Page 43 - Print 21 Magazine Sep-Oct 2020

Digital Printing
Pre-owned power Currie Group is making pre-owned HP Indigo and Horizon equipment
Bavailable, presenting attractive options for print businesses. usiness of all sizes run of many years of service to come.”
Above:
Pre-owned: HP Indigo presses from Currie Group
and label versions. Rennell says, “There may be a printer that has had
a B2 HP Indigo 10000 for five years
or so and is now looking to upgrade
to the latest HP Indigo 12000 HD for the extra colours. The original 10000 though will still be in great condition and capable of pumping out high quality work for many more years.
We will trade in that 10000, and then make it ready for a new owner. I think of it as the ultimate recycling. That press and everything in it is refreshed and put back out to market, rather than being dismantled. It has a second lease of life, and who knows there may be a third lease of life down the track.”
Pre-owned HP Indigo presses from Currie Group come with a warranty, and in most cases can have the latest software and hardware added in on request. Rennell says, “For instance a five-year-old press may benefit from the latest rip, just like your five-year- old computer may benefit from an upgrade to its operating system.” 21
on a variety of different The benefit of course in buying pre- strategies. Buying pre- owned is the reduced investment, and owned print production this is not minor, ANZ print businesses equipment has long been will be looking at investing between a
a part of the offset print world, but third and a half less than the cost of a
with digital presses not so much. And just like the person who would rather buy a second-hand Mercedes for the same price as a new Toyota, a business buying pre-owned equipment can gain access to a position they may not be able to if they only buy new.
HP Indigo presses are known as top of the range digital print systems, with their proven technology and productivity making them an attractive option for print business owners the world over. In B2 digital for instance there are more HP Indigo presses running than those from all other digital press manufacturers combined. And in digital labels HP Indigo is the clear market leader; in SRA3 commercial digital presses, the Israeli manufactured machines are recognised as a premium brand.
Not all print business owners though want to make the investment in a new HP Indigo, those premium machines come with a premium price. Now, however, there are options, with Currie Group supplying local pre-owned machines, and pre-owned machines that have been refurbished back at the factory in Israel.
Phillip Rennell, sales and marketing director at Currie Group says, “Digital presses are often thought of as having a life of three, four or five years. That is not the case with HP Indigo though. We currently have machines in the Australia field that have been running for 15 years. And so there is no question that five-year-old pre-owned HP Indigo presses are capable
new HP Indigo. Rennell says, “Pre- owned HP Indigo means entry into a market that may have been unreachable if a new press was the only option. It gives the print business opportunity to go to market with the highest quality print, but for a lower investment level.”
Pre-owned HP Indigo digital presses are available from Currie Group, either from its own workshop in Melbourne, or from the factory in Israel. Rennell says, “The presses from Israel are
fully refurbished, on a dedicated production line. Presses that we trade in here in Australia and New Zealand are thoroughly cleaned, checked
and given a baseline, including
parts replacement if necessary, and presented ready to go to a new owner.”
The presses include the B2, SRA3
Refurbished finishing
Currie Group also has a programme for pre-owned finishing equipment, from
its Horizon range. Rennell says, “We
are providing an increasing amount of refurbished previously-owned Horizon equipment. The engineering quality is high, which means that if the equipment has been looked after during its first ownership there is no reason why it cannot continue to serve in a new printshop for many years to come.”
The company’s inhouse engineers give traded in Horizon equipment a thorough clean, and parts are replaced where necessary. Rennell says, “For instance on the bookletmaker we will replace all the belts and
clean the guards, and look closely to see if other areas will benefit from new parts. There is a bit of a tale there, if a company for instance has looked after its perfect binder and we take it nice and clean they will get a better trade
in, if there is dried glue all over it then that will be a factor in the deal. However, when any refurbished Horizon goes out of Currie Group to the market, the buyer can be assured that equipment will be at the standard that Currie Group and Horizon would want.”
In these trying times it may be that for a number of print businesses the pre-owned route offers them an option at an investment level they are more comfortable with.
Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 43