The atmosphere at the Lucerne messe was highly animated, last week; not with the big, showy revelations or the six- and seven-figure deals found at huge events such as Drupa or Ipex, but with more low-key announcements and meaningful discussion about progression, upgrades, developments and diversification.
Kodak was among the first to make an announcement at Hunkeler’s Innovationdays event, revealing its upgraded version of the Prosper 5000XLi featuring the Intelligent Print System as well a new nano-particulate ink for the system.
The machine has a maximum print speed of 200m/min. Kodak worldwide marketing inkjet printing solutions director Will Mansfield said he was encouraged to see the continued developments in finishing on show at Hunkeler that could meet the print manufacturer’s output.
"Classically, our customers have had to slow down their engines to wait for the finishing line or decouple the finishing because of the limited reliability. So it’s good to see these developments here," he said.
"Hunkeler is pushing the innovation with faster unwinds and rewinds on its POPP8 line, which is great because they will be able to keep up with our future generation of presses."
Brave words, considering the POPP8 line – comprising the UW8 unwinder and RW8 rewinder, also unveiled at the show – has a running speed of 305m/min. Visitors to the Hunkeler zone, somewhat modestly tucked away at the back of the messe, were able to see hourly demonstrations of the line. Perhaps more of a crowd-puller, however, was its HL6 laser cutting unit, which has been upgraded since its initial preview at Drupa last year.
Described by Robin Brown, national sales manager of digital solutions at Hunkeler’s UK distributor Friedheim International, as "something out of a James Bond film", the machine offers dynamic die-less cutting, punching and perforating at speeds of up to 105m/min.
Also on the stand was Hunkeler’s Modular Glued Book Solution, one of the show’s major sales, bought by Hampshire-based book publisher Ashford Colour Press in a £2m investment along with a T230 colour inkjet web press from neighbouring stand-holders HP.
Latest innovations on HP’s stand centred around its new inkjet optimised ColorPRO branded papers. These included a new coated Sappi Jaz Book Paper and a partnership signed with Crown Van Gelder for uncoated papers for the European inkjet market.
Other stands were also keen to highlight recent successes. Global wrapping and inserting manufacturer CMC Machinery showed the CMC9000 bespoke enclosing line, bought by Huddersfield-based print manager Adare, its sixth from the Italian manufacturer. After it arrives on-site this week, it will be the 14th to have been installed in the UK since its launch at Ipex in 2010.
CMC chief executive Francesco Ponti said although small in comparison to its competitors, the company was surviving because it remained flexible. "CMC’s secret is to design the right machine for the moment. It means we are adaptable to clients’ needs and that’s why we have stayed solid," he said.
Ponti said that with envelope volumes slashed by nearly 40% globally in the past five years and competitor numbers almost unchanged, CMC’s diversification into cartons – with the launch of its variable data, continuous feed CartonWrap machine in 2012 – "was the future". He added: "The one thing the internet can only improve is e-commerce. Internet orders need boxes and our variable data, variable pack size system recognises that."
E-opportunities
E-commerce opportunities were also highlighted by Kodak’s Douglas Edwards, who said that consolidation in the book publishing market "plays right into the hands of high-speed, high-volume devices such as the Prosper 5000XL"i. He added that the company would be announcing some "pretty major" partnerships in packaging printing in the coming months.
Meanwhile, HP used augmented reality app Aurasma to show e-commerce opportunities by allowing visitors to take a virtual look at its Inkjet Web Press. EMEA marketing manager Paul Randall said online activity was driving growth in both packaging and print publishing sectors.
"Print is responding to the e-revolution. Aurasma is a perfect example of that. The immediacy of the marketing message means that print becomes very dynamic," he said.
"E-content is driving transformation towards digital print because it’s about supply chain and you have to look at reducing wastage."
Indeed, efficient production was the key behind the Digital or Offset Calculator, one of the showcases at the event from Ricoh, as well as its new workflow, TotalFlow Cadence for Publishing.
Ricoh EMEA region general manager of production print solutions Benoit Chatelard said that attending Hunkeler was vital for Ricoh and praised the professionalism and focus of the event: "No-one is wandering around here for no reason, so this show is very productive. We have had very meaningful conversations."
Whether it was printing or finishing, Innovationdays 2013 was a hive of integration and productivity, with books being printed on one stand, stitched on another and bound on yet another. Stands and aisles were bustling with visitors huddled in intense conversation or reading their RotaJet-printed dailies.
With over 5,000 attendees braving the snow to attend the Lucerne event, chief executive Stefan Hunkeler said he was very satisfied: "Finishing is becoming more and more important. There are hundreds of different solutions for finishing possibilities so it is much more complex than other areas."
Looking to the future Hunkeler is sticking firmly to its roots. "Just look around here. There are so many companies already diversifying into packaging, our strategy is definitely with direct mail and particularly publishing for the next few years."
He added: "The biggest growth area in the next year will be China."
One industry figure said that after attending the event, he felt a "new dawn was emerging" for the finishing world. "Historically, finishing has been the poor cousin to printing, but things are changing. You just have to wander around this event and hear the buzz. It’s already moving at a pace and that will only increase."
HUNKELER'S YOUNGEST VISITOR
Aleesha (second from left) with her family at Hunkeler, was a guest of Friedheim International at the event
Aleesha Patel of Beauchamp College, Leicester, was chosen as the overall winner of the last year’s PrintIT! competition for her innovative and creative packaging design, which judges said "showed a good use of colour and was suitable for many products".
READER REACTION
How important is Innovationdays to the print calendar?
Atsuki Kimura
Technical manager of digital print media, Mitsubishi Paper Mills
"I’m based in Japan and I have been here twice before and intend to stay here for the whole week. It is good this year that they have extended the show for a day as it gives us more time for meetings. The first purpose for us is developing OEMs and we have also brought our media for high-speed inkjet printing. Our company has a subsidiary in Germany and they are also attending here, so I can come here and then visit them. There are also lots of other European contacts here, which is really useful."
Shane O’Neil
Business development manager, MCS
"Everyone is here who should be, so it’s a great opportunity to make contact and get as many meetings as you can into the shortest timeframe. I hope to use the show to develop the right points of contact within firms I already know. I also want to talk to those people with whom I already have relationships, to give them samples and work on deals. We have a huge business in North America and I want to develop a distribution network in Europe and beyond. I’m looking for OEM partnerships with many of the guys who are involved with mailing."
Anja Krumbiegel
Business development manager, onlinepost24.de
"This is my first exhibition of this kind and I’m hoping to look at new innovations, so I can take ideas back to the regional print shop that I work in. I’m looking for new ideas, what we should or could be doing, where things are going – looking at the future. It’s easy for us to come here; being in Germany, we are very close. So far, I am very impressed with what I have seen and find that people are being very responsive and providing me with exactly the kind of information I need to take back."
