Business - Appointments

FASTSIGNS International Inc. is pleased to welcome Gary Feltham to the position of Vice President of Business Development and National Accounts.

"Gary's experience in and understanding of the sign and graphics industry is both profound and diverse—something we feel will make him a strategic part of our National Accounts Program (NAP)," said Catherine Monson, chief executive officer of FASTSIGNS International. "We are glad to have Gary as part of our team and we look forward to his future contributions to the NAP."

Throughout his career, Feltham has gained experience in business, sales, marketing and entrepreneurship, all within the sign and graphics industry. Before joining FASTSIGNS International, Inc., Feltham worked at Océ USA, Incorporated as the company's vice president of sales and later at Gerber Scientific, Inc. as the director of international sales. In between working with Océ and Gerber, he opened and operated his own independent sign shop, Innovative Printers, in California. Upon deciding to return to the corporate world, Feltham sold his profitable business to his partner.

"I believe that my consistent history of profit growth through business development disciplines will be my strongest contribution to the NAP," said Feltham. "In addition, my 20-plus years of experience working in the digital image and sign business will add a second level of credibility among my team, the franchise owners and our customers."

In addition to his extensive sign and graphics experience, the San Diego, CA native has spent more than 10 years living abroad in places such as Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Marking the increase in popularity of wide-format ink-jet production within the commercial print sector in Ireland, Roland DG (UK) has announced the appointment of Print and Finishing Equipment as its distributor. This agreement sees the leading Dublin based supplier bring on board complementary digital solutions to boost its current portfolio.

Formed more than 25 years ago, originally to service the demand for in-house print finishing equipment, PFE has grown significantly to encompass digital as well as analogue solutions. The addition of the Roland SolJet Pro III range and the VersaUV LEC-330 and LEC-540 will enable the company to extend into wide-format with two important product families that embrace the needs of today’s offset litho and flexo sectors.

The Roland SolJet Pro III range includes innovative print-and-cut solutions, with the XC-540MT incorporating metallic and white inks. Its durable Eco-Sol Max inks and integrated contour cutting are popular amongst the label sector for digitally produced short runs, as well as for the production of innovative signs and displays.

Roland’s ground-breaking VersaUV LEC-330 and recently introduced 1.37m wide LEC-540 fit PFE’s remit perfectly, too, as many of the company’s customers are involved in the packaging, prototyping and specialist label markets. Highly opaque white ink and clear varnish complement this machine’s flexible UV-curable CMYK inks and LED curing, combined with its colour accuracy and ability to print, cut and crease a vast range of materials.

Duncan Groom, managing director of Print Finishing and Equipment, comments: “We’re very excited about this agreement with Roland DG, as we see it bringing huge opportunities to us within the wide-format market. Having investigated all the options currently available within the ink-jet sector, Roland’s solutions are exactly the right products for the commercial print sector and that’s why we were so eager to form a relationship with the company.

“The SolJet Pro III XC-540 and the VersaUV are the most versatile systems on the market today and, with a customer base that wants to do everything on a wide-format machine, these two models tick all the boxes,” continues Groom. “PFE has a high reputation for supplying high quality print finishing equipment and we believe that Roland’s machines are exactly the right products for our market.”

www.rolanddg.co.uk

Tel: 0845 230 90 60

 

HP today announced the appointment of Gail Galuppo as senior vice president of Worldwide Strategy and Marketing for the company's Imaging and Printing Group (IPG), effective Nov. 1.

Galuppo will lead IPG's marketing strategy, planning and execution on a global basis across all customer segments and the group's four business units. This includes responsibility for customer, market and strategic planning, marketing operations, insights, customer relationship management, communications, environmental programs, retail experience and all customer-facing programs.

Galuppo joins HP from Western Union, where she was most recently executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She will be based in San Diego and report to Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, IPG.

"Gail is an outstanding marketing thought leader, with an impressive track record of leading creative global marketing programs," said Joshi. "She brings a passion for delivering results to our business, and her significant experience in analytics, customer relationship and life-cycle management will help us execute against our aggressive growth strategies."

Galuppo was responsible for driving revenue growth at Western Union by leading global marketing and product development for the $5.1 billion company, across 202 countries and 430,000 agent locations. She launched the first ever global brand campaign for the 159-year-old Western Union brand and, under her leadership, the company's electronic business had double-digit growth in transactions and revenue.

Galuppo holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University. She replaces Ron Coughlin, who has become senior vice president for the LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions business at HP.

 

Ink Technologies (UK) Limited (ITL) has announced the promotion of a long-standing member of staff to the position of sales manager. Dean Terry, who has risen through the company since joining seven years ago, will work closely with the recently expanded customer service department to ensure all users and sales channels receive full, valuable and reliable support. He aims to acquaint a wider audience with the company's diverse and versatile range of options for small-, wide- and large-format production.

Terry's experience includes administration, logistics and customer service, giving him a holistic view of the company's role in the digital ink-jet market and the technologies associated with it. It was in this latter client-facing role that he honed his relationships with key accounts and channels, making his progression into sales a natural following step.

"I was attracted to the world of print because it was something of an unknown quantity," explains Terry. "All the usual options were presented to me, such as the police or the armed forces, but printing piqued my interest then and has inspired me ever since. The constant stream of new technology in this sector has continued to make this an extremely exciting industry to work in, while the competitive nature of the market means that there's never time to rest on your laurels. ITL stays at the cutting edge with a steady stream of research and development, meaning that there are always new and interesting products to take to our customers."

His enthusiasm for the company's range of inks, which include UV-curable, eco- and full-solvent as well as water-based options paired with significant market intelligence, will bolster ITL's robust sales division. Terry will expand its steadily growing client base, introducing new businesses to ITL's reliable, high quality ink options.

Terry's business values and background within ITL's service division naturally complement the manufacturer's dedicated customer-focused approach. During his time with the company he has continuously sought out new relationships and has grown a diverse and solid network of professional contacts. In addition, his detailed understanding of and passion for the technology within the print sector has ensured that each customer will receive the correct ink to fit with their needs.

"One aspect of the printing industry which I find so appealing is its fast-paced dynamism and the constant product innovations," enthuses Terry. "No two days are ever the same, making it an exciting and vibrant sector to work in. ITL matches the energetic nature of the market whilst mixing it with a consistent and stable approach to sales and growth. The company always provides a personalised, friendly service where the individual and their requirements are prioritised over aggressive selling and quick profits. ITL's belief in and commitment to customers' needs is something which I am proud to be a part of."

"Dean was a natural in this industry from the very beginning," comments Peter Williams, sales and marketing director. "His people skills and the strategic way in which he approaches business have always made him a valuable member of the team and, no doubt, will continue to do so. We do our best to value our staff and commit to them in the long term. Loyalty has always been a central value within the company and this approach extends to our customers. Once we establish a relationship, we like to build upon it. Dean is emblematic of this ethos and is the perfect person to maintain the bonds with our customers and help them to thrive."

"I have grown to love this market and my role within it at ITL," concludes Terry. "The company understands that working in sales is about so much more than closing deals. It's about cultivating relationships, getting to know companies and understanding their needs. ITL's whole culture supports this type of close network that is both professional and warm. I couldn't imagine doing anything else now."

Manufacturer and supplier of alternative small-, wide- and large-format digital ink-jet inks, ITL (Ink Technologies (UK) Ltd) was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Cheshire, in the north of England. All manufacturing and product development takes place in the UK only and the company achieved the BS EN ISO 9001:2000 standard in 2006, upgraded to ISO 9001:2008 in early 2009. Its products span a multitude of applications, including eco- and full-solvent, water-based, UV-curing and coding inks.

 

 

Exclusive Mimaki distributor, Hybrid Services Ltd has appointed industry figure, David Rainsford as General Manager to oversee their expanding network of authorised resellers in Ireland. Rainsford brings substantial experience in the sign and graphics industry, having worked at both distributor and reseller level and is based close to Dublin.

Hybrid’s National Sales Manager, John de la Roche welcomed Rainsford to Hybrid’s operation. “David’s experience is key to the expansion of our network of authorised Mimaki resellers across Ireland, and furthers Hybrid’s commitment to providing the highest levels of support to all our customers.”

Hybrid also announces growth of their Irish reseller network with the appointment of Complete Digital in Dublin. “We are delighted at the formation of this relationship with Complete Digital,” said Rainsford, “and to have them alongside such strong resellers as Dennis D Evans and Robert Horne gives Mimaki a real presence across the territory.”

 

 

Large Format Review, the online publication focused on the wide and super-wide format digital printing business, has appointed Abi Ricketts as Editor.  In this new role, she will be responsible for bringing the latest product and industry news from all areas of the large format printing market, as well as developing the publication to ensure it remains at the forefront of the industry.

With nearly 15 years experience in copywriting and all other aspects of PR and communications, Abi most recently worked at JGC marketing consultancy, providing PR and marketing support for several well-known companies in the large format printing industry including coated media manufacturer, InteliCoat (formerly Rexam Graphics) and Colourgen, a leading distributor in the market.

Abi has strong organisational skills and has also held several in-house communications positions, including European PR Director at Newbridge Networks (subsequently acquired by Alcatel; now Alcatel-Lucent) where she was responsible for developing and implementing pan-European PR strategies.  She was also in charge of external communication relating to the acquisition of Newbridge Networks by Alcatel.

She comments, “I am really looking forward to maximising the potential of LFR.  In addition to ensuring the large format industry continues to be furnished with relevant, timely news, I will focus on developing unique content for the LFR readership.”

Please email all relevant press releases in the large format digital printing arena to: abi@largeformatreview.com