Director Derek Wright says the Florida show has proved a successful entry point for the company into South America, but it is Graphica’s thrust into the North American market that has been the company’s largest move in recent years.
It already has a distribution warehouse in Indiana and distributors in New York, Kansas and Florida and is looking for five more at various strategic points around the United States to extend its growing network.
Derek and other staff have been busy in the past few years showing their products at various shows in the US with considerable success.
The New Zealand company has quite a list of firsts and “only’s” under its belt. It is the only manufacturer of laminating machines in New Zealand, and therefore the first to export its machines into Australia, Europe and more recently North and South America. It is also the only Australasian manufacturer of gummed packaging tape in various widths. The tape is fully biodegradable and can be custom printed.
Graphica started manufacturing machines in 1992 and Derek says they “grew the laminating industry in this country” with almost every machine that was being used in this country at one time, being one of theirs.
Its popular A3/A2 model is found in a huge number of New Zealand and Australian printing firms. Branded as Ultrabond in Australia, the machinery and product range is so popular that a number of printers across the Tasman have offered their endorsements.
Keith Lowman, of Capital Print Finishers, Canberra says this: “The Ultrabond product is quite simply the best lamination film for digital print. The finish is superb and we have no problems guaranteeing this product as it will not lift or bubble.”
John MacLulich, Pure Colours Digital Imaging Pty Ltd, Sydney says: “The digital printing department at Colours has been using a Bondmaster A2 lamination machine since 1999. The introduction of Ultrabond laminating materials have allowed for faster, more permanent celloglazing over digital output from machines that use a silicone or wax-base toner system.”
