Print Industry News

Xerox abandons $34 billion takeover bid of HP

In one of the most controversial (and exhausting) ongoing industry melodramas, Xerox has finally announced that it would be dropping its hostile takeover bid of HP. Xerox, valued at about $8 billion, had offered to finance a $34 billion cash- and-stock acquisition of HP, which was valued at about $31 billion at the time. The war between the two industry giants started in the fall of 2019, and included an attempt to take over the HP board with Xerox’s own nominations that, not surprisingly, was soundly rejected by HP.

Speculation was that, with a global recession on the horizon due to COVID-19, HP was in a much better position to weather the expected economic consequences than its much smaller competitor. The decision also means that HP and Canon can continue their current, mutually beneficial relationship. Canon CEO and Chairman Fujio Matarai previously insisted that if the takeover was successful, Canon would “cut its ties with HP.”

Renewed anticipation building for drupa 2021

With the new opening dates of April 20 – 30, 2021 in Düsseldorf, Germany, drupa, the world’s largest printing industry tradeshow, is still top of mind with most industry leaders worldwide. “We were already in the final stages of preparing for drupa 2020. However, given the current exceptional situation, we believe the decision to postpone was both right and unavoidable,” said Hiroaki Shimosaka, GM of the Graphic Systems Business Division at Fujifilm.

“The announcement in March has minimized the economic damage to exhibitors and we are grateful that the decision was made before the impact could become even more drastic. We are therefore preparing for drupa 2021.” Claus BolzaSchünemann, CEO of Koenig & Bauer, added: “drupa is the leading trade fairand the highlight of an entire industry. We at Koenig & Bauer have already put a lot of energy and passion into drupa. We would like to share this with you – also in 2021 – and of course on the way there. Stay tuned, it's worth it!”

Agfa opens Offset Technical Competence Center

Agfa has opened a new state-of-the-art centre for offset technology in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The OEM’s Offset Technical Competence Center (TCC) is a fully-equipped lab that features Agfa’s integrated prepress and pressroom solutions to demonstrate numerous high-performance commercial, packaging, newspaper and UV printing applications that also offer sustainable benefits.

The TCC will showcase innovations that reduce waste, eliminate chemicals and lower ink consumption while saving energy. It was designed to provide a library of application knowledge and customer support for Agfa systems and new product introductions. The investment is open to printers for demonstrations and is aimed at “lowering the total cost of print manufacturing.”

Agfa’s North American Regional President Gunther Mertens (left) and Guido Hauquier, Agfa’s Global Director of Offset Applications cut the ribbon to open Agfa’s new TCC.

Entries now open for 2020 Premier Print Awards

The Printing Industries of America (PIA) is now accepting submissions for the 2020 Premier Print Awards competition, marking the program’s 72nd year honouring print excellence. The international competition is open to all companies involved in the creation or production of print communications, as well as students and student groups from high school, vocational school, or college print production programs. Because of COVID-19, the entry deadline for this year’s competition has been extended to July 31, 2020, and may be submitted at www.awards.printing.org.

An earlybird discount is available for entries received and processed before June 15, 2020. Due to the shifting nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decision to hold a live awards gala will be made at a later date. Entries are all competing for the coveted Best of Category “Benny” Award, which is only bestowed to print projects that exhibit the highest level of craftsmanship and execution. Full program details and a catalogue of entry categories is available at www.printing.org/ppa.

Heidelberg layoffs could total 2,000

Heidelberg has begun a wide-ranging “action package” that could see up to 2,000 jobs lost across the globe as well as possible plant closures. The OEM currently has about 11,000 employees worldwide. The new strategy, characterized by the OEM as “painful changes,” is aimed to refocus on its most profitable business units.

CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer said that planned job and operations’ cuts were still in the discussion phase and further details “could not be disclosed at this time.” Heidelberg plans to use the additional liquidity to eliminate nearly all of its net debt and to substantially improve the company's financing structure. Heidelberg has sales of about $2.6 billion globally.

Global PrintExpo to launch as a virtual tradeshow in June

The U.K.-based Global PrintExpo will be the world’s first virtual tradeshow and conference for the printing industry. The Global PrintExpo Virtual Exhibition will open in June of 2020 and will work in the same way that a live tradeshow does, except that anyone can visit the show 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world (without the cost of transportation and hotels).

The 10,000 square metre venue and all the exhibitor stands will be rendered to real physical dimensions online. Visitors will register and be able to navigate through the hall and visit stands – complete with 3D products, HD videos and literature downloads, generating real-time sales enquiries. Exhibitors will be able to update the products in their booths with a range of interactive content that visitors can explore and download. For more information please visit www.GlobalPrintExpo.online

Global PrintExpo Virtual Exhibition will open in June of 2020 and will work in the same way that a live tradeshow does, except that anyone can visit the show 24/7, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world (without the cost of transportation and hotels). The

10,000 square metre venue and all the exhibitor stands will be rendered to real physical dimensions online. Visitors will register and be able to navigate through the hall and visit stands – complete with 3D products, HD videos and literature downloads, generating real-time sales enquiries. Exhibitors will be able to update the products in their booths with a range of interactive content that visitors can explore and download.

For more information please visit Event organizer FM Future has announced that the first FuturePrint Virtual Summit will take place online June 2 – 4, 2020. Free for all attendees, the objective is to provide an online platform to connect the international printing industry – and to facilitate knowledge sharing, networking, product and service updates, as well as provide inspiration and support during and beyond this challenging period.

“In March, FuturePrint launched a series of webinars for April under the theme ‘Stay Safe, Stay Connected’, and these generated some surprising interest,” said event Co-Director Marcus Timson. “So, we then thought why not extend this to provide a more significant level of content, across a wider spectrum of print? Timson and Co-Director Frazer Chesterman previously ran the FESPA trade shows from 2003 up to 2011, then launched FM Brooks, EcoPrint, and the InPrint Shows.

FuturePrint Co-Directors Frazer Chesterman (left) and Marcus Timson.

2020 InterTech Awards accepting applications to July 20

The Printing Industries of America (PIA) is seeking innovative print and graphic communications technologies to compete in its 2020 InterTech Technology Awards. The annual competition hosted by the PIA honours groundbreaking technologies poised to change the way companies provide services and produce jobs. Though an entry discount is available through to May 29, 2020, all submission fees must be paid by the early-bird deadline to receive a discounted rate. Entrants have until the July 20 deadline to submit their application, officials said.

Honourees receive the InterTech Lucite Star Award and recognition among industry peers. Additionally, they are featured in industry publications, news releases, and conference presentations. Due to COVID-19, the decision to hold a live awards gala will be determined at a later date. Full details can be found at http://www.printing.org/intertech.

BMI publishes State of the Book Industry report

The Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI) has released this year’s State of the Book Industry report delving into current market data and emerging trends. The economic and print-market outlooks are based on available data as of early April, 2020. Because of the dynamic nature of the economy and print markets as a result of COVID-19, these projections could change significantly, said BMI.

The full report is free for BMI members. Interested parties in the print sector can download an executive summary at www.BMIBook.com under the Resources tab. Topics covered include an analysis of how the printing of books fits into the larger print economy, economic forces impacting book manufacturers, key trends in book readership, consumption and demand, benchmarking data for incomeand operating metrics, and important management issues for book printers in 2020.

Ultimate releases whitepaper on uture-proofing workflows

Montreal-based Ultimate TechnoGraphics’ new whitepaper on the design of a future-proof workflow for business success today and beyond, was written by industry analyst and author David Zwang. Future-Proof Print Production reveals how printers can grow margins and expand their products and services by implementing a long-term strategy to capture their share of developing and changing markets.

“Part 1 of this whitepaper looks at how the market and technologically-driven changes have placed new demands on print, publishing and packaging service providers, and will continue to for the foreseeable future,” said Zwang. Reading this report, said Ultimate, will give printers the tools to differentiate between efficient and inefficient solutions to ultimately get the most of their investments now and for years to come.