By Ed Avis
In this David and Goliath story, David just lost. Reprographic Technologies Inc. (RTI), the reprographics supplies company based in Kitchener, Ontario that dove into the equipment business head first when it launched the Vortex printer in 2013, has exited the printer business.
“After experiencing and working through a confluence of factors related to the growth, development, and support of Memjet-powered printers, the ongoing business requirements have extended beyond our financial resource. Regrettably, after a short and wonderful sunrise,
RTI Digital is exiting the Memjet business,” wrote Erik Norman, RTI’s vice president of sales and marketing in an email to RTI’s customer base. “To all the incredible customers who believed in us and our well-built Vortex brand printers, and who continue to use them effectively today, we say THANK YOU. Thank you for your business, as well as your trust in a small OEM who chose to compete against some giants in the industry.”
Norman confirmed the accuracy of the email.
RTI’s Vortex printer used the Memjet single-pass inkjet head in a chassis made by Rigoli S.R.L. in Milan, Italy. It was RTI’s first foray into being an equipment OEM, and Vortex
competed directly with the Xerox IJP 2000 and the Canon/Oce ColorWave 910, both of which also use the Memjet inkjet head.
RTI had dropped the price of the Vortex by $20,000, to $85,000, in late 2015, but that evidently did not entice enough buyers. The ColorWave costs about the same, and competing technologies that use different print heads – such as the HP PageWide and the KIP 800 – cost even less.
New Supplier
This doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the Vortex, however. Rigoli will continue making the machine, that company has confirmed in an email: “My name is Zsolt Tarjanyi and I was the leader of the development of the Vortex 4200 and Vortex 4204 products. I can confirm that Rigoli S.R.L. carries on with the production and support of these units.”
Kevin Shimamoto, general manager of Memjet Wide Format, based in San Diego, California, confirmed the relationship with Rigoli.
“We recently discontinued our OEM agreement with RTI and now have a new OEM partner taking over their business, Rigoli, who is the manufacturer of the Vortex,” Shimamoto wrote in an email. “They have partnered with the Drafting Clinic Canada to support North America under the Rigoli OEM brand. All RTI resellers should have already been contacted. Rigoli will support all current RTI resellers and end users worldwide with consumables and printer service and support.”
Rigoli’s website is here: http://rigolisrl.com/memjet/vortex-4200-4204_p38
Drafting Clinic Canada’s site about Vortex is here: http://www.dccltd.ca/vortex-memjet-printers.html