Business News
IPEX 2010 – THE FIRST STEP TO A PROFITABLE FUTURE
Monday 24. May 2010 - For the eighth time, the cosmopolitan city of Birmingham is hosting the international Ipex 2010 exhibition which takes place from 18thth May 2010 at The NEC, Birmingham, UK. With over 1,000 exhibiting companies from over 40 countries, who among them will occupy an impressive gross floorspace of 100,000 square metres throughout 11 adjoining exhibition halls, Ipex 2010 provides a spectacular showcase of the best in printing equipment, workflow and consumables.
Trevor Crawford, Ipex 2010 Event Director says, “Visitors can see major technology advances with exhibiting companies committed to demonstrating working machinery on the showfloor. Ipex demonstrates a vibrant and innovative industry that continues to play a central role in todays communications landscape.
“The event presents print service providers with a rare opportunity to efficiently meet all key suppliers from the prepress, digital, offset, post-press as well as packaging, converting and publishing sector. The new technologies and applications will help printers to understand how they can grow their business to continue to prosper in future.”
Visitors to Ipex will be the first to witness a number of innovative new hardware, software and consumables. Suppliers are set to inspire crowds with the latest developments spanning the whole pre-press, printing and finishing spectrum. A comprehensive list of new product launches at Ipex can be found on the Ipex website www.ipex.org/new
For the first time, the digital footprint has occupied the largest floorspace with almost 40% of space being dedicated to pre-press and digital solutions suppliers, whilst press manufacturers and post-press companies will occupy around 36% and 26% of the exhibition respectively.
HP has increased its footprint by 50% to almost 3,000m2 and is therefore the largest stand holder at Ipex, followed by Heidelberg with 2,448m2, Canon and Xerox both with 1980m2; Fuji with 1,675m2; Kodak 1,521m2; Friedheim with 1,476m2; Ricoh with 1,432m2 ; Konica Minolta with 1,088m2 and Océ with 1,050 m2.
Over a third of the exhibitor base has never participated at the event, demonstrating how Ipex continues to evolve and attract new companies and reflecting the status of Ipex as an international launch pad to the graphic arts industry. The majority of these companies can be found in the digital and pre-press areas. For example, printing solutions provider Ricoh will be a prime stand holder for the first time.
The number of Chinese manufacturers exhibiting at Ipex has also rocketed in 2010, demonstrating the overall growth of their international graphic arts offerings and highlighting the importance of Ipex as the number one global graphic arts exhibition this year. More than 65 companies from China are exhibiting at Ipex, an increase of 110% compared to 2006.
To provide easier navigation, Ipex 2010 is being held in 11 adjoining halls for the first time. The new horseshoe footprint, occupying the newer halls around the Atrium, which is accessible via one main approach into the Atrium provides a logical layout for visitors by mirroring the print production workflow from Creation & Design/Pre-Press and Digital Solutions (7; 9 – 12); Output/Presses (6- 8; 20); Post-press Systems & Finishing Equipment (18 – 19) as well as Packaging & Converting (17-20).
Visitors with an interest in used printing machinery should include a visit to UPEX (Hall 17) where they can find over 60 specialist dealers keen to buy and sell all kind of used printing, finishing and ancillary equipment.
“Historically, Ipex is the arena in which printing industry suppliers unveil new products and technologies to the marketplace, reinforcing both the ever-increasing pace of technological advances and Ipexs important standing within the global exhibition calendar”, continues Trevor Crawford.
All final floor plans showing the hall configuration is available from the Ipex website: www.ipex.org/floorplans. From exhibition lists, company details, floorplans, and news about all the features at Ipex, the Ipex website contains everything that visitors need to know about the event.