Well known HP Indigo general manager Alon Bar-Shany has fired a broadside at rival Benny Landa, Bar-Shany saying that HP would never come to a show with a product that it is not prepared to commercially ship within 12 months. Bar-Shany’s remarks – made at the HP pre-drupa media Conference in Israel – are widely interpreted as a knock against Landa and his Nanographic printing technology, which is being shown at drupa, but according to Landa will not be ready for shipping for 12 months.

Alon Bar-Shany (l) takes aim at Benny Landa (r)

The two companies have considerable history, Landa was the creator of Indigo before selling it to HP 15 years ago, for a reputed US$800m, since then HP ironed out the processing power and have gone on to develop Indigo into the dominant digital press range – at drupa it will have the biggest stand at 6200sqm, and will have some 230 tonnes of Indigo kit on the floor, with a range of solutions targeting a variety of applications including commercial print, labels, cartons and flexible packaging. Landa’s Nanographic technology may present a threat to some Indigo product, if it can be developed to work in the way its creator believes it can, as it promises offset quality at offset speeds but with the benefits of digital. However four years ago at drupa 2012 Landa said that the Nanographic presses would be available by now, and took 400 $10,000 deposits from printers eager to gain a place in the queue. At drupa this time around Landa will have three nano presses on show: a sheetfed B1 single sided folding carton press, a sheetfed B1 duplex (perfecting) commercial press, and a flexible packaging press, which he will be personally presenting five times a day in the Landa booth. In addition Land’s iron partner Komori will have its version of the B1 Landa press on its stand.

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