The great and the good of Sydney's wide format industry gathered at Cactus Imaging for an in-depth presentation on the company, and a viewing of Australia's first Fujifilm Acuity Ultra in action.
In a throwback to the days of yesteryear when print business owners and managers were often found at events at each other's factories, some 40 wide format printers took advantage of the generous offer of Cactus management Keith Ferrell and Nigel Spicer to come and share in the launch of the new Acuity, in an event which was hosted by trade association SGIAA.
Opening the presentations Ferrell said Cactus was always looking for new solutions to please clients. Speaking of the Acuity Ultra he said, “We have one of the first in the world, and we could not be happier with the quality." He also revealed the company was about to install a new finishing line which would supercharge production, saying "What used to take two men 35 minutes to achieve will now be done by one in three minutes."
Cactus produces between 10,000sqm and 20,000sqm of wide format print every day, in a 24 hour operation. Nigel Spicer revealed that the mammoth job of keeping on top of the workflow, materials and scheduling is achieved through the company's self-developed CPS (Cactus Productivity System). He said, "Our CPS is the superglue that holds production together."
Printers at the event included well known names frm the local industry, and some who keep a lower profile. Also on site were rival suppliers Matt Ashman from Durst and Wayne McIntyre from HP supplier Celmac, both of whom have installed wide format printers into Cactus, the Durst to print both textiles and billboards.
Ashley Playford, national sales manager Graphic Systems said, “We were delighted when Cactus decided to be the first business in Australia to install the new Acuity Ultra. Cactus has a long pedigree of being first to market with the latest print innovations, and the Acuity Ultra is a great addition to its already impressive print arsenal.
“We have been looking forward to showcasing the exceptional print quality the Ultra delivers at the Open House. This is a platform that delivers high quality at high speed.”
Fujifilm Australia CEO Takeshi 'Tyler' Yanase said that the Acuity Ultra at Cactus was one of 30 installed around the world so far.
SGIAA president Nigel Davies also spoke, commending Ferrell and Spicer for opeing up the company for the event, and telling the crowd that networking opportunities are invaluable. He said, "Associations are all about people, and the best people in the local industry are here today."
The Acuity Ultra comes in 5 metre and 3.2 metre widths, with up to eight colour channels, including white. Ink is a new low film weight Uvijet GS Fujifilm product. Drop size is 3 picolitre, which Fujifilm says delivers the highest quality. It will print at up to 236sqm an hour, or 60sqm an hour in 1200x1800dpi mode.