Page 29 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2018

Japan technology
A determined drive to win
Boasting the largest range of wide format engines in the industry and driving hard to increase its leading position in the marketplace, Mimaki is the quintessential tough competitor. Its new managing director pulls no punches about his determination to double the company’s turnover in Australia and New Zealand within five years.
Textiles and apparel
An example of its depth of product can be seen in the new UV-LED curable UCJV300 series of printers & cutters for sign and graphics. There are four different models growing
in size from the UCJV300-75 at 0.8 meters up to the UCJV300 -160 at 1.6-meter wides. They build on the best-selling eco-solvent versions of the same model. There are flatbed machine to meet the industrial products market as well as a 3-D
Competition is a good thing, no doubt about it.
It is the engine room of free market capitalism, the creative destruction whirlwind that changes industries and economies. For many it is the only game in town, the reason they get
out of bed and go to work. It suits a certain type of individual; those who are determined to win at all costs.
Meet Tomomitsu Harada, the
new managing director of Mimaki Australia. Recently arrived in Sydney to take up his first overseas managing directorship at age 34 for the Japanese company, he practically exudes determination and energy. He revels in being part of the company’s global strategy, which is to double its revenue to $1billion within five years.
He inherits a company that has more than made a mark in the local market, notching up leading sales results under local general manager, Brad Creighton, who has been the de-facto leader for the past four years.
Mimaki has a company focus
on what it terms market-oriented thinking. Channelling seven per cent of revenue into R&D it is the very model of a hard-driving Japanese company. Fascinating to hear Harada
quote the beat sheet used by his salespeople. It is a five-minute elevator pitch that allows a salesperson to meet and beat any perceived advantage of
a competitor’s product. Meticulously created, it rides on the back of Mimaki’s determination to offer equipment that is half the investment cost of rivals, ink that more than meets the customer's demands,
and develop a standard of service
in Australia that is second to none. Targeting every competitor’s products, the single beat sheets make compelling reading, detailing comparative speed, costs, and ROI.
But of course, no amount of determined salesmanship and marketing will sustain a leading market position if there are no decent products to back them up. Grown from an engineering background, Mimaki prides itself on continually bringing new and innovative products to market.
On a visit to Mimaki’s centre in central Japan, the breadth of the company’s offering becomes apparent. A packed showroom is filled with roll- to-roll and flatbed machines, along with cutters and textile printers. Across the way they are road testing new products, running them through the night, testing for endurance and quality.
TX500, since last year. It also has
a sublimation inkjet model, the TS300P, as well as a direct to textile printer, the Tiger 1800B.
There is no doubt Mimaki is determined to be a major player in the wide format market, and it has the engineering and entrepreneurial drive necessary to succeed. 21
... equipment that’s half the investment cost of rivals, ink that meets the customer's demands, and develop a standard of service in Australia that is second to none.
printer, the 3DUJ-553, which may not be a huge seller at this stage but is indicative
of Mimaki’s determination
to have a model and a technology to explore emerging markets. It's the world’s first full colour 3-D printer with 10 million colour tones to choose from.
One of the company’s fastest growing market segments is the textile market where the company has promoted a model, the
Above and right:
A goal to double revenue within five years: Tomomitsu Harada, the new managing director
of Mimaki Australia.
Clockwise from left:
1. “Superior quality,” Peter (right) and Mark Hogan, Hogan Print, with the new Foliant Mercury 530SF 4x4 laminator from Currie Group
2. Hogan Print’s offices in Artarmon, Sydney.
3. Hogan Print’s new Horizon AFV-566/TV 564 folder from Currie Group.
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