Fujifilm Graphic Communications South Africa has appointed Papercor as the sole distributor of their litho printing plates. The new distribution agreement has been effective since 1 April.
Grant Potgieter, general manager of Fujifilm Graphic Communications Division, said, ‘Papercor are a proven paper distributor in the Southern African market. Over the last two years that Papercor have been distributing Fujifilm plates, they have become our largest reseller and customer.’
‘Due to Papercor’s well established footprint in the commercial print segment, and their proven excellence as a Fujifilm plate dealer, they became the obvious choice when appointing a sole distributor of our litho plates.’
Fujifilm will continue to supply litho plates to the South African market through its sole distributor, Papercor.
‘We have seen an upward trend and shift towards our Superia ZX processless plates over the last couple of years, and these processless plates have been well accepted by our Southern African customers. We anticipate this trend to continue over the coming years.’
‘Albeit there has been a gradual decline in the litho printing plate segment globally, we have not seen this same ratio of decline in the Southern African market to date. There has, however, been a strong shift away from violet and thermal technology to processless technology.’
‘We believe there is a strong future ahead for the commercial print segment, and while litho equipment continues to be sold in the commercial print segment, we will continue to supply our premium plates to the market to support our customer’s needs.’
Raymond Blake, managing director of Papercor, emphasised that the company will have the full range available, ‘Chemistry plates will eventually be phased out as world technologies and print factories evolve. Fujifilm Superia ZX Processless Plates are the leaders in plate technology and are striving to remain the future of litho plate technology. Should we look to announce any improvements or additions to the range we will ensure timeous communication with our market.’
He added that printers are under pressure to reduce costs per sheet, improve uptime, reduce chemistry use and ultimately simplify operations as margins are tightening, ‘This is particularly true in South Africa where print businesses are dealing with exchange rate volatility, shipping delays, higher energy and utility costs and very importantly environmental compliance pressures.’
These pressures have driven a few major plate technology trends:
– The move toward processless / chemistry-free plates: this is probably the strongest global trend. Fujifilm has invested heavily here with its SUPERIA ZX processless plate.
– Automation and reduced touchpoints: printers want fewer manual interventions, shift to auto loading, faster imaging and remote diagnostics.
– Higher consistency and longer run stability: commercial clients are increasingly demanding colour repeatability, faster makeready, tight registrations and lower spoilages. Thermal plate technology dominates here because of superior imaging stability, better dot reproduction and higher repeatability versus older violet systems.
Fujifilm’s thermal technology remains highly respected globally because of the strong scratch resistance, reliable run lengths and consistent press start up behaviour. This matters for South African printers doing retail insert work, packaging, educational textbooks runs and corporate commercial litho where reruns and colour disputes become expensive very quickly.
– Sustainability is now commercial, not just environmental: globally sustainability has shifted from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a procurement requirement. Fujifilm’s processless strategy aligns directly with this trend by demonstrating measurable reductions in namely, developer chemistry, effluent waste, plate-room energy use and actual consumables stockholding. For South Africa this has now also become a procurement differentiator. Papercor Johannesburg is also a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) site.
‘For the South African market, Fujifilm plates are positioned well based on supply reliability, technical support, press compatibility, as well as return on investment versus chemical-based alternatives. With Papercor being appointed as the sole distributor of Fujifilm plates, it offers the local market consistent stockholding and faster troubleshooting.
‘Reliability often outweighs a slightly lower plate purchase price. The bottom line is we believe the market is not necessarily asking for ‘cheaper plates’, it is asking for less chemistry, less downtime, less waste, more automation, better consistency, and lower total operating costs. Fujifilm plates, namely its SUPERIA ZX Processles plate and eco system, is very aligned with where the South African market is heading over the next 3-5 years.’
FUJIFILM SOUTH AFRICA
+27 11 430 5400
https://www.fujifilmgraphicsystems.co.za/
PAPERCOR HOLDINGS
+27 11 613 7990
www.papercor.co.za
