“What with volcanic ash, the potential strike at BA and the recent problems with the Channel Tunnel, about the only thing we haven’t had is a plague of locusts,” he quipped at yesterday’s opening ceremony. “Hopefully, life is a little more positive than it was six months ago.”
Meanwhile, as the punters flooded into the NEC, exhibitors appeared to be largely optimistic about the prospects for the exhibition.
George Clarke, Ipex 2010 president and managing director of Heidelberg UK, said: “We exhibitors have put our money where our mouths are, at a difficult time. Now we need a return on our investment. We will judge the show a success if we manage to instil confidence in our industry to invest.”
“We expect a good show and a good week,” added Komori president and chief executive Yoshiharu Komori.
The 10 Ipex Champions in Print were honoured at the opening ceremony, with Crosfield Electronics founder John Crosfield, Indigo founder Benny Landa, St Ives founder Lord Gavron, and ProPrint columnist Professor Frank Romano all present to receive their awards.
A whistle-stop VIP tour of the halls followed the ceremony, with Gavron describing the exhibits on view as “mind-blowing”.
“Manufacturers give so much advice nowadays. In my day, they gave us a press and said ‘get on with it’,” he said.
As the VIPs were touring the halls, the first deals of the show were already being signed, with Welsh magazine printer Stephens & George sealing a £500,000 plate deal with Agfa to complete a £10m refit.
Further business was done on Heidelberg’s stand, where UK-based ESP Colour confirmed a £3.9m order for an XL105-10-P to add to the two XL75-5+Ls it bought just over a year ago.
Elsewhere, Apex Digital Graphics sold a Ryobi 525GE to UK-based Sense Creative as part of a £340,000 spend that will also include a range of Roland and Autobond equipment.
On the digital front, Springfield Solutions bought an HP 6000 label press to replace a 4500 and make them the first company in the UK to have two 6000s. Meanwhile, east London-based Precision Printing bought an HP Indigo 7500.
Read the original article at www.printweek.com.
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