No rest for printers with flatbeds - Print21 magazine feature

It’s six years since HP entered the wide format market in a major way with the acquisition of Scitex Vision, quickly followed by the incorporation of fellow flatbed manufacturer, NUR. Since then, the imaging giant has worked hard to spread the word about the productivity of its latest flatbed technology. Here, local HP users talk about what this means for their businesses.

Shane Lucas (pictured), director, HP Graphic Arts South Pacific says the worldwide success of the HP Scitex flatbed platform is largely driven by the opportunity for Print Service Providers (PSPs)to realise significant uplifts in productivity through faster print speeds, improved workflows and the flexibility to print on virtually any rigid substrate.

“In terms of a growth market we see flatbed technology representing the largest opportunity. This platform enables PSPs to speed up production considerably by printing directly, and continuously, onto rigid substrates, removing the labour-intensive aspects of mounting prints before they can be dispatched.

“Removing this step alone in the workflow delivers immediate savings. Add to this the flexibility of the HP Scitex flatbed platform in terms of the types of media you can print on, the quality achievable and competitive pricing and you can see how this technology is shifting the paradigm, particularly in traditional screen printing environments.

In November 2011, HP released the latest upgrade to its HP Scitex flatbed platform, the HP Scitex FB7600, which is the largest machine in the range and which now sits under the HP Scitex Industrial Presses banner. Lucas says HP Scitex printers are now segregated into two categories: HP Large Format Production and HP Scitex Industrial Presses. The delineation between the two categories is based on productivity and speed ranging from the FB500 printer at the entry level up to the FB7600 at the top of the range.

“The printers that fall under the HP Scitex Industrial Press banner are designed for high volume, high quality production environments, where speed is essential to productivity and machines need to be very robust in their design and engineering,” explains Lucas. “When you get past a certain performance benchmark the construction requirements are very different and our HP Scitex Industrial range reflects this.”

He continues: “The printers we classify as HP Large Format Production are also highly efficient, but are not designed for the high volumes and production requirements that the HP Scitex Industrial Presses are suited to. As a company, HP has made a conscious decision to develop flatbed technology that is designed specifically to meet the various needs of the market.

“The HP flatbed technology is a baseline platform on which we will continue to build. The release of the HP Scitex FB7600 upgrade kit, for example, is further demonstration of our commitment to this platform.

Rather than focusing on new products all the time, particularly at the top end of the range, we are ensuring the longevity of the products our customers have by providing them with an upgrade path that will further maximise the benefits of this proven technology. This approach ensures our customers’ equip­ment doesn’t become redundant and enables them to make the upgrade journey with us.”

So who is using the HP Scitex flatbed technology? Lucas says a wide range of PSPs in the signage market are turning to HP digital technology.

“We’ve been very successful in deploying HP Scitex FB7500 units into what have been high volume industrial screen printing businesses. In the commercial signage sector we are seeing PSPs who haven’t had a great deal of exposure to digital embracing the smaller HP Scitex flatbed models such as the HP Scitex FB500 (1.6m) and FB700 (2.5m) which have enabled them to move into the digital print market.”

With the HP Scitex flatbed technology, says Lucas, PSPs can print on virtually any rigid substrate including corflute, which is the most popular for point-of-sale collateral, through to the more unusual substrates such as wood and glass. As a consequence, he says, “New markets are opening up and allowing signage PSPs to push competitively into areas that previously were inaccessible. Digital gives PSPs a faster, cheaper and more flexible production platform without loss of quality in image reproduction or text.”

Another area that digital print technology has opened up, says Lucas, is the customisation of signage.

“In retail environments such as supermarkets we are seeing marketing campaigns where signage is tailored to each store location. Digital printing allows stores to cost-effectively target their communications to meet the needs of their specific market demographics and this is becoming a powerful marketing tool.”

Magnify grows bigger

In October 2010, Magnify Media in Melbourne installed its second HP Scitex FB7500, 12 months after taking receipt of the first machine in the Asia Pacific region. A year later and managing director John Duplock confirms that both machines are working at capacity with the company reporting 70 per cent growth in the last financial year.

Commenting on Magnify Media’s success, he says, “The groundwork we put in, educating our customer base to the benefits of digital, is now really paying off. There has been a noticeable mind shift with many of our customers no longer willing to accept screen printing as a production platform. Digital is competitive on a number of levels including cost and time to market. And the quality is really second to none because we can run six colours and achieve much greater colour density and vibrancy.”

Last financial year, Magnify Media was the largest consumer of corflute in the country using 100 tonnes. Duplock says, this year, “We’ve clocked the same volume in half the time and there is no sign of slowing down.”

In addition to the HP Scitex FB7500 machines, Magnify Media also operates two HP Scitex Turbojets, and an HP Scitex FB700 and FB500. “These machines are brilliant, they don’t miss a beat and we run them all day, every day. The Turbojets are tremendous workhorses and the FB700 and FB500 give us the versatility to do shorter runs making us more productive.”

From a business perspective, Duplock says having duplicate machines ensures there is redundancy in the workflow.

“When we pitch for major tenders we take prospective clients on a walkthrough of the plant. They see we have two of everything and that gives them assurance they will never get a call from us saying the machine is down and we can’t meet deadline. That never happens. And as a consequence we’ve won some very major accounts.”

Working with the best equipment is only one part of the equation in Magnify Media’s phenomenal growth and success. “Service is at the core of what we do. I have a great team and we work closely with our clients in partnership,” states Duplock.

Looking to 2012, Duplock says, “In the last financial year we grew by 70 per cent in turnover, staff, floor space and net profit. The second FB7500 attributed for 30 per cent growth alone. We have high expectations for the coming year because we’ve got work lined up and that’s a great place to be.”

Panda migration gathers pace

It’s been a year since Panda Visuals in Auckland installed a suite of HP Scitex printers—the HP Scitex FB7500, LX800 and FB500—in order to meet market demands for shorter turnaround times, high quality and competitive pricing.

Company director, Bruce Lees, says since that time, the company has migrated “a lot of our screen printing work to the digital platform”.

“The HP Scitex printers have certainly delivered greater flexibility and enabled us to take on more work. Turnover has definitely increased as a direct result of our investment and I would estimate that digital now represents around 70 per cent of the work we do.”

He says the combination of the three machines has given the company an extensive portfolio on which to build new services and to mine its existing customer base.

“Because we can now produce a broader gamut of products we have been able to extend the work we are doing for existing customers as well as attracting new clients. Having a UV solution is also fantastic in terms of increasing speed to market. And the latex inks enable us to target those customers seeking environmental solutions.

“The productivity uplift we’ve realised with the FB7500 alone has been massive. We’ve picked up a couple of big contracts that would have been virtually impossible to fulfil without it. This machine has given us the ability to competitively transition from traditional screen printing without losing the ability to print on a variety of substrates and in full colour.

“Our three HP Scitex printers complement each other and allow us to cover all bases.”