Flexo, newspaper & VLF platesetters
Sales in CTP kit are beginning to recover as domestic confidence improves and overseas buyers adopt new technologies, writes Nosmot Gbadamosi
After a tough period, it appears that advertising levels have started to recover and this has resulted in a bump in publishers’ revenues. Consequently, the volume of work for commercial printers and newspapers has also risen over the past six months, leading to an increase in sales of CTP systems.
"During 2008 and mid 2009 the market was the quietest we’d seen, but recently there has been a lot more activity," explains Andy Cook, managing director of FFEI.
"I think customers delayed their decision and now there is a bit of catch-up going on, certainly in the commercial print and newspaper market. People just want to get on with it," he adds.
While many printers have tried to sweat their assets, they realise that there are still cost issues involved in this approach. Service costs for older machines tend to go up and there is a greater likelihood of productivity glitches.
"Printers have sat on their hands for two years and now they’re being pragmatic about investments," says Cook.
Changing priorities
There is a move towards low-chemistry, which has gained in popularity over the past 18 months. This is becoming the norm with environmental issues at the forefront of customers’ minds. Lower energy platesetters are also more popular, but while printers may ask about a machine’s energy consumption as they strive to achieve ISO 14001, they are not making a fundamental decision based on this.
Printers are now focusing their purchasing decisions on the overall lifetime cost of the machine rather than just features and specifications.
"They are looking at the cost of service contracts, running costs, ROI, laser cost and cost per plate," says Cook.
The international market is also a strong growth market for manufacturers.
"We have seen a huge amount of growth in India and China. This is where the majority of CTP sales are going in terms of growth," according to Cook.
He adds that the national and now the regional newspapers in India and China are moving over to CTP.
When looking to make an investment consider the overall cost of the machine, including supplier support and flexibility. While entering into a bundle deal for your platesetter and consumables needs does have its tax benefits, it’s good to have a level of flexibility, especially when you factor in the cost of aluminium, which is a commodity and may be subject to price increases in the next few years.
WHAT'S NEW IN: Flexo, Newspaper & VLF Platesetters
• Krause solidified its partnership with Fuji last month by appointing the firm as its distributor in the UK and Ireland. The deal is part of a long-standing collaboration between the two, which has seen Krause CTP kit sold with Fujifilm Brillia plates
• FFEI hailed the success of Ipex 2010 after it racked up total sales of more than 48 platesetters at the show. The Hertfordshire-based manufacturer took deposits for 27 machines at Ipex together with signatures for a further 21. In May, Marlowe Graphic Services (MGS) signed an agreement with FFEI to distribute its CTP systems in the UK. In 2009, FFEI launched entry-level VN10 violet newspaper CTP system with a resolution of 1,016dpi at IFRA, the new media expo
