Pressing On: Print Products, Partnerships, and Purchases

In addition to the hundreds of exhibits and products demonstrated at Graph Expo 15 last month, there also were a host partnerships and acquisitions announced. Some highlights:

Komori Corp. and Screen Americas entered into a selling agreement that essentially unites the two firms’ sales forces. Initially, Komori will be the sole US distributor of the new Truepress Jet520HD, Screen’s high-speed continuous-feed inkjet press. (For more, see “Industry News” on page 8.)

On the data side, Pitney Bowes and General Electric are partnering to develop customized asset performance management applications for PB and its enterprise customers. All services will be built on and powered by Predix, GE’s software platform for the Industrial Internet. This enables Pitney Bowes to analyze data generated from its own production mailing and shipping machines and those of its clients.

One notable buyout was Aleyant Systems’ purchase of Keen’s web-to-print business. The acquisition includes Keen’s web-to-print technology platform, web-to-print customers, and its name, logo, and brand. Present Keen customers are transitioning to Aleyant’s Pressero platform.

There was rebranding, too, including Ryobi MHI on the conventional offset side. I had the pleasure of moderating dealer Graphic Systems North America’s “Commit to Print” customer panel in the booth of RMGT, which has sold more than 20 new presses in North America in the past year. (RMGT was formerly known as Ryobi HMI Graphic Technology.) The roundtable discussion featured three printers who have reinvented their businesses: 1) Production manager Kyle Blankenship and his brother, GM Ty, of Phoenix, AZ-based online trade printer wholesalepocketfolders.com; 2) Jimmy Lakdawala, CEO of LAK Advertising and VDP Direct, San Diego, CA; and 3) Mike Mahmoudi, owner of Nino Press, a two-year-old startup trade shop in Santa Clara, CA (Silicon Valley).

Interested in learning more about Ryobi’s MHI’s rebranding? Watch this video of RMGT’s Western US sales manager Kian Hemmen: PrintingNews.com/12114953

In addition to Hemmen, I was busy during the show conducting concise video interviews with approximately 40 of the supplier community’s top executives, including Eric Wiesner, VP and GM of HP’s newly rebranded PageWide Web Press Division. (PrintingNews.com/12116931) All of these interviews are archived at the Printing News website: PrintingNews.com/video

Happy watching and reading!