Business

FESPA is launching a new event for the Chinese marketplace in 2013.  The new show - FESPA China - will take place between 18th and 20th November 2013, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

The newly FESPA-branded event will be managed in partnership between FESPA and CSGIA (China Screen Printing and Graphic Imaging Association), FESPA’s associate member in China. FESPA China will represent screen printing and digital wide format printing, revitalising the established CSGIA event for the Chinese market. This CSGIA exhibition has been successfully staged annually since 1983, alternating between venues in Guangzhou and Shanghai, and attracting an increasing number of foreign exhibitors. The last CSGIA show in November 2011 covered a hall area of 25000m2, with more than 400 exhibitors and total attendance of over 18,000.

FESPA and CSGIA will also benefit from consultative support from ASGA (Asia Screen Printing and Graphic Imaging Association), the federation of Asian printing trade associations. ASGA has long-standing links with FESPA, and was a partner in the 2011FESPA Asia Summit and exhibition, both of which took place in Singapore.ASGA will host its annual meeting at FESPA China 2013, bringing a delegation of senior executives from the pan-Asian region.

FESPA CEO Nigel Steffens explains, “FESPA has been weighing up opportunities to develop a visible presence in China for some time, and we’re confident that this partnership with our associate member in China is the best approach for us and for the Chinese printing community.CSGIA is a strong event which is attracting a dynamic visitor audience, 47% of which were first-time visitors to the show in 2011.

“We believe that FESPA’s global reputation for event organisation can help to attract major digital suppliers for whom China is a business-critical market. We also intend to apply our expertise to make FESPA China an even more compelling and worthwhile event for visitors. Our objective is to grow this show substantially, as we have done with the events we have taken on in other developing markets like Mexico and Brazil.”

Mrs Pei Guifan, Chairman of CSGIA comments, “We see digital printing technology playing a significant role in the future of print production in China, as government rules for manufacturing companies place increasing emphasis on sustainability. Our CSGIA show has traditionally focused on conventional screen printing technologies and consumables, but the time has come to ensure that visitors to our event can see the best of screen printing while also increasing their understanding of the opportunities that come with digital printing innovation. FESPA is the right partner to support us with this transition and to work with us to move the event forward in the future.”

FESPA’s Asia Ambassador Anders Nilsson concludes, “The market’s positive response to FESPA Asia 2011 demonstrated the appetite throughout Asia for a show of FESPA’s calibre. The size and significance of the Chinese market justifies a dedicated presence and presents an opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones with our members and the Asian print community. We will work closely with CSGIA and key stakeholders to create an event which leaves a positive legacy and supports the Chinese printing community with the next phase of its development and growth.”

This new partnership does not impact CSGIA 2012, which takes place in Guangzhou from 14-16 November 2012.

FESPA looks to return with a FESPA Asia event in 2014, details to be confirmed. Total attendance at FESPA Asia 2011 was 4500, with delegates from more than 34 countries. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines were all strongly represented, with visitors also travelling to the show from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as the USA and the UK.

Vivid Laminating Technologies has returned 'triumphant' from the SGIA Expo in Las Vegas where it showcased its range of laminating and finishing solutions.

Vivid’s Sales Manager Richard Marlow explains “We couldn’t believe the amazing response we received from the United States print industry. We were made to feel very welcome...  The visitors were very impressed with our systems - especially our Matrix Single Side Laminator range.”

Vivid officially launched its latest innovation - the MF-530 Feeder unit for the MX-530 laminator - which has been specifically designed to meet market demands at SGIA.

“The wide format sector also paid us a visit," adds Marlow.  “Our award winning Easymount Laminators and the newly announced Trimfast A-Frame Multi Substrate Cutter received a lot of attention.”

SGIA has completed four new Digital Equipment Evaluations, focusing on wide-format technologies. These exclusive reports provide imaging professionals with objective data they need when considering a wide-format investment and cover the following products:

• Océ Arizona 550 XT
• Océ Arizona 318 GL
• Roland VersaCAMM RE-640
• Screen USA Truepress Jet1632UV

Participation by SGIA member equipment manufacturers is voluntary. Evaluations usually take place at a manufacturer showroom, where the equipment can be set up under favourable conditions. An SGIA representative, serving as test observer, performs timing tests and collects data relevant for the report.

For more information, please visit www.SGIA.org

[image shows Océ Arizona 318 GL]

Atlantic Tech Services has launched a new website - www.atlantic-ts.com - to promote the company’s range of comprehensive warranty cover maintenance contracts for wide format printing equipment.

The Atlantic warranty ensures customers can enjoy 'total peace of mind' with the all-inclusive breakdown warranty contract with media head strike cover included.  Atlantic Tech Services provides cover for almost any wide format printer but has particular strength in Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland, Seiko as well as its own range of super-wide Neolt printers.

Keith Pratt, Atlantic’s Director of Sales, says, “The new website will ensure customers contact us directly, know what we offer and how to get what they need. It provides full details of our products and services and will keep customers up to date with company and industry news.”

Heidelberg Druckmaschinen AG has become an associate member of Verdigris, the not-for-profit research initiative which works with the global graphic arts community - printers, manufacturers, print buyers and publishers - to evaluate the carbon footprints of different media.  Heidelberg joins a number of other leading manufacturers which are backing Verdigris, including Agfa, EFI, HP, Ricoh and Xeikon, as well as the drupa , FESPA and EcoPrint Europe exhibitions.

Explaining Heidelberg’s decision, Harald Woerner, the company’s Product Manager, Environment and Sustainability, praises Verdigris’s “precise and efficient communication” of the respective environmental impacts of different communications media.  “At Heidelberg we regard sustainability as a long-term balance between environmental protection, business goals and social responsibility.  We invest heavily to eliminate or minimise negative impacts throughout the life cycle of our products, from manufacture through use by customers to final recycling or disposal, and we look forward to sharing our expertise with Verdigris and our fellow project supporters.  Verdigris deserves credit for its efforts so far to create and maintain a valuable cooperative effort by the graphic arts industry to discover and present the facts about print’s sustainability.”

“Making the case for Verdigris to the global leader in press technology is a major achievement for us,” says Verdigris founder Laurel Brunner.  “Anyone who visited Heidelberg’s exhibit at drupa earlier this year witnessed how seriously the company takes sustainability.  As well as the entire stand being carbon-neutral, Heidelberg showed a number of innovations such as in-press energy efficiency monitoring and heat recovery during drying.  We were also impressed by the launch of consultancy services to help Heidelberg customers improve and reduce their energy consumption.  Heidelberg’s participation is great news for Verdigris.”

Since its launch at drupa in 2008 Verdigris has mobilised the resources of its supporters to educate producers and consumers of print about its environmental impact, helping to raise print’s profile as a competitive communications medium that is also sustainable and has a low carbon impact.  Verdigris achieves this by providing a global network of graphic arts industry publishers with free research and content — independently managed by specialists in print technology — that explores and analyses the issues facing publishers and printers and helps them manage their carbon footprints while continuing to run profitable businesses.  Verdigris is also a major contributor to the development of ISO 16759, the standard for measuring the carbon footprint of print media products.

For more information on Verdigris, please visit www.verdigrisproject.com.

Canon UK has hosted a series of customer forums focused on the results of its latest Insight Report, The Bigger Picture: Your customers’ view of the value of print.  The forums, which took place in London, Reigate, Birmingham and Dublin, gave Canon customers the opportunity to discuss the research and explore the ways in which it can help them to grow their businesses.

The Bigger Picture was commissioned by Canon with the aim of helping Print Service Providers (PSPs) to understand better what print buyers actually want, thus equipping them better to meet their customers’ needs more effectively, grow their own businesses and help to grow those of their customers. The research covers five main topics: the value of print to print buyers, how print buyers choose a print provider, how print buyers use print, how print buyers see their future use of print and opportunities for print providers.

Michael Moradian of Print Express in London says, “This initiative from Canon is to be welcomed. The forum gave me access to insight that, as a small company, I otherwise wouldn’t have access to. The Bigger Picture is an extremely useful piece of research because it gives you a better idea of what our customers are looking for and what the broad trends in the market are. I think that all suppliers in the industry should be engaging in this sort of activity because it makes the whole industry stronger.”

Commenting on what the research shows about the value of print, Moradian continues, “Print is tactile, it’s easier to manage in some circumstances and it can also give a lot more information in a compact form. It’s still easier to read than scrolling across a screen. That’s what I felt the research really came up with, that we’re an important part of the communications mix with a definite role to play. We need to find ways to integrate with other channels and help them integrate with print, because other channels are enablers not competitors.”

Barry Cool, Director of Propeller in East Sussex, says that the research makes him optimistic for the future.  “The research reaffirmed a lot of what we, as a business, believe. When we took over the business five years ago, we believed that the future would be about what you can think of and create, not just what print you can produce. Today we’re certainly seeing evidence that this is true, and the report seems to back that up. It shows that people still very much value everything printed, in addition to all the digital media that are available to them. The people who’re ‘winning’ with their clients are the ones who understand all of the elements and offer the right solutions for the project at hand, even if that means printing less for some projects.”

Cool explains, “We work really hard to understand our clients, understand their business and understand what they’re looking for. The Bigger Picture is an invaluable piece of research because it gives our industry an insight into what the buyer thinks. The research shows that there is a lack of awareness among many print buyers about the range of possibilities offered by digital print. By developing relationships with your clients that make you become a trusted advisor instead of a supplier, you’re building valuable relationships that will sustain your business in the long-term.”

According to Andy Harris, European & UK Graphic Arts Customer Marketing, Professional Print Solutions, Canon Europe, “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to The Bigger Picture research from our customers at drupa earlier this year and this was echoed in the feedback we’ve been receiving from customers after these forums. Canon is not only highlighting the need for PSPs to build more consultative relationships with their customers, we’re also working with them to help them do this through initiatives such as the Essential Business Builder Program and business mentoring. We look forward to seeing growing numbers of PSPs using the insights to improve communication with their customers and grow their businesses.”