EVENT SPOTLIGHT / HUNKELER INNOVATIONDAYS 2023 to help print providers grow their business including its end-to-end production print ecosystem from feeding to finishing to the Xerox Baltoro HF inkjet press and Xerox Iridesse production press. The company also demonstrated its automation workflow software including the new FreeFlow Vision with Predictive Analytics, its Care AR Assist service management software, and XMPie’s personalisation platform. Another manufacturer which couldn’t be missed due to its vibrant yellow branding was Kodak. The company was demonstrating its recently launched inkjet web press, the KODAK PROSPER ULTRA 520 slightly higher paper prices but it means less touch points for a printer, bigger bits of paper, and with the industry going that way, people will need to finish their work.” Roberts continues: “Bigger bits of paper require more handling to going through a guillotine, and going through different passes and phases of finishing is less and less desirable as paper gets bigger. So that’s why we’ve got the DC20K as we’re trying to make it as easy as possible particularly to create those harder to finish products.” Inkjet Capabilities Ricoh demonstrated its inkjet press capabilities with the global premiere of the Ricoh Pro VC70000e continuous feed inkjet press. The premiere of the Pro VC70000e, Ricoh says, demonstrates the company’s significant upgrades to its hardware, software, and workflow and the way these simplify production, support productivity, enhance quality, and the migration of production from analogue to digital platforms. Software advances include production automation tools and business intelligence capabilities such as the Ricoh Pro Scanner and Ricoh Supervisor. Ricoh’s proprietary undercoating technology also broadens the range of applications suitable for inkjet. The manufacturer says that due to the current limitations on substrate choices due to global shortages, this undercoating ability to create a standardised print surface ensures high-quality results can be produced on a variety of media. Upgradable and interchangeable with the existing Pro VC70000 models, Ricoh says the Pro VC70000e is focused on helping production print businesses manage the current economic challenges and operational pressures. Also on show at the manufacturer’s booth was the Ricoh Pro V20100 mono continuous feed inkjet press, a virtual showcase of the Ricoh Pro Z75 B2 sheet-fed inkjet press, and physical demonstrations of the Ricoh Pro C9200 digital press. Ricoh also demonstrated its EDGE business development consultancy which provides printers with essential tools and training to develop business and marketing plans. Erwin Busselot, business innovations and solutions director at Ricoh Europe, told Print Monthly at the event: “There’s a lot of people meeting again after a lot of disruption. It’s like a family, and very much like Hunkeler the company, which is still a very family orientated business. That feeling is certainly permeating on the show floor.” At the back of Hall 2, Xerox was presenting its portfolio of digital print solutions press for the first time in Europe. Using its presence at Hunkeler, Kodak presented a roll-to-roll configuration which integrated the PROSPER ULTRA 520 press with a Hunkeler UW8 unwinder and RW8 rewinder, as well as the Hunkeler WI8 web inspection system via an open architecture interface. Visitors to Kodak’s stand were able to witness live printing of three versions of a ‘magalog’, a hybrid between a magazine and a catalogue, demonstrating the press’ ability to print heavy ink coverage on standard offset paper at 150mpm. In addition to the PROSPER ULTRA 520, Kodak demonstrated its PROSPER 7000 48 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk May / June 2023 - Issue 342 ►Over 6,000 people attended the four-day event ►According to organisers, the show amassed a total number of 14,300 visits from attendees
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==