-Baird:  Alex Hilton-Baird is Managing Director of Hilton-Baird Collection Services, which is part of the Hilton-Baird Group of companies. Established in 2001, Hilton-Baird Collection Services provides award-winning outsourced debt collection services to the UK's SME and corporate markets, as well as some of the most respected invoice financiers, leading banks and insolvency practitioners.

Hilton-Baird Collection Services was voted Commercial Debt Collection Agency of the Year in 2008, 2010 and 2011 by Credit Today magazine. In addition, two of its employees have been awarded the Commercial Collector of the Year title, with Team Leader, Charlotte Christie, winning in 2010 and Senior Collections Advisor, Peter Hepburn, winning in 2012.

Find out more about Hilton-Baird Collection Services’ range of debt collection services at http://www.hiltonbaird.co.uk/CS?utm_source=LFR&utm_medium=website&utm_term=latepaymentinterest&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=interestchargesarticle

For more information, please contact:
Alex Hilton-Baird
Managing Director, Hilton-Baird Collection Services
Tel: 0800 9774848
Email: LFRCollections@hiltonbaird.co.uk