According to the company, local staff, to provide “local knowledge”, will man the Shanghai office. The merchanting group said the new office would complement its strategy to simplify its face-to-market by merging the Robert Horne, Howard Smith and Paper Co brands under the Paperlinx banner. However, the biggest impact could be a renewed focus on importing Asian paper into the EU. According to Paperlinx executive director Andrew Price the company already sources “significant volumes” of products for its Australia, New Zealand and Asia operations from China. Something he said Paperlinx was looking to replicate in Europe. “Opening an office in Shanghai gives us the opportunity to leverage our procurement power globally; this will further enhance the group’s supply chain efficiency and better fits with a group-wide commitment to streamline processes, as well as eliminate both cost and inventory duplication,” he added. Price stressed that before paper grades and other products, such as those aimed at industrial packaging and sign and display applications, are imported to the EU, the manufacturers would have to meet a number of criteria, including corporate, social and environmental responsibility. “As the largest independent paper merchant in the world, in as much as we’re not tied to any one paper manufacturer, we’ve already been approached by a number of mills in Asia that want to increase their footprint in Europe. But from a quality perspective it’s important to have a local office that can verify quality and negotiate,” said Price. “It might be a while until we have Asian paper products here in Europe though, because we want to be sure we choose the right local partners.” He also said that the sales office would also be used to help Paperlinx customers to source products in China, further bolstering its recently launched ‘web stores’ initiative. “We’ve got these web stores that offer 500 products, now what we can do is open up sourcing in China. So, if a printer has a customer that needs promotional products for example, then we can now offer those though the printers web stores.” According to this week’s poll, more than two-thirds of printers are happy to use paper grades sourced from outside the EU. Have your say in our poll on the right....

According to the company, local staff, to provide “local knowledge”, will man the Shanghai office. The merchanting group said the new office would complement its strategy to simplify its face-to-market by merging the Robert Horne, Howard Smith and Paper Co brands under the Paperlinx banner. However, the biggest impact could be a renewed focus on importing Asian paper into the EU. According to Paperlinx executive director Andrew Price the company already sources “significant volumes” of products for its Australia, New Zealand and Asia operations from China. Something he said Paperlinx was looking to replicate in Europe. “Opening an office in Shanghai gives us the opportunity to leverage our procurement power globally; this will further enhance the group’s supply chain efficiency and better fits with a group-wide commitment to streamline processes, as well as eliminate both cost and inventory duplication,” he added. Price stressed that before paper grades and other products, such as those aimed at industrial packaging and sign and display applications, are imported to the EU, the manufacturers would have to meet a number of criteria, including corporate, social and environmental responsibility. “As the largest independent paper merchant in the world, in as much as we’re not tied to any one paper manufacturer, we’ve already been approached by a number of mills in Asia that want to increase their footprint in Europe. But from a quality perspective it’s important to have a local office that can verify quality and negotiate,” said Price. “It might be a while until we have Asian paper products here in Europe though, because we want to be sure we choose the right local partners.” He also said that the sales office would also be used to help Paperlinx customers to source products in China, further bolstering its recently launched ‘web stores’ initiative. “We’ve got these web stores that offer 500 products, now what we can do is open up sourcing in China. So, if a printer has a customer that needs promotional products for example, then we can now offer those though the printers web stores.” According to this week’s poll, more than two-thirds of printers are happy to use paper grades sourced from outside the EU. Have your say in our poll on the right....

The Belgian manufacturer previewed Trillium (then known as Quantum) in March 2012, and showed a concept single-colour unit at Drupa. It has now advanced to the point where a four-colour high-speed press is ready to go into testing. The firm aims to take on high-speed colour inkjet devices from suppliers such as HP, Kodak and Canon/Océ. Michael Ring, president of Xeikon America, said: “We’re able to address inkjet costs and speeds, but without any limitations to area coverage or image quality, which seems to be a void in the market today that can’t be addressed by any other digital technology.” Trillium technology prints at 1,200dpi using toner particles that are around 10 microns in size, compared with Xeikon’s existing 28 micron particles. It also differs from Xeikon’s current range because it uses an intermediate transfer cylinder. Xeikon director of document segment marketing Danny Mertens said one of the most important breakthroughs with the technology was ‘micro-gapping’ between the cylinders, which involves a gap of just five microns. “This is almost impact printing. With micro-gapping we are very close in those contact zones, the toner particles only have to jump a very small distance to develop the image,” Mertens explained. “The look and feel of the print is totally different, because the toner layer is a lot smoother and smaller.” He added: “If you compare us with other technologies we are probably the most accurate next to traditional print in transferring and developing an image, and that’s an important differentiator for the quality of the image but also the speed.” HP Indigo also uses liquid toner, but Mertens said the Xeikon method had major differences. “Our implementation is what we call high viscosity liquid toner. We do not evaporate or fuse out the carrier oil, we recycle it in the system. So don’t have to evacuate any vapours out of the printing press.” The print width of the Trillium press is 500mm and it can run at 60m/min, printing on substrates from 60-250gsm. Mertens said the duty cycle was a minimum of 5m A3 prints per month and described the machine’s footprint as “compact for the speed offered” at 11x5m. The beta site will be a producer of high-quality direct mail. Xeikon has also tested the de-inkability of the output, which Mertens said was at the same level as its current products. “It was almost a design specification from our side because we see it as very important.” Pricing was not disclosed, although Xeikon said it would be a “significant” investment After beta-testing, field tests will begin in Q1 2014 and run for six months, followed by full commercial launch. Meanwhile parent firm Punch International has confirmed that it is...

The Belgian manufacturer previewed Trillium (then known as Quantum) in March 2012, and showed a concept single-colour unit at Drupa. It has now advanced to the point where a four-colour high-speed press is ready to go into testing. The firm aims to take on high-speed colour inkjet devices from suppliers such as HP, Kodak and Canon/Océ. Michael Ring, president of Xeikon America, said: “We’re able to address inkjet costs and speeds, but without any limitations to area coverage or image quality, which seems to be a void in the market today that can’t be addressed by any other digital technology.” Trillium technology prints at 1,200dpi using toner particles that are around 10 microns in size, compared with Xeikon’s existing 28 micron particles. It also differs from Xeikon’s current range because it uses an intermediate transfer cylinder. Xeikon director of document segment marketing Danny Mertens said one of the most important breakthroughs with the technology was ‘micro-gapping’ between the cylinders, which involves a gap of just five microns. “This is almost impact printing. With micro-gapping we are very close in those contact zones, the toner particles only have to jump a very small distance to develop the image,” Mertens explained. “The look and feel of the print is totally different, because the toner layer is a lot smoother and smaller.” He added: “If you compare us with other technologies we are probably the most accurate next to traditional print in transferring and developing an image, and that’s an important differentiator for the quality of the image but also the speed.” HP Indigo also uses liquid toner, but Mertens said the Xeikon method had major differences. “Our implementation is what we call high viscosity liquid toner. We do not evaporate or fuse out the carrier oil, we recycle it in the system. So don’t have to evacuate any vapours out of the printing press.” The print width of the Trillium press is 500mm and it can run at 60m/min, printing on substrates from 60-250gsm. Mertens said the duty cycle was a minimum of 5m A3 prints per month and described the machine’s footprint as “compact for the speed offered” at 11x5m. The beta site will be a producer of high-quality direct mail. Xeikon has also tested the de-inkability of the output, which Mertens said was at the same level as its current products. “It was almost a design specification from our side because we see it as very important.” Pricing was not disclosed, although Xeikon said it would be a “significant” investment After beta-testing, field tests will begin in Q1 2014 and run for six months, followed by full commercial launch. Meanwhile parent firm Punch International has confirmed that it is...

Convened and chaired by Labour MP Debbie Abrahams in April this year, the all-party panel of MPs heard from a range of business groups and bodies, representing different industries, that gave evidence on the impact of poor payment practice. The latest BACS data shows that at the end of 2012 SMEs were owed over £36.4bn in late payments and Abrahams said one of the major issues highlighted by the evidence given during the inquiry was one of leadership. She added: “Until top CEOs, and their executive board members, make a decision to act ethically in business, and treat our small and medium sized businesses fairly, this problem will persist. “The public has grown tired of hearing about huge, greed driven, pay packets, pay-offs for failure and tax evasion; but allowing a culture of late payment to persist unchallenged is another board-level decision that directly effects ordinary, hardworking, people across the country.” Among the recommendations to government published in Abrahams’ report, is the introduction of a Retentions Monies Bill where contractually agreed monies would be retained in an independent trust until all obligations were met, at which time the payment will be made. Other recommendations include that large businesses managing supply chains should publish performance data on their payment history, SMEs should be given free, high quality financial management advice on avoiding late payments and that the Institute of Credit Management should amend the Prompt Payment Code to reflect the issues highlighted by the inquiry. Abrahams said: “I am also grateful to my colleagues from across the political spectrum for their participation on the Inquiry panel and demonstrating that, although we may have different political views, we can work together to find a solution to this persistent problem.” Mike Cherry, national policy chairman, of the Federation of Small Businesses, which helped inform the inquiry said: “We have said for some time that the Government and local authorities should include terms in contracts for prompt payment to be passed down the supply chain. “This report provides a good starting point to open up the discussion on what can be done to make sure small firms are paid promptly for the work they have done.” Forum of Private Business chief executive, Phil Orford, added: “The government needs to give serious consideration to refusing any public sector contract to big businesses who don’t pay suppliers in an acceptable time frame. Or indeed only work with those companies who’ve signed the Prompt Payment Code. “With more than £300bn of capital spending announced in the recent spending review, this would have maximum effect at no cost to the government, but really help in the battle against poor payment practices so widespread in the UK economy...