Print is back in business

6 July 2010



It was not a sigh of relief that was heard at the close of Ipex this year, more of a jubilant cheer, as exhibitors reported a highly successful show, which was way beyond their expectations. Maureen Byrne was there.


Over 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries welcomed 50,322 visitors, of which a record 48% were from overseas. Of course, not all of the printing presses, auxilliaries and services were of relevance to Converting Today’s packaging audience, but the ones that were there were more than happy with the level of visitors, and the amount of business generated during and after the exhibition. Notably, 65 companies from China exhibited at IPEX, an increase of 110% compared with 2006.

Exhibitors reported record levels of business, with tens of millions of pounds’ worth of deals closed at the show, for both digital and offset technologies. Hewlett Packard, for example, surpassed its revenue and lead generation targets on day five of the show. Heidelberg reported orders for 140 printing units in the UK alone and Agfa generated more than €250 million in worldwide sales. “We’ve noted a significant increase in the number of international visitors, in particular from Brazil, Africa and India,” remarked Laurence Roberts, Agfa’s UK MD. The company was showcasing the digital :Dotrix Modular System. The Single Pass Inkjet Colour Engine is integrated in Edale’s narrow and medium web flexo press design.

A large number of launches at the show included the official launch of Domino’s N600 reel-to-reel piezo inkjet label press, which runs at speeds said to deliver ‘at least 50% higher productivity than any comparable printer on the market’.

“The market reaction to the N600 at Ipex was everything we could have wished for and more,” said Philip Easton, Director – Digital Printing Solutions. “With such a wide choice of digital label presses on the market, we’ve been adamant that the N600 should offer clear differentiators in terms of quality and productivity.

“We were delighted with the number of enquiries: visitors who saw the machine during the early part of the week returned later in the show with labelstock and jobs for us to trial,” said Mr Easton.

Domino also announced a partnership with EskoArtwork to deliver its Digital Front End for the N600, so offering workflow integration, colour management and RIP functionality.

Esko itself reported a highly successful show. “Ipex gave us two surprises: the super weather and the super visitor numbers. We were very pleased with the show and the number of international visitors we met,” said Armand Gougay, Senior VP Emeala. “More and more, it’s becoming clear that workflow automation is a key element to a successful production business, and our customers and prospects continue to move in that direction with our solutions. Overall, there was fantastic interest in the new Suite 10 software and Kongsberg hardware that we launched.”

Kodak’s novel ‘virtual’ stand welcomed visitors in to discuss the many new products launched at the show, including Flexcel Direct for the packaging market. This simplifies plate making, removes the need for chemical processing and improves on-press performance, according to the company. Chris Payne, Director and VP, Business to Business Marketing, gave his view on the show: “The response has been huge. At our K-Zone talk show, all live discussions with industry experts were highly attended. With Ipex, we have exceeded all our expectations.”

Grant Blewett, Segment Manager – Packaging at Kodak, agreed. The fact that there was no machinery on the stand seemed to work, too. Mr Grant told me: “We spent the money we would have done on shipping in machinery on giving our customers the VIP treatment. Visitors to the stand have liked this approach.”

Manroland spokesperson Thomas Hauser echoed the views of many exhibitors: “Ipex 2010 has exceeded our expectations. We’ve had very strong press sales during the show and have a huge number of qualified leads to follow up.”

It seems that print is very much alive and kicking - good news for the packaging and converting industry. We look forward to reporting on the sales that will have followed the show in the months ahead.


Ipex this year proved that the print industry is very much alive and kicking. Ipex

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HP Indigo
Edale
Heidelberg
Agfa
Domino
EskoArtwork
Kodak
Manroland

Ipex Ipex


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