“Ipex 2014 has been a great show for IFS,” comments Tony Hards, Joint IFS Managing Director. “Very few systems on the stand will be returning to our showroom thanks to the amazing effort our team has put into finalizing sales.
He continues: “When everything is concluded we expect sales to exceed £1m which is a fantastic result considering the new economic era that is shaping people’s buying habits. What captivated our customers the most was the fully automated smart folding and smart binding solutions such as the BQ470 four-clamp perfect binder with automatic trimming and conveying systems. These enable general commercial litho and digital printers, from B3 to B1, to enjoy improved savings in both time and money.”
Among them was Printondemand-Worldwide, Peterborough, which purchased the UK’s first Horizon HT-1000V. Managing Director Andy Cork described the variable knife trimmer as ‘miles ahead of the competition’.
Then there was Welsh publisher and commercial printer Y Lolfa, Talybont, signing for a Horizon BQ470 four-clamp perfect binder. The same system was snapped up by Hemel Hempstead business stationery specialist Abbot Print Ltd. Managing director Alasdair Browne chose to replace a 14-year-old binding line with the Horizon BQ470 to streamline workflow production, ease throughput and open up spare capacity: “We went to Holland and saw the BQ470 by chance at digital book manufacturing company Scan Laser, in Zaandam. They had a single-clamp and a four clamp binder and said that, with the ease of setup via the intuitive touchscreen, the four clamp solution was the most effective option. It will streamline what we do and enable us to product a wider variety of perfect bound books at any one time.”
Other sales include a Foliant Gemini 400S laminator to Gipping Press, Ipswich, a Horizon 362 creaser folder to Olympus KeyMed, Southend-on-Sea, and one to Fineprint, Stockport, a Horizon AFC566A folder to First 2 Print, Sunderland, a SPF/FC-200L with two VAC-1000 collators to Firpress, Workington, an SPF/FC-200A with two VAC-1000 collators to Starprint, Sheffield, and a VAC-1000 and a PJ77 paper jogger to Ripping Image, London.
These sales were completed on the backdrop of new additions to the IFS portfolio of finishing solutions that included the horizon HT-1000V, the world launch of the Foliant B3 Vega 400A laminator complete with a non-stick lamination pressure roller that allows window lamination and Dürselen’s DS.02 drill that enables reduced manual handling and smoother, more streamlined production.
“We were also pleased to work with Print Week to showcase our capabilities by finishing the Ipex Show Daily,” comments Tony who adds: “Working with partners at the event was important too which is why we teamed up with Fujifilm to demonstrate the power of finishing web fed products.”
Continues Tony: “The ExCel was a good location and moving to London did seem to retain a strong international visitor presence. We were pleased with the quality of the visitor and hope to see more leads end in fruitful sales in the coming months.”
