In UK distributorship and reseller developments, Fujifilm has announced a partnership with substrates manufacturer Soyang to sell the Acuity Ultra R2 roll-fed printer, while Roland DG has appointed Papergraphics to its exclusive dealer channel.
The agreement with Fujifilm is a new venture for Soyang, which is known as a wide-format materials supplier, but is now looking to exploit its expertise to enter into hardware sales. The company has been working with Fujifilm for the last year, testing its materials on the Acuity Ultra R2, which was announced in June 2021, and gauging their suitability for various applications.
Soyang Europe managing director Mark Mashiter commented, ‘We’re a grand format materials specialist and hardware is a new venture for us, but we know the market better than most. We’re already working closely with a huge number of customers in the grand format sector, selling material up to 5m to most users. Our clients already trust us for media, and we’ll earn their trust in dealing in hardware with them as well.’
David Burton, director, Fujifilm Wide Format Inkjet Systems, added, ‘Bringing a partner with the industry knowledge and expertise of Soyang on board is a great vote of confidence in what we have created, and their connections will help us to build sales channels directly to the businesses who most stand to benefit.’
Meanwhile, Papergraphics, which also supplies large-format inkjet print media, plus printers and services for the display graphics and CAD markets, has undergone training to join Roland DG’s approved dealers and is now certified to sell some of Roland’s key product lines. The Crawley, West Sussex-based supplier will begin selling the Roland’s third generation of TrueVIis printer/cutters, including the recently launched VG3-640/540 and the SG3-540/300, aimed at print service providers in the sign and graphics and personalisation markets. Papergraphics will also sell the VersaStudio BN-20 range of desktop inkjet printers, including the BN-20A, launched at Fespa 2021.
‘Papergraphics shares Roland DG’s customer support ethos. Our entire team focuses on helping our customers to find opportunities to grow and diversify their businesses. We are thrilled to be part of the exclusive Roland DG network of UK dealers,’ said Alistair Travis, Business Development manager at Papergraphics.
‘At Roland DG, we know how important it is for our customers to access our innovative machines and experts who understand them. That’s why we are pleased to partner and collaborate with a company that has nearly four decades of experience in the large-format printing industry. This appointment will provide us a scope of customer sentiment on the ground,’ added Rob Goleniowski, head of Sales UK & Ireland at Roland DG EMEA.
