UPEX news

We like to keep UPEX visitors and exhibitors fully informed about what’s happening at UPEX and what’s happening in the global used printing machinery market.

We publish an occasional newsletter which will be automatically sent to any exhibitor or visitor on our database. If you would like to receive a regular copy, simply register your interest here.

UPEX at Gulf Print rated a great success by International used machinery dealers

This was the fifth time that UPEX had gathered International used machinery dealers in Dubai for Gulf Print, and organizer Mike Steele said: “We continue to attract a great deal of interest from the major international machinery dealers. They enjoy coming to exhibit at Gulf Print. The show attracts serious buyers from the Middle East and North African region and provides an ideal opportunity to both buy and sell quality used kit”.

Despite concerns that the situation in some Middle East countries might have an effect on visitor numbers this time, UPEX exhibitors reported high levels of enquiries. The main focus was on sheet fed offset presses, bindery and finishing equipment, with packaging, labeling and envelope machinery also being sourced.

The UPEX area was again busy from the moment the show opened. Within two hours of the opening ceremony Chris Barratt of Grafitec, an exhibitor at every show since 2006, had sold a 1999 Stahl TD56 folder to a printer from Saudi Arabia.

Another regular exhibitor at UPEX was White Horse Machinery. Robin Vauvelle said that their presence was justified by the end of day one, having by then sold a Heidelberg 52 to a Lebanese visitor. They continued to have a busy show with high levels of enquiries from the whole region and further sales being concluded over the following weeks.

Bindery specialists Bindery Machinery Services from Scotland reported sales of both MBO and Stahl folders to International Press of Lebanon and a great deal of interest in their 2009 Muller Martini Acoro A5 perfect binding system. This was the first of these models to become available on the second-hand market and was taken in stock during the show. Of particular interest was the fact that it had only completed 1,500 hours from new!

PanPac LLC based in New Jersey, USA, also had a successful show. Rahul Kaushik reported that they sold a Komori L628, Komori L240, Heidelberg GTO 52-2, Heidelberg SM 74-4 and 1990 Muller Martini to customers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The total value of sales was around $650,000.

UPEX@IPEX hailed a success

UPEX used machinery dealers reported a busy and successful show. They were particularly impressed by the quality of visitors “just about every visitor we have met is here to do business” quoted Tony Jetha of Itec Graphic Machinery. “And we’re particularly pleased by the level of overseas visitors”.

First to make a confirmed sale was probably Global Graphics. They sold a Billhofer to a Turkish company within half an hour of opening, with the Letter of Credit confirmed by lunchtime.

Roberts Graphics concluded a deal to refurbish and install in Iraq the 19 unit Goss Community which formerly printed the Wakefield Express.

Bindery Machinery Services sold eight machines to Brilliant Printers of Bangalore – including a Wohlenberg, Aster, Kolbus casemaker and Muller Amigo.

DPM sold eight machines from their stand. On Wednesday they bought two machines which were trade-ins for a new Heidelberg bought at the show. On Thursday they sold them both - a two and five colour Heidelberg CD.

West Park Graphics sold 20 printing units and a binder. Specifically they sold a Komori L428EM, Komori L428ESA, Roland R708P and a Muller Martini Starbinder Plus.

But I doubt if anyone else could claim to be showing exactly the same machine in 2010 as they did at Ipex 1998 – French used machine dealer Media Graphic Services did! Their gold plated Heidelberg featured in the 1998 Ipex Daily, and again took pride of place on their stand in 2010.

Nearby DGT Dutch Graphic Trade bv were running the only Bobst Die Cutter in the show, the immaculate 1997 SP 104-ER was sold to an Austrian client. Also on show was a Bobst Carton Gluer, with Domino unit.

Organiser Mike Steele said: “Dealers had a great show, they reported that visitors were seriously looking to buy and to sell. And we had some very positive visitor feedback on the quality being displayed. Exhibitors have really raised the bar with the standard of machine and information presentation, and stand design”.

Click here for a detailed UPEX @ IPEX floorplan

Click here for latest UPEX @ IPEX Exhibitor List

QUICKSILVER - British World Water Speed Record Bid

UPEX has put its support behind the Quicksilver team aiming to bring Donald Campbell's world water speed record back to the UK after a gap of nearly 40 years. The bid has been mounted by Nigel Macknight and is now timed to take place in 2011 on Coniston Water.

Sponsored by UPEX

The World Water Speed Record was first held in 1928 by an American, George Wood, and he set it at 92.84mph.

The first Englishman to hold the record was Sir Henry Segrave in Miss England 2, on Lake Windermere.

Sir Malcolm Campbell entered the arena in September 1937 when he took Bluebird K3 to 126.33mph at Lake Maggiore, Italy. He raised the record three more times to 141.74mph on Lake Coniston in August 1939 driving Bluebird K4.

The record went back to America until in July 1955 Donald Campbell (Sir Malcolm's son) broke the 200mph barrier at Lake Ullswater in Bluebird K7. In six more record-breaking runs up to December 1964 Campbell raised the record to 276.33mph, on Lake Dumbleyung, Australia.

It was in a much modified version of this same boat, Bluebird K7, that Donald Campbell lost his life in another record breaking attempt on Lake Coniston, 4th January 1967. He was trying to break through the 300mph barrier, and had achieved 297mph on his first of two obligatory runs. When the boat crashed before completing the second run it was timed at over 300mph.

Since 1977 the World Water Speed record has been held by an Australian, Ken Warby, in Spirit of Australia. He was the first to officially break the 300mph barrier when he set the current record of 317.60mph in October 1978.

And that's where UPEX and Quicksilver come in!

As an official corporate sponsor UPEX will have opportunities to involve both exhibitors and visitors in this exciting venture.

The craft: Quicksilver will be 42 feet long with a hull 4 feet wide. Overall width is 11 feet and weight will be around 3.5 tonnes (right now about 2.5 tonnes is built). It will be powered by a Rolls Royce Spey jet engine, more usually used to power a Buccaneer aircraft.

For more details on the Quicksilver team: www.quicksilver-wsr.co.uk