Jensen notes that with “with only 760 sleeps to Drupa08”, IPEX has given the printing industry food for thought with regard to what the coming months will bring in new technology.
His enthusiasm may be excused by the company’s sales results at the show. “IPEX more than fulfilled our expectations with HAN orders closed coming in 39 per cent above target.”
Following the best year the company has reported in sheetfed, the HAN team was taken somewhat by surprise by the region’s buying spree at IPEX, with sales activity reflecting consistent buoyancy across segments – commercial, industrial and packaging.
So why the frantic sales activity at the show? Jensen is pragmatic! “You don’t have to travel to Birmingham to place an order, however, a trade event allows you to network, interact, ask questions, learn more, and more often than not, you can’t avoid coming away from a show without at least one good idea that will benefit your business. Some of these good ideas translated into direct orders; there are always a percentage of buyers who like to sign at the show.”
On the Heidelberg stand there was considerable sales activity particularly in relation to the Suprasetter; six were ordered at IPEX, two alone going to the same customer.
“We had an excellent show with regards to the Suprasetter CtP devices,” says Glenn Plummer general manager Product Management & Marketing, HAN. “Much of the interest in the Suprasetter came from customers who were early adopters of CtP and are now upgrading to the latest generation image setters and Prinect workflow,” he says.
“CtP technology is now much more stable; the number of plates you can produce in an hour is far more than it was on the first devices available to the market and there is greater opportunity for connectivity to the rest of the workflow.”
Also of great interest was the XL105, the Speedmaster 52, 10-colour long perfector and the CD74 running at 20 per cent faster. “The issue of increasing productivity was high on the agenda and these presses gained a lot of attention,” says Plummer.
As did Anicolor, a revolutionary new inking system released at IPEX for the Speedmaster 52 range. The Anicolor technology that replaces the traditional ink train with a chamber doctor blade and Anilox roller delivers ink directly onto the plates to produce a saleable sheet within 20 sheets as opposed to the usual 100-150 sheets.
“At IPEX on numerous demonstrations we achieved saleable sheets at the second sheet which is phenomenal; a major advantage for the short run offset market,” explains Plummer.
“When you can print a saleable sheet this quickly you are able to produce offset quality on a wider range of substrates in the digital market space. This technology will enable the A3 offset segment to competitively go up against the high-end digital colour market. It is a very exciting development that will be available in our region in 2007.”
IPEX also saw the worldwide launch of Heidelberg’s latest edition to its successful Saddle Stitcher range: the ST450, bringing unprecedented productivity through automation and speed. Notably HAN secured the sale for two ST450 during the show.
Prinect also came into its own with visitors walking away with a greater understanding of the benefits of connectivity across the workflow; it appears that the JDF penny has finally dropped.
In conclusion Jensen says, “Our prime goal at IPEX was to generate a better understanding of the technology available now and in the future and the impact it can have on your business if used effectively. In today’s environment you need to operate from a sound decision making base because never was it more true that what you decide today either sinks your business or makes it fly.”
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