Océ is the oldest
and the only remaining European player in the digital printing and document
management industry with customers among the world's largest and most important
companies; in manufacturing, construction, banking, insurance,
telecommunications, retailing and government.

The
company has been operating in Australia since 1978 and has sales organisations
and warehousing facilities in all states.

In
a speech to mark the occasion, CEO Rokus van Iperen detailed Océ's achievements
since 1877, when Lodewijk van der Grinten, a pharmacist, invented an edible
yellow colouring for butter and margarine.

In
the long journey from colouring agents to printing products, van Iperen noted
how the company's innovations had kept it as a viable and highly successful
company in the competitive world of printing equipment.

Key milestones have been:

• 1877. Lodewijk van der Grinten invents an
  edible colouring for margarine and butter
• 1927. Lodewijk's grandson, Louis, invents a diazo coating that
  requires no ammonia component during development. He calls it O.C.,
  abbreviated German for 'Ohne
  Componente', 'Without Component'. A corporate name is born
• The 1980s. Océ introduces Océ Copy Press, a better way to make
  copies
• The 1990s. Océ leads the way in network copying and printing with
  products like the Océ 3165, many of which are still being used by
  customers
• 2004. Océ introduces the Océ VarioStream 9000 Colour on Demand
  concept and Océ Job Appropriate Color
• 2006: Océ invents a better way to duplex with Océ Gemini technology

He pointed out that Océ continues to innovate with new technologies, new
markets, like digital book printing and display graphics, new services, like E-discovery for legal documents and new business
models, like the Imagistics approach to the office.

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