Xeikon increases focus on Latin America

Xeikon recently hosted a meeting of its Southern Cone distributors in Buenos Aires, Argentina. James Quirk reports

Digital press manufacturer Xeikon has appointed a distributor in Argentina – Buenos Aires-based Automación Gráfica – in a move reflective of the company’s increasing focus on the Latin American market.

Automación Gráfica joins Jetrix (Mexico), PTC Graphic Systems (Brazil), GSI (Colombia and Peru), and Davis Graphics (Chile) as distributors recruited by Xeikon in the last two years.

The company has also made a series of internal appointments to create a team dedicated to the Latin America market. A year ago, Patrick Pittoors was appointed as sales and channel manager for Latin America, and Jos Kabouw – based in Santiago, Chile – now leads a team of four service engineers scattered throughout the region in Chile, Mexico and Brazil. 

As well as Xeikon’s digital press range, the engineers are servicing the company’s other products including ThermoFlexX CtP flexo systems and finishing equipment.

The company recently hosted a meeting of its Southern Cone distributors – Automácion Gráfica, Davis Graphics and PTC Graphic Systems – in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In attendance were Filip Weymans, Patrick Pittoors and Jos Kabouw of Xeikon; Marco Araujo of PTC Graphic Systems; Gustavo Mazzini and German Calvo of Automación Gráfica; and Felipe Arias, Rodrigo Machado and Juan Fischer of Davis Graphics.

‘It is important to have a local presence in the market, with local technicians who are in place before a sale is made. It means we can quickly follow up with expert technical support and shows our commitment to the region,’ said Patrick Pittoors.

‘Our recent acquisition CtP technology, today known as ThermoFlexX, allows us to provide a more complete offering to the market,’ said Filip Weymans, business development manager, labels and packaging, Xeikon. ‘It also shows our faith in flexo and the printing industry as a whole. We believe in flexo’s compatibility with digital technology, and we can help converters to make the transition.’

Upcoming installations

During the meeting, Xeikon revealed a number of recent orders in the region. In Chile, Faret has purchased a Xeikon 3050 with finishing equipment for folding carton production; while in Brazil, Recife-based Rendaplast has ordered a Xeikon 3500 for production of heat transfer labels for plastic containers. The installations are set to take place in April and May respectively.

In Mexico, meanwhile, an innovative partnership is being set up between two label converters based around the purchase of a Xeikon 3030. You can read more in L&L issue 3, 2012.

The installation at Rendaplast will be the third Xeikon press in the country, all for the production of heat transfer labels for plastic containers. ‘There is great potential in the converting market in Brazil,’ said Marcos Araujo of PTC, which was appointed as a distributor in 2011. ‘Xeikon’s technology allows for printing on different types of substrates, and not only roll to roll but also roll to sheet. So there is potential also for document printing and numerous other applications.’

In Chile, Davis Graphics’ Felipe Arias says the company is also currently working on other deals and anticipates two more installations in the near future. But he emphasized the company’s focus on a long-term strategy in a market that has more digital press installations per capita than any other country in Latin America. ‘HP has a big presence in Chile, but Xeikon offers an excellent alternative,’ he said. ‘The fact that we have technical support in place before the sale means that converters trust us.’

According to Filip Weymans, the appointment of Automación Gráfica as Xeikon’s agent in Argentina completes the company’s network of distributors in the region. Founded in 1971, Automación Gráfica has a high profile in the Argentine market as a long-term distributor for Mark Andy and Komori, and also Jackstadt prior to its acquisition by Fasson.

‘We were looking for an alternative to our flexo and offset offerings,’ said Gustavo Mazzini of Automación Gráfica. ‘Over last 15 years, the graphic arts market in Argentina has seen huge growth. And the potential continues, because there is still a comparatively low – but rising – per capita label consumption. There is a lot of potential for digital technology in the Argentine label market, so the deal is a perfect fit for our company.’

Pictured: The Xeikon 3500 digital press

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