Digital Domination: 
A Glimpse of New Era? —Michelson

Their new trade show business models, as illustrated by the manroland, KBA and Goss booths at this year's event, seem to focus less on promoting new equipment, and more 
on service and maintenance options for existing presses, as well as a growing range of consulting services. Enhanced business services that take a more holistic, plant-wide approach, and sales efforts geared toward more recession-proof segments like packaging and in-plant operations, are helping these manufacturers maintain revenue streams in an environment where installations of new litho presses have remained anemic. Blame it on the erosion of some offset work to digital presses, and an overall reduction in print volumes due to electronic alternatives. Couple those conditions with excess used equipment that's still flooding the market due to plant closures and payment defaults, on top of the continued difficulties that printers encounter trying to secure capex financing. Consequently, heavy-iron offset press manufacturers are still facing an uphill, but not insurmountable, sales climb.