After a pioneering history in the digital revolution, including the first Australian agency of Xeikon in the early 1990s, the iconic Belgium-based business has returned to commercial digital print with its local launch of the French-built Meteor DP 8700 XL.
Promoting a ‘click-free’ business model, Agfa intends to succeed where other suppliers failed, including Ferrostaal and GBC, in convincing the local industry of the benefits of the Meteor. It will also promote a wide range of equipment from manufacturer MGI, including the iFoil digital embellisher in competition with the Scodix from Currie Group.
The Meteor DP 8700 XL press made its debut at Agfa Graphics open house functions in Melbourne this week, giving guests a chance to sit in on a demonstration and catch up with specialists from MGI and AGFA Graphics. It joins the company’s UV-based wide format printers, notably the Anapurna, as part of its digital imaging stable.
Against a backdrop that urged visitors to ‘Stay Ahead’, the Meteor ran through a number of print jobs on a variety of substrates from offset paper to envelopes, synthetics stocks and rigid plastics up to 1020mm in length. The demonstrations placed the press as a viable and cost-effective alternative for those looking at flexibility in the high-end digital sector, but for Mark Brindley, managing director Agfa Oceania, it is the ability to dramatically increase margins and lift profitability which is most important.
“With the average profit on print running at around five per cent, it’s no wonder the Meteor’s ability to produce general commercial work with a profit margin of 20, 30, 50 or even 70 per cent is creating interest around the world,” said Brindley. “Add to that the flexibility to diversify into new revenue streams, including high margin products like oversize print, packaging, labels and plastic cards, to name a few, and the Meteor really can be a key to healthier margins and improved business profitability.”
Ray Pena from MGI detailed the attractive purchase price, the ability to print to standard offset papers, the flexibility to expand into more lucrative markets, as key differentiators, but the ability to free businesses from the traditional digital ‘click charge’ model is perhaps the most critical, he said.
“While click charge contracts may allow manufacturers to set a lower initial purchase price, which looks attractive, they lock press owners in to significantly higher ongoing costs, particularly when machine upgrades and trailing residual contract commitments are factored in,” Pena warned. “Under a click charge contract, every image is costing you money…and you’re committed to paying for agreed production levels, even if your volumes slip or vary from month to month.”
Brindley acknowledged that these are challenging times for the industry, “but the Meteor press range, and the wider range of innovative products from MGI, offer some exciting solutions and options for businesses,” he said.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with MGI and look forward to working with key decision makers over the next weeks and months to help them ‘imagine the possibilities’ for their businesses.”