August-September 2000 Issue

There comes a time during preparation for a major event like Drupa that one wonders if all the preparation is really going to be worth it. The endless stream of tasks involved in putting together an exhibit, and taking the show on the road, can be daunting, especially when travel across an ocean to a foreign country is involved. If we had any doubts, Drupa itself reassured us that the work involved in getting there had been invested wisely.

Held in Düsseldorf, Germany, Drupa 2000 occupied 18 different halls which housed a total of 1,669 exhibitors from 44 countries. Each hall was packed with printing, prepress, bindery, and converting equipment, and the the thousands of visitors that would total a half million by the end of the two weeks of the show's running. The flavor was truly international. People packed the halls every day representing companies from all over the world. As somebody said, everything worth seeing in the graphic arts world was at Drupa 2000.

Our own Hans Gut was on hand for the events in Düsseldorf. He reported that Drupa – the showcase site for Form Flo's new WT500 Web Thermography Unit – proved to be everything he'd hoped it would be, and more. People came with loops to check the registration and quality produced by the WT500, and were very impressed with the accuracy that could be achieved with one pass of the press. Hans said, "The WT500 did as well as we expected. We were proud to show it off."

Hans said, "The web thermography unit brings more possibilities than ever before to our customers. There is an almost endless potential for labels, packaging materials, and direct mail applications. We've still got a bit of testing to do, especially on base materials, but we have two beta testing sites selected for later this year and it won't be long before the unit is available for sale."

The WT500 can be added to a web label or offset press, and will make it possible to do in-line thermography in conjunction with flat printing, all in one pass through the press. An offline system will be available yearly next year, for roll to roll, roll to fold, or roll to sheet.

At Drupa, Form Flo also demonstrated the UW500 Unwind, The RW500 Rewind, and the HS500 Label Applicator. Hans said that the demonstrations were well received by conference-goers, and there was general agreement that big steps have been taken in the automation of the entire printing process. From the creation of a document, to digital prepress, to the printing itself and related finishing applications -- the debate of recent years is over as to whether or not computers would impact the printing and graphic arts industries.

Hans observed that today a document can be created, printed, finished, and mailed in a few hours instead of a few weeks, at a cost much friendlier to the customer's bottom line. He said, "Time is money for most businesses. Getting materials to customers faster is important to the survival of any company.

"Form Flo is keeping pace with the changes in the forms industry. The industry needs different equipment than it did just a few years ago. Many of our customers offer complete services for printing, personalization, customizing, and mailing. We work with them to make sure they stay competitive. We are particularly concerned with the rapidly evolving needs of the small to medium size company. We will continue to offer innovative equipment and systems for added value, forms, labels, and direct mail products."

Hans confirmed that Form Flo's Düsseldorf days were well worth all the effort. "It was a successful forum for us in every way. It confirmed many things that we already believed, in particular that the industry is wide open and ripe with opportunities. We came back enthusiastic about creating more value added products to debut at the next Drupa.

"Drupa 2000 was just the beginning for us. We are already making plans for something even more exciting for our next trip to Düsseldorf in 2004."