Vulcan blankets (formerly 'Reeves') are set to get a boost in the New Zealand market with the announcement that they will be distributed here exclusively by Chemtek.Swedish company Trelleborg bought Reeves at the end of 2006, and it has appointed DS Chemport as the exclusive agency in Australia and Chemtek as the equivalent in New Zealand.
With the strength of DS Chemport behind it, Chemtek is well-positioned to bring the benefits of Vulcan blankets to New Zealand printers. DS Chemport has a strong presence throughout the Asia Pacific region, with a manufacturing site in Kuala Lumpur since 1987. The company has distributed Vulcan blankets in the Southeast Asian region since 1995.
"The name Vulcan or Reeves is very well-accepted and well-known by the market," says DS Chemport (Australia)'s Ken Rendell.
Vulcan has a long history of innovation and quality, having produced the first compressible blanket more than 40 years ago.
"Vulcan are a market leader in technology and DS Chemport and Chemtek are the right partners for us in this market," says Marco Carlini, technical and sales area manager for Vulcan's parent company Trelleborg.
Chemtek's background as a strong New Zealand-wide operation positions it strongly as a partner both to Vulcan and to potential customers in this country, according to Chemtek's managing director Rob Ruskin.
"Chemtek has offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and comprehensive coverage throughout New Zealand. We have built up a strong association with the sheetfed heatset and newspaper industries as a major supplier of pressroom chemicals, and we are well positioned to benefit printers through introducing them to Vulcan blankets."
An important part of the new relationship is that DS Chemport will be doing all its own converting for blankets distributed in this part of the world, at its plant in Melbourne. The company has invested $1.8 million in capital equipment and people to ensure that it will provide top quality product and service to the Australasian market.
"We are not outsourcing converting," Rendell says. "We control our own destiny, and as a result, we can ensure that what we deliver to our customers is the quality product they need."
