Meanwhile, their rivals – with presses on stand ready to be sold – talk about the here and now, as in "here’s a press and you can have it now". Depending on the requirement you’re trying to fill, "here and now" can be a pretty compelling argument. If you need a new digital or offset press to meet a specific customer demand, then you’re not going to wait four years to buy the next generation – no matter how futuristic it looks.
The problem for vendors is, with the cost of some digital equipment turning stratospheric, the investment cycle is becoming longer and longer; hence the reason so many companies use Drupa to show presses that are years away from commercial availability.
Landa is a unique case in point, in that it literally has nothing on its 1,400sqm stand that is for sale. Now, exhibiting at Drupa ain’t cheap, so taking the biggest ever stand for a first-time exhibitor and filling it with machines that aren’t going to generate any revenue for years (bar the minimal deposits that are being taken with the letters of intent) is a bold move. In terms of the interest it’s generated, the signs are good, but that won’t stop existing digital and litho vendors making hay while the sun shines on Drupa 2012.
- Simon Nias, News editor, PrintWeek
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