If my past experience is anything to go by, in the run-up to a recession, manufacturers of printing equipment and consumables will be focused on market share  and ‘getting product out the door'.  Then the recession hits, orders slow and restructuring starts. Shop floor capacity is reduced to match demand. But what then? Hopefully outstanding innovation.

Laminators in Kala's wide format portfolio are now available from UK distributor, Colourgen. From the entry level 30in Bunny Plus through to the 83in Mistral, products work with all types of lamination and encapsulation supplies to create durable prints suitable for use in or outdoors.

Stencils and accessories produced by Christian Koenen are now available from Essemtec Benelux with a 24-hour, six-hour or overnight service available.

Vinyl manufacturer, Hexis, has achieved renewed ISO 9001:2000 certification for quality management systems across its four sites in France. Bureau Veritas granted the certification until 2011 after auditing the company's processes regarding the design, manufacture, distribution and trading of visual communication media and protective films.

Pre-registration for Ipex 2010 not only saves time, it also results in a saving of £30 on the entrance fee. Fast track entry will be available for all pre-registered visitors attending the event, which runs 18 to 25 May 2010 at the NEC in Birmingham UK.

Kodak has opened a new showroom at its UK headquarters in Hemel Hempstead. This customer-focused facility replaces the demonstration centre at Axis One in Watford, providing a venue for customer demonstrations, in-house training and visitor hospitality.

A new qualification has been introduced for 14 to 19 year olds, enabling them to study vocational courses in print and graphic design while still in school and college. The Diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design (MPD) will offer accredited qualifications in print and graphic printmaking as an alternative to studying GCSEs or A-Levels. These Additional or Specialist Learning (ASL) qualifications will provide clear progression routes into the industry.

Sun Chemical and parent company, DIC, have announced a single, coordinated global structure for the inkjet market under the name SunJet. The new structure will offer a unified product range for graphics and industrial inkjet applications using both organisations' technical expertise in pigments, dispersions, polymers and formulation chemistry.

Following a battle with a rare blood cancer, Professor John Davison has passed away. John leaves his wife Judith and daughter Sarah. John was a quiet, unassuming person of immense intellect, always referring to himself as an ‘inky'.  His expertise in ink technology and colour chemistry was unsurpassed. His office was bursting with carefully notated ink and coating formulations, along with minutely detailed experiments. John was the ‘experts expert'. Tens of thousands of people are leading full lives today thanks to John's fundamental research regarding printed bio-sensors.

EGO is Mark Bric Display's new large-scale exhibition display system. Using just three components, EGO allows the build of an amazing array of displays that simply snap together without tools. The framework is hidden, ensuring the graphics get full attention.

Due Consideration

In February this year the SP Group a division of St Ives plc took delivery of a Chim 92 M4 screen cleaning machine. The decision to purchase this equipment was the subject of lengthy and detailed negotiations with Vision Supplies Ltd. Vision had identified massive potential cost savings, environmental benefits and performance improvements the SP Group would achieve by purchasing the new equipment and chemical products, exclusively distributed by them in the UK, Eire and Australia.

A trip to India visiting graphics screen printing organisations revealed a host of sophisticated printing facilities. Fully air-conditioned and clean room environments were equipped with kit, inks and chemistry from Europe, US and Japan. The management were highly educated, with several having doctorates and CEOs determined to win the Best Place to Work competition for manufacturing companies.

Pop-up displays are certainly not a new phenomenon and have had their place in the industry for many years mostly as a temporary solution seen widely at exhibitions. New digital technology means they are becoming increasingly sophisticated and able to cater for a variety of installations.