Business - Knowledge

A new report from Smithers Pira, The Future of Global Printing to 2020, examines the world markets for print and printed packaging to 2020.

CWE Solutions has confirmed that it is now part of the Papergraphics Group, one of the UK’s leading wide format print and consumables specialists. The company says it is pleased to be joining Papergraphics, a business that has a great reputation in supplying wide format media and services.

The companies say that this strategic move will benefit customers of both businesses, offering a wide range market leading portfolio of hardware, software and media, as well as technical expertise and training.

For the foreseeable future, both companies will continue to conduct business as normal for their respective customers and suppliers.

 

Industrial Inkjet Ltd (IIJ) will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special dinner and party for its employees.

IIJ, which has had another record-breaking year with turnover 16% ahead of the 2014 total where sales had jumped 50% more than any previous year, is predicting another big business surge for its industrial inkjet business moving forward.

John Corrall, Managing Director of IIJ, said: “Our growth over the 10 years has been steadily upwards, but now we’re predicting that certain markets – including packaging and security – are going to climb extremely quickly in the near future.

“What we keep saying is that it’s ‘hockey stick’ time for inkjet in a lot of markets, which means a big upturn at the end. We’re ready to be surfing on that crest of a wave.”

Mr Corrall paid tribute to his staff – now totalling 42 – and other business colleagues, who have helped IIJ become a major force within industrial inkjet printing.

The company uses Konica Minolta inkjet print head technologies and provides bespoke systems for customers in numerous industries. Customers range from forward-thinking niche integrators and printers right up to global giants in sectors such as pharmaceutical, security printing, labels, packaging, confectionery, flooring and laminates.

IIJ was started in December 2005 when Akiyoshi Ohno, former President and now Senior Adviser, Konica Minolta Inkjet division, invited Mr Corrall to head up a European distribution business for its industrial inkjet heads.

“Five minutes into a conversation at dinner Ohno-san asked me to run industrial inkjet sales and technical support in Europe,” said Mr Corrall. “I said I was going to set up a company anyway, so we shook hands. And it has just grown from there.”

From providing expertise and parts for machines, in 2007 IIJ made a new label-making system that was launched by Konica Minolta at drupa in 2008. After that show, it began making its own complete industrial inkjet systems.

As a world renowned industrial inkjet specialist, IIJ is also the official sales and technical support centre for Konica Minolta Inc. products outside of Asia.

It offers advice on any aspect of the use of inkjet technology in industrial applications. IIJ provides complete solutions for the successful design and implementation of Konica Minolta’s industrial printheads which are renowned for high print quality and reliability.

[Photo shows John Corrall]

IMI Europe Ltd has announced management and ownership changes for 2016. After 17 years of running successful inkjet conferences and courses, Mr Mike Willis will step down as Managing Director of IMI Europe and sell a majority share of the company in a transaction that will close on 31st December 2015. Mr Willis will become Chairman with an advisory role in the company and retain a minority stake in IMI Europe.

Mike Willis comments: “After many years of running IMI Europe as well as my consultancy company Pivotal Resources, it is time for me to take a less active role in running conferences and have some more time to myself. We intend to continue to grow and develop the company but it is time for someone younger to take over the main activities.”

Dr Tim Phillips, formerly of Xennia Technology and Sensient, will take over as Managing Director and majority owner of IMI Europe.

“This is an extremely exciting opportunity for me,” adds Tim Phillips, “and I am very pleased to take on the challenge as I have had the ambition to own and run a company for many years. IMI Europe is an excellent business which I believe will benefit from the new ideas and energy which I bring. We have already launched one new event, the Inkjet Ink Development Conference in Lausanne, April 2016 and will announce further plans for growth in the future.”

Dr Phillips is also launching Catenary Solutions Limited, a technology marketing consultancy, offering expertise in commercialising technology products, drawing from 24 years of experience of business development and marketing roles in global technology companies.

[Image shows Dr Tim Philips (L) and Mr Mike Willis (R)]

Jupiter Visual Communications is celebrating its first anniversary having successfully positioned itself as a major player in the large format branding sector. The company is currently on track with predicted revenues of £3.5m for its first year figures.

Jupiter has concentrated on its heritage in traditional markets which has been key to its success, most notably Jupiter’s expertise in the provision of innovative retail solutions has enabled it to gain a firm hold on this sector with national campaigns for major High Street Brands, together with the delivery of international event branding projects and exhibition solutions that have taken place globally in Sweden, Portugal, Hong Kong and not least in Dubai.

Speaking about Jupiter’s contribution and successful first year, Jupiter Managing Director David Snaith comments: “Jupiter Visual Communications is the most exciting business to be involved with and my vision is very straight forward and our ethos very simple. We define and deliver innovative solutions to the creative and visual services sectors. We pride ourselves on insuring our output will maintain absolute brand consistency, speed to market and providing value for our clients across all channels and regions.”

David adds: “Jupiter has gained a fantastic reputation for creating extraordinary theatre and memorable events that continue to thrill our clients and their customers on an international field of play. Our team are our ambassadors and comprise of extraordinary individuals who have a passion for excellence in everything they do.”

A new report from Smithers Pira: The Future of Functional and Industrial Print to 2020, examines the rapidly emerging use of printing-for-profit in novel areas outside the traditional graphics and packaging arenas. This wide range of applications in professional 3D printing, printed electronics, biomedical and more are driving market growth, in a collective industry quantified by Smithers Pira as being worth $67 billion in 2015 – and reaching more than $107 billion in 2020.

Printing technology is widely used to decorate items from architectural and automotive glass to ceramics, electronics and textiles with new functions including biomedical, display and photovoltaics becoming significant.

“Industrial functional print is growing as demand grows for construction, automotive, electronics and manufactured products that use print – and there is more print involved in the manufacturing processes. This is in stark contrast to publication and commercial print, where volumes are declining,” said Sean Smyth, print consultant and author of the report.

“Industrial print is very attractive to equipment and consumable suppliers to develop niche applications that may grow significantly, as is the case for inkjet printing of ceramic tiles.”

The functional and industrial printing industry is a dynamic one, with exciting developments across its many sectors. In Japan several of the largest printing companies report very large businesses producing decor, laminates and printed electronics, exploiting their printing skills on behalf of customers to manufacture products more efficiently.

There are clusters of development, in university laboratories and at ink and equipment suppliers. In the UK the CPI (Centre for Process Innovation) is exploring how printing can be used to manufacture a whole new series of products such as flexible displays, large-area lighting, sensors, power sources, intelligent tickets and labels, smart packaging, and entirely new physical forms of functional electronic devices. These can be thinner, lighter and more rugged than the current silicon materials, while printing allows them to be mass-produced at low cost.

While analogue printing methods – gravure, flexo, litho, screen, pad-printing and foiling – are widely used, there is very strong growth in digital methods, with new inkjet inks opening many new opportunities. These markets do not use paper or paperboard substrates; rather plastic, film, glass, metal, ceramics, textiles, laminates and composite materials are involved.

There is significant M&A activity in the supply side. For example, EFI has been making significant acquisitions to enter the ceramic and textile sectors; while Dover Corporation purchased the JK Group SPA inkjet textile ink group (Kiian, JTeck and Sawgrass) in October 2015.

Equipment and software companies are keen to spread their capabilities to industrial 3D printing too, another exciting area of the functional and industrial print industry: Adobe and Stratasys have announced a partnership that will see users of Photoshop able to send 3D files to be printed through Stratasys Direct Express, making 3D printing more accessible to creatives.

These and other key trends in functional and industrial print are outlined in The Future of Functional and Industrial Print to 2020. The technologies employed and how these will develop is a key part of the report, and there are several case studies that highlight how players have succeeded in exploiting these opportunities.

The Future of Functional and Industrial Print to 2020 is available for £4,200.

For more information, please contact:

Europe/Asia:
Steve Hill
+44 (0)1372 802025 / shill@smithers.com

North/South America:
Josh Rabb
330-762-7441 ext. 1206 / jrabb@smithers.com