Nottingham-based specialist distributor ArtSystems has enjoyed a buoyant 2015 and has plenty of irons in the fire for an even better 2016, says Ted Freer, Sales Divisional Manager.
He says: Looking back over the last twelve months, our policy of researching our marketplaces and concentrating on only bringing the best developments into our portfolio has really paid dividends for us, our resellers and their customers. There have been too many innovations over the past year to list here, so I would like to highlight some of our key successes.
MakerBot 3D Printing
ArtSystems has been appointed as UK distributor for the incredible range of desk-top 3D printers, MakerBot. Established in New York in 2009, MakerBot, under its parent company Stratasys, has set the benchmark for high-quality, precision printing at a real entry-level price. Take-up has been tremendous and, thanks to the level of interest, sales enjoyed a real flying start.
Distributing such exciting new technology has meant taking on new resellers and investigating lucrative business sectors that had previously been unknown to us. These printers have proved ideal for not only professional prototyping and model making but also the graphics sector, healthcare, education and the domestic market. To meet demand we have appointed two 3D specialists to our team. Will Glass will be handling 3D sales with the support of Daniel Green.
Colortrac SmartLF Scan!
No conversation about changes to our product portfolio in 2015 would be complete without mentioning the latest innovation from Colortrac, the portable large format scanner, Colortrac SmartLF Scan! Completely portable, very light, and stored in their own robust wheeled cases, the two versions of the Colortrac SmartLF Scan! revolutionise the way people work in the same way as the mobile phone changed the face of business in the 1990s.
Instead of bringing work to the scanner an operative can now take the scanner to the job. Thanks to the new scanners’ built-in 6GB memory operators can work wherever the job takes them, even without access to a computer. With a scanning width of either 610mm or 914mm the two scanners in the range weigh just 5.2kg and 7kg and yet have all the facilities a modern operator would expect.
Wireless or Ethernet connection mean scans can be saved directly to the PC or the Cloud when in the office, or to a USB memory card when on site. Low cost and intuitively easy to use the SmartLF Scan! systems are a great way to speed up production and add an extra level to any operator’s service levels. If you have a printer you need a scanner, and that means the SmartLF Scan! series.
Open days, Xativa Media success and looking forward to 2016
We invited Neschen media users to a busy masterclass demonstration day, offering an exclusive opportunity for attendees to see how the HP Latex 300 series and the grand format Latex 3100 system is creating exciting possibilities across the entire decorative application sector, especially the fast trending arena of wall, floor and window graphics. The day was a great success and really demonstrated how Neschen media such as Décor works perfectly with the latest HP Latex technology to provide a great finish across a whole gamut of applications.
Visitors were also shown the capabilities of the HP Scitex FB550/750 UV printers with rigid substrates. The importance of print finishing and workflow was highlighted using Summa flatbed cutters and Onyx RIPs. Visitor response was extremely positive. People told us the applications they saw would really help drive their business forward and that when they left they took with them the core message of the day – it’s not enough just to offer the same old sign making services year on year. Expand your skill set and you open up a world of brand new business opportunities.
Our popular own brand media catalogue of art papers, films and textiles, Xativa, continues to see above market growth. This is partly due to its high quality and affordability but is also thanks to the availability of our discreet X-Label programme that enables resellers to send Xativa out under their own brand name at absolutely no cost.
X-label is a print on-demand labelling system, which means we can offer direct shipping to our resellers’ clients their branding from despatch note to product box. It helps avoid confusion and reinforces the end-user/reseller relationship. One more example of how Artsystems’ policy of support and service directly impacts our business partners’ success.
In conclusion, the new year will find ArtSystems presenting new products, attending new shows and exploring new markets. HP is planning to launch several new products next year in both the sign and display and 3D sectors − creating a host of new business opportunities for both ourselves and our clients.
New shows for ArtSystems will include the BETT education technology show at ExCeL, London, from 20-23 January 2016. BETT will see us leading with the MakerBot 3D printers while also supporting a number of our other resellers at the show. ArtSystems will be posting further news about other shows featuring 3D solution we shall be attending as the year progresses.
