This story was originally published in print in the August issue of ProPrint magazine. To read the full story click here.
Fujifilm’s wide format print business gave itself a makeover during the COVID pandemic.
It stopped distributing rebadged machinery made by other manufacturers, began to make its own and in the middle of this lost the right to sell Inca Digital’s Onset range after Screen sold that operation to Agfa.
The shift to manufacturing, which gives Fujifilm control of componentry choices, is significant. All manufacturing and assembly of Fujifilm wide format printers is now done in China using methodical “Japanese-style” production process which are designed to ensure nothing is missed on the production line.
In an exclusive interview with Sprinter at the FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin, David Burton, Marketing Director, Wide Format Inkjet Systems, Fujifilm said print quality is now a given so the only place to remain competitive is on return on investment (ROI) through reduced capital investment and decreased running costs.
“If you came to our stand four years ago, you would have seen a disparate group of products that didn’t look the same. They didn’t have the same GUIs (graphic user interface), they didn’t have the same brand names. Effectively we were a very big dealer and with that comes a range of issues from competitor issues to margin issues,” Burton said.
“We really needed to create our own product range which we could design and own but not necessarily manufacture, which is the same argument as the Apple iPhone. So, we sourced some manufacturers in Asia, and we designed our own products.”
Burton explains that all equipment now produced has an ROI brief attached to it.
“Right now, anyone looking to invest in print hardware will be pleased to know they are going to make money on that. The machines are stable, the quality is high and the actual cost in use is going to be lower than anywhere else,” he said.
“We plan to sell in volume. Around the world Fujifilm will be selling these, so our route to market is substantial.”
Burton adds that Fujifilm’s strength in ink manufacture will also cut running costs.
“We are one of the biggest ink manufacturers in the world so our ability to manufacture ink with effective pricing is good but more importantly the actual operation of the machine is designed to be effective. So, the amount of ink they use is all designed to be lower cost,” he said.
Then there is the question of the loss of the Inca Digital business.
“There is no Inca shaped hole on this stand,” Burton said at FESPA, adding Fujifilm will further develop the Acuity Ultra hybrid LED to fill this gap.
“We want to make our own destiny. We had a great relationship with Inca, but we are moving forward and will develop products over the next couple of years. The beginning of that is the Acuity Ultra hybrid roll to roll and flatbed.”
Each machine must pass a strict Tokyo-controlled approval process to wear the Fujifilm badge. The exterior of the Fujifilm range has also been revamped. Industrial designers studied how the machines were used and made some suggestions.
The result: the addition of outer storage drawers, tool ledges and viewing windows so the internals of the machine can easily be seen.
At the FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin in May, six new pieces of Fujifilm kit were unveiled. Included was the Acuity Ultra R2, a five-metre multi-roll printer which can print up to 400 square metres an hour and suits out of home applications and high-end indoor displays.
Also on show was the new Acuity Ultra Hybrid LED for flexible and rigid media up to 3.3 metres wide for the sign and display market.
In the flatbed space, Fujifilm launched the Acuity Prime series, a 2.54m x 1.27m flatbed printer with five dedicated vacuum zones, jettable primer and an instant curing LED UV system.
The Acuity Prime L is a larger sized LED UV flatbed, with a maximum print space of 3.2m x 2m.
So, what can Australian printers expect from Fujifilm going forward?
“The product should enable them to print profitably or more profitably. If someone wants to look at our products, they should do it from the point of view of ‘can I make more money by acquiring this printer?’ and allow us to get into that argument,” Burton said.
“You can make assumptions about Fujifilm, but we are not going to steal your money, we are going to sell you a safe product and the quality will be good.
“I would hope that our brand carries that for us to a point. But the question should be ‘how do I compare this from an ROI, manufacturing and profitability point of view’ and allow us to stand toe to toe with any competitor in that discussion.”
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