Agfa will next month open a UK showroom for its large format inkjet presses at a 325m2 facility in Rugby.
The company lost a showroom in Leeds when Agfa closed down its plate factory. That decision provided the opportunity to consider what would be needed for the future. The answer is a showroom, shared with the group’s radiology division, up in a location in the centre of England and easily accessible by both road and rail.
The plan is to make good use of the space with installation a Jeti Tauro, almost certainly the upcoming hybrid model that is due for launch next month, along with Asanti workflow and potentially an Acorta cutting table. The Leeds site had only space to house the Anapurna, the entry level to the Agfa portfolio.
“Brexit has very little to do with this,” says Bobby Grauf, inkjet sales manager UK & Ireland. “But the pandemic has shown us how travel restrictions combined with an unwillingness to travel has changed the way that people work, something that was happening before Covid arrived.
“To come to see the machines in our Antwerp showroom means two days out of the office in a busy working week, and people do not want to do that. But they will come to a showroom in this country.”
It is intended as a first visit introduction to the technology when printers begin the investment process. As the journey progresses customers will need to see a press of the exact specification being considered at before confirming the order, then Agfa will open the doors in Antwerp or at the factory in Canada.
“We wanted to be able to show the next model up from the Anapurna,” says Grauf. “The exact specification has still to be decided. The idea is to be able to show something to a prospect which is accessible within two hours rather than two days.”
There are three examples of the Anapurna for demonstration in the UK with Agfa dealers and this will continue as the showroom opens.
Refurbishment and redecorating is underway with a deadline for opening with what will almost certainly need to include virtual demonstrations to start with, though the site will be Covid secure and able to stage live demonstrations.
Discussions are underway with media suppliers about enabling a showcase for their materials and applications. There will be an opportunity for these third parties to host events at the location. “We want to be able to explore new ideas and new possibilities,” Grauf adds.
