Heidelberg set to revamp its CX 75 and XL 75 speedmasters

Staff Writer, 12 September 2019

Heidelberg gets new CFO: Marcus A. Wassenberg

The supervisory board of Heidelberg has appointed Marcus A. Wassenberg (52) as ordinary member of the management board and chief financial officer.

Wassenberg succeeds Dirk Kaliebe, who, as previously announced, will leave the company at his own request at the end of September and will be available for an orderly transition.

"We are very pleased to have gained Marcus Wassenberg as a leader with many years of leadership competence in the financial sector. With his experience in the mechanical

Staff Writer, 28 August 2019

Kodak to partner with China's HuaGuang

Kodak recently announced that it reached an agreement with Lucky HuaGuang Graphics Co. Ltd to establish a strategic relationship in China, including Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan. With this partnership, Kodak seeks to increase the adoption of its Sonora plates in China.

"The Kodak/HuaGuang relationship will comprise an agreement for Kodak to sell its offset printing plates facility in Xiamen, China to HuaGuang. Under this supply agreement, HuaGuang will help Kodak fulfill its existing

Staff Writer, 14 August 2019

Study: Printed signage market value is $43bn

Smithers Pira’s latest market report ‘The Future of Printed Signage in an Electronic World to 2024’ shows a nip to $43.30 billion in 2019 in constant price terms.

The global market for printed signage in 2018 was valued at $43.34bn.  The printed signage market slightly declined by 0.3% year-on-year since 2014.

It is now forecast to recover value in the next five years when growth of 0.2% CAGR will see the market reach a value of $43.73bn in 2024.

There are number of key trends covered in this

Staff Writer, 07 August 2019

Green award for Avery Dennison

An innovation from Avery Dennison that enables closed-loop PET recycling has won this year’s Finat Recycling and Sustainability award.

The CleanFlake portfolio enables production of high-quality recycled PET (rPET) from post-consumer bottles while maintaining visual impact and food contact approval. The portfolio is further reducing environmental impact by using recycled PET liner material.

Jeroen Diderich, vice president and general manager EMEA, said: “Finat is an important organization

Staff Writer, 07 August 2019

Heidelberg makes its subs option modular

Heidelberg is now offering a more modular way for customers to use its subscription package and expects its “digital eco system” for printing industry services to eventually outstrip traditional machinery sales.

‘Johnny’ Gutenberg.Heidelberg CEO says: “There is no alternative to the ‘Heidelberg goes digital!’ strategy.”

At a recent analyst and investor conference, Heidelberg reaffirmed its financial performance in 2018/19 and cautious outlook for 2019/20, due to headwinds such as trade disputes

Staff Writer, 07 August 2019

News in brief

Ricoh recently declared Michael Chen of Ridgeview High School in Orange Park, Florida, as the winner of the 15th annual Ricoh Sustainable Development Award (RSDA) presented at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Chen stood out for his sun-powered moisture-extraction device. For his winning invention, “A Novel Method to Alleviate the Water Crisis in Uganda,” he has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship. In its 15th consecutive year, the RSDA continues to encourage innovation from

Staff Writer, 07 August 2019

Stora Enso to convert mill to packaging plant

Stora Enso is investing around €350 million to convert its Oulu paper mill in Finland to packaging production.

The investment includes converting paper machine 7 into virgin-fiber-based kraftliner production, and the closure of paper machine 6 and sheeting plant. Production on the converted machine is estimated to start by the end of 2020.

“The conversion this mill will enable Stora Enso to improve its position in the growing packaging business and take a major step forward in its transformation

Staff Writer, 15 June 2019

News in brief

Fespa Global Print Expo will return to Munich in 2021 following next year’s Spanish sojourn. Set to take over Messe Munich from 18-21 May 2021, the exhibition will be returning to the Bavarian capital only two years after this year’s edition. Fespa 2020 is set to take place in Madrid from 24-27 March, relocated from Germany and brought forward in the calendar to avoid a clash with Drupa, which will take place in June next year.

Tradeprint’s departing business development manager and former owner

Staff Writer, 15 June 2019

News in brief

Color-Logic has certified swissQprint UV inkjet printers with white for use with the Color-Logic metallic process. Discussing the printer certification, Color-Logic director of sales and marketing Mark Geeves, said: “The certification samples submitted by swissQprint accurately demonstrated all of the Color-Logic decorative effects and embellishments. swissQprint printers also have the ability to add a varnish to prints, thus greatly increasing the value to clients. The Color-Logic colour

Staff Writer, 15 June 2019

Fuji Xerox eyes sales expansion

Fuji Xerox has partnered with two Myanmar agents to expand sales of printers and multi-function copy machines as well as provide consulting and solutions in the country.

The Japanese company said that it has agreed on the local distribution of its products and services with Dagon Win Win Co, a firm under diversified business group Dagon Group of Companies, and Direct Channel Distribution Co, under major information and communication technology group KMD.

Dagon Win Win, a trader in a wide range of

Staff Writer, 15 June 2019

HP reinvents dye-sub by launching HP Stitch

HP will make its first-ever moves into the textiles printing market by launching two machines in its new Stitch S series of dye-sublimation printers, with a third on the way for Fespa.

The 1.6m-wide Stitch S300 and S500 printers will be available from June after being debuted at the ISA 2019 convention in Las Vegas, US, from 24 April.
HP said the Stitch S300 had been designed for ease-of-use and is intended for entry-level or minimal-use markets. It comes with HP’s Ergosoft RIP, HP transfer paper

Staff Writer, 23 May 2019

Sequana refutes illicit movements

Sequana has denied allegations made by lawyers representing employees at Arjowiggins’ Papiers Couchés and Le Bourray operations that accused the group of moving around €20m (£17.3m) illicitly.

A number of French news outlets have reported on the contents of the letter sent by the lawyers to Sequana chief executive Pascal Lebard on 8 April.
It called into question the management of the Arjowiggins case, which on 29 March resulted in the liquidation of the Papiers Couchés site in Bessé-sur-Braye

Staff Writer, 23 May 2019

Canon adds new imagePress family

Canon is preparing its new imagePress C910 series of light production digital printers for market after unveiling them at an event in the Netherlands.

The new series succeeds the C850 family and has been developed for print service providers looking to provide extended applications with reliable media handling at higher productivity. They were first shown to attendees at the Cutting Edge showcase in Venlo, Holland, on 9-11 April.

The family consists of three models differentiated by their speed

Staff Writer, 23 May 2019

EFI eyes next stage of evolution after sale

EFI is poised to be acquired by a US private equity firm in a deal that values the wide-format kit manufacturer and productivity software developer at $1.7bn.

The proposed all-cash purchase by an acquisition vehicle of Siris Capital Group was confirmed on 15 April and once completed EFI will delist from Nasdaq.

Speaking to PrintWeek, EFI chief executive Bill Muir said: “In many different ways it’s an endorsement of the great company that has been built through the years and the potential it

Staff Writer, 23 May 2019

Screen appoints new president

Screen Europe is pleased to announce the appointment of Akihiro Fujii as its new president, taking over from Takanori Kakita who has been promoted to the position of president of the Graphic Arts Company and will now be based at the head office in Kyoto, Japan.

Takanori Kakita has been at the helm in Amstelveen, Netherlands for the last four years and under his stewardship Screen Europe has gone from strength-to-strength. During that time the company has experienced growth in all areas of its

Staff Writer, 23 May 2019

HP makes first moves into textiles with dye-sub launch

HP will make its first-ever moves into the textiles printing market by launching two machines in its new Stitch S series of dye-sublimation printers, with a third on the way for Fespa.The 1.6m-wide Stitch S300 and S500 printers will be available from June after being debuted at the ISA 2019 convention in Las Vegas, US, from today (24 April).

HP said the Stitch S300 had been designed for ease-of-use and is intended for entry-level or minimal-use markets. It comes with HP’s Ergosoft RIP, HP

Staff Writer, 24 April 2019

OKI Europe launches new C800 Series of ultra-compact A3 colour printers

OKI Europe has announced the launch of its new C800 Series of ultra-compact A3 colour printers that produces professional results in-house for every type of business. With a focus on delivering value for organisations that typically outsource print jobs, the C800 Series has been developed to handle any print job large or small, quickly and cost effectively.

Featuring OKI’s pioneering digital LED technology, the C800 Series can handle an unrivalled range of media in HD colour, from pre-cut

Staff Writer, 22 April 2019

Koenig & Bauer now sets €1.5bn sales goal

Koenig & Bauer has said that orders for new presses have “largely shrugged off the effects of recent political and economical developments”, as the group posted its highest EBIT figure in more than 200 years of trading.
The Germany headquartered press manufacturer had been held back by issues around the availability of parts last year, particularly at its largest unit the Sheetfed division, where sales slipped by 2% to €647.4m, but despite this also having a dampening effect on new business

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Antalis sales and profits slip

Paper merchanting group Antalis has posted its year-end results, with a perfect storm of Brexit uncertainty, currency fluctuations and declining paper volumes heavily impacting profitability.
The figures to 31 December showed sales across the group had slipped 2.8% to €2.31bn (£1.98bn. 2017: €2.38bn), while EBITDA fell 11.5% to €74.7m.
The group’s report attributed weaker revenue to a 7% decline in paper volumes across Europe, as well as negative impact from the decline of the pound and the Swiss

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Agfa revamps

Agfa has revamped its divisional structure and created three separate divisions for its print-related activities, as the group seeks more partnerships for future growth. Speaking as Agfa-Gevaert Group announced its year-end results to 31 December 2018, chief executive Christian Reinaudo said the business had made “major steps to transform our group”. Its Healthcare IT business has been renamed Agfa Healthcare and has been separated from the rest of the group. The former Agfa Graphics and

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Flint Group announces the grand opening of its regional Technology Center Asia Pacific (ATC)

Flint Group have announced the grand opening of its regional Technology Center Asia Pacific (ATC), located at the Shanghai Publishing and Printing College (SPPC), No.100 Shui Feng Road, Shanghai, China. The Technology Center allows continued expansion of technical support, services and provides a location for state-of-the-art development, plate manufacturing, training, and education. The company has invested about €2 million in the technology centre, where Flint Group technicians cooperate with

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Asia Print Expo 2019 attracted many visitors

Asia Print Expo 2019, which took place from 21 to 23 February in Bangkok, Thailand, has been hailed a success by both visitors and exhibitors, cementing the event’s position as a meeting point for Asian screen, digital and textile printers and signage. 4,207 individual visitors travelled to Asia Print Expo 2019 from 54 countries. Taking into account visitors attending the event across multiple days, the show attracted a total of 4,681 visitors, an increase of 8% compared with FESPA Asia 2018

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Roland DG unveils benchtop flatbed

Roland DG has introduced the latest addition to its VersaUV LEF range of wide-format UV printers, the streamlined LEF2-200 benchtop flatbed.
The LEF2-200 builds on the capabilities of the VersaUV LEF-200, which was launched in 2017, and is available in the UK as of 7 March at a price of £19,999. It can be purchased with an additional BOFA air filtration system or a RotaPrint accessory for direct printing onto cylindrical items.
The new machine is intended for use at promotional print companies

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Landa venture could float in London

Benny Landa’s fuel cell venture could float on London’s AIM market, raising tens of millions of pounds in the process according to reports.
He is also the chairman and majority shareholder at GenCell Energy, green energy provider which develops emission-free fuel cells inspired by the fuel technology used in space programmes.
Calcalist reported that GenCell was looking at various financing options, including a possible IPO that could value the business at $200m-$250m.
The Times reported that the

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

Arjo mill in France will go into liquidation

The Arjowiggins site in Bessé-sur-Braye will go into liquidation, leading to the loss of 580 jobs, while a sale has been agreed for the Château-Thierry plant alongside a partial sale of the Bourray operation.
French media reported the decision of the Commercial Court of Nanterre on 29th March, which comes after attempts to find a buyer for the French business failed. Swedish paper group Lessebo, understood to be a leading bidder, had pulled out of the race “a few weeks ago” according to reports

Staff Writer, 14 April 2019

The first edition of LED & SIGN CHINA 2019 completed in Shenzhen

LED CHINA, Digital Signage 2019 were successfully concluded on the 23rd February at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, presenting the whole industry chain of sign, LED and digital signage for visitors from home and abroad. 551 companies/brands (to name a few: Liantronics, Leyard, Ledman, Rishang, Cosun, Yueming) exhibited in the 3-day shows and welcomed 24,039 professional buyers from 104 countries & regions.  

“The shows were quite impressive. It was the first time for our

Staff Writer, 13 March 2019

Ricoh launches new industrial inkjet printhead RICOH MH5320/5340/5320 Type A

Ricoh has announced the launch of a new industrial inkjet printhead RICOH MH5320/5340/5320 Type A. It will be on display at the Shanghai International Ad & Sign Expo in Shanghai, China, from 5 March through 8 March alongside other industrial printing solutions. The RICOH MH5320/5340/5320 Type A printhead will be commercially available from 1 April, 2019.

Staff Writer, 04 March 2019

Hunkeler premieres new and future products at 13th Innovationdays

Swiss post-press manufacturer Hunkeler has unveiled a raft of new products and configurations at its biennial Innovationdays trade show in Lucerne, which has been hailed a huge success by organisers and exhibitors.

Hosting an estimated 6,500 visitors at Messe Luzern during the 13th running of the event, which finishes on 28 February, Hunkeler is headlining a line-up of around 100 exhibitors, with the primary event focus on continuous-feed inkjet workflow, from pre-press through to print and

Staff Writer, 04 March 2019

De La Rue takes on tobacco task for HMRC

HMRC aims to crack down on the illicit sale of tobacco products through a new multimillion-pound contract with De La Rue.

The five-year, £3.5m deal involves the deployment of De La Rue’s track and trace technology on 1.7bn packets of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco sold in the UK each year.

The EU Tobacco Products Directive, Article 15, means it is now a legal requirement for all tobacco products to be traceable, in order to cut down on counterfeit products.

The digital solution will be

Staff Writer, 04 March 2019