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SHOWCASE - VETRINA Drupa
Drupa 2012 proves
resounding success
for Xeikon
Customers and innovation
take central stage on Xeikon
booth
14
F&C
Magazine
Xeikon announces record sales
and lead generation in all three of
its business areas – Xeikon digital
presses, ThermoFlexX and basysPrint – at
Drupa 2012, which was held last month.
These excellent results have more than
compensated for the slower start to the year
due to the so-called “Drupa effect”: a decline
in sales orders that typically precedes the
quadrennial tradeshow for almost all capital
equipment suppliers.
Over the fourteen days of the show, visitors
to the Xeikon booth were treated to a world
of customer-driven innovation. Alongside
demonstrations of the company’s latest
product releases, visitors were taken on a
journey of innovation covering all the technological
advancements Xeikon has brought
to the market over the last 20 years. After
crossing a bridge to the future, visitors had
the opportunity to experience Trillium, Xeikon’s
latest achievement that the company
believes is the future of printing. Overall sales
numbers for Xeikon at the show were almost
250% higher than the target that the company
had initially set for Drupa.
Trillium – a real game changer
Xeikon promised visitors a journey of innovation
at Drupa 2012 and that is exactly
what they got. Xeikon Trillium technology
was predicted to be a game changer and
the visitors to the booth – from all market
places – agreed. The first implementation of
Xeikon’s High Viscosity Toner (HVT) technology
will enable printing at high speeds and
lower costs, while maintaining the highest
level of image quality and eco-sustainability.
“Trillium was a real draw card,” says Wim
Maes, CEO at Xeikon. “But while visitors
were keen to get a glimpse of the future,
they also showed high levels of interest in
all our new product announcements – from
the new 8000 Series, 3030Plus, Label AppLICation
Suites and Xeikon Color Control
– to the new range of ThermoFlexX imagers
and basysPrint UV platesetters.
There was just no respite for the sales team
over the whole fourteen days as they were
busy answering questions from visitors, and
in many cases this interest turned into immediate
sales. Drupa is truly an international
show drawing visitors from Asia to Africa,
Chile to China and Dubai to Düsseldorf. And
we have literally taken orders from everywhere.”
Letting customers do the talking
Xeikon also gave its existing customers a
very important place in its Drupa plans, with
the daily “Walk of Fame Star” ceremonies.
These ceremonies recognized the valuable
role customers play in the innovation process
at Xeikon.
Each “Star” customer stayed on the booth
for two days discussing their Xeikon experience
with other customers and potential
prospects.
“Xeikon’s innovation is very much due to
our customers – and we have seen plenty
of them here!” says Michael V. Ring, VP of
World Wide Marketing. “Being close to our
customers, day in, day out, enables us to
get the input we need to develop future
products. It was just great to have the opportunity
to recognize their input – and for
them to join us on the stand so visitors could
openly talk with them about what it’s like to
partner with Xeikon.”
Customers on the “Walk of Fame” came
from across Europe and included First Data
(Greece), Ypsilon (Belgium), Data One
(France), Howard Hunt (UK), VSP (Germany),
W&R (Netherlands), CS Label (UK), Etichete
Flexo (Romania), Color Gruppe (Germany)
and TagG Informatique (France).
Results of innovation process
The results of this innovation process were
clearly visible on the Xeikon stand with a full
array of new product announcements.