Large Format Review - Business News

The BAPC is pleased to announce that during July 2011 it attracted 22 new member companies into its ranks, the highest intake for July in its history, Sidney Bobb, Chairman of the Association commented “Clearly in these troubled times print businesses acknowledge that they need to belong to an organisation that is out there to help them. We are absolutely delighted that those companies have become members in addition to the 106 businesses who have already joined during this year. They all clearly recognise the benefits available through belonging to the BAPC and hope that they make full use of our facilities which include a 24 hour free legal helpline, Marketing Support, Health  & Safety Employment Guide, Business advice and a raft of other services, most of which are free, all created to help members survive and succeed.”

Information on how the BAPC can help can be obtained from Sidney Bobb on 0208736 5862

About the BAPC

The BAPC is the leading Trade Association for the Creative Industry, which includes the Graphic Arts, Print and Communication sectors. The BAPC, run by printers for printers, provides members with a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience. Being frontline the Association has concentrated on developing services and facilities that will directly help BAPC members survive and succeed. It is the aim of the Association to cultivate a “community of print” that acts as a forum for the graphic arts industry to work together for mutual benefit.

Durst was recently awarded ISO 14001:2004 certification for its environmental management system by Quality Austria, which is the leading partner for organisations concerned with integrated management systems. 

Durst is both conscious and connected with the traditions and environment of its Tirolean location, which is home to its two main manufacturing sites. The company is committed to the 16 principles of the ICC Charter for long-term, sustainable development, as well as to the principles of “Agenda 21” and the “Alpine Convention”, both of which are important for the Tirol region. 

Durst considers environmental protection and the need to conduct an environmentally friendly business the central maxim for its corporate policy at all levels and targets continuous improvement of its environmental performance through its whole workforce.

The family owned business is committed to all aspects of environmental protection from the continuous improvement of the energy efficiency of its buildings and how they integrate harmoniously with their surroundings, to the manufacture and performance of its product range. It ensures that all natural, energy and material resources are used efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way. The company also requires this commitment from its business partners.

Durst has expressly agreed to not use any inks that contain VOCs and, as further protection of the environment, it reduces emissions and waste material to a minimum. It sees avoidance of waste of higher priority than recycling and has trained the staff to avoid waste.

Durst activity seeks constant improvement of its environmental performance through communication with its customers, staff, suppliers and authorities and is continually assessed under ISO DIN 2004.

EFI, a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today announced that it has acquired Prism Group Holdings. Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, with operations in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, Prism is the provider of Prism WIN MIS and Prism QTMS automated shop floor management solution, focused on general commercial printers, converters, web printers, mailers, and packaging printers around the world.

“We are dedicated to providing a portfolio of industry leading products allowing customers to choose the right solution for their environment with the consistency of delivery needed for long term success,” said Marc Olin, senior VP and GM of EFI’s APPS business unit. “Following in the footsteps of PrintStream, Prism is another example our consolidation strategy.”

The addition of Prism’s customer base continues to allow EFI an even greater focus on providing the industry’s most preferred solutions.

“We continue to actively seek out additional Print ERP/MIS solutions worldwide to consolidate,” added Olin. “By concentrating our investment and efforts on Monarch, Radius, Pace and PrintSmith, we can insure that the largest development and support teams in the industry are delivering the best possible solutions to give our clients the best chance to succeed in today’s challenging business environment.”

EFI intends to continue supporting and developing Prism Win (now “EFI Prism”), but will no longer offer it to new customers. Instead, EFI will offer new clients these four ERP/MIS platforms:

•    EFI Monarch: for larger single and multi-plant operations looking for full workflow automation with specialization in publication, book, direct mail, transactional and large commercial printing operations;
•    EFI Pace: for mid-market digital, offset, hybrid, wide format and specialty printing operations;
•    EFI PrintSmith: for on-demand, copy shop and small commercial operations;
•    EFI Radius: for labels, folding cartons and flexible packaging operations.

In addition, EFI intends to continue to support and develop QTMS (now “EFI QTMS”) but no longer offer it to new customers. Instead, EFI will offer new clients EFI Auto-Count DMI for automated shop floor data collection and real-time shop floor production visibility and embed the best of QTMS features into the Auto-Count platform.

EFI has historically supported all of its ERP/MIS offerings for many years even after it stopped actively selling them. For example, the PSI, Logic and Covalent software systems are all legacy ERP/MIS applications that EFI continues to support. For Prism clients that wish to move to a new platform, EFI will be offering special incentives to encourage them to transition to one of our four platforms, as well as transition assistance to help make the move as seamless as possible.

Robert Horne Group has launched a new digital solutions brochure, which encompasses its complete wide format digital consumables range, leading by application.

The guide ‘Total Solutions from the Digital Specialist’ highlights the UK’s widest range of wide format digital consumables, hardware and technical support, from Robert Horne, the materials expert.

Michael Crook, Business Development Manager for Robert Horne Digital Solutions comments, “The brochure covers everything from consumables and hardware, through display systems, to inks and substrates. It is segmented by application, making it easier to find the required product. Customer feedback so far has been superb. As many diversify into wide format or start offering new applications, this brochure leads directly to the correct product, considering ink set used for the intended application. This allows customers to broaden their service offering and generate additional revenues.”

The brochure also highlights the vast hardware range. With fully equipped demonstration suites featuring the latest equipment throughout the UK, Robert Horne offers bespoke customer demonstrations and training.

Crook added: “With the technical support package supporting all our customers on hardware and consumables purchases, we are experienced and dedicated to bringing our customers the best wide format solutions for their business.”
 
Robert Horne is the UK's leading material solutions supplier. We offer the widest choice of materials, from paper and packaging to vinyls and plastics. Combined with our unmatched materials expertise, this means we can add real value to your business.

For more information visit www.roberthorne.co.uk

InfoTrends Inc. has recognised Roland DGA as the leading North American provider of digital printers for the durable graphics market.

According to the InfoTrends 2010 Quarterly Wide-Format Tracking Shipping Project report, Roland sold nearly twice as many printers in 2010 priced under $30,000 into the North American marketplace as its nearest competitors. The report cites Roland's extensive support services and product reliability, as well as its in-depth understanding of customers and their unique business requirements, as key factors driving the company's success.

"Our wide-format quarterly shipment tracking project has shown that Roland is, once again, the worldwide market leader for 2010 in the sale of wide format durable graphics printers," said Tim Greene, analyst for InfoTrends, Inc. and author of the report.

Focusing on the solvent inkjet printer manufacturing market, the InfoTrends report covers all four reporting quarters in 2010 and focuses on low-end wide-format solvent inkjets, considered to be one of the largest segments of the wide-format digital printing market. Combined, the global manufacturers of solvent inkjet printing equipment sold nearly 23,000 units in 2010. A total of 89 percent of the sales recorded were for printers priced under $30,000. InfoTrends numbers also show Roland with the leading market share when alternate (non-solvent) durable graphics technologies at similar price points are included in the study.

"Being a market leader involves more than offering great products at an affordable price," said Dave Goward, president and CEO for Roland DGA Corp. "For Roland, it is a story 30 years in the making, built on a foundation of innovation and leadership, and forged out of a strong passion for providing customers with service that is second to none. These principles are the very fabric this company is created from, and something we encourage both within our own company and throughout our dealer channels."

The announcement comes hot on the heels of several important new product introductions from Roland serving both the wide-format and desktop printing markets. Roland recently debuted the industry's first desktop metallic inkjet printer/cutter, the 20-inch VersaStudio BN-20, opening up new business opportunities for new and established shops looking to add metallic capabilities to their production environment.

Two new VersaUV LED printers were also introduced in 2011. The new VersaUV LEJ-640 64-inch hybrid flatbed and roll-to-roll printer is designed for commercial printers focused on the packaging market as well as high-end sign shops, and the 12-inch VersaUV LEF-12 flatbed UV LED printer serves the personalisation market with direct printing on items ranging from cell phone covers and laptop computers to gifts, glassware and accessories. Each new printer features the latest version of Roland VersaWorks RIP software and comes equipped with specialty inks to help Roland customers explore new design options and differentiate their businesses in the marketplace.

"After 30 years of serving creative professionals, the Roland organisation has never been stronger," Goward said. "We are honored that so many of the world's top graphics professionals continue to choose Roland, and we look forward to helping each customer build a successful Roland business."

EFI has announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2011. For the quarter ended June 30, 2011, the Company reported revenue of $141.2 million, compared to second quarter 2010 revenue of $119.1 million.

• For the second quarter of 2011, Non-GAAP net income was $11.3 million or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to Non-GAAP net income of $4.0 million or $0.09 per diluted share for the same period in 2010
• For the second quarter of 2011, GAAP net income was $3.6 million or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net loss of $(2.5) million or $(0.06) per diluted share for the same period in 2010.
• For the six months ended June 30, 2011, Non-GAAP net income was $24.8 million or $0.51 per diluted share, compared to Non-GAAP net income of $3.9 million or $0.08 per diluted share for the same period in 2010.
• For the six months ended June 30, 2011, GAAP net income was $9.9 million or $0.20 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net loss of $(13.9) million or $(0.31) per diluted share for the same period in 2010.

"EFI again delivered a solid quarter with double-digit revenue growth in all three segments, record recurring revenues, the third consecutive quarter of double-digit operating margin, and strong cash generation," said Guy Gecht, Chief Executive Officer. "Our results reflect our focus on the fastest growing segments of the printing industry, and our ability to provide business process automation that allows our customers to more efficiently run their businesses. With new innovative inkjet products beginning to ship this quarter, we believe that our Company is well positioned to maintain our growth momentum into the third quarter."

Separately, the Company announced that Fred Rosenzweig, EFI's President, has informed the Company that he intends to retire following the completion of the 2011 fiscal year. Mr. Rosenzweig will take on a transitional part time role during the first eight months of 2012. The Company has no plans to replace Mr. Rosenzweig in his current role.

"We can't be more thankful to Fred for his outstanding contribution to EFI in over 18 years," said Mr. Gecht. "While it is always hard to say goodbye to a great individual like Fred, we could not ask for better timing for this transition when the Company's business and trajectories are strong and the management team is complete, experienced and eager to take on future growth opportunities."