What I want to share with you today is Xeikon's experience in digital printing and our vision for digital printing. I don’t want to over-promote our Xeikon company in today’s presentation. But to make everyone better understand that our view of digital printing is based on years of rich experience and a solid and reliable view, I will briefly introduce Xeikon here. development path.
In fact, we have more than 10 years of rich experience in digital printing. We began developing color digital printers in 1989. In 1993, we demonstrated our first color digital printer at lpex. At the 1997 Imprinta exhibition we also launched the world’s first and largest 82-format color digital press in the world market to date. In 1999, we acquired the French Nipsen company and entered the black and white digital printing field. In 2000 we purchased Agfa's Digital Printing Systems Division. Last year, we also signed an OEM agent station with Man Roland (MAN Ro Old nd), and now OEM companies like Manroland and Old M sell their Xelkon products under their own brands.
To date, we have sold more than 2,200 Xekon color digital printers and more than 4,000 black and white digital presses worldwide. Through this figure, we can rightly say that Xelkon is the leader of professional high-productivity digital printing in today's world.
Xekon color digital printers use electronic imaging technology and dry toners for both web and sheetfed printers. Our color digital printers print much faster than other similar products. Use our web presses to print unlimited lengths You can even print unlimited lengths of monolithic banners if you need them. Our black curved digital presses use magnetic imaging technology to print fastest in black and white digital presses using dry toner in today's world.
I would like to explain here that when Xeikon talks about digital printing, we refer to specialized, high-productivity digital presses designed to meet the demand for high-volume, high-quality digital printing. It does not refer to small copier-type printers that are used occasionally. Our presses are best suited to customers who print very high volumes in those months.
Our headquarters in Möhselele, Belgium, is right next to the famous city of diamonds, Ntrepro. In the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, South America, Hong Kong and Malaysia all have our branches and offices. In addition, we have a strong sales network of VAD direct agents worldwide. Unlike OEM dealers, our VAD agents sell our machines under the Xeikon brand.
The above is my brief introduction to Xeikon. As I said earlier, I have shortened this section as much as possible. However, in order to make my speech more fulfilling, I have to introduce the overall situation of digital printing.
First of all, I want to talk about the value of digital printing. Some forecasts show that the number of print on demand in 2003 will increase from 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 30 billion U.S. dollars. However, there are several reasons why it is difficult for us to believe the accuracy of these numbers. The first of these numbers does not separate the use of digital printers such as Xeikon's high-efficiency vehicles from products printed on small office printers. The second guess is based on the supply situation of the printing press rather than the printing demand.
However, the United States digital printing consultant Mark W. Wilhelm has recently started a survey to speculate on the prospects for printing requirements. After conducting a thorough investigation of many entities in more than 90 industries that purchased and used printed products, he found that digital publications and commercial printing grew from $7 billion in 1997 to $11.4 billion in 2000, a growth rate of 63%. .
And it is worth mentioning that these data do not include desktop printers, small office printers, large-scale painting and bill printing.
Fleming emphasized that this result "is more conservative than the supplier's speculation but is closer to real data". The fact that these figures are either conservative or not conservative, or that they have grown by 63% in only three years is very encouraging, especially during the period when customers are completely lost and can achieve such a high growth rate. It's been exciting to me.
Publicly speaking, I believe that digital printing has not benefited from excessive exaggeration and unrealistic propaganda from certain businesses and groups. Instead, it has caused printers to lose their way. At this point, I don’t want to go deeper. It’s just that some digital press suppliers describe the future of printers who have not planned to purchase digital presses in the near term as the “apocalyptic†doomsday as if they were right away. The digital age trains to be rolled are crushed to the same extent. This intimidating propaganda can only have the opposite effect.
Fortunately, we seem to have crossed this period of over-hyperprofessional digital printing. We are entering a digital printing machine supplier who fights against each other and destroys it. Although this will cause some market chaos, at least it will cause confusion but at least People pay attention to digital printing.
There is no doubt that industry must take the road of digitization and the growth rate of generations shows that this has begun. On this eve, Fleming predicts that digital printing in 2000 will account for 12% of the market share in publishing and commercial printing, and that digital printing in 2005 will grow at a rate of 12% per year. This will be 3% of the growth rate of offset printing machines. Times.
I think whether printers understand the status of the printing industry in the new environment of technology is the decisive factor in determining whether they are willing to invest in digital printing.
It is well-known that all the technologies in the new technology environment are connected and interoperable. And connecting these new technologies together is "digital technology."
If the traditional printing industry is to be in line with this new technology revolution, then the use of professional and efficient digital presses becomes the only way. (To be continued)