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THE MAGAZINE FOR FORWARD THINKING PRINTING MAY/JUNE 2020 Explore more… COVER STORY What next for the printing industry? DRUPA What would have happened in Düsseldorf. COVID-19 How print stepped up during the coronavirus crisis. Explore more at printbusiness.co.uk
THE EDITOR’S COMMENT
AFTER THE VIRUS:
THE MAN IN THE HAT, GARETH WARD
has been the editor of Print Business
since its second issue in 2005. Five years
THE SHAPE OF
PRINT TO COME
later he took control of the magazine in a
management buyout and fully achieved
his vision to create a unique publication
for printers. There are numerous industry
titles that report the announcements in
the news: the technology, the installations, MACBETH SUMMED IT UP “I am
the good or bad financial results of
in blood stepped in so far that to go
the big corporates, people coming and
going, the events and exhibitions, often back were as tedious as to go o’er”.
concentrating on one aspect. In other words we are up to our knees
What Print Business does is take all this in it and have no choice but to keep
information – supplied via press releases, going to the other side. Nobody
announcements at events, word of mouth
knows what dry land will look like,
or good old fashioned journalism – sorts
the puffery from the facts, weaves it only that it will be very different to
together and puts it into context for those the land we left behind at the end of
who run print businesses. last year.
At the heart of everything that Print The pandemic is changing
Business publishes are the printers. Those
behaviours across the whole economic
whose businesses are no longer about
simply feeding paper into a giant lump of system, perhaps with changes to the
highly engineered metal and selling the political system to come. People will
sheet that comes out the other end. Those want to carry on working from home
who face myriad decisions, some of which for at least some of the time; sales
point in opposite directions, and need to
calls will not be welcome, ending the
know more than how fast it prints, what
the click charge is or how much it costs. justification for company cars. Many
They need to know what affects them are sitting outside offices and homes
and how. Just as every print job is bespoke, racking up monthly charges with Factory and the sort of remote data
every print company is different. There is nowhere to go. People want to do connection that is necessary for
no one-size-fits-all in this industry.
business online and printers need to diagnostics, for spotting training
Before Covid, Gareth Ward was out
and about all the time. He went to print shape up fast. issues, for managing production
factories and talked to printers in their Hospitality, entertainment, travel, schedules, for set up of jobs almost
language. He has seen first hand the tourism, retail – all have been big instantly.
problems they face, the solutions they find, customers for print in recent years. In the new normal there will be no
their achievements and their innovation.
All are currently buying minimal place for makeready. Nobody will pay
He will be back on the frontline once it is
safe to do so. Try stopping him. amounts of print just to keep the you to produce waste. That can define
People like reading about people, and business ticking over until the world waste in terms of sheets of paper and
especially those people like themselves. returns to normal. Only there is no consumables; it can be lost time; it
That is why Print Business has more case business as usual. can be mistakes in job preparation.
studies about printers than any other
Some things, however, seem to be These must be eliminated. One of
single source.
Before Print Business, Gareth Ward clear. The internet will become more the factors driving the success of
worked on the leading weekly magazine and more intrinsic to business life. ESP in Swindon a decade ago was
Printing World for 22 years and was editor Product demonstrations and sales that it would make ready in less time
for 15. It is this experience, and 360° view conversations will take place using than customers had paid for. If there
of the industry, that gives him his sixth
sense about printing. His ability to spot
conferencing technology. Once the was a standing 15 minutes charge for
trends, often years before they become machine is in place, training and makeready, the printer going from
apparent in the mainstream, is legendary then service will take place from a one job to the next in five minutes
(search for Publishing In The Digital Age distance. has gained ten minutes of production
on PrintBusiness.co.uk to see his 1998 Then the question arises about time which can be sold to another
prediction of what media consumption
would be like in 2010, the year the iPad
what will be the appropriate customer. Nobody now is going to
was launched). machinery. It will need to be as pay that set up time any more than a
This is Print Business, the magazine automated as possible, with remote printer should pay the set up charges
for forward thinking printing. connectivity to lead to the Smart required by trade finishers. It is …
www.printbusiness.co.uk March/April 2020 3
COMMENT GARETH WARD’S THOUGHTS ON…
… simply anachronistic.
Likewise the age of the salesman
who wins work through amiability
and long term personal contacts
is passing. Few customers are
going to welcome a visit from
someone “popping in for a coffee
as they are just passing” any longer.
Communications will be using the
internet, presentations made by
Zoom. Orders will be placed via web
portals, with set pricing for all but
the most sophisticated projects. That
pricing might be agreed on some kind B2? The format is not the question.
of contract, a subscription if you like, The real question is where is B2 print of financing this lifestyle. And of
or be an adhoc price. This has been going? And there are decisions that course print has a role to play, albeit
driven by the online printers and the those in that sector need to make a different role, in this world of
that will push printers to the point of
amount of work that they are picking experience first. In conversations
existentialism. It is not as cut and dried
up suggests that print specifiers are as when B3 print went digital. As digital for this issue, one company director
happy to buy in this way. In any matures into a fully formed, grown up recalled the lockdown party for his
case the buyers used to the old ways technology, is it time for litho to make 18-year-old. The group of friends
(not necessarily those long retired a dignified exit? page 40. had congregated on Zoom and there
print buyers who would distribute a were squeals of delight as gifts were
Christmas list each year to suppliers carefully taken from their boxes,
and prospective suppliers like a child always connected to each other and to even more when that gift turned
sending a letter to Santa) are retiring the world at large. Their experiences, out to have a personalised label and
fast. The Generation Z coming to not their possessions, define them. personalised letter addressed to
join the ranks of the employed do not The rising cost of housing and the birthday girl and signed by the
think like this. material possessions means that director of the company responsible
And these are both our immediate renting furniture, clothing and more for the bottle of shampoo. It was
customers and the customers of our is a way to access quality products not the product that provided the
customers. These are going to shape that are otherwise unattainable. It’s excitement but the packaging and
how print is used and how it is bought not so new. When colour television accoutrements around the product.
in the coming years. The printer that first arrived companies like Radio This generation too wants to tread
wants to be successful in that time Rentals enjoyed great success renting lightly upon the planet. The rise of
needs to understand this generation. televisions which were relatively veganism is driven by this mood,
They have grown up thinking that expensive and just as unreliable. likewise the protests about the
the internet and smart phones are Online shopping with goods environment that has been subsumed
the natural order of things, not returned as easily as they have been by seemingly more pressing concerns.
something that is new. They are ordered is supported by new ways But do not think that concern for
PUBLISHING Print Business is published six times a year by Print Business Media Ltd
Haymakers, Swamp Road, Romney Marsh TN29 9SQ | 01580 236456 | general@printbusiness.co.uk
www.printbusiness.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS Printed by Stephens & George | Paper supplied by Lumipaper |
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EDITORIAL Editor/Publsiher | Gareth Ward | gareth@printbusiness.co.uk | 01580 236456 | 07866 470124
Press releases should be sent to pressreleases@printbusiness.co.uk
COMMERCIAL Publisher | Debbie Ward | 01580 236500 | debbie@printbusiness.co.uk
ADMIN & SALES SUPPORT Publishing Assistant | Sarah Cross | 01580 236456 | sarah@printbusiness.co.uk
MEDIA INFORMATION The Media Pack is available under the Information tab at PrintBusiness.co.uk
4 March/April 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
…HOW A VIRUS CHANGED EVERYTHING COMMENT
health and safety, social distancing
and so on is crucial and will not be
disappearing soon – the floor sticker
is the print product of the pandemic.
Food and drink will continue to
be big users of print, helped by a
new wave to start up businesses
created by those made redundant
during this period. Retail whether
online or on the high street will need
print. Catalogues will be more of
a lifestyle statement than anything
that resembles a tome from Grattans
and will drive an online purchase
or perhaps be used to preselect the
The concrete beneath our feet. products that will be looked at in the
the environment, for the waste that The demand for floor graphics has store. No shop will want browsers
is produced, is going away. In the increased exponentially in the last few particularly if by law, or by social
immediate aftermath there may be short months and it is unlikely to ever pressure, the number of people per
a short lived return to the use of go away. Like unseemly beneficiaries
metre is limited. They want people
at a wake, marketers are eyeing up
plastic, but it will be short lived. to make purchases and leave space for
the rich real estate and planning how
The new generation of customers to make the most of this new revenue the next set of wallets. It works for
are going to want to see you live the stream once the mourning period is Screwfix.
environmental labels that are too over. page 31. Ultimately though the logic points
frequently simply badges to decorate to shorter print runs, more targeted
the website. Possession of ISO 14001 and a greater use of digital printing
certification is not enough. What will come to the fore, less just in time as much because when a company
happens to the waste that is generated and more just in case. has to tackle hundreds of jobs a day
by the print company? Can you Orders will be for precise numbers, it cannot have the resources to do this
explain the product lifecycle of your followed by frequent top up orders if with litho plates and carry the burden
purchase and the companies that you needed. The days of print for storage of makeready that is inevitable with
deal with. Nobody will pay you to in a warehouse are numbered or for the traditional process however much
produce waste, even indirectly. shipping around the world. Again refined. Digital printing carries the
Those supply chains are going to nobody is going to pay for the waste promise of doing this, at quality,
be shorter. Many businesses have inherent in this sort of supply chain. at the right price and with the
discovered that supply chains that Distributed production is coming. consistency and reliability that has
stretch around the globe have too Then there the question of which not always been present in the past.
many linkages that can easily be sectors of industry or the economy With digital print waste can almost
broken. Shorter more robust supply will prove to be the major users of be eliminated. And that, in the new
chains that can be more responsive print. Clearly anything to do with normal, is what counts. n
NEWS The Monday morning News ezine is a popular collection of a handful of the week’s news, always going
beyond the press release and often exclusive. GDPR by the letter and spirit. Sign up at printbusiness.co.uk/Register
SUBSCRIPTIONS Print Business is currently free to qualifying UK printers. Subscriptions for those who would
like to contribute to securing the future of Print Business are available under the Information menu at bit.ly/2IlJxSS
EVENTS Print Business is the organiser of Forward Thinking Printing, round tables and more. Gareth Ward is in
demand for hosting, chairing and generally being an accomplished ringmaster. Apply for details on 01580 236456.
CONTENT Content is copyright © Print Business Ltd 2005-2020. All rights reserved.
ARCHIVE Previous issues are available for a modest fee. See the Archive page under
the Information tab at PrintBusiness.co.uk for downloadable and searchable PDFs.
TERMS Apply for terms & conditions to general@printbusiness.co.uk
www.printbusiness.co.uk March/April 2020 5
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Drupa to go online as a
preview for the 2021 show
MESSE DÜSSELDORF is Following the on its competence centres and “numerous exhibitors to
planning a virtual Drupa to take postponement of the online conversations. This will present themselves online, to
show, Drupa will stage
place in Q4 this year, several an online preview to
allow for deeper conversations, prepare for the world’s leading
months before the doors open highlight launches testing customer concepts, trade fair for printing technolo-
on the rescheduled exhibition in planned for this year. reduced environmental impact, gies,” the Messe company says.
April next year. digitised workflows and more. Drupa itself has yet to make any
That show will open with And as Bobst knows the announcement.
fewer exhibitors after Xerox and customers likely to invest in its The announcement comes
Bobst declared that they would technology in the mature econ- in statements by Werner
be absent from the Messe. omies, it is unlikely to engage Dornscheidt, CEO of Messe
Xerox has been hit by the new customers at next year’s Düsseldorf, who is retiring at
closure of offices across the felt more keenly, particularly as trade shows. the end of this month. “In addi-
globe and subsequent dip in the Swiss company increased its It has also cancelled participa- tion to the further development
printing and has said that the floor space by 30% for 2020, tion at Interpack, which has also of content we are continuing to
2021 event falls outside its compared to the 2016 event. been rescheduled for 2021, and extend the digital presentation
cycle to bring new products to As its focus is on packaging next year’s Labelexpo. Messe options for our customers,” he
market. print the company has not been Düsseldorf will be hoping that says.
The company will also be as badly hit by Covid-19, though these do not set a damaging “We are constantly further
regrouping after the end of its many investment projects trend, something that hit Ipex developing these formats to
joint venture with Fujifilm a few have been put on hold. It has when it moved to London. make our customers’ content
weeks beforehand. explained that skipping Drupa The idea behind Drupa’s even more attractive and user
The absence of Bobst will be is part of a new strategy to focus digital preview is to allow friendly.”
Encoredelivers soft touch and textured finishes.
“We have also been testing
the pandemic, with Ebitda for
this year expected to be short
envelopeimpact our new inline embossing unit, of the €266 million it reported
which allows us to either emboss for 2019.
ENCORE ENVELOPES has images in register or to create The sale may result in division
brought an 18-month project an all over embossed pattern for a business that spans inks
to an end with the launch of an which, when printed, makes and consumables for commer-
inline embossing offer for enve- the envelope much more eye cial printing and packaging and
lopes, along with the ability to catching.” Flint is the world’s second which also owns Xeikon. The
print with a range of LED cured The company has run tests for largest ink maker. current business was formed
varnish effects. customers and has received what when Flint’s owner, CVC, led
The investment in the Croisdale calls “positive inter- agreeing a deal to amend and the merger of Flint with BASF
embossing unit means that est” from transactional mailers extend loans totalling €1.7 and Akzo Nobel to form a group
Encore is the only envelope that like the concept of emboss- billion. This would push the that was sold in 2014 to Goldman
printer in the UK able to offer ing the envelope with a company maturity date out by two years Sachs and Koch at a valuation of
this, it says. logo or brand name to increase on slightly changed terms. more than €2.2 billion.
Russel Croisdale, managing awareness. This is considered a precur-
director of the group, says: “We sor to the eventual sale of what
ABGraphics
have always had a reputation
for being innovative with our
FlintGroup is the world’s second largest ink
maker, after Dainippon Ink & becomes
production methods, and we nearssale Chemicals, owner of Sun. It
EcoLeafOEM
are known worldwide for our reports that Flint was put up for
printing process for direct mail FLINT GROUP IS CLOSE to sale at the end of last year. AB GRAPHICS HAS become
envelopes. completing a change of owner- Since then the company has an OEM partner to Actega
“Now, to enhance the high ship according to reports from been affected by supply chain Metal Print and will deploy
quality of print, we have been the financial world. disruption caused by the Covid- that company’s EcoLeaf foiling
running successful tests of UV The group is in the hands of 19 disruption and the trade system as part of its finishing
LED technology to offer clients private equity owners Goldman dispute between the US and lines.
a variety of new coatings, Sachs, and Koch Industries is China. It will be part of the Digicon
including spot high gloss, matt, said by Reuters to be close to Sales have also been hit by 3 lines, both as supplied as …
6 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
We print
your world
For over 200 years we have combined inks
and substrates enabling creation of a
boundless variety of printed products.
Because printing is our world.
koenig-bauer.com
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Heidelberg strides towards
new operating base
HEIDELBERG HAS reached from sales, administrative and cycle packages start with the
agreement with employees R&D staff. Smart module which covers
Heidelberg Assistant is
over the number of job losses The need for the reorganisa- services and consumables only.
one of the tools that is
required for the restructuring tion has been underlined by year Lifecycle Plus includes a Prinect
part of the new offering.
plan led by CEO Rainer Hunds- end results for the 12 months subscription. The Subscription
dørfer. It is losing 1,600 jobs, until the end of March. Sales fell Smart package adds consultancy
400 fewer than first announced. 6% to €2.3 billion, while incom- and training with Subscription
The Wiesloch factory will ing orders have dived as a result Plus as the full version includ-
bear the brunt of the job losses of the pandemic sweeping from ing equipment in the monthly
with 1,000 positions to go, A China across Europe and into payment.
further 250 will be cut from North and South America. Heidelberg can point to
the 4,000 employees outside “Our financial year was feedback from the first round customers signing up to these
Germany. The agreement means shaped by a significant down- of subscription contracts under deals from around the world,
that there will be no compulsory turn in the global economic which printers pay for the though none have yet been
redundancies. There are already climate, and that affected our number of sheets printed using announced in the UK. “The
600 partial retirement contracts customers and Heidelberg Heidelberg presses, its portfolio company has had some learn-
with others signed up to trans- itself, too,” says Hundsörfer. of consumables and consultancy ing in terms of the modules that
fer companies that will organise “Through our package of meas- intended to increase the produc- are offered and what’s easier for
retraining and finding alterna- ures which we have announced tivity of the user. This has customers,” says UK managing
tive employment. in March, we have paved the called on the mountain of data director Ryan Miles. “What we
The job losses are an essential way for Heidelberg to achieve that is accumulated by constant can see from across the business
part of the restructuring plan. It stability, improve our liquidity communication and feedback is that demand is highest for the
has already led to the announced and increase profitability step from Heidelberg’s presses. Subscription Smart version.
closure of the Primefire 106 by step for the long term.” The changed models includes Printers can transfer to that
project and production of VLF One of these changes is a four contract types, Lifecy- module with existing or recently
sheetfed presses. simplification and extension cle Smart and Lifecycle Plus, purchased machinery. It’s pay as
The job losses come from of its subscription offers. The and Subscription Smart and you use whether there’s capital
these production areas but also modified approach builds on Subscription Plus. The Life- equipment involved or not.”
… new or as a retrofit to exist-
ing machines. Matt Burton,
The technology made its
debut at Drupa in 2016 as part
site for EcoLeaf in Germany
and had planned the commercial
LabelTecleads
sales director of AB Graphic of the Landa stand. Landa launch for Drupa. withKMlabel
International, says: “We regard
EcoLeaf as a new category of
subsequently sold this to
Altana where it became part
A trigger image in printed by
flexo, screen or shorty inkjet,
press
metallisation, that will enable of the Actega division, which which is then cured and becomes LABELTEC SCOTLAND has
our customers to differentiate has turned the concept into a the bed for the nano sized flakes become the first in the UK with
themselves with new and excit- commercial proposition. The of metal. As the substrate passes the Konica Minolta Accurio
ing print embellishments.” company announced a first beta through the tiny flakes of metal, Label 230, continuing a long
they adhere in contact with the standing relationship with the
glue to create a fine image with supplier. Managing direc- …
none of the waste associated
with conventional hot or cold
foils.
Burton adds: “We think
that the drive to become more
sustainable will begin to drive
Jan Franz
Allerkamp business decisions more and
of Actega more and that as quality of
and Matt sustainable, more eco friendly
Burton of
solutions such as EcoLeaf, Paul Dunne with the latest
AB Graphic
shake on the improves they will become more Konica Minolta label press
deal. and more viable. That sustain- for LabelTec.
ability is the key driver for us.”
8 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.uk
INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Delga starts label business
to retain work
DELGA GROUP IS launching the label printing will be driven
Delga Labels, its first diversifi- through the existing Fuji XMF
Ian Conetta in
cation into label printing, based workflow into the Indigo’s DFE.
Rochester with the
around investment in an HP Delga Group comprises Delga
new Indigo.
Indigo 6900 label press. Press in Rochester, which is the
This is the sixth Indigo in country’s largest manufacturer
the group which, according to of entertainment packaging, for
managing director Ian Conetta, luxury goods and vaping prod-
makes the Kent printer the only ucts; CSP, which counts NHS
UK company with Indigos in Trusts among its customers; and
three different business areas: commercial print through Scar-
entertainment packaging, bring external work in-house, tion into foil fed label printing butts and T&T Litho, its most
commercial print and now labels. but with such a significant press relatively straightforward. “It recent acquisition. Delga Labels
The new press is installed we will be looking to grow new was clear we needed expertise, will meet a need for labels from
in the Rochester plant and is revenue streams.” and bringing in an operations across these operations where
hooked up to a Series 2 Digicon The company has recruited manager with substantial knowl- the company has previously
and SR3300 rewind unit, also an operations manager and edge in this field has meant the bought in labels as needed.
supplied by AB Graphics. This quality manager, both with transition has been relatively Says Conetta: “Delga Labels
gives the business the capacity experience in labels. It has also easy,” Conetta explains. will offer new and exist-
to print for existing and new recruited a business manager The relationship with HP ing customers the ability to
clients. “The group has had a who, says Conetta, will focus on made the choice of production be creative with their label
need for label manufacturing for developing demand for labels. platform relatively straightfor- manufacturing, utilising our
some time,” says Conetta. “An operator from our Indigo ward. The Digicon enables the personalisation and variable data
“We explored the route of 12000HD has retrained on the company to laminate, die cut, capabilities, while also remain-
acquisition for 18 months but 6900 and finishing staff have spot and flood varnish, apply ing proactive, responsive and
didn’t find the right deal. There received training on the ABG cold foil and print with two flexo flexible to their needs. This is
was a business case to set up machines,” he adds. units and strip out before slitting a very exciting addition to the
our own label division just to It has made the diversifica- and rewinding. At the front end, Delga Group.”
… tor Paul Dunne says that the £7.7 million, compared to £70.1 the national economy begins to
new machine “has everything million in revenue and Ebitda of recover”.
we wanted: web guides, higher £6.7 million last year.
speed and even the ability to slit.
“And the toner works incred-
None the less there will be
significant disruption because
Harrisdelivers
ibly well with our foiling, which if the lockdown, eased by being directtodinner
has been a nice added bonus, so
it was an easy choice to make the
appointed a Covid-19 Critical
Supplier.
plate
investment”. It has taken advantage of KELLY HARRIS IS LOOKING
the furlough scheme, though is for printers or print manage-
GoInspireshows pressing ahead with investment
at Eclipse in Kettering with Pace
ment operations with customers
in the restaurant or pub trades
strengthinits guillotine systems, folders and to take on an online ordering
Kelly Harris sees an opportunity
to exploit his print experience to
numbers stitching to follow print invest-
ment last year.
application.
But this initiative is not for
help the restaurant trade.
GO INSPIRE HAS published It is also starting to field more the pub’s management team with customers during the
figures that show a small revenue calls and the order books are to order marketing materials enforced lockdown period, with
increases for 2019/2020, with growing, even if loadings will via a web portal, but a means the idea coming when Harris
CEO Patrick Headley saying not return to normal until the for the hospitality establish- experienced the difficulties
that the strength of the balance end of the year, it says. ment to sell takeaways in what firsthand.
sheet will be protection against Headley adds that the Harris has dubbed “web to “I really fancied a treat, but
the uncertainty of the times. company is “in a strong position dinner plate”. didn’t want the usual Chinese or
Turnover in 2020 reached to weather the current storm He explains that it should Indian takeaway.
£71.9 million with Ebitda of and come out even stronger as help these businesses connect “As my local pub had …
10 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukHighly Efficient
Total Packaging
solutions from Heidelberg
Sheetfed Heidelberg Service Workflow Integration
(Prinect)
Postpress Saphira Consumables
www.uk.heidelberg.com
+44 (0) 844 892 2010INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Lockdown move is a bit of an
opportunity for Peter Scott
PETER SCOTT PRINTERS Regional Development Fund
has completed a £200,000 move provided some of the funding
into a £1 million factory during needed for the project.
the height of the Covid-19 At the same time the company
pandemic. has replaced an Agfa plateset-
The five-mile move across ter with the latest version with
Burnley began on 24 March, the Azura chemistry-free plates.
day after the UK’s lockdown was This feeds its five- and six-
announced, and was complete colour B1 Speedmaster and
by 13 April. The company had its Speedmaster 74-6. The
Joanne Hindley says the
to split its team into shifts to company has a full service offer-
move will make the company
minimise unnecessary contact ing, backing the litho capacity
far more efficient.
and to make it easier to practise with digital print, stitching and
social distancing. are spending more time in the factory was inefficient. This new perfect binding and die cutting
Now the company is up and kitchen.” one is open plan and work flow platen with foil blocking.
running and is enjoying an The single-level open plan is far better. This will certainly Hindley adds: “I would
unexpected boost in demand. factory is 25% larger than its old save us valuable time and encourage all businesses to look
Commercial director Joanne premises, which was arranged increase capacity. We will have at opportunities rather than
Hindley says: “We expected over several levels. It had been capacity for an extra £1 million feel defeated. In these difficult
challenging times, planned to an asset for some 15 years, being of sales a year.” times we have managed to not
close up shop and then there leased to a tenant until recently. The company engaged with turn down a single job and have
was a cry for help. We have It offers the opportunity for the consultants at AMRC North done everything we can to keep
seen demand for items such as business to operate with greater West, part of the University of our workforce. We want to play
essential signposting for local efficiency, something that will Sheffield, to help with the new a part in getting Britain moving
authorities, social distancing be compounded by adopting strategy, devising the stream- again after this crisis is over. Part
signs for supermarkets, prod- lean management techniques. lined workflows and time saving of our role in that is remaining
ucts for food chains and labels “We started eight months ago measures that will enable the open and functioning. Those
for manufacturers, mainly to streamline production and business to remain ahead of who work at Peter Scott Print-
bakeware products as people processes,” she says. “The old competitors. The European ers are hidden heroes.”
… been pushing their takeaway to print applications. But the of a machine in situ rather than understood to be Severn which
service on Facebook I decided to collapse in this type of work in the showroom. already has an i300 cutsheet
give it go,” he says. during the lockdown stymied “This was arranged and, after machine and a Canon Color-
“Eventually, after numerous the beta testing phase. seeing the machine in action, we stream 3900. It will be getting
engaged calls I got through, were persuaded with what we the iX2100 entry level version.
placed my order and gave my
credit card details.
Print4UKbrings saw.”
The single-clamp binder is
The first named customer for
the iX3000 is Kampert-Nauta, a
From that moment onwards bindinginhouse expected to generate a strong Dutch printer with large online
the transaction was as you’d return over four years, based presence.
expect, but it did leave me ENFIELD DIGITAL printer on current volumes, with
wondering how many people
didn’t persevere with the calls,
Print4UK has installed a
Horizon BQ270 to bring
Attard saying that “we hope
this will increase as we spread
FlagsforWFH
that I’d given out my credit card perfect binding jobs in house the word”. impressions
details and that a person was and so provide the flexibility
constantly on the phone dealing
with orders.
to deliver a book of one, up to
runs of several hundred copies
Canonbegins NORTHERN FLAGS HAS
been swift to capture the work
“All in all, perfect for a or more. iXseriessales from home zeitgeist, promot-
Web2DinnerPlate solution.” “After some research and ing its ability to print pull up
His company, New Element conversations with other SME CANON HAS ANNOUNCED banners that hide all manner
Solutions, was established with printers,” says John Attard, the first orders for its new of domestic untidiness as back-
another former colleague from director of corporate services, iX3000 and iX2100 cutsheet grounds for online conference
Cimpress, intending to develop “We approached IFS and asked inkjet presses. calls and virtual meetings.
a cloud application for web if we could see a demonstration The first UK customer is …
12 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukHELPING YOU AND
YOUR CUSTOMERS
GET BACK TO WORK...
Tabard Aprons
Window Stickers Face Visors & Masks
*
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ENTER CODE: COVID19
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ESSENTIALS UNTIL 30/06/20.
Sneeze Guards
Floor Stickers Safety Signage
Safety Guards Desk Dividers
Strut Cards Bollard Covers wttb.co.uk/pbINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
NP Design & Print reveals
healthy coating
NP DESIGN AND PRINT seals were developed for print explicit protection against of reassurance to householders
is delivering all print with a a decade ago, but most have Covid-19 because of its receiving the communication.
seal that includes a proven anti been discontinued for lack of newness, the coating has been Other clients cover market-
microbial compound. demand. Outside of special- thoroughly tested and shown ing collateral across the board
The Wallingford company ist jobs for healthcare there has to remove bacteria and other printed on its B2 Speedmaster,
began looking for a suitable been no need to protect print infectious agents, ecoli included. digital or large format printers.
additive when the Covid-19 despite tests showing how infec- A laboratory test involving The product that NP Design
crisis broke and, says business tions can build up on inflight samples through the print run & Print is using comes in
development director Jon Nye, magazines and material in public can be organised for £250. concentrated form and has to
found it after searching the spaces. This is now chang- “Some customers may want this be combined as instructed with
internet. “We add it into our ing. One job that NP Design & for their own benefit,” he adds. the standard coating that the
current aqueous seal and it is Print produces has always been “The option is there. company applies on press. This
being used on all our print. I encapsulated to offer this sort of “We are totally transparent requires some face mask protec-
took the opportunity to speak protection through a wipe clean about what we are doing and are tion at the point of mixing, with
to a few of the doctors that surface. absolutely open if people want full guidance provided by the
created it in Germany and now This sparked Nye’s quest to to ask us questions.” Germany supplier.
we are happy to offer it to all our find an alternative to encap- The coating has been used “Nobody asked us to do this,”
clients.” There is no additional sulation that would protect on a 60,000 run direct mail says Nye. “It was something
cost to them. the reader against unwanted piece about healthcare prod- that we felt would be useful to
A number of anti microbial diseases. While there is no ucts and provides an extra level clients.”
… It will also produce cushions, have increased, as firing rates “With higher resolutions, last year, and this is before any
bunting and window stickers in have grown and as the number press speeds pushing to 300m/ measurable impact from the
order to “professionalise home of nozzles that need to be minute, additional print bars Covid-19 pandemic.
working”. controlled has exploded. Each to extend the gamut and wider The company reported
requires an exponential increase arrays, data rate becomes a tech- sales of $264 million ($297
GlobalGraphics in the data generated.
Moving from 600dpi to
nical barrier,” says Worrall.
“We need to provide our
million) with decline in tradi-
tional printing to $154 million
providesspeedy 1200dpi means a four fold OEMs with a complete software ($166 million), digital print-
solution increase in the amount of data;
add in wider print widths,
engine rather than a separate
components that they have to
ing to $65 million ($72 million)
and advanced materials to £42
GLOBAL GRAPHICS HAS additional colours in packaging integrate.” million ($48 million). Within
addressed one of the key barri- applications and faster print- this, volumes of the Sonora
ers potentially holding back the
adoption of inkjet printing.
heads and the data handling
needed explodes.
Kodakdips process-free plate increased
18%.
The UK company has “This is the first fully inte- inQ1 Executive chairman Jim
announced Direct, a new style grated product line that removes Continenza believes that thanks
of software intended to drive the need to Rip ahead of print- KODAKS’ REVENUES FOR to action taken last year to
high speed, high resolution, ing,” says Eric Worrall, VP the first three months of 2020 stem outgoing cashflows, the
high productivity inkjet print- product management at Global were down over the same period company is in a strong position
ers that are currently being Graphics Software. to come through the current
announced and are reaching the It combines the technol- crisis. “Kodak started the
market. ogy in Streamline to optimise quarter on a positive trajectory
This combines Ripping, a PDF ahead of the Harlequin and the actions we took last year
screening and the ability to drive PDF Rip and the screening of to strengthen our balance sheet
a print head without having to ScreenPro and PrintFlat where are helping us manage through
write processed files to disk for applicable. the slowdown.
the press to retrieve them at the These will then drive the “Kodak employees have
point of printing. printhead electronic directly, risen to the challenge of the
The date flow rates to and an example being the Meteor pandemic, continuing to serve
from the disk, either a hard Jim Continenza praises the our customers and redirecting
NozzleFix technology that
efforts of Kodak employees in
drive or SSD, has become a resides in a sister company in responding to the pandemic. resources to produce isopropyl
barrier as printhead resolutions the group. alcohol for hand sanitiser …
14 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukFINISHINGSTARTSHERE
IN A RACE TO THE FUTURE
M A K E S U R E YO U FI N I S H FI R S T
S T I T C H | B I N D | F O L D | C U T | L A M I N AT E | F O I L
Intelligent Finishing Systems, Unit C, ATA House,
Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 7SS
T: 020 8991 6624 www.ifsl.uk.comINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Two Sides fights against
infection misconception
TWO SIDES MANAGING how they send catalogues to the risk of catching the virus
director Jonathan Tame has customers through the post. that causes Covid-19 from a
condemned Amex for telling Since Blue Planet, many have package that has been moved,
holders of its American Express switched from polywrap to travelled, and exposed to differ-
charge cards to switch to online naked mailing. Now concerns ent conditions and temperature
billing because of the risk about the infection potential of is also low.”
of catching Covid-19 from a unprotected paper sent through Tame is concerned that the
P
printed statement. the post are causing a rethink. crisis will be exploited as an
Having fought against the Jonathan Tame highlights According to one mailing house: excuse to cut back on the use
use of greenwash statements to that Amex is trying to use “Many have moved from naked of print. “In the last recession
the pandemic to save money
push consumers towards online mailings because they think this sustainability quickly became
on printed statements.
statements, Two Sides now faces will be a virus carrier.” less important and use of print
a battle against infection-wash- “We are very worried that At the start of the lockdown fell. The importance of CSR
ing, the use of erroneous fears an organisation can write to its there were concerns that pack- policies reduced significantly.
that an infection can be caught customers using Covid-19 as an aging from online purchases and Companies were not interested
from printed paper. excuse to push them to online deliveries might carry the virus, in the environment,. They were
Where print is handled statements,” says Tame. “They but this has been dismissed by only interested in commercial
frequently or in a sensitive have done this without asking a scientists who have previously issues.
location, a restaurant menu or customer’s permission and it’s a tested the ability of infections “The question is now whether
poster in a hospital for example, real worry because the consumer to survive on different surfaces. the importance of sustain-
an antimicrobial coating may be should have the choice to receive The World Health Organisa- ability has become embedded
useful, but there is no scientific paper.” tion was pushed into issuing a in companies and will still be
evidence that a virus or bacteria The concern is not restricted statement: “The likelihood of important as we come out of
can survive on paper or board to the finance provider. Retail- an infected person contaminat- Covid-19, if that is followed by
for any length of time. ers have started to reconsider ing commercial goods is low and a recession.”
… and manufacture face masks production faces the great- ing responsibilities over sales. buying Spicers Ireland, among
using our film base materials.” est challenges of recent times The new role includes “group the largest office supplies
The new products, includ- because of the pandemic. wide coordination of the digital wholesalers in the country. The
ing new versions of the Sonora Prior to joining Koenig & transformation” in the business. strategy is to build Paragon into
process free plate, Prinergy and Bauer, Ulverich worked for This includes the roll out of a broad based service provider
digital print products, would Krauss Maffei Wegmann, the a company wide SAP system to for business in Ireland, the UK
have been launched next month company that produces the track everything in the business. and across Europe.
at Drupa. Leopard tank and railway This project is expected to be
The company announced
these in the same time frame,
engines, where he was manag-
ing director and chief operating
complete in 2021.
The company has issued
Simply’schoice
though without the fanfare officer. statements to reassure people isanotherBobst
opportunity that an exhibition Dr Stephen Kimmich joins that using banknotes is safe,
provides. the management board as as responding to ‘fake news’ asso- SIMPLY CARTONS HAS
chief finance officer. He joins ciated with Covid-19. installed a Bobst ExpertCut
Koenig&Bauer the press manufacture from
Joyson Safety Systems where
The European Bank, it says,
has stated “that there is no
106PER die cutting platen at its
Nottingham factory, part of an
buildsboard he was CFO for the company’s evidence of coronavirus trans- ongoing investment strategy.
EMEA operations. mission via banknotes”. The 9,000cph machine will
KOENIG & BAUER HAS Kimmich replaces Dr increase throughput and push
brought in two new directors,
one as a replacement and the
Mathias Dähn who is leaving the
company after six years, having
Paragongrows the boundaries of what is possi-
ble for customers, director Paul
other to oversee its production been in control as Koenig & inofficesupplies Elston says.
sites in Radebeul, Würzburg Bauer recovered from the finan- The cutter includes Bobst’s
and Frankenthal. cial crisis. PARAGON HAS BEEN swift Smart Feeder technology for
Michael Ulverich is joining At the same time Ralf to follow on from its acquisition non stop feeder and Power
the company in the chief oper- Sammeck is adding the role of of office stationery businesses Register 3 for precise alignment
ating officer role at a time when chief digital officer to exist- OfficeTeam and ZenOffice, by to the printed image. …
16 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukPRINT
THAT PAYS
© 2020, KODAK. Kodak and the Kodak logo are trademarks of Kodak.
At Kodak we’re focused on delivering solutions that help printers succeed
as the industry evolves. That means increasing your productivity while
reducing costs so you can capitalize on opportunities for growth. From
traditional offset to leading-edge digital, we offer a complete portfolio of
cutting-edge products supported by outstanding service that will help
increase your profitability and take you to the next level.
Find out more at kodak.com/go/printINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Duplo delivers with entry
level multifinisher
DUPLO INTERNATIONAL Operation is through a
Duplo is offering far more
is launching an entry light touch panel with a PC used
with the DC618 for entry level
production level multi finisher for setting up a job using a
applications.
which will replace its successful graphical interface that will
DC616, which was introduced be familiar to anyone with
six years ago. Windows experience.
In response to customer Duplo says the unit will
feedback, the DC618 is faster, process sheets at a maximum
more powerful and more versa- rate of 23 sheets a minute,
tile than the previous model. dependent on the complexity Ricoh Pro C5300 entry level of 80ppm and the ability to cope
When delivering business cards of the job. The range of work production printer for ‘while with substrates to 360gsm, non
from ten printed sheets with 15 spans the typical profile of you wait’ production of short carbon papers, textured media
cards on each, the old unit took commercial print, particularly run jobs with a single operator and envelopes.
three and a half minutes. The digital work: business cards, handling both devices. To increase the appeal to
same job on the DC618 takes 90 invitations, greetings cards, The new press has replaced printers, there is a new paper
seconds. It will deliver 190 busi- brochures, book covers, direct the C5200, which found its pass control system improving
ness cards from a 21-up sheet in mailers and more. place in inplants and small front to back registration and a
one minute. There is a greater range of copy shops, but lacked some gloss control unit to match the
The DC618 will process jobs possibilities over the DC616 of the finesse that provides the reflectance of the media. “These
with up to six slits, 30 cuts and thanks to optional modules appeal to commercial print- are features that make this Pro
20 creases in the same pass, with for perforating and for cross ers. This made the Ricoh Pro C5300 much more suitable for
set up dictated from information scoring. And there is a digital C7200 series machines the entry commercial print market,” says
accessed via a printed bar code controller to link the DC618 into point for print for pay markets, a Ricoh spokesman.
to identify the job. A scanner a production network. In theory, leaving a gap that Ricoh now The paper is fed from a
will pick up a printed register operation can be via a mobile hopes to fill. large capacity feeder holding
mark. The PC controller will phone in the middle of the night. The toner press has a 2,500 sheets and optional trays
hold 50 jobs in memory. It will A more likely modus operandi 2400x4800dpi VCSEL diode to reach a maximum of 8,550
handle sheets from 110-400gsm. is as part of a socially distanced for imaging, a duty cycle of sheets in all. It will cope with
An optional tray will enable long production cell, matching the 450,000, monthly volume of a banner length sheet with an
sheets to be fed. multi finisher with the new 150,000, maximum throughput additional sheet guide tray.
… Combined, these reduce so enabling one man opera-
unplanned stoppages by 75% tion of a guillotine. This has
and so increase throughput of been installed in niche opera-
the machine. tions including label printers
and online trade printers, but
Baumann has proved too much for more
typical commercial printers to
cutscostof justify. The Evolution aims to
automation change this as a cut down starter
The BASA Evolution version that can be extended
FRIEDHEIM International is aimed at easing with additional modules and
is marketing an entry level bottlenecks. functionality into the fully
automated jogging system for specced version.
Baumann’s guillotines that can The technology was devel-
help ease bottlenecks around oped and is manufactured
the cutting process and ease the at Baumann’s Solms site in
back strain of lifting and moving remove air before delivering the Evolution unit can be config- Germany, where the company
several tonnes of paper a day. stack to the rear table of a high ured to feed two guillotines. has also developed BASA as a
The BASA Evolution is the speed guillotine. It has a smaller The full BASA system fully automated cutting line,
new entry level system which footprint thanks to a redesign of includes robot arms to lift developed for operation in label
jogs a pile of paper, aligning the some components from the first paper into a jogging table and to printers where the same sheet
sheets and pressing the stack to generation system. One BASA shift the pile to the back table, needs cutting time after time. …
18 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukJUNE 24, 2020
FUTURE FACTORY IS HERE.
STREAMING.
When the future catches us by surprise, we need to react
promptly, reinventing ourselves with all of the opportunities
the present offers us. This is the theme, today more then ever.
Print4All Conference 2020 will open its doors, now virtual ones,
on June 24, kicking off with all its speakers as that moment of
discussion on innovation towards sustainability that the entire
printing industry could not give up.
Printing the future now. Streaming.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and International CooperationINFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY
Xaar changes course under
direction of new CEO
XAAR CEO JOHN MILLS This has meant a change This leads to an approach
anticipates that 2020 will be “a in strategy to working only where Xaar will have a portfolio
year of transition, setting the through OEMs rather than a of printheads that are differenti-
foundations for future growth dual approach of OEMs and ated from more straightforward
and a return to profitability” distributors. printheads. Mills hopes this will
after the extent of the losses The perception had spread enable Xaar to build its presence
associated with thin film print- that Xaar had failed to keep in areas where it is currently
head development became clear these bulk inkjet heads up to under represented, such as large
in the annual results. date. In discussions, says Mills, format graphics, labels, packag-
The UK’s leading inkjet there has been a willingness on ing and textiles. The latter two
p r i n t h e a d m a nu f a c t u re r the part of OEMs to reengage sectors require the ability to fire
John Mills says Xaar will
reported a pretax loss of £9.8 focus on its strengths in
with Xaar over its next genera- aqueous inks, which the 5601
million on continuing activities jetting high viscosity fluids. tion of products. had, but is not addressed with
and a £71.5 million overall loss The clearing out of the thin other Xaar printheads.
with £56.1 million of this attrib- company. Its other thin film film cupboard has allowed Mills Part of the problem Mills has
uted to the aborted project to printhead, the 1201, suffered to see what else the company has identified is a lack of under-
develop the next generation of quality control and integration in stock. “I have been surprised standing about the advantages
thin film piezo printheads. issues and is now in its end of and excited to discover a range that Xaar’s technology has,
The company pulled the life phase. of technology products that are partly down to the dual distri-
plug on this development at The company is left with a at varying stages of the R&D bution approach, partly to a
the end of last year, leading to cash pile of £25 million and a lifecycle… a real opportunity sales process which is chang-
the departure, after five years, portfolio of piezo printheads, to build on the current product ing to emphasise the benefits
of Doug Edwards as CEO and some with unique attributes, portfolio,” he says. of working closely with Xaar,
the appointment of Mills in direct to product operations The first of these will be avail- a clearer pricing policy and the
his stead on 11 October. While and 3D printing. Printheads able to OEMs for testing towards technical advantages of using
the 5601 printhead was highly remain the core of the business the end of the year with a its heads. As an example, he
regarded as a product, volume and Mills has instigated a new commercial launch in 2021. “We says the advantages of the
sales of the 5601 were still a strategy, aiming to return Xaar have received positive feedback 2001+ head are not properly
number of years away, says the to profitable growth. on the new roadmap,” he says. understood.
Remote imposition of further restric-
tions because of the Covid-19
print marks was solved by
increasing the density of those
graphic on the country’s Millen-
nium Stadium to deliver a thank
installation pandemic. “We were supposed marks, resulting in an operating you message to the NHS. Sema-
fromIIJ to be out there to handle the
installation and demonstra-
demonstration that was the flag-
ship line at the event.
phore came up with the idea and
approached the stadium author-
INDUSTRIAL INK JET has tion,” says marketing manager ities as one of its long standing
installed a four colour inkjet
array on a Sakurai screen press
Sarah Collard. “In the end we
had to provide remote support
Premieron clients.
With no events possible at
in Japan without leaving its from both the UK and the US showinWales the Cardiff venue, the deal was
Cambridgeshire headquarters. office. And the installation has agreed. Premier Paper provided
Although the inkjet technol- been almost faultless,” she says. PREMIER PAPER HAS Rijet 100 in gloss to be printed
ogy took a month to travel to The installation was further combined with Semaphore on Sempahore’s Roland VG640
Japan thanks to cancelled and complicated because the IIJ Display to print and install a vast printer. n
rerouted flights, the unit was delivery arrived just four days
up and running in time for before the start of the open
Sakurai’s annual open house house. “We ended up with eight
demonstrating its latest technol- engineers and two cameramen
ogy. This included a hybrid press at both ends talking to each
combining Sakurai’s screen and other via Skype,” says manag-
precision register technology ing director John Corrall. A
and IIJ’s inkjet module. problem with registration due
This was demonstrated at to the inability of the CCD
the open house, ahead of the cameras to pick out the tiny
20 May/June 2020 www.printbusiness.co.ukTR30
THREE KNIFE TRIMMER
designed, engineered and assembled in Italy
by specialist manufacturers for the global graphic arts sector for off-line or in-line operation
finished books
from A6 to A3
cycle speed
up to 2,000 /hour
+
OPTIONAL
off-line or in-line
CT60
ROUND CORNER CUTTER
for soft cover books
card books
and book blocks
for casing in
semi-automated
heavy-duty 3 knife trimmer
compatible with most binders Innovative solutions
for 21st Century print production
The Risetec TR30 three knife trimmimg system features
• touch-screen dimension set-ups
• remote diagnostics facility
• off-machine setting jig to pre-set the knives
• cutting table and press clamp set by hand – average job changeovers of 5 minutes
• compatibility with central waste vacuum systems and/or conveyors
• ability to trim books, or piles of books, up to 60 mm
A L L T H I N G S B O O K
• can be operated as a stand-alone system
or in-line with Risetec and most other professional binding lines
• downstream compatibility with Risetec CT60 Round Corner Cutter Tel: 01993 840077 | Email: steve@binderysolutions.co.uk
Web: www.binderysolutions.co.ukYou can also read
