[intro]Welcoming sales agents from Europe the Middle East, and Asia to a three-day conference at Vetaphone’s headquarters in Kolding, Denmark, CSO Jan Eisby reinforced the company’s decision to develop its business in the wider web converting markets of gravure, flexo and offset presses.[/intro]
As the leading manufacturer of corona treatment technology in narrow web, where the company holds an estimated 80% share, Eisby said that the ambitious growth plans he has, can only be realised by diversification into new markets. The conference coincided with the appointment of three new Area Sales Managers, which Vetaphone says will strengthen its presence in the key areas of Europe and Asia Pacific.
Assessing the global market for oil based products, Eisby said that approximately 40% by volume is used for packaging. With the emerging markets moving into the age of brand awareness, and the ever growing demand for higher print quality, Vetaphone sees huge potential for its corona treatment technology as converters invest in new high-speed presses, and in some cases, move into working with plastic substrates for the first time. Looking to raise its overall share of the corona treatment market, Eisby said that in narrow web there is a greater incidence of preferred suppliers, but in the wider web fields this is less the case, which offers Vetaphone significant new opportunities. He said that, as in narrow web presses, the more processes that are added, the greater the value of the web, but that with wider machines, the numbers are significantly bigger, making performance and reliability even more crucial.
As well as discussing corona, Vetaphone Project Manager Ronni Nielsen brought conference delegates up to speed with EASI-Plasma, the new alternative surface treatment technology that has been developed to offer higher dyne levels and special surface functionalities. It is not suitable for all substrates, and some are still better treated with corona, so Nielsen stressed the importance of seeing it as an alternative, not a replacement. Capable of applying a nanocoating more than 100 times thinner than a conventional coating, EASI-Plasma offers a range of new applications, from agriculture to aerospace, and many special product areas applications in between, and despite the cost of investment, its performance to power consumption ratio offers a fast payback (ROI).
The highlight of the conference was a gala dinner in the medieval Koldinghus. Originally built as a fortified castle, but later used as a Danish royal palace, the venue proved a fine setting for Vetaphone to present its award for ‘Sales Agent of the Year’, which for 2013 went to the Taiwanese company Eurwell International, represented by Carol Liang. In his citation, Jan Eisby said that Eurwell has increased its sales by more than 500% in two years, and was already 50% above target for 2014, and he said this was a just reward for the close working relationships that Carol Liang had developed with her customers in Taiwan. In response, she thanked Vetaphone for the close hands-on support that had allowed her to build a successful business.