Image Reports April May 2021

Actively investigating and supporting the wide-format print sector

ISSUE 2 • VOLUME 29 • APRIL / MAY 2021

MEET THE BEAST – AGFA JETI TAURO H3300 UHS LED Harness this primal force

Working Wonders PSPs highlight the kit/systems that have proven crucial in times of flux.

Talking Point Consultant Peter Mayhew flags up conversations we need to be having.

Zeitgeist How long until we have proper preventative machine maintenance?

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Editorial

TO BOLDLY GO… Editor: Lesley Simpson lesley.simpson@imagereportsmag.co.uk

On a scale of one to ten, how intrepid do you rate yourself?

Perhaps not that highly - heading into the unknown is not for

Production / Design: Alex Gold

the fainthearted - but, as a business leader, you must be at

Publisher: Wayne Darroch wayned@sjpbusinessmedia.com

least middling, given that constant exploration and evaluation of opportunity and risk are part of the job description.

Advertising Manager: Carl Archer carl.archer@imagereportsmag.co.uk Tel: 07723 079928

We’re all navigating tricky new terrain, as we try to get to the RWKHU VLGH RI WKLV SDQGHPLF :LWKLQ WKHVH SDJHV \RX ZLOO ðQG KHOS

SJP Business Media, 2nd Floor, 123 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 5AU www.imagereportsmag.co.uk

and sustenance - including a ‘Funding Your Way Forward’ Top Tips feature. At grassroots level we continue our First Person series of articles with Raccoon owner Richard Clark, explaining

For circulation enquiries contact: SJP Business Media Email: subscriptions@imagereportsmag.co.uk

how he’s reinvigorating his business ready for the upwave. For Nathan Swinson Bullough of ImageCo, a key element of that

Image Reports is available free to printers based in the UK. Register at www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/register.

preparedness is becoming a greener part of the supply chain check out what he has to say, and more to the point, what he’s doing about it.

To purchase a subscription please visit www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/subscribe – UK £54, overseas £84

In keeping with the theme of exploration, turn to Talking Point

Printed in Great Britain.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the Publisher’s permission.

The editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for any errors contained within the publication.

for insight from consultant Peter Mayhew on the legislation, technologies and market developments this sector needs to spend more time investigating, then nip over to Zeitgeist to understand where Ai intelligence is likely to take preventative machine maintenance, and when!

When you’ve done that, and digested your Easter eggs, help us help you explore the state of the UK large-format print sector yup, the 2021 Widthwise Survey is live from 6 April, with the report out in the summer.

From Top: Lesley Simpson Alex Gold Wayne Darroch Carl Archer

Editor LESLEY SIMPSON LESLEY.SIMPSON@IMAGEREPORTSMAG.CO.UK TEL: 01932 707173

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 3

Contents

CONTENTS APRIL / MAY 2021

REGULARS: p7 News Keeping you abreast of all the latest news in relation to digital wide-format print.

p10 Cover Story Advertorial Meet the beast - the Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED.

p27 Think Bigger Gallery showing off the creativity and complexity of largeformat inkjet print.

p28 Forum Vital stats to help you run your business; Digging below the surface with Industry Mole; Out and About - events diary; Over to You with James Miller, consultant at Tayprint.

p30 Zeitgeist Can Durst’s AI-based Premise project deliver predictive printer maintenance in the near future?

18 SECTIONS: Business p12 Talking Point … with Peter Mayhew of LightWords on conversations we need to be having.

p14 Top Tips How to fund your way forward.

p17 First Person Richard Clark of Raccoon explains his reinvigoration programme.

17

Technical p18 What to Watch See what other print cheifs considerer their most valuable machines/systems.

NEWS AND VIEWS ONLINE Go to www.imagereportsmag.co.uk for all the wideformat sector’s industry news, updated regularly online. Image Reports can also send a twice weekly enews bulletin straight to your inbox – register at: www.imagereportsmag.co.uk/ newsletter

p23 Special: virtual.drupa 2021 Worth the time attending?

Environment p24 Taking it personally Imageco MD Nathan Swinson-Bullough on his reasons for greening-up his business.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 5

News

Flagship Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED unveiled Agfa has unveiled its flagship Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED printer. The hybrid machine is up to 30% faster than other members of the Jeti Tauro H3300 family - it prints media up to 3.3m wide in four-or six-colours at up to 600m2/hr.

Every component of the Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED (UHS for ‘ultra-high speed’) is geared towards sustaining highly productive, reliable print operations with low maintenance requirements.

Examples include a high-speed autoloader and large ink tanks. This model has extended vacuum zones and media guides too. The master rollto-roll configuration can handle both single- and dual-roll printing, and features an optional camera for double-sided printing of block-out media.

The Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED uses Agfa’s Greenguard Gold certified Anuvia UV LED inks.

White ink and primer are optional.

The Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED is powered

by Agfa’s Asanti workflow software, which controls and automates the entire printing process from prepress to finishing, and optimises ink consumption. The Asanti Production Dashboard displays ink and media consumption and printing time for each job and printer. Calibrated Print Modes (CPMs) are personalised production templates that control all parameters for a particular substrate and enable automatic job creation

GO TO WWW.IMAGEREPORTSMAG.CO.UK FOR THE FULL STORY…

Printing ink producers issue warning Printing ink manufacturers are under intense pressure and likely to raise prices due to multiple cost drivers according to the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA). The British Coatings Federation (BCF) has also warned that raw material availability and prices hikes may end up as 2021’s biggest issue for the printing ink sector.

The EuPIA cited the increased cost of pigment raw materials, tightening upstream petrochemical supply chains, cost increases for vegetable oil derivatives and dramatically increased freight costs due to the reduced availability of containers as destabilising factors across the supply chain.

The BCF highlighted four significant trends affecting raw material prices: strong global market demand that has led to shortages on many raw materials; a 58% rise in oil prices since November 2020; a global shortage of shipping containers that

has led to a sharp rise in transport costs from Asia to Europe; and non-tariff costs related to the new UK customs arrangements with the EU. In January 2021, the BCF reported sharp price increases for epoxy resins. Similar problems are affecting the market for polyester resins with factory closures in Singapore and Sweden as well an explosion at a factory in China. There are also problems with bisphenol-A. Neopentyl glycol and methanol are also both in short supply. Concerns have also been raised about pigment shortages, such as red and yellow iron oxide.

Flint Group Packaging raised the price of its ink and coating on 1 April. “Our business is facing substantial cost and availability headwinds across raw materials supply. Resins, solvents and pigments are particularly problematic,” said president Doug Aldred.

Sign and Digital UK 2021 cancelled Organisers have publically confirmed cancellation of Sign and Digital UK (SDUK) 2021. The event, which was due to take place at Birmingham’s NEC, 16-18 May this year, will next take place on 22-24 March 2022.

Event director Jenny Matthew of Faversham House, said: “Due to on-going Government restrictions the proposed May 2021 show date was not feasible. We’ve consulted widely with our SDUK community who want to see us stay in our early spring date in line with their buying and innovation cycles. We will therefore host

the industry’s biggest reunion next March at a time when we are confident we can deliver an exceptional trade-show experience for our exhibitors, sponsors, and visitors.

“We have reviewed all aspects of exhibiting - from driving down on-site costs to creating multiple lead generation points for year-round promotion and enhanced return on investment.

With an already packed floorplan we look forward to bringing more exhibitors on board over the coming months, and welcoming the industry back, in March 2022.”

] Gardners moves into small-format print ] New display and POS group formed ] £6,000 bursary open to BPIF MSc in Management applicants ] Nazdar completes new 700 Series inks offering ] Durst move promotes predictive machine maintenance ] Sarah Winterbottom becomes Josero MD ] MacroArt to invest in kit and people ] Canon Colorado 1650 gets thumbs-up from Keypoint Intelligence ] BPIF poll indicates industry hopeful of Covid-19 vaccine uplift ] McGowans takes first Landa S10 in Ireland ] Hybrid adds Mimaki TS100-1600 and Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkIII to range ] Where the Trade Buys launches IPIA benefits scheme ] CloudLab launches printQ v6.0 W2P software ] EFI releases Command Workstation 6.6 ] Meteor adds support for Epson I3200 PrecisionCore printheads ] Tilia Phoenix 7.0 released ] Hybrid appoints new head of marketing and business development ] Barberan JetMaster incorporates PrintFactory Automation workflow ] New Enfocus PitStop and BoardingPass due out ] CorelDraw 2021 now out ] DigiTuff now available with anti-microbial surface

Imageco nabs one of first new HP 800W Latex printers Leeds-based Imageco has bought one of the first HP Latex 800W printers. It is one of four models (700,800, 700W and 800W) in the new series the ‘W’ denoting white ink capability.

The printers incorporate updated printheads with more nozzles and producing speeds of up to 36m2/hr, allowing the HP Latex 800 and 800W to offer 50% higher productivity levels compared to previous HP models.

The new Latex printers use the HP Eco Carton - a cartridge made with cardboard material, reducing the amount of plastic used by 80%.

Operationally, HP PrintOS also enables PSPs to monitor and control their print fleet using a cloud-based interface.

HP has also introduced an updated Latex print-and-cut portfolio that is compatible with the Latex 700 and 800 series.

Equipped with the latest Rip and completely new contour cutters, the devices are said to have improved usability. The range includes: HP Latex 335, 315 and 115 Print and Cut Plus Solutions, HP Latex 64 and 54 Plus Cutting Solutions, and HP

Latex 54 Basic Plus Cutting Solution.

Imageco, which placed its order late last year. had been seeking a new machine to replace an older Durst Lambda that it had been mainly using to produce photographic backlit applications. MD Nathan Swinson-Bullough said: “I knew that HP Latex technology could be the answer. When I was told a new model was being developed, I requested some test prints. We were blown away with the quality.”

He added: “The machine is extremely versatile - importantly for us, it can produce the backlit film for gaming and retail, but we will also be using it to service lots of other applications. For example, the new fine text with white ink printing option opens up smaller label work, it also further supports our interior wallpapers, lightbox fabric and window graphics work.”

Given the HP Latex 800 series uses waterbased ink, Swinson-Bullough said it is perfect for interior print work. He also pointed out that the machine has parts made from recycled plastic, further enhancing its environmental credentials.

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News

EFI launches Vutek Q printer series EFI has launched a new Vutek Q series of highspeed, roll-to-roll UV LED printers. The 5.2m Vutek Q5r and 3.5m Q3r print at up to 672m2/hr and 558m2/hr respectively.

The new series was introduced at EFI’s Engage virtual users event, where it was announced that the world’s first Vutek Q5r installation was made at Yahav Digital Print last October.

The new printers feature up to nine ink colours (standard CMYK and optional lc, lm, lk, white and clear coat), and incorporate native 7-picolitre printheads using EFI UltraDrop technology and offering resolutions of up to 1,200dpi The printers also feature EFI’s ‘Power Tool’ options, including in-line quality inspection, in-line slitting and cutting, roll and tape collection, autocalibration, automated backlit printing, automated blockout printing and more.

Newly designed mobile operator touchscreen stations direct users to new EFI IQ optional cloud-based applications for easy monitoring and production analysis.

Both printers include EFI’s Fiery proServer Premium digital front end (DFE) with Fiery Fast Rip. The DFE systems also include options such as Fiery Spot Colour, Fiery Colour Profiler Suite and Fiery Colour Verifier.

GO TO WWW.IMAGEREPORTSMAG.CO.UK FOR THE FULL STORY…

CMYUK partners with Howe to Recycle CMYUK has partnered with UK-based Howe to Recycle to ensure that PVC-free Kavalan does not end-up in landfill.

The medium has been developed to be transformed into clean community energy or upcycled at the end of its life. To that end CMYUK has been working with Howe to Recycle for 12 months to establish credible recycling routes and a closed loop operation for the traceable collection/disposal of used Kavalan products.

The ultimate - and technically proven - goal, is to separate the water-based Kavalan coating from the base polyester substrate so that the latter can be fully recycled for secondary use.

This will require the development of a processing plant at Howe to Recycle, the establishment of which will be part enabled by a UK Government sustainability grant. In the interim, Kavalan waste will either by upcycled to be used in already identified product streams or sent to dedicated waste-to-energy plants where it is transformed into clean energy for the National Grid.

Kavalan is PVC and phthalate plasticiser-free, and has stringent eco accreditation including LCA, RoHS and REACH compliance. It can be incinerated safely, entirely free of releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Howe to Recycle will be able to provide customers with collection and full traceability on every consignment of waste processed, and a guarantee that Kavalan will not go to landfill.

It’s a move that has prompted Hollywood Monster to stop using PVC media for banner work. As of 1 March 2021 all its internal and external banner projects is being printed on PVC-free Kavalan. The migration represents about 350,000m2 based on pre-Covid-19 annual volumes.

MD Simon McKenzie said: “We have immense confidence in the product. We have been testing and championing it for over a year and now is the time to make a change. Many of our clients have been asking for a viable alternative to PVC. We feel that end-of-life guarantee is the final piece of the jigsaw. Cost-wise too it’s making sense, and economies of scale will rapidly turn Kavalan into a cost neutral exercise.”

In a separate move, CMYUK is set to expand into international territories and has made a key appointment to spearhead overseas growth.

Former Spandex international marketing and commercial executive director Rob Karpenko has joined CMYUK International, and will be responsible for developing market opportunities in Europe and Russia.

Mutoh brings out Mark II 6-colour ValueJets

] Premier Paper expands in the North West ] Creative Retail Awards deadline extended ] Future Factory to run in June ] PCC rolls-out Ignite apprenticeship programme ] Mergers and acquisition aid published ] Pyramid becomes exclusive UK distributor of Swedboard ] Solopress launches ‘Value’ range ] SAi offers drivers for HP Latex 700 and 800 ] Screen unveils Truepress PAC830F ] Poll flags up cloud security issues ] Agfa opens UK inkjet showroom in Rugby ] Xaar works with King Tau ] OOH forms digital transformation advisory company

Mutoh Europe has unveiled its Mark II series of 64in-wide 6-colour (CMYK,Wh, Va) UV LED printers - the ValueJet 1638UR Mark II and ValueJet 1638UH Mark II. The ValueJet 1638UR Mark II (VJ-1638UR2) is a roll-to-roll printer, the ValueJet 1638UH Mark II (VJ-1638UH2) a hybrid model.

The VJ-1638UR2 will print on 64in roll substrates and can be equipped with a motorised take-up system of 30, 40 and 100kgs. The VJ-1638UH2 model will print on rigids with a maximum thickness of 15mm and maximum weight of 15kgs Roll compatibility is the same as

for the VJ-1638UR2, with available motorised takeup systems of 30 and 40kgs.

Delivering print resolutions up to 1440 x 1440dpi, Mutoh’s Mark II series UV LED printers can be setup in three configurations - CMYK x 2, CMYK plus varnish, or CMYK plus white and varnish. Mutoh offers two ink types for the Mark II printers, the UH21 series rigid inks and the US11 series flexible inks. The Mutoh US11 series inks have Greenguard Gold certification.

The new machines come as standard with Mutoh’s new VerteLith Rip software and Mutoh’s proprietary Clear Tone screening.

Fujifilm invests in US inkjet pigment dispersion plant Fujifilm US-based subsidiary Imaging Colorants (FFIC) is ploughing 19m dollars into the creation of a new production plant in the US for pigment dispersions - a colorant for water-based pigment inkjet inks. Completion is due next year.

Currently, FFIC is a water-based inkjet ink manufacturing facility. By adding the new production plant for pigment dispersions it will be able to produce water-based pigment inkjet inks made with Fujifilm’s own core dispersion technology.

Fujifilm’s pigment dispersions are based on its RxD (Reactive Dispersant) technology, which

cross-links polymer dispersants adsorbed on the pigment particles. The dispersant prevents desorption from the pigment, creating a very stable dispersion. This technology makes RxD dispersions suitable for multiple applications.

Fujifilm uses RxD dispersions not only for its own inks, but also supplies to ink manufacturers around the world, and they are used in many water-based pigment inkjet inks.

Currently, the development and manufacture of pigment dispersions using RxD technology is limited to Fujifilm Imaging Colorants

(Grangemouth, Scotland) in the UK. With the establishment of a dispersion plant at FFIC in the US, Fujilfilm aims to meet the future needs of the growing industrial inkjet market.

Ian Wilkinson, president/COO of FFIC, said: “We are using the design and project management expertise of our UK team to execute the new US project. This, alongside expert knowledge, technology and processes will ensure that we manufacture RxD dispersions to the same exceptional standard across both sites.”

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Cover Story

THE NEW AGFA BEAST AND SO MUCH MORE SUPPORT IN 2021…

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Agfa launched their latest wide format printing machine at the beginning of March this year. Aptly named, the BEAST, the new Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED represents a new flagship in the Jeti Tauro family. But it’s not only new product development that’s keeping Agfa ahead of the competition, it’s their added value financial and marketing support too!

THE BEAST… The new beast of an engine offers an Ultra High Speed (UHS) performance at every level. The Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED inkjet engine prints media up to 3.3m wide, in four or six colours, at a speed of up to 600 square metres per hour, up to 30% faster than its predecessors. It’s a heavy-duty press geared towards sustaining highly productive print with low maintenance requirements including a high-speed autoloader and large ink tanks for greater autonomy.

Like other members of the Jeti Tauro family, it is a true hybrid that can handle boards and sheets as well as flexible material and can be quickly changed to and from rigid materials to roll feed. The master roll-toroll configuration can handle both single and dual-roll printing and it features an optional camera for accurate double-sided roll printing of block-out media too.

This new Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED has been designed with extended vacuum zones and media guides, so it is well-suited for corrugated cardboard and packaging printing, allowing Sign & Display printers to expand their product offering.

AGFA INK NOW GREENER… Agfa has been producing printing ink for many years. It

10 | April / May 2021

gives them total control to test all relevant processes and ensure maximum performance of their print engine families. Their latest version of universal LED ink has now achieved GREENGUARD Gold certification, which means it passes all relevant indoor emission standards.

Their universal LED ink comes in three variations: one for the Anapurna series, one for the Jeti family and one for the new Oberon machines. The difference in the inks is just in the fine-tuning to the relevant print heads, which are different between the three product groups. In all families the same ink is used on dedicated flatbed or roll-to-roll printers and hybrid printers and presses and ink consumption remains the lowest in the market thanks to the Agfa patented ‘Thin Ink Layer’ technology.

NEW UK SHOWROOM… The new Agfa Jeti Tauro H3300 UHS LED machine is currently being installed in the company’s new 3500 sq ft showroom in Rugby, Warwickshire. It will be the main showcase within this soon to be opened facility which allows easy access for visitors across the UK and Europe and will be dominated with showroom space displaying demonstration models from their growing Inkjet and HealthCare Radiology businesses.

The showroom is planned to house the latest wide

Cover Story

format inkjet printers and presses, as well as a bespoke demonstration and training area for Agfa’s award-winning Asanti and Apogee software suite.

The showroom, which is due to open in April, is a significant investment for the business at this time, but as Inkjet is one of Agfa’s core growth divisions being able to bring more systems closer to customers is key in achieving their goals. Together with their head office in Belgium and factory in Canada, the new UK showroom will be an invaluable facility to demonstrate a greater variety of Inkjet solutions to a wider audience.

NEW FINANCIAL SUPPORT… On top of all the investment in new product development to keep ahead of the market, Agfa introduced a number of new financial bundles in autumn last year to further support the UK sign and display businesses, giving them quick and easy access to the latest wide format systems.

These finance solutions allow customers to lease whilst purchasing Agfa wide format equipment and software. Loan periods range from 3 to 5 years with 0% interest payable in the first year, and only 2.5% interest in subsequent years. Zero deposit options are also available. To qualify, at least 80% of the loan must pertain to Agfa wide format products. The deals are available from Agfa and all its channel partners.

The new Agfa Finance solutions stand apart from all UK government grants and loan schemes, allowing print service providers to use all financial support options available to them to maximum advantage.

NEW BUSINESS COACHING SUPPORT TOO… It’s a face well known throughout the UK printing industry, Matthew Parker from Professional Print Relations PPR, is partnering Agfa to provide even more

customer support during 2021.

All new customers, hitting certain criteria and spend with Agfa, will not only receive the usual high level of service support from the company following installation of a new machine, but in addition will get sales and marketing coaching and mentoring support from PPR paid for by Agfa. Agfa wants to help their customers to get a quicker return from their investment.

Matthew has spent most of his life buying print and has received sales approaches from over 1400 print businesses during his career, so he knows what works and what doesn’t. The new agreement with Agfa offers both one to one confidential business mentoring from Matthew or full day workshop masterclasses which cover topical issues like ‘How To Stop Buyers Choosing On Price’, ‘Realistic Sales Planning and ‘How To Sell Print Using Social Media’.

To find out more contact your local Agfa channel or Bobby Grauf directly on 0208 231 4027.

ABOUT AGFA Agfa develops, produces and distributes an extensive range of imaging systems and workflow solutions for the printing industry, the healthcare sector, as well as for specific hi-tech industries such as printed electronics & renewable energy solutions.

The headquarters are located in Belgium. The largest production and research centers are located in Belgium, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, China and Brazil. Agfa is commercially active worldwide through wholly owned sales organizations in more than 40 countries.

Matthew Parker, PPR

Jeti Tauro H3300 LED Contact: bobby.grauf@agfa.com

New UK Showroom

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Business | Talking Point

talks to...

Peter Mayhew, As MD of research and consultancy LightWords Imaging, Peter Mayhew is well placed to provide insight on the legislation, technologies and market developments likely to impact this wide-format print sector.

I asked him to flag-up key areas of interest.

Peter, your role means you deal with a wide spread of people/organisations, not all of which are within the wide-format print sector, but many of which will impact it somehow. Can you expand upon that for those that don’t know you, or LightWords?

Yes, of course. LightWords is a marketing agency focused on researching, analysing, and advising about printing markets (www.lightwords.co.uk). We’re a team of independent market analysts, consultants and publishers working together to consult with a broad range of clients.

Between us, we work with many major industry brands, financial institutions, trade associations, distributers, dealers, service providers, and many end users who are also an important part of our network. Speaking regularly with such a wide range of clients gives us a broad view of trends across document, commercial and wide-format industries. Having partner offices in the UK, Germany, Japan and, on the East and West coasts of the USA is useful, as well.

As a consultant/analyst you will be privy to information that has perhaps yet to reach the public consciousness.

What are the key issues/topics you think need flagging-up to the wide-format print sector?

There are many issues that we see in other parts of the printing industry that indicate the wide-format print sector is either ahead or behind these other markets. For example, wide-format has always been ahead in maximising the flexibility of its hardware to produce multiple different applications. The range of substrates in the market, the choice of ink technologies, and the skills of service providers to interpret designers’ ideas, is exceptional.

In becoming a successful market segment though, the wide-format sector may not have been as astute in watching how new environmental legislation may impact the industry, who and what is affecting their supplies costs, or how their MIS and ERP data is secured, shared, and upgraded, especially production insights.

Industry 4.0 trends, including Web-to-print, automated production workflows, smart machines, and machine-to-machine communications are also on our client’s agenda. Not all of these may be considered relevant to wide-format print - yet - but there are advantages to be gained by closer examination, especially in production environments.

12 | April / May 2021

Can you take us through some of the wider issues in a bit more detail Peter?

Sure. The EU Green Deal and Circular Action Plans are a good example. These are designed to convert the linear ‘take, make, use, throw’ mindset, into a circular economic system. This involves considering environmental impact at every stage of the product life cycle including design, manufacture, distribution, use, repair, reuse, recycling, and returning resources back to the economy.

At a printing markets level, negotiations in Europe have started between the office printing ink and toner aftermarket and the industry’s OEM’s, to voluntarily agree how the sectors can improve the energy consumption of imaging equipment - see www.europrint.eu.

This is a major change for the industry. Consequently, the ability to reuse, repair, refurbish, and remanufacture hardware and supplies is becoming very important, especially under new Right to Repair legislation. Simply offering collection services may not be enough if your waste ultimately ends up in landfill or, if your WEEE is simply crushed or shredded, especially if it can be reused. If both parties fail to voluntarily agree, legislation to regulate the industry may follow from the EU. I’m sure we all understand the ‘razors and blades’ business model. Consumables supplies subsidise printers, and OEM’s want customers repeatedly buying original inks. But printing is becoming a service through subscription business models and printer monitoring is common for printers, copiers and MFPs. Data is used by the manufacturer so they can provide timely supplies and service. The manufacturer (and sometimes the dealer) sees how much and when you print. To improve performance, they may download new firmware to optimise your printer. The firmware upgrade may lock in, or out, certain types of supplies. Now, fear, uncertainty, and doubt prevail if you consider using alternative, high quality but lower priced, ink. Choosing where and which ink or toner you buy though, is your right and creates a healthy marketplace. Over time, cartridge chips, uniquely shaped ink packaging and closed ink systems have become commonplace.

Lawsuits in this area are numerous - which raises the question whether these practices are preventing user choice, or even further, affecting the market? The

Business | Talking Point

MD, LightWords European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association has a voice on this topic (www.etira.org).

Post Brexit what happens in Europe no longer matters here - or does it? The UK has a 25-year Environment Plan encapsulated in an ambitious Environment Bill.

Government will likely want to equal or exceed what the EU is planning, including the choices you can make regarding which ink or toner you choose to use in your printer. It is as yet unclear what many of these issues will mean for commercial print and specifically for wide-format markets in the future.

with manufacturers and, will know how to access the industry’s influencers.

Research and gaining insights take time, and costs, but it will support your decision-making and pay dividends in the long run. Just like a non-executive director may help to mentor your business commercially, industry analysts practically enhance your industry knowledge. If you’ve never worked with an industry analyst before, there are some great books by the security analyst Richard Stiennion which explain how the analyst community works (www.linkedin.com/in/stiennon/).

So is there an argument that this sector needs to take a wider view to be on the front foot?

Wide-format does need to look further and look beyond government policies, regulation, and incentives for trends and benchmarks. Looking to what is happening in other regions, states or countries gives indicators to best practices, especially where needs are identical, but production and productivity methods are very different.

Automation is advantageous when you need multiple copies or versions of a printed piece and commercial print is adopting competitive technology quickly. Whether you look at variable data in direct mail, personalisation in greeting card production or posters up to A1 format, digital press technology can compete effectively with wide-format at many run lengths. In these markets, Webto-print, big data management and shop floor automation are becoming ubiquitous.

Textile markets are also leveraging wide-format technology to their advantage. And print service providers need only to look carefully at additive manufacturing trends to find new opportunities and learning points.

Do you think our industry associations/bodies focus enough the right sort of research/activity?

Ideally, trade associations would be lobbying government, providing training and qualifications and, investing in research into a wide range of current and future trends and communicating them to market. The reality though is that only OEM’s have sufficient capital to commission research, and that is spent to gain competitive advantage.

OEM budgets in our industry are under more pressure than ever and their spend is often polarised on a single consulting firm or project. Which means that unless the consultancies analysts are fully engaged with the grassroots of the industry, you can expect the industry agendas to be set by the manufacturers.

Some OEM’s do support our trade associations with memberships and sponsorships, but more could join and much more could be done.

What do you think of the industry’s research and share practices?

The printing industry is very well served for research services. We have a healthy analyst and journalist community and some of the largest consulting firms are active in the market. They are invariably sector dependent and often specialise in a particular area. Research takes time, and although between Google and Wikipedia you can gain insight, to interpret and learn what will really impact your business, you need to engage with proven industry analysts or consultants. They will be in regular contact

Given all your research, what do you think the future looks like for the print industry in general - and the wideformat sector in particular?

If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would have been optimistic and positive about the future.

One pandemic later, wide-format has proved resilient, responsive, and pivoted well to take advantage of new markets as traditional ones have closed.

My view now is that the wide-format market will bounceback strongly as events restart, stores and venues reopen and marketing budgets are refreshed to ensure customers return. That’s good news for the service provider. It is even better news for the OEM as demand will return for those ‘locked-in’ supplies.

WIDE-FORMAT DOES NEED TO LOOK FURTHER AND LOOK BEYOND GOVERNMENT POLICIES, REGULATION, AND INCENTIVES FOR TRENDS AND BENCHMARKS.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 13

Business | Top Tips

Funding Your Way Forward There’s nothing like a new tax year to concentrate the mind on all things financial.

Here Compass Business Finance walks you through the most noteworthy considerations.

A ‘SUPER DEDUCTION’ ENABLES CAPITAL ALLOWANCE CLAIMS OF 130% AGAINST QUALIFYING EXPENDITURE.

IT’S SPRING, OPTIMISM IS IN THE AIR, AND AS WE LOOK TO MOVE ON, COMPASS BUSINESS FINANCE SHARES ITS INSIGHTS ON HOW AND WHERE TO GAIN THE FUNDING NEEDED TO DO SO.

1.

EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS

There’s more than one way to skin a cat, or so the saying goes. Although it sounds pretty distasteful, the saying makes a good point. When looking at funding solutions to improve your cashflow, increase your monthly headroom, invest in assets or any one of a plethora of other business requirements, you have many options to consider.

One of the most dangerous phrases in business is: ‘We’ve always done it this way’. In our hectic business lives it’s easier to keep on doing what we’ve always done - especially if ‘it ain’t broke’ - than to switch things up. But you could be missing out. Are you benefitting from the most favourable funding options - are there better ways of achieving the same outcome? For example, if you want to improve your monthly headroom, do you refinance your existing assets, or do you start invoice discounting?

As small business owners, we’re often required to wear many hats, and to be a jack-of-all-trades - and for the most part, we’re incredibly good at it, but when it comes to the many nuances of finance, it’s worth speaking to an expert.

3.

2.

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS

There are many routes to finance, most obviously our banks. However, there are a growing number of alternative finance providers that are making finance for smaller businesses more accessible than ever. As Keith Morgan, former chief executive of the British Business Bank wrote in the ‘Business Finance Guide’: “This increasing diversity of supply means smaller businesses should be able to exercise more choice when considering financing. Although our research shows businesses are becoming increasingly aware of their options, many others are still hampered in their ability to invest, grow and create jobs due to a lack of such awareness and understanding of their choices.”

Whilst almost 50% of UK SMEs rely entirely on their banks for finance, many established companies use a blend of finance products and providers. We believe that this is where finance brokers (like ourselves) come into their own - it’s our business to be aware of all your options and present you with the best solution for your needs, regardless of the source.

SHARE YOUR VISION

Gaining finance can be a very transactional experience - you place a request with a lender for a particular facility and they come back to you with a simple yes or no answer. When it works, it seems great and is a very straightforward approach for simple transactions, like financing a new piece of kit, but you can end up with numerous finance agreements with different lenders, rates and end dates that have never been looked at collectively.

By sharing your vision - even if you haven’t got it all figured out - and building a relationship with your finance provider, they can work with you to create a long-term funding strategy that plays into both your immediate needs and future aspirations.

14 | April / May 2021

Business | Top Tips

ACCESS TO FINANCE IS STILL EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE, WITH LOW INTEREST RATES AND THE ABILITY OF BANKS, ALONG WITH NON-BANK LENDERS, TO PROVIDE THE RECOVERY LOAN SCHEME AS WELL AS OTHER FAVOURABLE FUNDING STRUCTURES.

4.

CONSIDER YOUR TIMING

Timing is often crucial in business. It may not be everything, but when we think about start-ups, product launches or having the finance needed to get a project off the ground, it is rather key. Many of you are likely to have accessed the Bounce Back Loan (BBL) or Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes (CBILS) over the past year to support your business, both examples of time-limited schemes that are no longer available.

However, access to finance is still extremely attractive, with low interest rates and the ability of banks, along with non-bank lenders, to provide the Recovery Loan Scheme as well as other favourable funding structures, for products including term loans, overdrafts, asset finance and invoice finance facilities.

Lining up your business and investment plans with favourable funding opportunities, schemes or grants can provide significant savings, giving you an incentive to either hold back your plans or put them into action sooner.

6.

5.

STAY INFORMED

A little over 12 months ago none of us knew what a BBL was, or what CBILS, or even a CJRS - now these acronyms require little explanation. Navigating a landscape that is forever morphing - perhaps now more rapidly than ever - is not easy, so here are three of the latest funding considerations for you: - The Recovery Loan Scheme is the successor to the initial Coronavirus loan schemes (BBLs, CBILS and CLBILS). It supports access to finance for UK businesses as they grow and recover from the disruption of the pandemic.

Businesses of any size can apply for funding of up to £10m for a single business, and £30m for a group, to the end of 2021, with the Government supplying a guarantee to lenders of 80%.

- As an encouragement to businesses to invest in new plant and machinery over the next two years, the Chancellor has introduced a ‘super deduction’ enabling capital allowance claims of 130% against qualifying expenditure.

- Previously, the loss carry back allowance meant that businesses could offset business losses against the same accounting period or the previous 12-month period. This has temporarily been increased to a period of the previous three years.

DO THE PREP

Look at your business from an outsider’s or investor’s perspective, consider the questions that they’re likely to ask, take a comprehensive look at the risks, challenges, and opportunities, and ensure you can articulate the benefit of the additional investment or funding you wish to get for your business.

Some lenders work across all sectors of the market and won’t necessarily understand the nuances of the print or large-format sector, so they’ll need more explanation, while other specialist industry lenders will be able to understand your requirements more easily.

And finally, make sure you have your accounts and business forecasts ready to back-up your future strategy.

7.

TAKE A FLEXIBLE APPROACH

No-one could have predicted or prepared for the year that’s been business owners have had to become more agile and adaptable than ever.

We’ve developed approaches and skills we never thought we’d need but will stand us in good stead for the future. It’s important that our approach and access to finance is as flexible as our business planning.

Compass advocates a flexible approach to finance, tailoring individual solutions using a range of lending facilities that we can access on your behalf. If plans change down the line, the situation can be reviewed and reimagined.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 15

Business | First Person

MAKING A CLEAN SWEEP OF THINGS IN THE LAST ISSUE, RICHARD CLARK OF RACCOON OUTLINED BUSINESS SINCE THE START OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. IN THIS PROMISED UPDATE, HE EXPLAINS HOW LOCKDOWN PROVIDED THE TIME RE-EVALUATE AND REINVIGORATE THE BUSINESS READY FOR THE UPWAVE. As I outlined in my initial First Person story, the past year has given me, like most people, plenty of time to give deep thought to what the future holds. Sometimes anxiety takes over as you wonder whether things will ever return to normal. For me, it’s been: ‘Will my son ever go back to uni and stop raiding the fridge?’, ‘Will I ever be able to swim again?’, and more importantly, ‘When can I get to watch QPR at The Loft!’ Most of the time though, what consumed me was making sure my business got through early 2021, and here at Raccoon we have been carrying out a super spring clean.

The big spruce-up started with the ordering of a giant roll-on skip, which we used to have a massive clear out of our buildings. It’s amazing what you hoard, always thinking that you’ll find a use for something that had its moment years ago - broken coffee machines, giant headphones, an old liquid laminator with missing parts and a whole room of rusting car parts were just some of things that we found. However, we also managed to salvage a host of gems and unearth things that we’d neglected over the past few years. Who needs a CBILS loan when you have tonnes of junk and eBay! With time to kill it’s easy to start looking at the latest, shiny new toys. Dye-sub printers always seem to bubble to the surface. I think I’ve been looking to buy one for at least 20 years now. During that time the sell price has dropped from around £100 per metre to £10 or less. I think I’ve missed that boat already.

What we’ve done instead is evaluate our previous purchases. A good look at the kit and systems that have been neglected when things were different. I fired up a PC that was in our studio as I didn’t even know what software was loaded onto it. I found ZPack, a never used packaging package that came with our Zund cutting table.

Within a day we were using it to create our own packaging for shipping print - each one custom made and perfectly housing graphics. If we can get our couriers to take the same amount of care we’d have shipping Utopia.

Workflow and automation are two pet subjects of mine but the truth is that we’ve never managed to really nail

AT RACCOON WE HAVE BEEN CARRYING OUT A SUPER SPRING CLEAN.

it. We’ve invested in various packages and systems, a few consultants and even the odd ‘workflow guru’ for good measure. I even sponsored somebody to get fully trained as an automation specialist, but once he’d learnt everything he left and joined the company that helped to train him. No return on that investment.

So, we’ve had a good review of past workflow failings, software purchases and a bit of soul searching around why we just never seem to get things fully automated.

It seems we’re not alone in this frustrating quest, and working out how to join up the dots within our business and remove the ‘islands of automation’ is now on the horizon. We are very close to connecting our store to our CRM, to our MIS, to our approvals platform and then into print production. Digital job bags and lights out production are in touching distance!

If all of this isn’t enough, we’ve even managed to put together a marketing strategy for the first time ever.

Adopting the inbound marketing methodology - something that needs at least 12 months to really get your head around - has been the anchor in the whole process. Buyer personas defined, we then set about refining what we do as a business, and over the past six months we have relaunched our two websites and an e-store as well.

But, launching the websites was only the beginning there’s definitely no launch-and-leave this time around.

Instead, each week we’re adding content. We’ve even built a video suite so we can launch the Rocky Raccoon weekly podcast in the summer of 2021.

Whilst we’re still in lockdown, there are no fruits of our labour yet but we’re definitely feeling some momentum building. With schools having gone back, and lockdown relaxing in the hope of everything reopening towards the end of June, like you, we are hoping for good times to return soon. Into the upwave everyone.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 17

Technology | What to Watch

WORKING WONDERS SOME THINGS YOU CAN’T WORK WITH, AND SOME YOU CAN’T WORK WITHOUT. HERE, PRINT CHIEFS IDENTIFY THE KIT/SYSTEMS THAT HAVE PROVEN MOST CRUCIAL TO THEIR BUSINESSES IN THESE TIMES OF FLUX.

Given the difficult trading circumstances and strategic decisions many have made to enter new markets, become more efficient businesses etc., we asked a number of large-format PSPs to identify the key kit/software helping them remain competitive. For some it was as if they’d been asked to identify their favourite child, for others it was a much easier call - either way, here’s what they chose to reveal…

THE BIG DISPLAY COMPANY Jack Murphy, marketing director Caldera is the heart of our production department. We were at the stage early last year where we were running several different Rips across several different machines, and setting up all of our artworks manually - using third party software for layouts. This was time consuming in pre-press and resulted in mistakes by human error, which added extra strain on our production department.

It was early on in the pandemic when we started looking at cost savings and efficiency improvements, and after a lot of research we decided to implement Caldera for all of our printers (UV, dye sub, latex and aqueous). We connected our Zund and our Summa cutters to Caldera and we immediately reaped the benefits. Each file is set up in pre-press as a ‘1up’ file and the machine operators now create their own layouts at the point of printing, using the most economical size sheets and rolls as well as combining multiple jobs on the same print runs.

The time savings in pre-press, the reduction in mistakes and the material savings from clever layouts more than paid for the software within a couple of months.

We now have a much more streamlined process, and far fewer headaches. Print operators can work quicker because they’re not having to use several different softwares at the same time. These savings and efficiency improvements have been crucial in our survival throughout the pandemic, because it means we continue to be competitive in an increasingly difficult market, but still reach the impossible deadlines that we’re so used to working to.

DATA IMAGE Rob Farfort, founder and CEO During the pandemic, with both furlough and home working impacting the daily operation here at Data Image Group, the roboticised Esko Kongsberg C66 came into its own.

The benefit of an automated cutting system means it can be left to run remotely, and it was programmed to work alone, even overnight, to turnover projects in a short space of time whilst we as a business were able to comply with social distancing and ensure a safe working environment for the team.

One of the highlights of the Esko robot came at the height of the pandemic and the PPE shortage in 2020.

18 | April / May 2021

Caldera gets the thumbs-up at The Big Display Company

Esko robotics do it for Rob Farfort

For Sam Cherry the Summa f1612 makes the cut

Technology | What to Watch

At that point we used it to produce over 1,000 PPE face shields for key workers as part of our not-for profit PPE initiative, which saw £1,000 donated to the Child Bereavement UK charity.

EBBSFLEET PRINT SOLUTIONS Sam Cherry, owner Our favourite bit of kit is the Summa f1612 flatbed cutter.

We invested in the Summa F series with Adam Booth [of RA Smart] in 2019 and we haven’t looked back. It’s used every day and not only allows us to free what were print finishing bottlenecks, but to offer our customers diverse solutions like mock-up stands, packaging and high end labels.

Having a Summa F1612 is like having two additional members of staff that we don’t need to pay!

MACROART Matt Guise, sales director Over the last year we have been working on improving client interaction and refining our communication with customers. While adapting to the ever-changing situation, we’ve been working hard on implementing new software solutions to enable us to support our clients from point of enquiry through our studio, production and despatch departments.

Our new ERP and prepress workflow solution work together to dramatically speed up the process of getting artwork into our studio and proofs ready for customer approval. As well as improving our existing service, we are now able to offer an individual client portal, which will enable each customer to view recent orders, approve artwork and place new orders directly into the system from a set of tailored products created specifically for each of them.

All of this progress means that we are now able to process customers’ orders more efficiently and effectively, reducing potential errors during transfer of information and increasing the speed in which we can process orders.

We believe these new solutions will offer far more than any others on the market and represent great benefits for both MacroArt and our customers.

Matt Guise flags up software developments

Since the upgrade, we have been able to expand into more sectors. I believe that advertising is becoming an ever growing market and people want the biggest signs to advertise their businesses, especially now they are planning to re-open from the lockdown.

We can now print full panels and also larger window graphics amongst many other things.

Particularly when printing wallpapers and wall graphics the wider-format now enables us to produce less drops and therefore have a more professionally and high quality finish and save time.

Also, having a larger heating bed has helped - it enables us to dry the printed media faster and as such is making our production far more efficient.

Damian Quarmby and team plump for the EFI Vutek H5

QUARMBY COLOUR Damian Quarmby, owner Thankfully we are still chugging away with pre-Covid contract work, and whilst we have many great pieces of kit the true shining star so far has to be the EFI Vutek H5.

It really is a game changer in terms of versatility, productivity and reliability. To my mind it’s the best printer you can have as a PSP in the large-format industry!

SIGNS EXPRESS NOTTINGHAM Mikey Walker, workshop and fabrications manager We have been growing consistently over the past few years, and have doubled our team to handle the growth in the business - positive news in very difficult and demanding times. I firmly believe that a contributing factor to our growth is that we have upgraded to a new larger-format printer - the amazing Epson S80600.

We upgraded from a Roland 540 smaller bed printer as we always struggled to print things that would fit on larger panels - we would have to print in two parts and have joins on panels.

Mikey Walker stands by the Epson SureColor S80600

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 19

Technology | What to Watch

The maintenance functions built in work a treat too.

Head cleaning, parts maintenance and plenty more is now so much easier than it ever was before

year or so? The volumes for the MPH, Personalised Luggage and ThePersonalisedEdit businesses of digitally printed personalised and customised products have been enormous and growing rapidly. Without SiteFlow we’d be working back in the dark ages with Excel spreadsheets, manually created artwork, PostIt notes and a wing and a prayer! We can add new dropship clients and products quickly and easily into the production workflow without causing major disruptions.

And, most importantly monitor each job and production line and see where the bottlenecks are before they become a problem.

SOLOPRESS Simon Cooper, MD The large-format kit we’re most grateful to have on board at the moment are our Agfa Anapurna H2500i LED presses.

Large-format has been a huge growth area for Solopress in recent times, with production increasing at a rate of 30% year-on-year. It was this increase that led us to invest in two of these Agfa Anapurna machines back in May 2019.

Having previously produced on roll-to-roll Inktec Jetrix RX3200s, the new Agfa 5m hybrid presses allowed us to diversify, both in terms of the materials we could print on and the product range we could offer.

As fate would have it, this functionality would prove crucial.

As the pandemic took hold, we were able to pivot production towards clear screen roller banners, hand sanitiser stations, social distancing signage and other coronavirus essentials.

With other areas of the market suppressed, these streams brought in essential revenue for us during 2020.

Solopress sings the praises of the Agfa Anapurna H2500i LED XTREME SIGNS AND GRAPHICS Pierre Pheiffer, owner At Xtreme Signs and Graphics we feel that our two 3.2m Jetrix UV roll-to-roll printers and our Comagrav cutting/ routing table give us an advantage over others in the industry. The printers give us the ability to print large volumes of work in much smaller timeframes, and the cutting table has the same impact on finishing times.

In the current climate, we feel it is very crucial that the turnaround times on jobs are as fast as possible, and that goes hand-in-hand with the quality of the product and the price that we can supply the product to our customers. We are constantly trying to get new trade clients that might not have the same resources to become trade partners with us and investing in the kit that we have has definitely made this process easier.

MPH ENTERPRISES Simon Wilcox, marketing and production technology manager Firstly, a bit of background - MPH and Personalised Luggage are sister companies and are specialists in the promotional marketplace and the digital decoration of luggage and travel accessories respectively. Our production platforms are based on HP SiteFlow technologies.

HP SiteFlow was born out of product developed in the UK by OneFlow Systems and is one of the core tech platforms that provides an infrastructure for the on-demand and personalisation printing industry and underpins HP’s global Indigo and PSP network. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, its job is to create structured workflows for importing, preparing (pre-press), aggregating, imposing, batching, scheduling, routing and managing digital print jobs (across all production technologies). And, dynamically passing the order status and information back to the ecommerce and shipping gateways.

So why couldn’t we live without it throughout the last

Jetrix UV printers and a Comagrav cutting table make a happy marriage at Xtreme

HP SiteFlow does it for Simon Wilcox

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 21

Technology | What to Watch

DOING IT FOR YOU? VIRTUAL.DRUPA 2021 WILL RUN 20-23 APRIL. BUT, IS THIS ONLINE VERSION GOING TO PROVE AS ATTRACTIVE AS THE PHYSICAL EVENT IN DUSSELDORF AND MEETING INDUSTRY MATES OVER A BEER IN THE ALTSTADT AFTERWARDS? If you had accepted that when it comes to Drupa you’d be swapping Messe Dusseldorf for your laptop this year, you may now wonder if it’s even worth logging on.

What everyone understands is that the online virtual. drupa 2021 is a Covid-19 necessary replacement for the behemoth physical event, but with 130 exhibitors registered at the time of going to press, a month before the event is due to run (20-23 April), there was little sign of large-format orientated participants.

Go to the show’s ‘exhibitors and products’ page (http://bit.ly/3ejNYze), do a search on ‘large-format’ and ‘wide-format’, and you’ll fnd few really relevant companies.

But then we know there will be companies exhibiting that may be of interest to this community but not show up under those search terms, so have a dig around to see if it will be worth your time exploring the event.

As well as exhibitors being able to use their online showrooms to highlight their technologies and products, there will be live Web sessions and virtual meeting rooms in the Networking Plaza for more personal exchanges. But of course, organisers are eager to point out that virtual. drupa 2021 is about more than manufacturers showing their wares and trying to collect sales leads.

A Conference Area provides access to keynote addresses, industry insights, and case studies delivered by industry gurus and speakers from various vertical markets. Running across the four days of the show, from 9.15am-5pm UK time, the talks and discussions will cover four global trends - AI, the circular economy, the connected consumer, and platform economy.

At the time of going to press three keynote speakers had confirmed participation. Michael Gale, author and managing partner of Inc.digital, will deliver keynotes on two days - 20 April ‘Small steps and giant leaps for your AI in a circular economy’, and 23 April ‘The AI opportunity.

A dawn of a new age for you with the right AI schematic’.

Print and graphic designer James Sommerville will deliver ‘The Creative business model of tomorrow. The cusp of another revolution’ on 21 April, and the following day Dr. Gabrielle Walker will give the presentation ‘All change: Implications of the climate megatrend for the printing industry’. The full programme can be found at: http://bit. ly/3bvfpod These will be supplemented by presentations in five special forums - drupa cube, touchpoint packaging, touchpoint textile, drupa next age, and 3D fab+print.

Visitors can plan a personal agenda and dip in and out of the virtual talks and live Web sessions in the exhibitor showrooms - go to the homepage to register. Sessions and content will be available until 31 December.

HEADS-UP SWISSQPRINT swissQprint will be showcasing three new innovations at virtual.drupa 2021 - a high speed model of the Karibu UV roll-to roll-printer, an automatic double-sided printing option for the Karibu, and neon inks for UV printing.

The new Karibu S can output at up to 330m2 OY 0[ MLH[\YLZ H KLÄULK WYPU[OLHK JVUÄN\YH[PVU MV\Y WYPU[OLHKZ HYL PU VWLYH[PVU MVY LHJO WYVJLZZ JVSV\Y 3PRL HSS Z^PZZ8WYPU[ SHYNL MVYTH[ WYPU[LYZ P[ OHZ UPUL K\HS JVUÄN\YHISL JVSV\Y JOHUULSZ ZV VUL channel is left free.

As a new feature, both Karibu and Karibu S can handle automatic double-sided printing. Thanks to a camera system and QR codes, the process takes place automatically. Supported by in-house developed Lory output software, managing print jobs is very simple thanks to intuitive graphic user guidance.

The neon inks are available in yellow and pink and are suitable for all swissQprint LED models, and can run in the ninth ink channel.

ESKO AND ENFOCUS These companies will exhibit together to launch their ‘Cloud Freedom’ strategy.

Wim Fransen, VP global marketing and software product management at Esko, said: “Moving from onsite server-based software applications to cloud-hosted service as a Z\IZJYPW[PVU :HH: ZVM[^HYL TVKLSZ ZLLZ H U\TILY VM ILULÄ[Z MVY V\YJ\Z[VTLYZ >L ^PSS be sharing examples of Esko software solutions that now have both models available and providing insight to the advantages of utilising the Esko cloud.”

Tomas Van Rossom, general manager of Enfocus, added: “We will be unveiling the ILULÄ[Z VM )VHYKPUN7HZZ V\Y UL^ ZVM[^HYL ZVS\[PVU ^OPJO LTWV^LYZ J\Z[VTLY MHJPUN Z[Hќ [V X\PJRS` PUZWLJ[ PUJVTPUN 7+- ÄSLZ MVY ZOV^Z[VWWPUN PZZ\LZ PU WYPU[ MIMAKI Focus will be on the new 100 Series, which include the TS100-1600 dye-sub printer, 1= ZVS]LU[ YVSS [V YVSS THJOPUL HUK [OL <1= <= YVSS [V YVSS VќLYPUN ;OL UL^LZ[ of the series - the TS100-1600 - was actually launched in January, but will be available in the EMEA from April. Mimaki said it will also be making an announcement nearer to the event, so keep your eye out for updates.

GMG For the wide-format digital inkjet sector, GMG will showcase ColorServer Digital and a *VSVY:LY]LY 4\S[PJVSVY MVY ,*. Ä_LK PURZL[ WYPU[PUN ^OPJO PTWYV]L WYPU[LY \[PSPZH[PVU H[ the same time as providing colour consistency. Print jobs can be switched easily between machines and sites, with predictable colour results, including matching spot colours and V]LYWYPU[Z ;OL JVTWHU` ^PSS HSZV ÅHN \W P[Z WH` TVU[OS` Z\IZJYPW[PVU TVKLS

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 23

Environment

TAKING IT PERSONALLY SAVING THE PLANET CAN’T SIMPLY BE LEFT TO OTHERS. WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO CLEAN-UP OUR ACTS AS IMAGECO MD NATHAN SWINSON-BULLOUGH EXTOLS.

Nathan Swinson-Bullough and operations manager Ed Hillam with Imageco’s new environmental award

One Sunday in 2018, an episode of ‘Planet Earth 2’ by David Attenborough was aired on TV. It was the that one that showed oceans of waste plastic and terrible scenes from around the planet of the damage we are doing. It flicked a switch - I felt embarrassed and an overwhelming sense of responsibility that as a consuming human and business owner I was contributing to what I was seeing. I immediately knew I had to do something about it, and that being in control of Imageco it was up to me to start making a change to its environmental impact.

These images of ocean plastic, melting ice caps etc. are now all over the media and, hopefully, everyone knows the severity of what is going on. But, I recently saw a Facebook post from Greenpeace - the message being “It’s not your fault”, and the accompanying videos were of pollution, deforestisation, coral bleaching etc., with the blame laid at the feet of the big companies - Coca Cola, Unilver etc. I commented on the post stating the messaging was wrong. It’s up to everyone to make the change. I am far from a climate expert, but I do

24 | April / May 2021

now know there are lots of small changes we can make as individuals that together can have a big impact. Yes, the big guns clearly need to make changes, but so do we all.

On the plus side, some amazing work is being done all over the planet to reverse the damage. The more I learn of the negative impact the more I hear of new companies and initiatives to battle it, which is positive. Hopefully, new carbon capture technology for instance, will have an impact.

With the awareness now raised by the likes of Attenborough, sustainability is fast becoming the top of everyone’s agenda. As a wide-format print provider we are a key part in the supply chain for our customers, and now more than ever, having a strong sustainability policy is key to both retaining work and winning new work. We recently won the Green Company Award at the British Sign awards for our commitment and ongoing work to reduce our impact on the environment, and we are winning work as a result of such commitment.

I am fortunate enough to be able to focus a lot of my attention on reviewing the company’s sustainability measures, and in having a great team around me producing the day-to-day work.

I spend a lot of my time looking at new materials and technologies, and assessing in general how we can become more sustainable. I also ensure that lots of our marketing is geared towards ensuring our clients are very aware of our ‘green’ ethics. Don’t get me wrong though - this is important from a business perspective, but first and foremost it’s my genuine care for the environment that drives me.

I believe we need to create a balance between running our business and limiting our environmental impact. It’s a continual process and one that needs to be refined constantly. This is why I have signed us up to gain ISO 14001 environmental accreditation – something that will aid us in sharing responsibility throughout our business and keep us firmly on our toes. Having ISO 14001 will also help us on larger tenders, and put us in good stead to win work. This will be looked at more closely in the future in the tender process and will play a key part in decisions being made in favour of those of us with the ISO standard.

As I have mentioned, we are a key link in our customers’ supply chain - we work with some great design agencies that have some of the biggest brands in the world as their customers. I speak to a lot of them regularly, and they always say that when a sustainable brief arises that we are the first port of call for them.

At Imageco we position ourselves as an extension of our clients, so that in turn they can fulfill their clients’ briefs in a sustainable way. We offer our clients information and

Environment

A green corner at Imageco

support as part of our service and I work closely with our account handlers and project managers to advise on sustainable materials perspective etc.

Some of the more environmentally sound products can be more expensive, but I have seen a shift recently to them falling in line with traditional materials. I can see that there will become a point where PVCfree and paper-based material will be the more prominent products we use. I’m also keeping an eye on plant-based material developments, and there are some really innovative suppliers out there making inroads into groundbreaking materials.

We have spent a lot of time trialing new materials to get to a point where they acceptable as a commercial product - after all, there is no point in producing work and it failing as this has a negative impact on the environment too. Our biggest suppliers have worked with us to supply new media to try, and this combined with successful tax claims for our R&D work, has helped us financially support our developmental efforts.

I’ve said many times though, that becoming a more sustainable business isn’t just about the materials you print on. Take your factory for instance.

Ours is 30,000sq ft [2787m2] so our carbon production is significant.

IT’S MY GENUINE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAT DRIVES ME.

I frequently get asked about the cost implications of implementing CO2 reducing technology and kit. Yes, it is expensive, but there are savings in the long run.

We have invested approximately £70,000 over the last year in solar panels, voltage optimisation and to replace our factory with LED lighting. The LED will pay for itself in three years, solar and voltage optimisation in five years.

There are lots of grants available for this too if you look hard enough. It’s really a no brainer - ultimately, making the investment will save money, and help you do your bit for the environment.

Print kit and efficiencies play a big part in both waste and CO2 production of course. We recently added the new HP Latex 800W printer to our arsenal. This machine is brilliant - many parts are made from recycled plastic, it uses waterbased latex inks, plus there are many other environmental benefits. We are no stranger to latex - the 800W is the fourth machine we’ve had. We recently won a large retail rollout that had to be latex water-based ink due to the print having to be recycled.

We have the latest versions of Caldera, with cut and nesting automation running across all machines so that job nesting is done efficiently with minimal waste, and our Vutek produces work quickly, accurately and with cool curing rather than mercury lamps. Waste is kept to a minimum and work is produced quickly, reducing operating hours from what they once were prior to the Vutek being installed.

In the past, speed and quality versus price was always considered at a point of purchase - now we need to look at environmental aspects too, and this will play an important part of future investment decisions.

We recently started a tree planting scheme with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. This comes at a cost of £10 per tree so we offset sales of 10m2 of our recycled bottle wallpaper per tree. This was something I wanted to do to give something back to the environment - and it’s a good thing to talk about with marketing, though that wasn’t my impetus. I had been inspired by Patagonia’s ‘1% for the Planet’ initiative, whereby members contribute 1% of annual profits to global environmental causes. OK, our initiative isn’t as grand as this, but it’s a start.

My business partner Georgia Halston - MD of our marketing partner Halston Marketing - bought me the book.

She and I run another company, Sustainability Partnerships, to influence changes in the NHS to achieve their net Zero goals. This was originally formed by Scott Buckler who is now head of sustainable business development at Imageco.

We are continually evolving how we monitor our environmental impact at Imageco. It requires a lot of attention and hard work. As I’ve said, I’m fortunate to be able to step back from time to time and review things. Lockdown has helped from this perspective and given me more time. But my message on improving sustainable practices would be not to let time constraints be the issue. It’s in everyone’s best interests to do what we can - primarily for the planet, but also for the longer-term financial rewards. I’d say make it part of your business goals.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 25

Actively investigating and supporting the wide-format print sector Authored by former print professionals, Image Reports provides intelligent news coverage which targets those that produce and sell wide- and grandformat digital print.

Dedicated entirely to the digital print provider rather than the manufacturer or supplier, Image Reports presents information via three main filters – business, technology and the environment.

Also part of the Image Reports family is Widthwise Report, an annual survey and report on the state of the UK and Irelands wide-format print sector which is packed with facts, figures and features.

Magazine Newsletter Website Supplements Bespoke Events Roundtables Research Reports www.imagereportsmag.co.uk @imagereports Please contact Carl to discuss advertising and sponsorship opportunities: Tel: 0791 606 7589 Carl.Archer@imagereportsmag.co.uk

Think Bigger | Gallery

a. On the move Bradford-based Dominion Print, and its in-house design team One19 Creative, have developed a range of lightbox displays that combine multi-layered large-format print and lighting to animated effect.

The TensionPix Day-Night lightboxes comprise three different layers of print that respond to static or motion LED lighting to produce visual transitions and effects on a single surface.

a.

The product - developed using Dominion’s Reggiani Renoir Pro large-format printing facilities and the technical skills of One19 Creative - is being targeted at retail, leisure, events and hospitality.

b.

b. In pole position Stackawraps’ print partners are now offering 3D Pole Toppers. The modular 3D designs are shipped flatpacked and made from 100% recyclable materials.

The customers slots the pieces together to create the photorealistic standalone displays.

c. Vegging out Vancouver-based Premier Graphics opted for Drytac SpotOn Matte White to carry out this window graphics project for Canadian vegan food business The Very Good Food Company. The project called for high impact graphics that would allow ambient light to pass into the building to enable ongoing construction work inside.

The graphics also needed to cover window panels measuring 21ft (6.4m) tall.

c.

d. A personal touch Online W2P platform Where The Trade Buys brought out this quirky personalised Valentine card - a 30cm high full-body cut-out of the sender.

d. www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 27

Forum

DIGGING BELOW THE SURFACE WITH INDUSTRY MOLE Comments please to industrymole@imagereportsmag.co.uk

patience with the catastrophic service provided by a once trusted printer.

Many likely customers found their finance directors behaving like Ebenezer Scrooge, shouting ‘Bah humbug!’ every time they tried to spend money. The phrase ‘new normal’ was often trotted out as orders were delayed, reduced or cancelled.

In this context, why would any print buyer want to take a risk on a new print service provider unless they had no other choice?

At Mole Graphics, we have long known that the old road warrior mode of selling has had its day.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know what will replace it.

Are we all going to be selling virtually some, most or all of the time? I certainly hope not but, despite the hype about ‘Zoom fatigue’, I fear we might.

The sales director said the best moment in the workshop was when one of the participants messaged an American comedian’s old gag: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones you should focus on.”

VIRTUAL.DRUPA

SIGN AND DIGITAL 2021

THE PRINT SHOW

FESPA GLOBAL 2021

When?

20 - 28 April, 2021

When?

16-18 May, 2021

When?

28 - 30 September, 2021

When?

12-15 October, 2021

Where?

Online

Where?

NEC, Birmingham

Where?

NEC, Birmingham

Where?

RAI, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cost?

Free

Cost?

Free to trade visitors

Cost?

TBA

Cost?

TBA

Who will be there?

Who knows who’ll log-in to this virtual version of what has been Europe’s key print trade show for so long. There will certainly be fewer exhibitors than in at previous physical shows - the next of which will not take place until 28 May - 7 June 2024.

Who will be there?

This year’s event has been shunted back from March to May due to the coronavirus situation. At the time of going to press a ‘reimagined’ event was on the cards for hall 5 at the NEC on 16-18 May 2021. Traditionally, this show brings together those wanting to come and see developments in the sign and digital print market, but we’ll have to see how things evolve.

Who will be there?

Given the moves in the trade exhibition space at the minute, it’s hard to call yet. Will need to revisit

Who will be there?

Initially scheduled for October 2020 (in Madrid), then moved to March 2021 (to replace the originally scheduled May 2021 event in Munich), this event, for obvious reasons is now due to take place in October (in Amsterdam) this year.

Again, it’s a waiting game to see how things pan out.

Should you go?

Worth a look-see from your desktop.

Should you go?

Worth checking out the exhibitor list online beforehand.

Should you go?

Need to wait and see….

Should you go?

This would normally be a resounding ‘yes’, but Covid-19 may make it a more difficult decision this time around.

EVENTS 28 | April / May 2021

‘Connect the facts with the fun’. That’s what our sales director said when I asked what he’d learned from his virtual workshop on winning new customers during a pandemic. When I asked him where he was going to find the fun so he could connect with it, he shrugged.

Winning new customers, as opposed to new business from customers we already have, has been beyond our control since the first lockdown.

Some promising prospects went into radio silence, others blamed the pandemic for procrastination, a few used it to press for a discount and one - actually a returning customer - demanded extended payment terms. As it took him 90 days to pay his last invoice, I ignored him.

We did gain some customers, but it wasn’t really anything to do with us. Like everyone else, we benefitted from the great, fleeting floor graphic boom. In one case, a customer’s existing print service provider could no longer provide - something to do with broken links in the supply chain - and in another the client finally lost

Rating

8/10

Rating

7/10

Rating

5/10

Rating

10/10

Forum

OVER TO YOU...

JAMES MILLER, CONSULTANT, TAYPRINT WWW.TAYPRINT.COM

Tayprint, in Dundee, has been transformed over the last three years, thanks largely to a £1m investment in large-format HP print kit, and a recent shift to online ordering. James Miller, who was brought in to help the family company revamp what started life as a T-shirt printing business 40 years ago, explains the strategy.

James, Tayprint has completely overhauled its print kit and associated systems since 2018.

Can you give us a broad-brush overview on your reasoning behind that?

Basically, in the near past we had kit that wasn’t very efficient, or environmentally friendly - a glaring problem to someone like me who’s worked in lots of other industries. We looked at a lot of kit and decided to go the HP latex route - it had all the elements we required.

So the eco credentials of the HP latex kit made you plump for that. Were there other considerations too?

Well, it really was mostly about environmental considerations for the wider good - you could almost drink the ink from these machines - and for our employees too. Plus, we had a lot of waste from the old equipment - one machine was wasting about a third of the ink that we purchased for it.

What HP machines are included in this latest investment then?

Two 1.6m 570’s, two Latex 3.2m-wide roll-to-roll 3600’s and and two R2000s.

Just very recently Tayprint went live with a new Web-to-print system, opening up new routes to new potential customers. How do your HP printers fit into that strategy?

The interface between all the machines makes it quite easy to plug our other software into that.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic we’d made a decision to move towards an internetbased business model because we felt print was getting too cheap and more traditional businesses couldn’t make money from that!

We started work on the Web-to-print software before 2020 - it’s taken quite a long time - but

it means the general public or other trade customers to link directly with us. If the jobs are print ready, they go directly to the HP machines.

Do you expect having both the HP kit and W2P offering to open up new applications?

Yes. The speed and cost-effectiveness of the system means we can take jobs that weren’t cost effective before. And the ordering process is so much easier as well.

Given the disruption caused by Covid-19, what do you think now about having made what has been a significant investment in the new HP machines?

I think, probably, thank God we did it! It was the best decision we ever made.

LEGAL EAGLE LEGAL EAGLE

EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

BY ANNE-MARIE BOYLE OF MENZIES LAW

In the last issue of Image Reports we focused on what to do should an Employment Tribunal Claim (ET1) land on your desk. Here we share the steps you can take to minimise the chances of a claim from one of your employees. Given that claims are up by nearly 25% these are actions worth considering.

At Menzies Law we have represented all sorts of companies. At one end of the scale is the ‘exploiter’, looking to get away with as much as possible and invariably having at least one tribunal claim ‘on the go’ at any one time, and tending to require regular advice on grievances, sickness absence and disciplinary hearings.

At the other end of the scale are those that really work to improve their employee engagement. They set up employee forums, listen to and act on feedback, and generally make their employees feel valued. In our experience, these companies almost never receive tribunal claims.

Then there are those who sit somewhere in between - those businesses that sometimes

find an ET1 claim form on their desk, but not frequently and probably with no recognisable pattern to them.

Having acted for both employers and employees, giving your employees ‘meaningful’ grievance and disciplinary experiences is a great way of avoiding claims. The aggrieved employee wants to feel like their complaint has been taken seriously. If they feel that their concerns have been listened to and properly investigated the likelihood of them then bringing a tribunal claim is diminished. Conversely, those who feel like their concerns have been brushed under the carpet or ignored are far more likely to bring a tribunal claim - typically a constructive dismissal claim, sometimes with a discrimination claim too.

The risk of a claim therefore has a close connection with whether your employees feel they’ve been ‘heard’ and whether they have experienced ‘procedural justice’ in the workplace.

Consider the following scenario: your exemployee is trying to persuade an employment lawyer to take on their claim of unfair dismissal.

A good lawyer will be assessing whether the employee has a better than 50% chance of success in a tribunal.

If, as the employer, you conducted a comprehensive investigation, sent the employee all the evidence in good time in advance of the disciplinary hearing, allowed them to fully explain their version of events, took the time to consider your decision (e.g. never dismiss in the disciplinary hearing without at least taking an adjournment to consider everything) and finally, you offered a right of appeal to someone more senior, then how confident would the claimant lawyer be about taking the case on?

We would not be advising that employee that they had a strong case. They might feel aggrieved but our legal view would be that the employer had done all the right things and the chance of a successful claim was definitely less than 50%.

Taking legal advice at an early stage is worth doing - it will ensure that you head off on the right path to minimise the chance of a successful claim.

www.imagereportsmag.co.uk | 29

Zeitgeist

Using a bit of intelligence CHRISTIAN CASAZZA, CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTOR OF THE DURST GROUP, EXPLAINS HOW ITS NEW AI-BASED PREMISE PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO ADVANCE PREDICTIVE PRINTER MAINTENANCE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

“Hello. In the next few days your printer needs to be serviced, otherwise your machine risks a breakdown.

Let’s discuss now to find a resolution.” Does that sound unrealistic? It shouldn’t. You can expect predicting printer misbehaviours to become commonplace - and Durst is developing a technical infrastructure with machine learning technologies that means predictive maintenance measures in production environments will soon become a reality.

Our aim is to have no unplanned service requirements by 2025. A tall order perhaps. However, it was with this in mind that in February this year we announced the start of the ‘Premise’ project with the Free University of Bozen (unibz). It’s funded by the European Union and also involves TechnoAlpin, the manufacturer of snowmaking systems.

Sensors have been used in our machines for years to collect the data necessary to run them. Now they have an additional important role for collecting information for predictive maintenance.

Historical data from customers across the world has been collected (with their agreement, of course) via our Durst Analytics software for 18 months. This is stored on a database at our headquarters in Brixen, Italy. And now as part of the Premise project with unibz we will be looking to ‘train’ the algorithms to work out a predictive model. We will then be able to say with some certainty what will happen in real-time in terms of the potential for breakdowns.

The analysis is based on a framework for AI [Artificial Intelligence] or machine learning prediction analysis.

This provides the basis for the Premise project - headed

by Johann Gamper, professor and vice rector for research at the Faculty of Computer Science - that involves students and experts from the university. It means working closely with the university to get these prediction models to foresee breakdowns, misbehaviour, when necessary maintenance is required, and so on…

30 | April / May 2021

OUR AIM IS TO HAVE NO UNPLANNED SERVICE REQUIREMENTS BY 2025

The customer always has the right to say they don’t want to share the information - even when it’s anonymised, as it always is - and, of course, we respect that decision.

As already indicated, our core strategy statement is to have no unplanned service by 2025. By constantly tracking and analysing sensor data and parameters, we will be able to determine whether a part will fail before it does so. This gives us the time to proactively organise with our customers a service intervention according to their production planning.

For example, by measuring the power consumption of a motor or measuring the differential pressure, conclusions can be drawn about the condition of a spare or consumable part.

It’s a service that has been largely reactive - a customer opens a job ticket or calls to let us know about a problem and wants us to fix it.

The accuracy of predictive maintenance is something we are going to have to figure out during the project. In most cases, we believe the predictions will be extremely accurate. For a low-cost component, it is better to change it rather than risk a breakdown. But for an expensive component, a customer probably doesn’t want to replace it until the last moment.

There is a trade-off between substituting something too early against being too late.

With this project, we believe we can test technologies that we have been researching with our industrial partners on the basis of specific case studies and adapt them to specific requirements. This Premise project will enable us to go one step further and use artificial intelligence methods to make these predictions and interventions even more efficient and to be able to apply them to complex, causal relationships.

We have done our homework, the foundations are in place and now we’re ready for the next step.

The Premise project is part of the much bigger plan and a further component in our vision of a smart factory, where networked infrastructures, intelligent production systems and innovative software enable an automated business process. It’s been accelerated by the pandemic because a lot of the traditional service intervention is based on the experience of technicians and knowledge gained by regular servicing of the machines. However, that close contact between the technician and the machine is being lost when international traffic is limited so we have to substitute, to a certain point, the competence of a service technician by a clever, intelligent algorithm.

The predictive maintenance developed in the project framework and the machine learning techniques used will in future trigger the maintenance of the printing systems independently in order to guarantee predictable and troublefree operation. It’s difficult to gauge when there will be a full roll-out. However, I expect we will have our first user cases by the end of next year. And who knows, perhaps the first one might be a success story from the UK!

Weblook | Inks / Hardware

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