LFP - Large-Format-Printing
Gerber Scientific Begins Solara ion(TM) Volume Manufacturing; Advance Orders Exceed 200 Units
Wednesday 28. May 2008 - Gerber Scientific, Inc. (NYSE:GRB), a worldwide leader in integrated automation solutions, announced today that following the successful completion of manufacturing validation testing (MVT) of its new Solara ion printer, the company has commenced shipment of production units to distributors and end-users. As previously communicated, volume shipments will ramp up over the next several months.
During the last two months, initial units placed with several U.S. sign makers have produced over 20,000 square feet of output which has been sold to end-users. In addition, Gerber Scientific Products (GSP), the Gerber unit which developed the Solara ion, has demonstrated the printer at several industry tradeshows, including the ISA show in Orlando, FL, NBM Sign Business & Digital Graphics Show in Fort Worth, TX, Rocky Mountain Sign Summit Show, Denver, CO, and the Visual Impact Image Expo in Brisbane, Australia. The Solara ion will next be exhibited by one of GSP’s newest European distributors at DRUPA, the world’s largest print media show held every four years in Dusseldorf, Germany, which runs May 29 through June 11 this year.
Interest among distributors and end-users remains extremely high in the Solara ion, resulting in pre-orders for more than 200 units. More than three quarters of the pre-orders are “firm” orders, valued at over $10 million dollars; these orders will be moved into production backlog at this time. With the commercial launch of the Solara ion, GSP only accepts firm orders going forward.
The Solara ion takes advantage of Gerber’s patent pending Cold Fire Cure(TM) process and GerberCAT(TM) cationic ink to deliver breakthrough performance in UV inkjet printing. The low power cure generates less heat, and combined with flexible ink technology allows printing on the widest array of both rigid and flexible substrates with exceptional adhesion, at speeds faster than any comparably priced wide format UV system on the market. The true flat-bed construction allows precision printing quality otherwise available only with much more expensive printers. The Solara ion is the first product in what will be a family of products offered using the break-through Cold Fire Cure technology, with future derivative products based on this platform.
“We are excited to start ramping up production of the Solara ion, and begin filling orders for our ground-breaking new printer,” said Marc T. Giles, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gerber Scientific, Inc. “Customer feedback remains very positive, and we expect the launch of this printer will establish GSP as an important player in the wide format digital inkjet market,” added Giles.
The company expects to ship between 400 and 600 units in fiscal year 2009, which began May 1.