Second largest exhibitor pulls out of Ipex 2014
By Darryl Danielli Monday, 03 June 2013
Ipex has been dealt another blow with the withdrawal of the show's second largest exhibitor from next March's event.
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Ricoh has been confirmed as the latest digital vendor to be removed from the floor plan after deciding to cancel its 1,836sqm booking – which would have made it the second largest remaining exhibitor at the London event.
While Ricoh’s decision is a major setback for Ipex organiser Informa, which has worked hard to reposition the show following a series of high profile withdrawals that began last summer, it follows a statement issued last week by Konica Minolta, the event’s largest exhibitor, in which it reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the show.
"Ipex perfectly aligns with our aim to continually invest in developing technical innovations and focus on the future of our business, making it the key international event for Konica Minolta in 2014," said Olaf Lorenz, general manager, International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe.
The company plans to use the Excel show as a springboard for its KM-1 B2 inkjet press, which was shown as a concept at last year’s Drupa. The 1,650sph KM-1 uses Konica Minolta’s own UV inkjet technology and a press chassis from Komori.
However, Konica will now be one of the few mainstream digital vendors on the show floor, following the withdrawals of the likes of Canon, HP, Kodak and Xerox.
Ricoh and Informa were unavailable for comment at the time of writing, but speaking in March, following Canon’s withdrawal, Informa said it was "absolutely committed to running Ipex next year".
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