GPS holds a successful dealers' meeting

By Ratanaporn B. Jakobsen

On February 4, 2010, about 20 graphic arts dealers from more than 12 European countries gathered in Mijdrecht/Amsterdam (the Netherlands) at the invitation of GPS (part of the Wifac Group) for a successful dealers' meeting.
 

CEO Piet de Haas opened the event with welcoming remarks. The focus of the meeting was GPS' proposition to European dealers and to the printing industry: you can increase your profitability using the CTP system made by the Chinese firm Cron and GPS' "Xtreme" branded offset plates. GPS, as distributor, is offering dealers and their customers a unique opportunity: the availability of cost-effective "made in China" products with European quality and reliability - a combination that was never available previously. A bundle of activities and services have been undertaken to assure that GPS' products meet today's quality expectations.

These were laid out for the attendees
by Wim Plaggenburg of GPS:
GPS' own representatives in China are handling supplier selection, contacts, and clarifications in person, on site. - GPS' internal controls ensure the consistent quality of the GPS Xtreme plates.

GPS has its own warehouse, just 30 minutes from the Amersterdam-Schiphol airport, where the standard offset plate sizes are kept in stock. - Since an in-house plate-cutter is available, non-standard formats can be distributed via GPS logistics according to forecast requirements.

GPS logistics and technical support can assist dealers with the installation and operation of the Cron

CTP system and Xtreme plates - even at the customer site, if desired.

The charming Rebecca Hao is responsible for making sure GPS maintains good contact with suppliers on site in China. She provided the dealers at the event with a sense of the rise of China as a business force, and of the country's CTP and plate production. Ms. Hao was available to the participants throughout the day for questions and additional discussion.

The CTP system, based on technology which Cron developed and patented itself, is available in formats from 50x70 cm (the TP33 model) up to 70x100 cm (the TP46 model) in manual, semi-automatic, and automatic versions. For each model, there are three speed options as well as a newspaper version. A particularly noteworthy feature is that this made-in-China CTP system is available configured for use with either the proven thermal plate technology or the more economical and robust conventional UV plates.

Cron's Highwater subsidiary in England handles the technical preparation of the machines and their customerspecific configuration, as well as supplying replacement parts within 24 hours. This was explained at the Mijdrecht event by Peter Flynn, Highwater's head of sales. He also confirmed that the documentation for the CTP equipment (including service manuals) was available in English, and that the machines could be remotely serviced. And, as two of the dealers at the meeting reported, the Cron CTP systems have already been successfully used at customer sites for several months. Among the satisfied Cron customers are small and midsize companies, as well as one very large one.

These include customers who already have experience with CTP. So far, about 30 companies in Europe have chosen CTP systems made in China. Soon, GPS will also have an inhouse demo machine from Cron.

Chinese printing plates with European reliability
Cees Hoogeboom, Technical Support Manager for GPS, presented the company's line of plates in detail. The plates sold under the "Xtreme" brand have been carefully selected and are subjected to on-going quality control by GPS.

The Xtreme line consists of four products so far:
- A conventional positive and a conventional negative plate (designated by the codes "EC" and "CC", respectively)
- A high-quality thermal offset plate (code TC)
- A violet plate for newspaper use (code VC) which is being tested for use in commercial printing

GPS is currently preparing plates for UV CTP. The positive plate is practically ready; the negative plate is still being worked on. In the future, additional plates under the Xtreme brand can be anticipated, probably including a chemistry-free plate.

All Xtreme plates share GPS' careful selection and on-going quality monitoring, the security of the GPS infrastructure, and GPS' warehouse and logistics in the center of Europe - but with a price/performance ratio that typical suppliers can't match. For each of the plates, GPS offers its own proven plate chemistry, but it also has comprehensive information about the potential for using generally-available chemistry from other sources. Cees Hoogeboom provided an overview of this information at the meeting. He also covered the principles of installing CTP devices and presented the technical details of the Xtreme printing plates.

The concluding presentations covered other GPS products, such as DuPont Cromanet and Epson proofing materials, inks from Brigal and Son, and an overview of future GPS products (new plates, a digital label-printing system, and a low-cost processor line). That was followed by a tour of the warehouse and logistics areas, after which Cees Hoogeboom and Patrick Petra (also from GPS) showed the international visitors the impeccable printing that resulted from the use of Xtreme thermal plates, imaged with AM and FM screening, developed with GPS chemistry, and printed live on a KBA Rapida 75 using Brigal inks. They also were shown the capabilities of the GPS demo facility.

At the end of the day, the European dealers left the GPS facility satisfied and well-informed. Here is what they had learned: With the offerings of GPS, CTP made in China and delivered from the Netherlands - whether in the form of Cron CTP systems or Xtreme plates - has taken a major step forward in the European market. Cost-effective CTP systems and plates from China, the rising force in the business world, but delivered to European standards - that is the message of this dealer event and of GPS' product line.

Article No. 21008

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