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FULL STORY
18 March, 2014 marked a memorable landmark in Kemtek’s history, with the grand opening of a stylish, custom-built Centre of Digital Print Excellence, situated in City Deep, Johannesburg.
Pictured together at the launch were Gavin van Rensburg, (Kemtek Group MD); Dave Savage, (Kemtek chairman); Vivian Rudaizky, (outgoing Kemtek chairman); Ronen Samuel, (VP and general manager, HP Indigo/IHPS EMEA Graphics Solutions Business); and Pierre Driver, (Kemtek sales director)
In a rare display of unity, owners and representatives from many of South Africa’s leading commercial and label printing companies gathered together to attend the exciting launch, view the exclusive facility and learn more about the impressive possibilities HP Indigo print technologies and Duplo finishing systems can present.
‘During my 55 years in the printing industry, I’ve witnessed many important milestones, yet most significant is the rapid rate of change over the last few years,’ declared Kemtek outgoing chairman, Vivian Rudaizky (fondly known as Toekie), in a heartfelt welcoming address. ‘I’m honoured that Kemtek’s long-standing international partners, HP Indigo and Duplo, have once again displayed their absolute commitment in partnering with us to create our impressive, state-of-the-art Centre of Digital Print Excellence,’ he added. ‘What started as the brainchild of Ronen Samuel (VP and general manager, HP Indigo/IHPS EMEA Graphics Solutions Business, Hewlett Packard Company) has evolved into a bright and stylish workspace that will be used for VIP functions, equipment launches and new product training for customers and our field sales engineers.’
In response to Vivian Rudaizky’s closing statement, new Kemtek chairman, David Savage reiterated Kemtek’s on-going commitment to service excellence. ‘Toekie and the Kemtek team have grown the business by building a cohesive team lead by highly-motivated individuals and providing the most advanced technologies, like HP Indigo and Duplo, to a fast-growing and discerning local printing community.’
Future solutions now
Taking centre stage at the landmark event was the ultra-modern HP Indigo 7600 sheetfed digital press, considered the fastest and most versatile SRA3+ digital press on the market today. ‘During our strong 15-year partnership with Kemtek, more than 100 HP Indigo digital presses have been installed in South Africa,’ commented Ronen, who outlined the enormous potential of digital print in a modern printing and packaging arena and the superb capabilities of the HP Indigo technology. ‘The way we communicate is changing dramatically and now, more than ever, traditional offset and flexo printers need to ask themselves what they can do to emerge as stronger market players. The answer is to add value, and digital print provides the perfect platform to do so,’ he declared.
‘Currently, many HP Indigo presses are being used worldwide only to handle relatively simple short-run print jobs, yet they are capable of so much more. New global industry titans, such as Amazon, Apple, Vistaprint and Shutterfly are opening our eyes to the power of digital communication, with personalised printing and customisation playing an ever-growing role in direct mailing and global marketing campaigns and launches. In Europe and the Middle East especially, personalised photo books are fast growing in popularity and I predict this will be the same picture in Africa very soon. All of these value-adding trends are delivered via digital print, providing printers with the leverage to build their profit margins and differentiate themselves from their competitors.’
During his presentation, Ronen also outlined HP Indigo’s most advanced systems to date, including the high-speed, robust HP Indigo 10 000 B2/29-inch digital press and the wide-web HP Indigo 20000 and 30000 systems, aimed at the flexible packaging and folding cartons markets respectively.
‘At HP Indigo, our vision is to provide the perfect end-to-end solution for today’s modern printing enterprises and, alongside our highly-experienced and motivated channel partner, Kemtek, we offer the most comprehensive business development programme, training and support to make the transition from analogue to digital a smooth and profitable one. Now is the time to change!’ he summed up.
Rounding off the event was much-loved and admired Springbok rugby legend, Kobus Wiese, who gave an entertaining and light-hearted account of his most special sporting moments, plus important lessons learned on the rugby field that assisted him in establishing and building his highly-successful Wiesenhof Coffee Roastery franchise and rugby commentating career.
© Graphic Repro On-line, 3 April 2014.
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