Oosterhout – From 13 to 15 October, the RAI in Amsterdam was home to the annual IFRA expo & conference. The trade fair saw the joint presentation by Q.I. Press Controls and EAE of their IDS-3D: the innovative, all-in-one, fully automatic image-based colour density and register system for web offset presses, which can also detect printing errors. The success achieved during the show can be only described as overwhelming. Jaco Bleijenberg, International Director of Sales & Marketing at Q.I. Press Controls & EAE: “This is the best IFRA ever for Q.I. Press Controls”

High levels of interest

Many existing customers, potential customers and other interested parties visited the joint stand of Q.I. Press Controls and EAE. From the very first morning on which the RAI opened its doors, the stand received a constant stream of visitors and the exhibition team witnessed at first hand the high level of interest in its products and the partnership between the two organisations. Rarely have so many interesting conversations taken place on the first day of a trade show for both organisations. Not only did the IDS-3D and the collaboration between Q.I. Press Controls and EAE provide major talking points, the salesteam also took millions of euros in orders, and Q.I. Press Controls gave a sneak preview of another innovative new product for the printing industry in the wake of a new joint venture with German-based company, Intro International GmbH.

Launch of IDS-3D

In this age of digitisation, printing plants continue the search for new tools to raise productivity levels even further. So it comes as no surprise that interest in the products of Q.I. Press Controls and EAE is buoyant. The introduction of the IDS-3D on the stand drew attention from many quarters. Visitors responded positively to the new system. Likewise, the product was also launched away from the exhibition area: a large number of customers attended the official installation of the IDS-3D at De Telegraaf and more than 150 guests were given a canal cruise through Amsterdam ending at De Persgroep plant, where a demonstration of the IDS-3D was given while enjoying a drink.

Q.I. Press Controls and EAE partners at the IFRA

During the IFRA, Q.I. Press Controls and EAE presented themselves as fully fledged partners who are together responsible for new innovations. Q.I. Press Controls acquired the German-based organisation earlier this year. EAE is the number one specialist for printing press control and automation. The takeover is “confirmation of our commitment to the printing industry”, according to Erik van Holten, Managing Director of Q.I. Press Controls. The acquisition enables Q.I. Press Controls to offer a wider range of products and meet the requirements of the industry more effectively and comprehensively. 

EAE has been acquired to facilitate further development. Visitors to the exhibition were treated to another new concept developed by the two organisations: an innovative control desk which gives printing operators all sorts of handy new features. The desk, together with the IDS-3D, are the precursors of a new and fruitful cooperation between Q.I. Press Controls and EAE in meeting the challenges of the future. 

Orders

Q.I. Press Controls took over four million euros (!) in orders during the IFRA. Existing and new customers include businesses from the UK, India, Germany, Austria and Denmark. Happily, EAE can relate that the team received several large orders, amounting to one million euros. Werner Ringel, Managing Director of EAE is particularly pleased about the popularity of EAE’s Press Retrofit: “Demand for EAE’s Retrofit with external systems, continues to be strong and is helping to consolidate our strategy.” An EAE Retrofit can prolong the lifespan of a press by 5 to 10 years and is therefore an economically effective alternative to a new investment. By optimising the concept of external press control and expanding the service package, EAE anticipates being in an even better position to respond to this demand from the market.

EAE’s orders have been received from a number of different countries. In addition, the first joint order for Q.I. Press Controls and EAE has come from India, where Q.I. Press Controls is supplying the colour register to five towers and EAE a system upgrade. The joint order is seen as one of the first rewards to be reaped from the collaboration between the two organisations.

The general conclusion is that the Word Publishing Expo 2014 was a huge success for Q.I. Press Controls and EAE. In the future, Q.I. Press Controls and EAE will be developing products which respond to the changing requirements of the printing industry through an ongoing process of innovation and by bringing new quality raising products to the market. Menno Jansen, Managing Director of Q.I. Press Controls, gives his short and simple conclusion to the success of the fair: “It’s business as usual!”