03.01.10
303 Velocity Way
Foster City, CA 94404
Phone: (650) 357-3500
Fax: (650) 357-3907
www.efi.com
Sales: ~$401M for EFI at the corporate level; $160M for the inkjet divisions; Ink World estimates $75 million in ink and consumables.
Major Products: Through its VUTEk, Jetrion and Rastek product lines, EFI is the market leader in inkjet inks and printing systems for the superwide, (e.g., billboards, signage, POP, etc.), wide format UV, label, packaging, direct mail and commercial printing markets. EFI offers a wide range of ink products for the superwide format and industrial inkjet markets, including UV-based, solvent, and eco/bio-solvent inks.
Key Personnel: Guy Gecht, CEO; Fred Rosenzweig, president; John Ritchie, CFO; Ken Stack, SVP/GM Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems; Rak Kumar VP/GM Rastek Printers; Scott Schinlever, VP/GM EFI Ink Business.
Number of Employees: Approximately 1,900.
Operating Facilities: 23 worldwide offices.
Comments: The global recession took its toll on all aspects of printing, and even the digital side was impacted. Such was the case at EFI, whose industry-leading brands such as VUTEk, Jetrion and Rastek faced a downturn in 2009. EFI’s inkjet sales declined from $220.1 million in 2008 to $160 million in 2009, largely due to the credit crunch that affected capital equipment purchasing.
However, the company’s fourth quarter sales were virtually flat compared to the previous year, a good sign for EFI.
Stephen J. Emery, director, ink sales and marketing for EFI VUTEk, said that 2009 was certainly a challenging year for inkjet. “We showed gradual improvement each quarter. Our larger customers continued strong in 2009 while some of the smaller customers struggled with the down economy. The second quarter was when we saw the most significant improvement, and then steady improvement through the third and fourth quarter. UV inks continue to be a growth opportunity for EFI.”
EFI made a number of notable moves during the past year. The company moved its UV ink manufacturing to its Ypsilanti, MI facility, and increased manufacturing capacity.
While EFI is best known for its UV technologies, the company also has interests in solvent-based technology. In order to best provide inks for its solvent-based printers, EFI entered into a manufacturing agreement in June 2009 with Nazdar, in which Nazdar will produce EFI’s VUTEk and Inkware solvent inks.
New products are most definitely the lifeblood of EFI. The company introduced some highly regarded digital printers into the market. Among these are the VUTEk GS3200, a UV hybrid flatbed offering along with the GS5000, a 5-meter roll-to-roll UV printer. The VUTEk GS3200 superwide format UV printer has speeds up to 2,400 square feet per hour, and resolution up to true 1000 dpi.
The VUTEk QS220, a direct-to-substrate, two-meter UV-curing flatbed printer, boasts lower ink running costs than traditional wide-format printers and unique application abilities that allow print businesses to expand into higher-end, premium-margin applications.
EFI specifically designed the QS220 inks for the applications that enable businesses to increase production and profitability. By utilizing one ink set, the QS220 delivers enhanced reliability and performance on a wide range of substrates, with brighter, more durable automotive-grade pigments and greater flexibility, all at per-liter costs that are much lower than most wide-format printers.
On the Jetrion side, EFI introduced the Jetrion 4830 UV Inkjet System, which offers a wider web width and faster linear speeds, increasing throughput by more than two times compared to the Jetrion 4000. The Jetrion 4830 delivers excellent print quality via advanced grayscale printhead technology and wide-gamut UV inks, giving printers the means to deliver richly colored labels more cost effectively. In addition to its standard UV inkjet inks, Jetrion also offers custom inks with fluorescent dyes and nanotechnology markers into its formulations.
EFI continues to see a bright future for UV inkjet.
“We expect to continue to see growth and acceptance of UV inks,” Mr. Emery said. “As print advertising and the economy strengthens, we are in excellent position to continue to provide the markets we serve with leading UV ink technologies. We expect the emerging markets to increase the adoption of UV technologies and see an increased shift of solvent users moving to UV.”
Foster City, CA 94404
Phone: (650) 357-3500
Fax: (650) 357-3907
www.efi.com
Sales: ~$401M for EFI at the corporate level; $160M for the inkjet divisions; Ink World estimates $75 million in ink and consumables.
Major Products: Through its VUTEk, Jetrion and Rastek product lines, EFI is the market leader in inkjet inks and printing systems for the superwide, (e.g., billboards, signage, POP, etc.), wide format UV, label, packaging, direct mail and commercial printing markets. EFI offers a wide range of ink products for the superwide format and industrial inkjet markets, including UV-based, solvent, and eco/bio-solvent inks.
Key Personnel: Guy Gecht, CEO; Fred Rosenzweig, president; John Ritchie, CFO; Ken Stack, SVP/GM Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems; Rak Kumar VP/GM Rastek Printers; Scott Schinlever, VP/GM EFI Ink Business.
Number of Employees: Approximately 1,900.
Operating Facilities: 23 worldwide offices.
Comments: The global recession took its toll on all aspects of printing, and even the digital side was impacted. Such was the case at EFI, whose industry-leading brands such as VUTEk, Jetrion and Rastek faced a downturn in 2009. EFI’s inkjet sales declined from $220.1 million in 2008 to $160 million in 2009, largely due to the credit crunch that affected capital equipment purchasing.
However, the company’s fourth quarter sales were virtually flat compared to the previous year, a good sign for EFI.
Stephen J. Emery, director, ink sales and marketing for EFI VUTEk, said that 2009 was certainly a challenging year for inkjet. “We showed gradual improvement each quarter. Our larger customers continued strong in 2009 while some of the smaller customers struggled with the down economy. The second quarter was when we saw the most significant improvement, and then steady improvement through the third and fourth quarter. UV inks continue to be a growth opportunity for EFI.”
EFI made a number of notable moves during the past year. The company moved its UV ink manufacturing to its Ypsilanti, MI facility, and increased manufacturing capacity.
While EFI is best known for its UV technologies, the company also has interests in solvent-based technology. In order to best provide inks for its solvent-based printers, EFI entered into a manufacturing agreement in June 2009 with Nazdar, in which Nazdar will produce EFI’s VUTEk and Inkware solvent inks.
New products are most definitely the lifeblood of EFI. The company introduced some highly regarded digital printers into the market. Among these are the VUTEk GS3200, a UV hybrid flatbed offering along with the GS5000, a 5-meter roll-to-roll UV printer. The VUTEk GS3200 superwide format UV printer has speeds up to 2,400 square feet per hour, and resolution up to true 1000 dpi.
The VUTEk QS220, a direct-to-substrate, two-meter UV-curing flatbed printer, boasts lower ink running costs than traditional wide-format printers and unique application abilities that allow print businesses to expand into higher-end, premium-margin applications.
EFI specifically designed the QS220 inks for the applications that enable businesses to increase production and profitability. By utilizing one ink set, the QS220 delivers enhanced reliability and performance on a wide range of substrates, with brighter, more durable automotive-grade pigments and greater flexibility, all at per-liter costs that are much lower than most wide-format printers.
On the Jetrion side, EFI introduced the Jetrion 4830 UV Inkjet System, which offers a wider web width and faster linear speeds, increasing throughput by more than two times compared to the Jetrion 4000. The Jetrion 4830 delivers excellent print quality via advanced grayscale printhead technology and wide-gamut UV inks, giving printers the means to deliver richly colored labels more cost effectively. In addition to its standard UV inkjet inks, Jetrion also offers custom inks with fluorescent dyes and nanotechnology markers into its formulations.
EFI continues to see a bright future for UV inkjet.
“We expect to continue to see growth and acceptance of UV inks,” Mr. Emery said. “As print advertising and the economy strengthens, we are in excellent position to continue to provide the markets we serve with leading UV ink technologies. We expect the emerging markets to increase the adoption of UV technologies and see an increased shift of solvent users moving to UV.”
