HP today announced that one of its fastest-growing digital press customers in Asia, Wing Hung Group, will install the world’s first HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press, a B2-format (750 x 340 millimeters (mm) / 29.5 x 20.9 inches) sheet-fed press offering new applications and greater productivity for print service providers (PSPs).

Wing Hung, headquartered in Hong Kong, will install the press in its Dongguan, China, facility in late 2012, becoming the first beta user of the new platform of larger, B2-format presses HP is introducing at the drupa tradeshow, May 3-16 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“We treasure this opportunity to be the first beta site for the HP Indigo 10000, as well as the trust and respect being given to us,” said John Lau, chairman, Wing Hung Group. “Having the B2-format size opens up many more opportunities for us in terms of efficiencies and new jobs that presently cannot be produced on digital presses.”

Benefitting from HP Indigo presses’ proven advantages
Wing Hung’s agreement to install the press follows a rapid transition into digital printing with HP Indigo technology. The company provides specialty packaging solutions, including rigid and folding boxes, insert cards, special edition packaging, personalized photo products, high-end greeting and scented cards.

To make its supply chain offerings more efficient, Wing Hung installed two HP Indigo digital presses in 2009. Over three years, the company has installed six more, including the first HP Indigo 7500 Digital Presses in Asia.

HP Indigo technology enables Wing Hung to better align with its clients’ digital inventory and supply chain systems for smarter inventory control. The new HP Indigo 10000 matches the common B2-format on many of Wing Hung’s analog, offset presses, enabling quick re-routing of jobs from offset to digital production for fast turnaround on urgent jobs.

With approximately twice the productivity of current HP Indigo press models, the HP Indigo 10000, also will help Wing Hung use digital printing for more applications.

Moving more print jobs to HP Indigo digital solutions meets several of Wing Hung’s supply chain challenges:

Decreases labor and costs by eliminating pre-press make-ready time;

Saves money on warehousing and shipping by printing on demand; 

Reduces environmental impact and costs associated with offset make-ready waste and the disposal of printed, warehoused products that become obsolete before they are used.

“With the HP Indigo 10000 installation, Wing Hung ushers in a new category of higher-volume digital printing that addresses its customers’ need for innovation in brand marketing,” said Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, Indigo division, HP. “Wing Hung’s rapid adoption of HP Indigo mirrors what we see across Asia as progressive businesses use premium-quality, HP Indigo digital printing to improve cost efficiency, turnaround time and relevancy over mass-produced, offset production.”

Graphic arts professionals in the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region are adopting HP Indigo solutions at new, record rates. HP Indigo pages printed in the region grew 37% in 2011 compared with 2010. Packaging applications represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the HP Indigo business in APJ. Asia-based product manufacturers are driving this growth as they look to HP Indigo-equipped packaging suppliers to simplify their supply chains without sacrificing image quality.

HP Indigo quality in a B2-format size
Shown publicly for the first time at drupa, the 10000 model is the first B2-format HP Indigo digital press. Available in early 2013, the press prints up to 3,450 sheets per hour in four colors, and up to 4,600 sheets per hour in Enhanced Productivity Mode.

The HP Indigo 10000 also combines offset-matching print quality with up to seven-color printing and duplex and substrate flexibility. Printing on more than 2,500 media currently certified for use on HP Indigo sheet-fed presses, the 10000 model is ideal for many high-quality applications, including commercial printing, photo merchandise, publishing and direct mail.

More information about the press and HP’s entire portfolio of digital solutions at drupa is available at www.hp.com/go/HPdrupa12, www.hp.com/go/drupa, and through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts and YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts. Join or follow the conversation using the #HPdrupa hashtag.