Dan Mantel, Sonya Cameron and Matt Ashman

Coburg-based printer Evan Evans has been confirmed as the first customer in Australia to purchase a Vanguard printer from Durst Oceania.

Vanguard was recently launched by Durst Oceania managing director, Matt Ashman at the FESPA Global Print Expo in Amsterdam. The roll-to-roll, flatbed and hybrid products launched in Australia following FESPA 2024 in Amsterdam earlier this year. Dan Mantel manages the Vanguard business in Australia and New Zealand.

Sonya Cameron, general manager at Evan Evans and daughter of owner Roger Cameron, is looking forward to the upcoming installation of the Vanguard VK300D-HS high-production flat-bed LED UV printer.

The new Vanguard is built on the six-time award-winning VK300D series, the 5’ x 10’ VK300D-HS UV-LED flatbed. It features a high-speed electromagnetic drive system that propels the carriage at speeds up to 1.8m per second for 60 boards per hour.

Cameron says her decision to purchase the Vanguard sight unseen was based 100% on her relationship with the Durst team and the reputation Durst has in Australia.

“It’s the service we get from Durst’s sales team, the support and my unwavering trust,” Cameron said.

“We took the punt because of the relationship we have with Dan Mantel, Julian Lowe and Matt Ashman from Durst Oceania, as well as the capabilities and specifications of the Vanguard.”

Cameron believes the Vanguard VK300D-HS will take Evan Evans to the next level in efficiency and productivity, giving the business a competitive edge.

“There is a massive amount of excitement internally,” Cameron said.

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman says Durst’s decision to acquire a majority stake in Vanguard Digital Printing fills a gap in the market for Durst for fixed-bed machines.

“We acquired Vanguard and brought them into the Durst family in 2019. We applied all of our service and support network to them, and now we are bringing them into Australia.

“We’re really proud to be working with Vanguard and to announce Evan Evans as our first official install. It’s created a huge buzz in the industry because this is the hole Durst needed to fill.”

“We are dedicated to wide-format printing, which has been very successful for us, but there have always been two areas: fixed bed machines and moving belt machines. And our customer base constantly asks us, ‘When are we going to get fixed bed machines?’,” said Ashman.

The Vanguard VK300D-HS also aligns with Evan Evans’s and Durst’s sustainable ethos. Heads can be added to increase speed as customers’ needs change, eliminating the need to purchase more equipment.

“We’re really excited about how Vanguard is going to sit within the Durst business,” said Ashman.

While the Vanguard is targeted at the mid-range printing businesses, Ashman says Durst is getting interest from high-capacity businesses because of the fixed-bed offering.

With the new Vanguard on the floor, Cameron says she hopes her business will get ‘bigger, better and faster’.

Evan Evans already has work lined up for its new Vanguard including a big project in July. “It was an opportunity to start it straight away,” said Cameron.

“The quality is substantially better. Production speed is wildly faster than what we’re getting, and that’s not even at its top speed,” she said.

Ashman says Durst is proud to work with Cameron. “We always see sales as being a long-term partnership. People who buy a Durst printer stay a Durst customer.”

Once the Vanguard is installed Durst and Evan Evans plan to announce an Open House for guests to experience Australia’s first Vanguard in action. Stay tuned to Sprinter for further updates.

This article will appear in print in Australian Printer May magazine.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter