Hardware - Wide Format Print

In response to the damage sustained by the Canon Group due to the major earthquake that struck Japan on March 11, Canon Inc. has established an Earthquake Disaster Recovery Task Force (Task Force Chief: Chairman & CEO Fujio Mitarai; Task Force Assistant Chief: President & COO Tsuneji Uchida; Executive Director: Executive Vice President and CFO Toshizo Tanaka) and begun taking related measures.

The Task Force today issued the following instructions toward the promotion of swift response measures.

1. The prompt review and drafting of comprehensive recovery plans, spanning development, production and sales operations, for relevant operating sites, primarily by persons in charge of each business (chief executives/group executives). The Company's headquarter divisions will provide full support for this effort.

2. With regard to Canon Inc. operation sites and Canon Group companies for which production operations may be suspended for one month or more, the Company will also consider making use of alternate sites that were not damaged by the earthquake as a means of continuing production.

Below is an overview of the latest impact of the earthquake on Canon operations in Japan as of 15:00 JST on Monday, March 14, 2011.

While the level of damage differs at each Canon Inc. operation site and Canon Group company located in northern Honshu (the area hardest hit by the earthquake), beginning today, the Company is earnestly taking action to realise the earliest possible start of operations. At this time, however, concrete schedules for when production may resume have yet to be determined.

As for Canon plants and Group companies in the western half of Honshu, while operations resumed as usual today (Monday, March 14), the Company is now working to ascertain whether or not there will be any impact on production at each location.

With regard to the Japanese government's requests for cooperation in conserving electricity, in addition to the energy-saving measures Canon promotes as a matter of course, the Company has also called on its employees to make every effort to conserve electricity in their homes.

To aid in the relief efforts for the earthquake victims, the Canon Group is making a donation of 300 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society and other humanitarian aid organizations, and will provide supplies as needed.

In a statement released on their website, Seiko Infotech have reported as follows:

We would like to express our deepest condolences to the victims of the Tohoku District Pacific Ocean Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011.

Seiko Infotech Inc. has confirmed the safety of our employees and their families at all of our factories and offices around Japan including the Sendai sales office in the Tohoku region. In addition, Seiko I Infotech Inc. has also confirmed that fortunately the engineering and manufacturing facilities were not affected by this earthquake or Tsunami, and we are able to keep supplying our products as same as before.

Although we are not in a position to return to the full-time operation yet, we will resume our operation from March 17, 2011 on as follows;

SIIT Head Quarters (Makuhari Office) 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM JST（Japan time), Takatsuka factory 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM JST (Japan time)

* Note that the above business hour may change when a scheduled electric power shutdown takes place.

We wish to offer our sincere prayers for the safety of people in the disaster area and their early recovery.

Mutoh Europe have issued the following statement to their partners and resellers:

Referring to the terrible earthquake and tsunami that ravaged part of Japan last week, we would like to inform you of today’s situation at Mutoh headquarters in Tokyo, our manufacturing plant in Suwa - Nagano region, at about 300 km West from Tokyo – and our sales offices.

We are constantly in touch with our colleagues in Japan.  We were very relieved to hear that all Mutoh employees in Japan and their families are safe at present. Our thoughts in the first place go to the Japanese citizens and to the families of the victims.

Mutoh headquarters reported no substantial earthquake damage to any of its offices in Japan. At present, every office is back in business, except our Sendai sales office, where the colleagues needed to be evacuated because of the tsunami.

Limited public transportation and logistics, as well as limited damages to the Mutoh offices have caused a small delay in our production. Production will go back to normal as soon as possible.

Even though Japan at present faces serious logistics issues, currently there are no consequences for the Mutoh business in Europe. The delivery of machines and consumables is not endangered, as we carry a substantial stock of Japan made products in Belgium.  Mutoh Belgium is able to take your orders and delivery can proceed as usual.

We will closely follow the situation in Japan in the near future. We will keep you informed should there be any consequences for European business.

Contex, the world's leading developer of wide format scanning and imaging solutions, today announces that its wide format scanning products and solutions are now available on a General Services Administration (GSA) schedule through distributor Promark Technology. GSA schedules are a favored purchasing mechanism for federal buyers. Authorized resellers can use Promark's GSA schedule to sell Contex's wide format scanning solutions to federal, state and local and education customers.
 
"This is a great opportunity for many resellers," comments Steve Blanken. "Because of the high costs associated with obtaining a GSA schedule, many resellers choose not to obtain a GSA schedule on their own. These resellers can now take advantage of Promark's GSA schedule to sell Contex solutions to their government customers."
 
"Our understanding of the government procurement process attracts both manufacturers and resellers who want to do business with the government," comments Todd Hartung, VP of Promark Technology. "By adding Contex to our GSA schedule, we are providing the vehicle for resellers to tap into this market."
 
Promark, a long standing Contex distributor, has a strong presence in government markets for imaging and data storage products. Promark can authorize resellers to use its unique GSA Schedule in order to offer industry leading solutions to the government. Resellers simply complete a government reseller agreement to become an authorized agent on the Promark GSA Schedule. Resellers with existing GSA Schedules can also work with Promark's GSA Schedule through a Contractor Teaming Agreement (CTA) to offer incremental GSA products from Promark's contract to its customers.

West Chester, PA-based ANRO Inc. recently expanded its wide-format division with the installation of a new HP 60" latex printer. The HP Designjet L25500 – which uses HP Latex Inks – is recognised as one of the most versatile and eco-friendly solutions for wide-format signage and graphics.
 
Latex inks are water-based inks that combine the best characteristics of low and eco-solvent inks (lower cost, outdoor durability) with the benefits of water-based inks (high quality, odorless prints, reduced environmental impact). Latex inks are also incredibly versatile. They are ideal for a number of indoor and outdoor applications, such as wall coverings, window graphics, point-of-purchase signage, flags, outdoor banners, and backlit signs like those used in airports and theaters.
 
HP latex inks produce odourless prints that are ideal for sensitive indoor areas like hospitals, schools and restaurants. They emit virtually no VOCs, no ozone and no hazardous air pollutants.  When printed on PVC-free substrates, such as Tyvek or HDPE, HP latex inks meet the GREENGUARD Children & Schools standard for low emitting products.
 
"Not only does our new HP printer provide our clients with a green solution for their signs & displays, but it also offers a unique combination of quality and durability," says ANRO CEO Jim Spinelli. "With the L2550, we can produce top-quality graphics that are incredibly durable and environmentally friendly at the same time. That kind of versatility is exactly what our clients are looking for."
 
And the clients definitely like what they're seeing. ANRO introduced its wide format division in 2009, and it has taken off. "The demand has been incredible," says Susan Larson, ANRO's Director of Corporate Marketing. "Wide format printing was a natural fit with the print, mail and marketing services we were already providing to our clients."

 

Green Bay, Wisconsin-based reprographer Green Bay Blue knows that having the right equipment at your fingertips is crucial to delivering high-quality work, especially in fast turnaround time situations. In fact, the shop's recent investment in an Océ ColorWave 600 large format colour printer made it possible to create sixteen, 3-by-5 foot banners for the 2011 Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in less than two hours on the Monday following the game. The banners where then affixed to eight buses, which carried the players on a celebratory route throughout the streets of Green Bay.

"Thanks to the extraordinary speed of the Océ ColorWave 600 printer, we were able to provide great looking, customised banners in time to greet 50,000 screaming fans," said Paul Vidani, president of Green Bay Blue. "No other equipment could have provided this service in such a short amount of time."

Utilising the Océ ColorWave 600 printer, Green Bay Blue was able to print the banners – which read "Go Pack Go", "Welcome Home", "Titletown USA" and "America's Team" – on durable Tyvek material, ensuring they would not tear during the 40-50 mph trip from the airport or on the parade route. The printer's exclusive solid toner-based Océ CrystalPoint technology guaranteed the banners were instantly dry, water fast and the team's colours and logo were eye-catching and crisp.

Although Green Bay Blue primarily uses the Océ ColorWave 600 printer to address its customers' large format requests – like trade show graphics and construction blueprints printed on Tyvek - Vidani believes that this experience will open up new market opportunities for the company. "Not only can we provide short-term, attractive signage that's durable and affordable, we can also deliver it quickly within very tight time deadline situations," he commented. "Additionally, the ability to print on Tyvek and a broad range of materials means we can expand our use of the Océ ColorWave 600 printer to include many more applications."