With the recent sale of its offset printing distributorships, CPI Graphics is now squarely focused on digital printing. Bernard Cassell, managing director of CPI Group Ltd, says the company has been moving in this direction, but has really accelerated now. “We had a lot of competing products across our previous mix of old and new technologies and we strongly believe that you can’t expect the same people to sell both effectively. The technology is too different,” he says.
“Now we have a team that is totally dedicated to digital equipment – including our digital finishing range that we’ve carried for some time, with Morgana, Plockmatic and Challenge equipment. We are now concentrating on this market, and this market alone,” adds Cassell.
In a strategic move to further strengthen CPI’s market positioning, the company has appointed former long-term Hewlett Packard executive, David Booth, as general manager of CPI Graphics. Booth has a strong digital background, having worked with HP for 27 years before joining CPI – including five years as national channel sales manager, ESS.
Cassell says Booth will bring to the role an intimate knowledge of HP and its many layers, plus extensive hands-on experience in structures, discipline and approaches for selling to the market.
“We think David’s experience in these areas is critically important, because the supply into the PSP [print service provider] market is very fragmented,” explains Cassell.
“We wanted to make sure that what we bring to it now is something that is consistent, disciplined and reliable to ensure that we become the supplier of choice. We are confident that David
has the necessary background to help us achieve that.
“David has an outstanding track record of performance and achievement, and he is highly experienced in managing and directing sales in a multi-channel environment. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have secured his services.”
Cassell says the difference between the digital and “heavy metal” businesses
is the ongoing supply of consumables for the digital area.
“For an operation such as CPI, it isn’t just a question of selling the wide-format digital inkjet printer, for instance, or a piece of Morgana finishing equipment,” says Cassell. “There is a lot of media that goes through that equipment, depending on the application – the different substrates, the papers, the vinyl, the self-adhesive, the inks, the ink heads and so on. That type of regular ongoing supply is, of course, absolutely right up CPI’s alley.
“We provide those sorts of supplies on a regular basis, every day. And because we are used to satisfying customers’ needs when it comes to that type of requirement, the digital business is a very strong fit for CPI. In fact, probably a much stronger fit than there was in the days of heavy metal. It’s a very exciting development for us and we’re very committed to it.”
Cassell acknowledges that CPI has seen a lot of changes in the past few years, as the group has continually moved and adapted to maintain its high standard of service. “It is important to be willing to change in response to shifting market trends and changing customer needs,” Cassell says.
“I believe the day you stop changing is the day you get run over. However, I think that the pace of change within CPI has slowed for the time being. We’ve done all the things that we need to do – and we’ve probably taken more medicine than almost any other company in terms of wanting to tackle the issues at hand.
“There’s been a very significant decline in volumes in the traditional offset market, and no operation can survive that if it doesn’t move and adapt. We’ve tackled it very quickly, and we’ve tackled it very early,” says Cassell.
“We believe we are now in the right position with the right infrastructure, but if further developments are necessary going forward, then we will do whatever it takes to maintain our position as industry leaders,” he says.
“Having said that, however, we anticipate no significant change in the business at all over the next two to three years. Our people can look forward to having the time and space to concentrate purely on becoming the best at what they do,” adds Cassell.
“The industry will either recover or not recover, as the case may be: we may move more business to electronic or we may win some business back from electronic, as people understand the true story. But whichever way the market moves, CPI will be in a position to adapt to that market.”
Preferred supplier
David Booth says he has come into the business with a clear strategy to achieve a distinct goal: to make CPI the preferred supplier of digital printing solutions to the signage and graphics marketplace.
“CPI Graphics will be doing more than just focusing on bringing leading-edge technologies to the market. We will be specialising in developing ways to combine those technologies to provide total solutions for PSPs, whether for printing billboards, bus shelters, posters, vehicle wraps, interior design glass panels… whatever they are wanting to achieve, we’ll be able to provide them with the most efficient and cost-effective equipment, consumables and service,” says Booth.
“For instance, we can help PSPs using multiple, mid-volume large format printers, or analogue screen printing technology, to lower the cost per page with products such as the flatbed HP Scitex FB6100 and drum-based HP Scitex TJ8550 – or increase speed and size with the new Latex ink-based HP Designjet L65500 or UV-curable XP2750. I also see huge potential for the HP mid-volume hybrid products that print on both flexible and rigid substrates, such as the HP Scitex FB950 or HP Designjet H45500.
“And then, of course, there’s the HP Scitex FB7500 – a whole new category of speed and productivity for large-format digital printing,” he adds.
Booth says he feels privileged to be joining CPI at this exciting stage.
“With my depth of knowledge of HP and experience in multi-channel business management and marketing, I am very much looking forward to adding value for both CPI and CPI customers.”
“The company is in great shape, all the major changes have been bedded down, and the whole team is very enthusiastic about the future of digital printing.”
CPI’s move to concentrate on digital builds on May’s acquisition last year, when CPI Graphics became the exclusive Australian distributor for high-volume HP Scitex large-format digital printing equipment, which includes its market-leading range of flatbed and roll-to-roll industrial-grade digital printers, inks, consumables and spares. The new deal also sees CPI Graphics take responsibility for service and support across Australia. The company also became a reseller for the expanding mid-volume HP Designjet products, so it can now offer HP’s complete range of large-format products for signage and display print service providers.
Cassell says CPI had been looking for an opportunity to expand into the burgeoning digital printer market for some time, and the HP agency was a perfect fit with existing businesses.
“By combining CPI’s service-centric approach to equipment sales, the group’s financial strength and the ability to source a wide variety of substrates through our sister company, CPI Papers, we have positioned ourselves to become a complete solutions provider to large format PSPs.”
“We can now provide the most appropriate digital printing equipment for both mid and large-volume PSPs, and back it up with the level of service and support that CPI is known for,” says Cassell.
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