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Xerox has taken the wraps off an ambitious product roadmap in production printing that includes entering the labels market and a new B3 sheetfed inkjet dubbed “the Canon killer”.
Speaking at this week’s Future of Xerox Production Print event in Uxbridge, chief revenue officer Jacques-Edouard Gueden stated: “What we are doing today is something that is deliberate, that is very intentional, that is strategic… and we are doing it because our intention is to win.”
“This market matters to us. Production print has always been core to Xerox and it has been part of our DNA for almost 50 years.”
Gueden said Xerox was creating a dedicated global production and services division encompassing more than 200 industry experts “led by leaders who really understand your industry”.
He said the commitment was “not cosmetic” and emphasised the importance of Xerox’s ecosystem that wraps around the output devices, and the group’s strength in partnerships.
“Our customers do not need another device. They need integration. They need intelligence. They need predictability, and they need profitability.”
The new Xerox Proficio PX300 and PX500 and IJP900 sheetfed inkjet were showcased, with considerable interest in the fresh offering and multiple sales already on the books.
An Iridesse was shown running with a brand new Acco Brands GBC inline laminator, the AdvancedLam Pro, which is just about to launch and proved a hit with attendees. It can run at 120ppm and also has the flexibility for manual feeding.
It will work with all of Xerox’s production printers.
Easy to use AI-generated embellishment through Xerox’s partnership with Adobe was also a crowd-puller.
Roadmap revealed
Gueden hailed president of global production print services Terry Antinora as the architect of the “full refresh that you will see coming to life now and in the next two years”.
Antinora pointed to key growth markets Xerox plans to target, including cut sheet inkjet, packaging and labels, and continuous feed inkjet.
“Those are all huge growth opportunities for us that we don’t participate in today. We plan to enter in those segments in a multitude of ways. Some we will enter with our own technology, others we will partner,” he explained.
The roadmap includes a new 1,200×1,200dpi 150ppm Xerox InkJet Press and a B3, 300ppm InkJet Press which Antinora quipped was dubbed “the Canon killer”, referencing Canon’s success in the market with its iX3200.
“B3 inkjet is probably the segment we’re going to focus the most on,” he said.
He revealed that Xerox already has two of the B3 inkjet devices running at its Webster development facility in New York, with some 50 selected customers taking a look under NDA and submitting their most challenging jobs to put the press through its paces.
“In every single case they have felt as though the output quality exceeded their expectations – we were blown away by the feedback.”
The first public outing for the B3 inkjet is likely to be in autumn next year.
Other key products on the roadmap include a 70mpm inkjet label press – Xerox’s first foray into that market – and a 160mpm continuous feed device.
New PrimeLink mono and colour devices are coming to market in Q3 this year, while an Iridesse with updated electronics is also in the works.
Roadmap: “Some we will enter with our own technology, others we will partner”
More open days to come
The Uxbridge event was fully booked with a waiting list, even after being extended from three days to four. More than 300 attendees will take part overall.
Kevin O’Donnell, head of marketing for Graphic Communications and Production Systems at Xerox UK, told Printweek that further UK-specific events are already in the pipeline: “I will be hosting focused days in March, April, and May plus of course we are open for individual visits. Anyone interested can contact me.”
Xerox chief marketing officer Darren Cassidy said that by day two sales had already exceeded targets, with 15 devices sold on the first day alone.
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