The event was last held in September, where the manufacturer launched the DS-700 iQ, a modular, flexible, and scalable folder inserter aimed at shorter runs that can process up to 14,000 sheets per hour and features reduced setup time with full-page reading, eliminating the need for physical camera relocation or moving production markings with software.

Updating on the reception of the machine since its release, Quadient business development manager Sof Tsigarides told Printweek at the event that the DS-700 iQ had been “very well received”, with some customers upgrading from previous models, while the business has also been approaching new commercial printers and in-house plants.

“It seems to be resonating much better with those because we’ve built the machine on a solid system already, so we have that reliability and knowledge about the system itself. And also the fact that you now have the ability to not only upgrade certain parts of the machine whenever you like, but also the ability to speed the system up or down and choose a configuration which is more in line with what the business is looking at right now.

“This is great for new starters because people who don’t do a lot of mailing – who are missing out on that market, especially as it’s in a nice upward state at the moment – have got the ability to start low and change the speed up or add to things as they grow the business.”

Tsigarides said Quadient had already sold “quite a few” DS-700 iQs, and that the machine was proving popular in the UK market, while its DS-1200 G4i was also enjoying a resurgence, with two solid years of sales.

Quadient’s Loughton site is the production centre for all of the company’s high-end folders/inserters that are sold worldwide. The “British-built and manufactured” machines are produced mostly with materials and parts sourced locally, where this is possible.

The site also holds all of the company’s spare parts, houses its R&D activity, and hosts its engineer training.

At the four-day open house event, which ran from Monday to Thursday this week (24-27 April), Quadient hosted “more than 16” separate organisations, including a mix of printers and in-house plants, for their own private tours of its manufacturing facility and demonstrations of its machines plus its AIMS Automated Insertion Management System.

“I love doing these events because I love showing what we can do and how it helps the customer grow their business or become more efficient,” said Tsigarides.

“I think the reason the events are popular with customers is that they can come in, in two different ways. They can come in and touch and feel, run their samples if they want to, and see the systems as they work in real-time. But we can also do virtual demonstrations from here.

“The open days also allow people that don’t really know about us to come in and see us. When you talk about our machines to people and about what we do and how we do it, it’s really hard to grasp that from just a conversation. If they come in and have a look at what we do then they get it.”

Quadient plans to hold another open house at Loughton later this year, while similar events are also taking place at its facilities across Europe.