Heidelberg secured £9m of orders at its two day 20/20 Vision open house last week. This included five press orders.
Jim Todd, sales director, says: "The open house attracted 450 printers and there was a real buzz about the showroom. The tours were well attended and seminars resulted in some interesting discussions. There is a great deal more confidence in the printing market and several capital investment projects are now moving ahead. In addition to the machine sales there was strong interest in the Saphira consumables products and support services, including training and consultancy."
The decision to host this event during Ipex week was not taken lightly but proved of mutual benefit. Many of the printers who attended the open house or the Heidelberg Celebration of Print at Stationers' Hall on Thursday night visited Ipex as well. This included a tour from Denmark and Sweden organised by Heidelberg.
Gerard Heanue, managing director of Heidelberg UK, says: "In our open house brochure I challenged printers to take away with them half a dozen good tips to help them grow their business and become more profitable. The feedback we had makes me feel we hit the right note. We were able to shed light on some complex technical and business issues and to point the way to greater efficiency, flexibility and a positive future."
Among the hot topics were: the strong interest from packaging companies in the new B2 Anicolor; the perceived payback but also potential pitfalls of Low Energy UV printing; the productivity efficiency of the Polar PACE system; the new version ISO 12647-2 colour management certification; and developments in the comprehensive Prinect workflow products.
Other companies involved in 20/20 Vision included Two Sides, HHS, IST, Morgana, Sappi, technotrans, Gallus, Tharstern, Santander, Print Finance, X-Rite and Winter & Company.
Winter & Company held its own open house the day before 20/20 Vision which attracted a further 200 guests to Heidelberg's National Showroom, including creative agencies, publishers, brands, box-makers and binders.