Well, you had the Drupa Snooper in 2012, so why not the “Ipex Investigator?” Gumshoeing the halls and aisles of London’s ExCeL centre cunningly disguised as a city banker, the Ipex Investigator, or "II" for short, is on the case and relays the feel of Ipex after the end of the first day.
First days of any trade show are no portenders of how the overall show will go and for the press, it is usually filled with conferences and media scrums. There can be no denying that the absence of big exhibitors such as Heidelberg, HP, Canon, Xerox (although a UK Xerox reseller is present), Kodak, Agfa, KBA, Ricoh, manroland and Landa (although CEO Benny Landa is speaking at the World Print Summit) – has impacted on the look and feel of the show, but it’s still got that trade show vibe about it and the throng queuing up before opening time was quite sizeable. Dissipated across two huge halls, first day numbers appeared well down but this is not unusual for any trade fair.
However, not all ‘big’ names have stayed away and nowhere is this more apparent than with the level of commitment shown by Konica Minolta – the only one of the “big four” production cut-sheet suppliers with a presence at Ipex 2014. KM has by far the largest stand and General Manager, CP Business Division Toshitaka Uemura together with Inkjet Divisional Director Akiyoshi Ohno had good reasons to smile as GM of Marketing Olaf Lorenz read out claimed market shares: 54% of total production digital print machines-in-the-field in Western Europe and a staggering 65% of MIF in Eastern Europe.
On a worldwide scale, KM is on track to have a market share of 50% in production digital print installations by the time Drupa comes around in 2016. This is from a company that before 2000 was struggling with the decline in silver-halide based photographic imaging, cameras, photofinishing, graphic arts film and plates. With its forays into the B2+ inkjet press jointly developed with Komori, the KM-1 due next year; digital labels, digital textile printing, KM’s own printheads and inks; it would be no surprise if this company will be the largest exhibitor at Drupa 2016 as well.
Resisting the tide of withdrawals from Ipex – which included the show’s former president from Canon – KM has shown true mettle and determination to be number one. It’s product portfolio is expanding, it has strengthened the partnership with MGI, delivering finishing and coating offerings to the range and is totally committed to seizing the lion’s share of the world’s 92.3% of printing that is not currently digital. A tip of the bowler hat to KM!
Across in the South hall is another Japanese giant that has stuck with Ipex; the show’s second largest exhibitor Fujifilm. While there is no A3 productioin digital here; there is the new version of the JetPress 720 B2 inkjet press and the 540W web machine. While II has not yet worked every square metre of the Fujifilm stand, of significant interest if the FFEI Graphium digital label press on display. FFEI stands for Fujifilm Electronic Imaging and was spun-off as an independent company from the old Crosfield company in Hemel Hempstead, which Fujifilm acquired in the 1990s. The Graphium is the result of years of R&D and a little trial and error. It now looks like a contender in the burgeoning digital label press market and, with a 410mm web width, is the widest so far available. The interesting thing is, while it is a 6-colour digital narrow web press, FFEI has teamed with Edale to add flexo and other stations for coating, special effects, embossing and eventually cold foil. The final slitting and rewinding is from ABG, already market leader in digital label finishing systems. Will we see the Graphium in Australia? Who knows but it was creating quite a stir in London.
Continuing the Japanese feel at Ipex – I can count on one hand the number of German exhibitors and none of the ‘majors’ – Dainippon Screen is there in force with one of only two high volume digial inkjet presses working, a dual engine Truepress Jet 520 and, on a second stand, the new Truepress Jet 3200UV flatbed machine which, amongst other jobs, was producing the best lenticular printing I have seen – at 65 square metres per hour. Lenticular has been around for a while in varying degrees of success but always slow and sometimes not convincing. The Screen lenticular option brings high-volume top-notch lenticular displays to a volume market that the advertising agencies will love. The W3200UV is also of course a fast regular flatbed UV printer with photographic quality results for close-viewed POP and other signage, at up to 85 m2 per hour.
Back on the main Screen stand, two pairs of Australian boots are on the ground with Keith Atherton and James Haisman welcoming ANZ visitors and also celebrating the L350UV label press, for which I am assured orders have been taken.
Well that’s a taste of the first day and there are 5 days to go plus the Great Ipex ANZ Party on Thursday.
It’s bitterly cold for a Sydneysider but the sun is out and II is not getting wet. Not on the outside anyway. Time for one of those outstanding British real ales and some bangers and mash. While I’m off doing the Lambeth Walk, here are a few photoblog pics to whet your own appetites.
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