The printing industry’s leading market research company is forecasting a strong year for overall sales of wide format printers in the South African market, despite continued pressure on the economy from higher inflation rates, weaker exchange rates and ongoing uncertainty surrounding the global Covid-19 pandemic. pandemic.
The actual final figures for the wide format printer market in 2021 will not be published until the middle of the first quarter of 2022, but the forecasts give a fairly accurate overview of the state of the market and how the year will develop. For clarity, large format covers all printer sizes over 64 inches or 150 cm wide.
There are currently 24 companies active in supplying large format printers to the South African market, and the forecast looks at the sales volumes of all these companies based on actual monthly model installations and then extrapolates these figures to the end of the year.
One company stands out from all other suppliers with an expected advantage of more than 25 units over its nearest competitor. Local wide format printer brand AM.CO.ZA is expected to lead the race with a total of 153 printers installed in the local market by the end of the year, out of a total of 683 printers installed.
As you would expect, many of the printers were supplied and installed by major international printer manufacturers. However, looking at the total number of sales, it becomes clear that an increasing number of companies are looking for suppliers outside of the big five manufacturers. The main reason for this is cost. Accessibility is another important factor directly linked to unsustainable supply chains as a result of global restrictions on travel and transport. However, customers also demand industrial-grade performance, ease of operation and affordability.
While cost and availability are obviously important factors, it’s not the only thing local customers base their purchasing decisions on. Other factors include readily available technical support and assistance, consistent supply of consumables, and value-added after-sales support. These are areas where AM.CO.ZA excels. Operational training for staff is standard in the industry, however additional training is very often required as this is usually paid for in part with most suppliers. AM.CO.ZA offers all its customers access to simple, easy-to-use and accessible training videos that extend from initial training through to tips and tricks on how to get the most out of the machine once operators have reached a higher level of expertise.
As an added value, customers who purchase printers receive one year of free access to the full library of designs that they can use to start earning while gaining experience and knowledge in using the printers they purchase. .
Another service AM.CO.ZA provides is access to free software and hardware updates as they become available. This ensures that customers consistently achieve the highest level of performance and therefore profitability when using the devices they purchase from the company.
One such example was an update that was released this year that allowed printers to switch from standard inks to premium hybrid UV inks that were developed and produced locally with a leading ink manufacturer. This offers customers the opportunity to expand their product offering using a single set of inks that can be used on both flexible and rigid substrates.
The ink is designed to offer the best of both worlds: flexibility and wear resistance on flexible substrates, as well as strength and increased adhesion on rigid substrates. In addition, the new range of inks do not require pre-treatment or priming on most substrates, allowing customers to save production costs that can be used to increase the profitability of each job or to reduce the price, making these inks more cost-effective and attractive to end customers. .
These inks are an example of how AM.CO.ZA empowers its customers to ensure they become and remain profitable using the printers they purchase from the company. It is this unique approach to customer support that has played a major role in making AM.CO.ZA a leading brand in the wide format printing market, resulting in many customers purchasing second or even third units.
Eric Yin, managing director and founder of Advanced Machinery, which handles the AM.CO.ZA brand, said he was inspired by the printer’s reputation in the local market. He added: “Our philosophy of supporting our customers and providing them with additional services has helped them become profitable companies that employ many people and this has ensured that they come back to us when they need to increase their production capacity.”
About FastCOLOUR wide format printer:
The AM.CO.ZA brand has been on the wide format printer market since 2015. The new FastCOLOUR ONE printer has been on the SA market since October 2019. The FastCOLOUR One printer is a hybrid printer that has many features. It performs both roll and flatbed printing. For more information on FastCOLOUR large format printers, visit http://LargeFormatPrinter.co.za/.
About Advanced Machinery (Pty) Ltd:
The parent company of the AM.CO.ZA brand, which is a leading provider of CNC cutting and wide format printing solutions focused primarily on industrial applications to maximize our customers’ productivity, efficiency and profitability. Our products are designed to provide the highest level of manufacturing capability to meet the needs of a wide range of customers, from the home office market to industrial applications requiring large-scale, continuous production. We believe in providing complete solutions. This means that all supporting equipment is supplied as part of a complete solution, ensuring that our customers know what they are getting and how much they will be paying. Please visit https://am.co.za/ to learn more about the products we sell.
