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100 | L&L<br />
Xeikon increases focus<br />
on Latin America<br />
XEIKON recently hosted a meeting of its Southern Cone distributors in Buenos Aires, Argentina.<br />
James Quirk reports<br />
Digital press manufacturer Xeikon has<br />
appointed a distributor in Argentina –<br />
Buenos Aires-based Automación Gráfica<br />
– in a move reflective of the company’s<br />
increasing focus on the Latin American<br />
market.<br />
Automación Gráfica joins Jetrix<br />
(Mexico), PTC Graphic Systems (Brazil),<br />
GSI (Colombia and Peru), and Davis<br />
Graphics (Chile) as distributors recruited<br />
by Xeikon in the last two years.<br />
The company has also made a series<br />
of internal appointments to create a team<br />
dedicated to the Latin America market. A<br />
year ago, Patrick Pittoors was appointed<br />
as sales and channel manager for Latin<br />
America, and Jos Kabouw – based in<br />
Santiago, Chile – now leads a team<br />
of four service engineers scattered<br />
throughout the region in Chile, Mexico<br />
and Brazil.<br />
As well as Xeikon’s digital press<br />
range, the engineers are servicing the<br />
company’s other products including<br />
ThermoFlexX CTP CtP flexo systems and<br />
finishing equipment.<br />
The company recently hosted a<br />
meeting of its Southern Cone distributors<br />
– Automácion Gráfica, Davis Graphics<br />
and PTC Graphic Systems – in Buenos<br />
Aires, Argentina. In attendance were<br />
Filip Weymans, Patrick Pittoors and Jos<br />
Kabouw of Xeikon; Marco Araujo of PTC<br />
Graphic Systems; Gustavo Mazzini and<br />
German Calvo of Automación Gráfica;<br />
and Felipe Arias, Rodrigo Machado and<br />
Juan Fischer of Davis Graphics.<br />
‘It is important to have a local presence<br />
in the market, with local technicians<br />
who are in place before a sale is made.<br />
It means we can quickly follow up with<br />
expert technical support and shows our<br />
commitment to the region,’ says<br />
Patrick Pittoors.<br />
‘Our recent acquisition of the<br />
Flexolaser and Thermoflex (We prefer<br />
not to mention the older names as it<br />
would confuse people) CtP technology,<br />
today known as ThermoFlexX, allows<br />
us to provide a more complete offering<br />
to the market,’ says Filip Weymans,<br />
business development manager,<br />
labels and packaging, Xeikon. ‘It also<br />
shows our faith in flexo and the printing<br />
industry as a whole. We believe in flexo’s<br />
compatabilitycompatibility with digital<br />
technology, and we can help converters<br />
to make the transition.’<br />
UPCOMING INSTALLATIONS<br />
During the meeting, Xeikon revealed<br />
a number of recent orders in the<br />
region. In Chile, Faret has purchased a<br />
Xeikon 3050 with Xeikon (we OEM their<br />
equipment but brand it as Xeikon) GM<br />
finishing equipment for folding carton<br />
production; while in Brazil, Recife-based<br />
Rendaplast has ordered a Xeikon 3500<br />
for production of heat transfer labels<br />
for plastic containers. The installations<br />
are set to take place in April and May<br />
respectively.<br />
In Mexico, meanwhile, an innovative<br />
partnership is being set up between<br />
two label converters based around the<br />
purchase of a Xeikon 3030 (see page<br />
103.)<br />
The installation at Rendaplast will be<br />
the third Xeikon press in the country,<br />
all for the production of heat transfer<br />
labels for plastic containers. ‘There is<br />
great potential in the converting market<br />
in Brazil,’ says Marcos Araujo of PTC,<br />
which was appointed as a distributor in<br />
2011. ‘Xeikon’s technology allows for<br />
printing on different types of substrates,<br />
and not only roll to roll but also roll to<br />
sheetsheetfed. So there is potential also<br />
for document printing and numerous<br />
other applications.’<br />
In Chile, Davis Graphics’ Felipe Arias<br />
says the company is also currently<br />
working on other deals and anticipates<br />
two more installations in the near future.<br />
But he emphasized the company’s focus<br />
on a long-term strategy in a market that<br />
has more digital press installations per<br />
capita of HP Indigo digital presses than<br />
any other country in Latin America. ‘HP<br />
has a big presence in Chile, but Xeikon<br />
offers an excellent alternative,’ he says.<br />
‘The fact that we have technical support<br />
in place before the sale means that<br />
converters trust us.’<br />
According to Filip Weymans, the<br />
appointment of Automación Gráfica as<br />
Xeikon’s agent in Argentina completes<br />
the company’s network of distributors<br />
in the region. Founded in 1971,<br />
Automación Gráfica has a high profile<br />
in the Argentine market as a long-term<br />
distributor for Mark Andy and Komori,<br />
and also Jackstadt prior to its acquisition<br />
by Fasson.<br />
‘We were looking for an alternative<br />
to our flexo and offset offerings,’ says<br />
Gustavo Mazzini of Automación Gráfica.<br />
‘Over last 15 years, the graphic arts<br />
market in Argentina has seen huge<br />
growth. And the potential continues,<br />
because there is still a comparatively<br />
low – but rising – per capita label<br />
consumption. There is a lot of potential<br />
for digital technology in the Argentine<br />
label market, so the deal is a perfect fit<br />
for our company.’<br />
THE XEIKON TEAM met with the company’s Southern Cone distributors in Buenos Aires<br />
LABELS&LABELING