Fujifilm enjoyed a hugely successful drupa 2016, with the stand extremely busy throughout all eleven days of the show, and sales targets exceeded across the board. Fujifilm Inkjet Technology (FIT) solutions, and a new “5D automation” strategy (in partnership with EPAC) were of particular interest to visitors.
Fujifilm Inkjet Technology
Through the launch of the ‘Fujifilm Inkjet Technology‘ brand at drupa 2016, Fujifilm demonstrated its strong leadership in inkjet technologies as a result of its printhead, ink, image optimisation and integration capabilities. The company’s water-based and UV inks and wide range of printheads attracted a lot of interest from visitors to the show, along with the best-in-class ‘Samba‘ printhead family, which forms the heart of the Jet Press 720S and Primefire 106, a joint development with Heidelberg. The demonstration showcasing high-speed ‘Samba‘ printing received a lot of attention. In addition, a technology announcement of a water-based ink for flexible packaging and a metallic ink also attracted great interest.
The Jet Press 720S – still the market leader for B2 inkjet
Still the only commercially available B2 inkjet press offering true offset quality, the Jet Press 720S proved beyond doubt at drupa 2016 that it has come of age as a proven and affordable solution for printers looking to transform their businesses today and transition towards digital becoming a more mainstream and central part of their core production.
Says Shinji Nakamori, Senior Deputy General Manager, PR & Advertising Division at Fujifilm Global Graphic Systems: “There is no doubt that the Jet Press 720S is a platform whose time has come. Hundreds attended live presentations each day of the show and we were delighted to be able to announce multiple stand sales. These included sales to Straub Druck & Medien AG – who were buying a second press for their business – web-to-print giants CEWE, and a number of others still to be announced. When sales leading up to the show are also considered – such as the first UK installation at Emmerson Press and a double Jet Press 720S investment by posterXXL in Germany – it is clear that there is a growing awareness in the market that this press leads the market in terms of quality and productivity and is able to transform businesses today.”
Other solutions incorporating industry leading “Fujifilm Inkjet Technology” on the stand also saw strong sales and drew large crowds. These included: the ultra-high productivity Onset X series, the Acuity range of wide format printers (most notably the new Acuity LED 3200R), the Uvistar Hybrid 320 and – on display in Hall 1 – the Primefire 106, a joint development with Heidelberg.
Fujifilm’s “5D Printing” strategy
Announced at the show, Fujifilm’s exciting new partnership with EPAC Technologies will help to bring Fujifilm’s “5D Printing” strategy to market, offering unprecedented automation to high volume book printers, and giving a glimpse of the future possibilities of industrial automation across the commercial print industry. EPAC has pioneered a revolutionary digital printing solution, E2, which combines the best printing technology from Fujifilm and the best bindery equipment in a multi-dimensional, fully automated, system – producing runs of any length more efficiently and profitably than ever before. Visitors showed great interest in the potential for industrial-scale automation for book production and the ability to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.
SUPERIA cost-saving solutions and workflow
Fujifilm also used drupa 2016 to reaffirm its commitment to helping offset printers save time and money in order to improve profitability. SUPERIA, Fujifilm’s resource-saving product portfolio for offset printers, occupied a large section of the Fujifilm stand, and a team of experts was busy throughout the show advising printers how they could save time, minimise resources and save money using Fujifilm’s SUPERIA products. Fujifilm also announced the launch of a new processless plate, SUPERIA ZD, during the show, which attracted a lot of attention, and will be available as part of Fujifilm's SUPERIA portfolio following drupa 2016. In light of a growing trend in the use of UV ink, over a hundred live demonstrations of SUPERIA ZD were given at four manufacturers‘ stands at drupa, drawing large crowds. As a result, Fujifilm received a lot of positive feedback from visitors who are considering using SUPERIA ZD in their businesses.
Fujifilm’s XMF workflow products – all now falling under the new XMF Ensemble brand name – were also very popular. These included XMF Controller, a new solution that sits in front of Fujifilm’s XMF Workflow designed to streamline print production. XMF Controller’s ability to improve efficiency and reduce labour, allowing jobs to be created directly from an MIS system, received a lot of positive reaction from visitors.
Packaging
Finally, Fujifilm’s growing portfolio of products for the packaging and flexo markets were introduced at drupa. These included the technology announcement of Fujifilm’s new ‘MJP20W’ inkjet press – powered by EUCON technology – and a new water based ink, both developed for flexible packaging applications. Increased demand for short runs and faster job turnarounds are a major challenge in this market. The announcement of a second MJP20W installation at Kinyosha Printing in Japan was also of great interest to visitors. The Flenex FW water-washable plate solution, also attracted considerable interest, with many visitors surprised to see the remarkably high 250 lpi quality print samples. In particular, a number of multi-year contracts for Fujifilm’s Flenex FW plate were concluded at the show, highlighting how this plate solution is now starting to transform flexo plate production.
“We look forward to building on the momentum of a very successful drupa,” concludes Shinji Nakamori. “We will continue to provide our customers with value from innovation and look forward to making yet more exciting product announcements in the coming months – helping print businesses to provide their customers with even greater quality and value.”
