Panelists in a discussion on market conditions at Motio Netzwerk in Mannheim, Germany, included Ed Avis (USA), Mike Riegler (München, Germany), Andreas Haltmeyer (Austria) and Tobias Hauri (Switzerland)
Attendees at the annual German reprographics convention, motio-Netzwerktagen in Mannheim, Germany, Oct. 23-26, got their hands on HP's potentially game-changing new printer, the PageWide. The event, attended by about 150 people, also featured discussions of market conditions in Europe and North America, seminars on 3D printing and other technologies, and presentations about sales and service issues.
PageWide
The official launch of the PageWide printer is not until next fall, but HP delivered the machine to the event to give attendees a close look. The 40-inch printer uses an array of eight inkjet heads to crank out prints in a single pass. Precise information about speed and cost has not yet been provided, but HP says it will be less expensive than current technology.
"This printer probably will allow color prints to be produced at the same price as black-and-white prints," said Achim Carius, the leader of Motio, the German reprographics association.
(Read more about PageWide here: http://www.irga.com/hewlett-packard-announces-single-pass,-wide-format-inkjet-di/)
Market Conditions
Motio began with presentations about market conditions in North America, Switzerland, and Austria. All three presentations revealed that prices for print have dropped precipitiously in each region, and that reprographers are trying to maintain revenue with new technologies.
Tobias Hauri, leader of the Swiss reprographics firm Truninger, explained that he has expanded his family business into a highly modern media service. Through a strong international network he recognizes early innovative developments and adopts them. Andreas Haltmeyer, president of the Austrian reprographics firm Haltmeyer GMbH, discussed how his firm has become a leader in B2B printing, personalized small format printing, and archiving service.
New Markets, Service Changes
The event also included a number of workshops to help attendees grasp some of the new technologies and services available to them, including 3D printing and wallpaper printing.
"Digital printed wallpaper is a market of 5 to 6 million square meters currently ... [and] this segment is gaining rapidly in importance with double-digit growth rates over the next five years," the description to the wallpaper program read.
The German government's mandate that documents be digital was the focus of another session.
"'Digital Germany' is the goal of government and business," the description read. "By eGovernment, i.e. the digital Authority, the construction document will soon be virtual. The entire value chain around the building is digitized, from idea to implementation to facility management. Where do you still have the classic print service? What should we do to prepare ourselves?"
Next Year in Bavaria
Next year the German reprographics event will be held in southern Germany. The city has not yet been determined. Stay tuned for information about how IRgA members can participate.