The 16th edition of Sign and Graphic Imaging exhibition concluded on January 22, 2013. The show was officially inaugurated by H.E. Muna Almarri, Director General of the Media Office of Dubai Government. Abdul Rahman Falaknaz; Chairman of IEC and Sharif Rahman, CEO, IEC were present among other senior industry officials and delegates during the inauguration of the show. SGI 2013 was an official ‘Dubai Shopping Festival 2013’ event and the organizer IEC is also the Dubai Expo 2020 bid supporter.
During the inauguration ceremony Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Chairman of IEC said, “We are delighted to inaugurate yet another show, which is larger than the previous year shows. I would like to thank all our exhibitors and partners who have supported and trusted us throughout this journey. We grew organically and today SGI has become one of the largest platforms in the Middle East for sign and graphic industry.”
“The participation that we are seeing from both the exhibitors and trade visitors shows the growth potential of the industry despite challenging market conditions. We are delighted to see a phenomenal first day at SGI Middle East 2013. The event showcased an impressive array of the latest product innovations from across the globe that is set to hit the market this year and we are confident that the following two days will see plenty of business being done,” said Sharif Rahman, CEO, and IEC.
The year’s event was bigger and busier than ever. With 20,000 square meters of space SGI is now one of the biggest signage industry events in the world. And this is no small feat. Filling up 4 halls, this year’s edition hosted top players in large format as well as digital printing industries. Wide range of equipment including latest large format printers from EFI, HP, Mimaki, Canon, Fujifilm, AGFA, Epson and others were on display. Visitors were spoiled for choice from an extensive array of equipment, inks, substrates and accessories. The presence of a strong Chinese contingency was yet another sign of SGI’s growing clout. Based on figures released by International Expo Consults (IEC), organizer of the event, more than 10,000 visitors including decision makers, printers, top managers from ad agencies, graphic designers as well as print buyers from all over the region and beyond visited the show. Parallel to the show a series of seminars on industry’s most pressing issues such as how to buy the right ink for the right product, social media for sign and graphics as well as workflow was held.
After 3 days of hectic activities, serious negotiations, some bargaining and a lot of conversations, the SGI is now set to be judged by all those involved in signage and graphic imaging industry in the region. There is no doubt that it was a successful show in many aspects but of course you have to leave some room for those who are hard to impress or set the bar too high, as they cannot be easily pleased. Almost all the major players in LFP industry who participated in the show were happy with the results. Companies were overall happy about the organization of the show and they even went further to compare it with the biggest and best signage shows in Europe and US. One of the greatest achievements of SGI is its cross border appeal. Visitors from all over Middle East and Africa are eager to visit the show. Companies participated with full force and most of the top management travelled from Europe and US to be present at the show and interact with people. The international aspect of the event is becoming more evident with each show. This year SGI filled 4 halls but IEC, the organizer of the show does not want to stop here. Their ultimate goal is to extend the show to all DWTC halls, a vision that is set to be materialized by 2016. Some people find this vision farfetched but judging by the signs all around us, sky is the limit for SGI.
Emirates Photo Marketing Rings Success at SGI
Emirates Photo marketing reported success at SGI 2013 and they got many leads at the show, which the company thinks will materialize in the coming months. They sold a TexJet plus digital textile t-shirt printer from Polyprint. The digital textile printer was bought by Essa Al Mulla of Al Joory Graphic, Sharjah, UAE. The direct to garment inkjet printer offers automatic white mask generation, which makes it ideal for printing on dark coloured fabrics. The printer comes with pre loaded t-shirt templates and has multiple print resolution combinations. The TexJet printer has a photo quality with a maximum resolution of 1440 dpi.
Sir Alfred III Java, Sales Manager at Emirates Photo Marketing said, “The show has been quite successful for us and we were able to showcase new products to our customers through the event. There was tremendous response for our Direct Colour Systems and we sold about 8 Direct Colour System Printers to companies in the Middle East. We also sold 6 Polyprint Direct to Garment printers, about 5 SEAL Laminators, and 3 EFI Rastek H652 printers.”
He added, “We have sold a Polyprint and a DCS printer to a company in Bahrain, a Polyprint to a company in Kuwait, United Colour Film in Dubai has bought a DCS 1024 HS, Unigraf in Dubai has bought a SEAL laminator and there are over 400 leads that are we are following up.”
Tracking on the trends in the market, he said, “Customers were mostly looking for a higher ROI with lesser investment. That was our strong point because the machines that we had on offer required very less investment and are affordable by most. We received customers and visitors from UAE and other countries like Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.”
Meanwhile, Gopinath Umapathy, Marketing Manager of Emirates Photo Marketing (EPM) said, “SGI has been a great way to secure deals and to showcase our products. The show is a great tool to re-introduce our company as a solution provider that provides quality and profitable products for all digital printing companies in the Middle East.”
EPM exhibited at SGI; SEAL laminating machine 62 PRO S model and substrates, Direct Color System 1024HS small format UV printer, PolyPrint TexJet Plus direct to garment printer, Noritsu D502 Photo printer, Noritsu LED lighting system and smart visual media.
Epson Launches SureColor SC-F Series in ME
Epson considers SGI to be one of the most important exhibitions in the region and feels that it is important to participate at this show. The company had showcased for the first time in the Middle East two roll-fed dye sublimation printers: the 44 inch SureColor SC-F6000 and the 64 inch SureColor SC-F7000. Talking to ME Printer, Walid Abdulmoti, Marketing Manager of Epson said, “We had signed many deals during the show and we were able to sell SureColor SC-S30610, the SC-S50610 and the SC-S70610. The visitor turnout was also equally satisfying. We had the chance to meet with visitors from across the GCC, especially from UAE and KSA.”
He added, “The new “SC-S50610” and “SC-S70610” S Series signage printers were top-bill at SGI Middle East. A compelling package for companies with high throughput requirements, the SureColor SC-S50610 is a 64-inch (162.6cm), 4- and 5-colour (CMYK /CMYK + white) roll-fed printer that sets new performance standards in the highly competitive indoor and outdoor signage sector.”
Walid said, “Our new “SC-T5000” and “SC-T7000” T Series SureColor wide-format printers were also presented during the event. Designed to fit seamlessly into the office environment, the SC-T5000 and SC-T7000 offer fast, reliable printing on coated and non-coated media up to 36-inch (914mm) and 44-inch (1,118mm) wide, respectively. We also provided a special presentation of the Epson Stylus Pro 11880, the world’s first true high-quality wide-format printer that produces crisp colour and black and white prints up to 64 inches. We also exhibited the Epson Stylus Pro 4900, the Epson DiscProducer PP-100, and the Epson Expression XL 10000 scanner.”
According to Epson, “The mid-high volume 64-inch SureColor SC-F7000 and low-medium volume 44-inch SureColor SC-F6000 have been developed for the efficient production of quality soft signage, sportswear, apparel, accessories, customised promotional items and decorated gadgets. Innovative single-operator media loading and set-up features, such as automatic media tensioning and an intuitive LCD control panel, make both printers easy and quick to set up and use. Both models output at speeds from 16 to 57m2/hr, depending upon application, and feature an integral and easily refillable, high-capacity 1.5 litre ink system. Furthermore, the auto take-up roll – standard for SC-F7000 and optional for the SureColor SC-F6000 – allows maximum uninterrupted production runs with minimal downtime for maintenance.”
The company stated, “Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP® Print Head, which is already an established technology within the dye sublimation sector, ensures precise and repeatable performance as well as excellent longevity. These, in conjunction with Epson UltraChrome DS ink, a specially-developed new aqueous ink, produces outstanding images with vibrant colours, intense blacks, sharp contours and smooth gradations. Textile print produced by the SureColor SC-F series printers also exhibits excellent light- and wash-fastness, as well as resistance to abrasion and perspiration.”
MTC Promotes Its Heat Transfer Printing Division
Magic Trading Company promoted their heat transfer printing solutions at SGI 2013. Talking about their performance, Sina Haghi, General Manager of the company said, “Our main focus this year was to promote our heat transfer printing division in the company. Customers can access information about this division at the new website: www.heattransfer.com. Our solutions included different heat transfer machines, t-shirt transfer vinyls and different types of transfer printing papers. In addition to heat presses, we also supply inks, consumables and offer printing on various items like mug, aluminium, tile, glass, mouse pad etc.”
Mentioning about the deals signed during the show, he said, “Yes, we did sell a few heat presses during the show and customers were mainly interested to buy heat presses and some printing supplies from us.” Sina Haghi added that this time visitors were mainly from the GCC countries with a few add-ons from the African countries. Giving his opinion about SGI 2013, he said, “We think that SGI was satisfactory but I think that there is still room for improvement. We think that the bigger brands were better represented though smaller companies that had no association with any brand names didn’t participate as before.”
He added, “Like any other industry, the sign and graphic industry has also gone through technology improvements. Digital printing on many different substrates has revolutionized the industry; however it still has limitations and is expensive. As digital printing technology is improving and the production cost is decreasing, it is gaining market share rapidly.”
Masonlite Views SGI as Perfect Launch Pad
For Masonlite Sign Supplies and Equipment, SGI reaped in profits as they could sell out all the units that they had exhibited on the show. Explaining about their participation, Sunil Purushothaman, Sales Director of the company said, “SGI 2013 was a successful event for us. We got good response and managed to close some good deals. This year we focused on few products and the results were exemplary. We launched a new laser machine for acrylic guide panelling and cutting and also introduced exit signs and security system for the retail market. With the demand for solvent and eco-solvent printer’s slowing down, we went on to introduce LCD screen totems and wall mounted screens which could be operated with a flash drive. The resolution we could achieve was mind boggling and drew the attention of all the visitors and exhibitors. Furthermore we have introduced an interactive LCD for directory sign and a transparent LCD screen box for displaying the objects in it. Lastly we have introduced a full option CNC router.”
Talking about the deals signed during the show, he said, “All the units at the show were sold out on the last day and there are many more deals which will be confirmed and signed during this week. We have closed the deal of RocketJet with M/s. Aroma Advertising, Dubai. We have sold the CMA1390LG – laser machine for acrylic guide panelling to New Crystal Company in Lagos, Nigeria. We have sold the MW103 CNC router to M/s. Architectural Copy Center, Kuwait. We have been able to close the deal for the CMA1325 large format laser engraver with M/s. Shorook Neon, Qatar and M/s. Smart Progress, Kuwait. Also we have managed to sell the LCD screens to various customers from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Germany.”
Explaining their experience with SGI, he said, “I would rate SGI 2013 highly, as for us in the sign field it is the biggest and most encouraging platform. We felt that they did a good job in organizing it and wish that they will improve with every year.”
Mentioning about the trends that they picked up at the exhibition, Sunil said, “We realized that the Gulf region is anxiously looking forward to technology that would replace digital printing, neon etc. People are more conscious and aware about environment protection and the UAE Government is enforcing new laws to make our environment pollution free. The general trend is to bring in the latest technology without damaging the environment. GO GREEN IS THE SLOGAN.”
Digi Matrix Brings Unified Solutions
At SGI, Digi Matrix Technologies launched its latest 3.2m dilli UV printer that has a maximum speed of 120sqm/hr and a print resolution of 1440 dpi.
They also had the 1.6m UV dilli hybrid printer with both white and varnish options enabling it to print on all backgrounds either on rigid or roll to roll media with a 3D varnish effect finish.
CNC router fully automated with a (DCS) direct cutting system including the oscillating knife for soft materials plus the I-cut system with the camera for reading printed materials, the Automatic bending machine for channel letters for aluminium, galvanised iron, stainless steel and the end cap options, 2 laser machines CO2 one with the option of rotary system and 2heads for 130watts and another with 2 heads, one for cutting and a galvo head for engraving with 500watts.The DGI pola jet 3.2m solvent printer with a speed of 70sqm/hr and dpi up to 720 and they introduced a new vacuum forming machine with a working area of 1200X 2400, maximum height of vacuum 280mm, 4 vacuum sections and 50kw of heat.
Edith Makena, Regional Sales & Marketing Executive, Digi Matrix Technologies said to ME Printer, “We had a great response for all the machines in general because we provide the latest technology with viable industrial results. All the machines complement each other so even if for example a customer had a budget for one machine there was a positive promise for repeated sales for another one.”
Edith added, “I think SGI is developing, both in size and the technology that it offers. I could say that Digi Matrix was well in line with its growth strategy and focused more on green technology issues.”
Al Shabak Predicts Increase in Media Sales After SGI
Govind Unni, Sales Manager, Sign and Digital Print Media Division at Al Shabak General Trading said that they had showcased some of the latest products from MACtac at SGI 2013. “We introduced the latest range of MACtac products for interior design which include specialty wall covering media (Deco Satin, Deco Ivory) and structured laminates (PERMAfun). We also had in our stand the attendance of REGULUS a century old family owned company in Germany specializing in the manufacture of special coated products for the graphic industry. They presented a wide range of Backlit films, Rollup and Pop up media and special papers with outstanding colour representations.”
He added, “We also had our partner from Portgual – Endutex Europe, with their wide range of frontlit and backlit products mostly commonly used in digital printing processes-solvent, eco solvent, latex or UV inks with high resistance to weathering and excellent durability. Endutex Backlit products provide consistent image quality with uniform light transmission, UV resistance and are printable on both sides. Endutex front lit banners are fire retardant, non-tearable, weldable high frequency.”
Mentioning about the deals signed during the show, he said, “We were visited by many potential new customers and we fully utilised the opportunity to introduce our service and to diversify our product portfolio.”
Govind opined that the visitor turnout was better than previous years and they had met many customers from Africa, Oman and India. Rating their performance at SGI, he said, “SGI has always been the one and only trade show for Sign and Digital printing in this region. Sign & Graphic Imaging show is getting bigger and better by the year and is attracting high potential customers from other Gulf countries, Africa and the Indian sub continent. This year we had the presence of many machine manufacturers, who were able to seal deals during the show. The sale of machines would eventually help media manufacturers.”
Honaz Bags Over 5 Deals For Xaar Printheads
Honaz had this SGI some new product categories like the Copytrax CD/DVD printers and power tower duplicators. Talking to ME Printer about the show, Hamed Shakourbin, Managing Director of Honaz said that the show was fairly successful for them.
“As usual, we had good demand for our Xaar printheads, and we did many on-site sales. At SGI we signed more than 5 deals and they were made by customers from Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Oman and Bahrain. We have received many leads from the show and are currently following up on them.” Honaz is the exclusive dealer of Xaar printheads in the region and they think that SGI was, this time, more concentrated on the wide format printer category.
Honaz FZCO provides inkjet applications including coding and marking machines, wide format graphics and inks and spare parts to regions like the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Australia. Based in Dubai, the company is the exclusive distributor for Xaar printheads, Roadrunner wide format printers, Maplejet high resolution piezo inkjet coding and marking printers and Copytrax digital industrial inkjet printers.
They also offer a range of Honaz inks for wide format printers and the Copytrax CD/DVD printer.
Intec Expands Reach in GCC
Intec Printing Solutions Limited, manufacturer and distributor of heavy stock colour digital printing systems had a successful participation at SGI 2013. Teaming up with ME Printer, they were involved in printing the show daily during the three days of the show. The Intec brand is owned and distributed by Intec Printing Solutions Limited globally via a network of authorised partners. They are also the distributor of Glunz & Jensen range of Plate Writers in the UK and Ireland. In Middle East the company is represented by Altech International.
The company offers solutions for multimedia systems, booklet making high productivity systems, large format systems, envelope printing, label printing, software solutions and metal CtP’s. The micro thin wood technology designed for the Intec heavy stock printers can do bookmarks, menus, awards, business cards, covers, packaging, green promotions and invitations. The wood veneer developed by India based Nissiwood Veneers is 0.45 mm and 0.6mm thick sheets and can be used across the Intec range.
“This fabulous product has been specially developed for use with the Intec multi-purpose tray or in conjunction with the Intec range of input and output devices,” explained Terri Winstanley, Head of Marketing at Intec Printing Solutions Limited. He added, “Now rather than handing out a traditional business card, why not give a wooden one? It’s sure to create a lasting impression for the person you give it to.”
HP Is Upbeat About High Demand For Latex Printers
Miguel Asensio
EMEA Sales Director, LF Sign & Display Production, PPS Graphics Solutions Business
Miguel Asensio (EMEA Sales Director, LF Sign & Display Production, PPS Graphics Solutions Business) of HP says. “We are planning to increase our level of activities in this region. Viewing the demand for LFP products, HP had decided to set up a special sales force to boost the market activity in the region. Latex has been quite successful in the Middle East region and it is the market leader now.”
Talking about the emerging competition in latex based technology, Miguel said, “Latex technology is very environment friendly and when compared to solvent printers, it emits no VOCs. HP is constantly working to improve its products. We had developed latex 5 years back and are aware that more and more players are today in the market offering latex.”
Miguel added that in the coming years they would be developing latex technology based on parameters like speed, size, print quality and cost effectiveness. Talking about SGI, he said, “I was indeed surprised to see the size and scale of SGI. So far we have met many customers and partners from the region.”
Fujifilm Sees More Interest For High End Products
Enis Kraeim
Regional Sales Manager For Graphic Systems
Fujifilm
Enis Kraeim, Fujifilm’s regional sales manager for graphic systems is upbeat about the number of potential customers who visited the stand. “During the first day we were able to sell our flagship Acuity LED 1600 UV inkjet printer to a Saudi Company Newtech. Also we were surprised to see a group of Kuwaiti customers and visitors from KSA,” Comments Enis.
Although Fujifilm is a major ink producer but Enis says the company’s main focus in SGI is to sell machines. “Our main focus in the exhibition is to promote our machinery. During 2008 and 2009 we were focusing a lot on third party inks but not anymore.” explains Enis.
Enis also sees good potential for Onset printers that are becoming more and more popular. Fujifilm already sold one to caravan industries in Saudi and Enis maintains that there are more interest from printers in the region. “Onset printer is targeted for high volume print market. Next month, we will start negotiation with two of our customers in the region who are willing to invest in Onset S40i and Onset S20i,” concludes Enis.
CANON Says It’s Just Not About Being Green
Yuichi Miyano
Director, LFP Solutions
Canon Europe Ltd
Yuichi Miyano, Director, LFP Solutions of Canon Europe Ltd says being eco-friendly is an important aspect of Canon but its products carry much more attributes with it. “It’s not just about being green, but our products speak well in terms of productivity, usefulness, speed and profitability.”
Canon, which has been using bubble-jet technology in its printers together with Océ, brings in a host of solutions to the LFP and CAD market. “We complement each other in bringing out a whole range of solutions to our customers. Be it LFP or UV printers, we have the solution.”
At SGI, Canon is up with some new technologies like ‘Calibration Link’ in the Spectrophotometer, which can deliver centralized colour control and manage multiple printers from multiple locations. The Spectrophotometer can streamline colour management for one or several devices, including printing colour patches, dying and colour measurement. Using the technology, customers can now print verification labels that shows colour accuracy.” The company displayed different LFP products and the newly launched CAD as well the GS models, such as, the iPF760, iPF765, iPF6450 and iPF8400.
Copatra Graphics Looks Beyond Saudi Market
Yasser Anan
CEO
Copatra Graphics
Copatra Graphics during the SGI exhibition signed a deal with Korean wide format printer manufacturer, DGI, to represent them in the GCC. The company also represents Agfa LFP range of products in KSA.
Yasser Anan, Company’s CEO says that Copatra Graphics is now looking forward to expand to other countries in GCC. “We have been quite successful in Saudi Arabia market, so the new management decided to capitalize on this successful experience and expand to neighbouring countries. We have been assigned as DGI distributor in GCC except UAE. We are also the agent of Agfa’s Jeti line of printers in KSA. Saudi is the biggest market in the region however other countries such as Qatar and UAE are also very dynamic and lucrative.”
Copatra has been a regular exhibitor during the last 10 years and according to Anan many customers wait until SGI to announce their final decision, in terms of purchasing new equipment. “We have all the elements to offer top notch services to our customers. We have spare parts stock as well as trained engineers who can assist our customers 24/7. This is our strength.”
AGFA Aims To Offer A Combination On New Products
Kristof Van Cleemput
Channel Development Manager, Direct Export
AGFA
For AGFA, SGI proved quite successful as they could meet up a lot of customers and sign some major deals, while being at the event. Kristof Van Cleemput, Channel Development Manager, Direct Export of AGFA said that they had sold their: Jeti 3020 Titan to a company in Qatar during SGI 2013.
Talking about their future plans, Kristof said, “We have big plans for future. But first we need to adapt business concepts that are beneficial for us and for our customers as well. We have a nice portfolio of products, and for the future we aim to have a nice combination between pre-press, press and digital.”
Giving his opinion about the show, he said, “Yes we think that the show is a great platform for us. Here we have been showing the Jeti 3020 Titan UV inkjet printer with flat to roll option, Jeti 3324 Solvent Roll to Roll printer. Jeti 3324 is also available in a 300 dpi 4 colour model and we are also introducing the Anapurna M2050 wide format inkjet printer that’s suited for indoor and outdoor applications.”
MIMAKI Joins Latex Bandwagon
Mike Horsten
Marketing Manager, EMEA Region
Mimaki
The Mimaki stand featured a lot of new ‘things’ at this season of SGI. It included new faces, new products as well as new technologies. Mike Horsten, Marketing Manager, EMEA region of Mimaki explained the reason, “Now the Middle East and Africa region is under the charge of Mimaki Europe; that’s the reason why you see a lot of new faces in our booth.”
Talking about the exhibits that they have bought on the show, Mike said, “We have the UJF-6042 UV flatbed printer, which can print up to 1800 x 1800 dpi and is 30 times faster than its predecessor. Then we have our latex based printers, namely the JV400-130 LX and JV400-160LX, which has the world’s first white latex. We had introduced the latex machine, last FESPA and we had started shipping it from last November. Our latex technology is quite different from what others offer.”
Sharing his experience of being at SGI, he said, “This is my first visit to Dubai and I think SGI is a fantastic show.”
EFI Renewed Partnership with Saga Digital
Paul Cripps
Managing Director And Vice President Of Sales For EMEA Region
EFI
EFI chose SGI as a platform to announce its partnership with Saga Digital, which was established by Abdullah Ghalayini a veteran in wide format printing industry and Mehdi Berrada Baby, also an expert in LFP market. Saga Digital will represent EFI in the GCC market. EFI’s top management including James Mellor, regional sales development manager for the Middle East and Paul Cripps, managing director and vice president of sales for EMEA region were also present at the show. Paul Cripps believes that for EFI exhibition is more of social event than anything else.
“We are using this show as a platform to announce our renewed partnership with Abdullah, Mehdi and their expert team who are now operating under Saga Digital in this region. I believe nowadays buyers are more educated and they will not be easily impressed. There are a lot of details that they would like to explore prior to purchasing. On the other hand in good old days we only had two machines; now we have a line-up of 10 different models. That’s why we have bought samples and videos to the show.”
