Andy McCourt brings IPEX to LIA

Print21 contributor, Andy McCourt, shares his recent IPEX experiences with the LIA.

Last week at the Club Five Dock in Sydney, a healthy gathering of LIA members and affiliates gathered for an IPEX retrospective featuring Andy McCourt of Print21 as one of the key speakers.

The event was chaired by the LIA’s Executive Officer Bob Lamont, who is approaching six decades of service to the Australian graphic arts industry. President Ray Berwick welcomed delegates who were then treated to three unique perspectives on what the big messages of IPEX really were.

Consistent from all three speakers was the impact of China, both as a graphic equipment manufacturing source, and as a nation whose printing industry is experiencing rapid growth. McCourt noted that the names of no less than 20 exhibitors in the IPEX catalogue began with the word ‘Shanghai.’ It was revealed that Shanghai Electric had acquired 100 per cent of Goss International, giving them a premium range of coldset and heatset web, plus sheetfed by virtue of their 2007 take-over of Akiyama.

The impact of digital was explored at length – understandable as more IPEX floorspace was dedicated to digital print processes than offset. The jury was still out on how digital B2 presses from Fujifilm and Screen will be received but there was no doubting the success of an Australian invention – the Rapid Label Machinery X-1 featuring MEMjet inkjet technology developed in Balmain, NSW. Running at up to 18 metres a minute, the X-1 and more industrial X-2 print labels on a 330mm web at 1600 x 1600dpi in five colours.

Guest speaker, Garry Muratore of GMG, delighted the audience with his sortie across the road from IPEX – to the UK’s National Motorcycle Museum where forgotten brands such as Brough, Royal Enfield and Aerial sit in restored glory. The ‘museum message’ was not lost on the audience … picking which printing technologies will follow a similar path is the hard part.

By the way, official IPEX figures show 412 Australians and New Zealanders attended, plus approximately 160 exhibiting personnel on the various multi-national stands.