The Platesense programme is available to any printer, of any size, in the UK and Ireland. It enables them to either reduce their overall administration or allow Fujifilm to help manage their plate production process so that they can concentrate on the day-to-day running of their business.

As well as delivering plates to customers when they need them, along with any associated CTP equipment and consumables, Fujifilm said it could also manage a printer’s waste and aluminium collection under the programme, helping to protect them from plate price increases by keeping them cost neutral to where they are today.

Furthermore, it said the bespoke service could provide comprehensive processor maintenance, service and support or even help a printer to manage and develop its pre-press personnel.

Fujifilm UK general manager Chris Broadhurst said: “We’re looking to try and understand what extra value we can offer customers beyond selling plates and picking up waste and scrap.

“If we come in to service and clean your processor, for example, or look at how you could run and maintain parts of your business within the pre-press department, that would allow people to utilise their time more effectively in their business.

“It’s also a way of trying to get a closer relationship with our customers. I think companies nowadays are looking for different ways to add a bit of value and keep that relationship a bit tighter. If we can do that with our customers, then we can allow them to perhaps focus on different areas of their business.”

Broadhurst added the result of the initiative will be a single, all-inclusive plate price, which is dependent on the range of services a customer requires.

“We will still continue to just supply plates if that’s what our customers want, but if they want to look at the different parameters and the different things we can offer them then we can look at bundling that into a combined cost. They end up with one point of administration and one point of reference for their cost for a number of different services.”

In April Fujifilm launched Superia LH-S2, a new low-chemistry plate that only requires a one-stage gum clean out, rather than traditional processing chemistry.