Mimaki Europe, a leading manufacturer of inkjet printers and cutting systems, has announced the appointment of Takahiro Hiraki as Managing Director.
 
Hiraki joined Mimaki Engineering in 1997 as a sales representative for the Mimaki CF-series. Over the next 20 years, he remained with Mimaki, developing his expertise in the technology and advancing his sales career in various senior positions. As Hiraki’s career progressed, he became responsible for larger teams and Mimaki’s success in new and emerging markets as the company expanded its solutions.
 
In 2019, Hiraki joined the board of directors and was assigned management responsibility for Mimaki Europe. The appointment to Managing Director of the region this year reflects his commitment to the organisation and enthusiasm for this diverse, innovative, and successful part of the Mimaki business.
 
Hiraki is pleased to accept this latest challenge and exciting opportunity, and stated, “From very humble beginnings in a prefab building and one of only 180 employees selling cutting plotters and CAD plotters, my Mimaki journey has been one of industry innovations, technology break-throughs and significant growth. My goal as MD for Mimaki Europe is to further develop relationships with our partners and customers to meet the evolving local needs of these businesses and take Mimaki Europe into its next phase of success.”
 
Mimaki Europe also welcomes Ryosuke Nakayama as Executive Assistant to Hiraki. Nakayama joined Mimaki Engineering in 2012 and during his 8 years at the company, has excelled in marketing, sales, and product management roles worldwide. Nakayama’s extensive experience, expertise and diverse skillset will be substantial assets to the Mimaki Europe management team.
 
Hiraki succeeds Yuji Ikeda who commented, “In Hiraki and Nakayama, Mimaki Europe is adding two accomplished and highly qualified team members. I am confident that Hiraki will lead this newly bolstered team to achieve great things in the months ahead, despite the unprecedented and challenging situation we have all faced this year. I wish him and Mimaki Europe every success.”

Leading wide format inkjet printer manufacturer, Mimaki Europe, and portable fume extraction technology specialists, BOFA International have announced the market release of the BOFA Air Purifier Unit. Launched in March 2020, the product was developed for one of Mimaki’s most cost-effective yet high-performance printers, the 3.2m-wide SWJ-320EA solvent printer, and extracts VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) emitted during production to ensure a cleaner and more pleasant working environment.
 
BOFA’s R&D team utilised elements from two of its tried and tested PrintPRO Universal extractors to develop the new BOFA Air Purifier Unit. Drawing upon this expertise, BOFA created the new 4-metre-long unit that attaches directly onto the Mimaki SWJ-320EA printer, with a 5mm continuous gap from the media. It effectively extracts the fumes across its length, proceeds to filter them, and then releases the clean air back into the production environment.
 
Extensive testing has been carried out and confirmed that the level of VOCs released from the printer dropped from highs of 250ppm to as low as 1.8ppm. The BOFA Air Purifier Unit also reduces any unpleasant odour to an absolute minimum and features user replaceable HEPA/gas filters.
 
The SWJ-320EA, launched in 2019, combines productivity and print quality with low operational costs and initial outlay, offering a cost-effective solution for super-wide and large format printing. With the printer and its optional BOFA Air Purifier Unit now commercially available through Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Ireland distributor, Hybrid Services’ reseller partner network, this competitive system can form part of a cleaner print facility for the production of a wide variety of large format indoor and outdoor applications, including POS materials, vehicle wrapping, banners and billboards, displays, transport and floor graphics.
 
Bert Benckhuysen, Senior Product Manager from Mimaki Europe commented, “BOFA are market leaders in portable fume extraction technology and their expertise proved invaluable when developing a solution that supports our latest solvent printer. As a result of this successful collaboration, the ‘business benefits’ of investing in the SWJ-320EA with a BOFA Air Purifier Unit span all areas of the user’s organisation – from the production line and production floor to product quality and profitability – giving our customers a significant competitive edge.”
 
Sign and display printers interested in installing a Mimaki SWJ-320EA can order a print sample kit from the Mimaki Europe website or by contacting Hybrid Services directly in order to evaluate the print quality achievable with this system first-hand. Those looking for more detailed information are invited to join Mimaki Europe and BOFA online on the 24th September for a deep dive into this solution and the business opportunities it enables by registering here.

Events so far this year have brought into sharp focus the importance of promoting your business; and whatever that business may be, the need to communicate, reassure and remind customers of the role that it plays in their lives has currently never been more critical.

When Waterford-based Park Graphics set about specifying print hardware for its ambitious start-up project, the team’s requirements were as big as their plans. “We needed a wide format printer that could give us the scope to grow, deliver a wide range of products to our customers and have the capacity to cope with large print runs,” recalled owner, Garry Walshe. “As a young business, we also wanted to hit the ground running, so another important factor was ensuring we had the right training and support from a partner.”

Hybrid Services, Mimaki’s exclusive distributor for the UK and Ireland, has announced a promotion on its award-winning JFX200-2513 flatbed LED UV printer that positions the popular 8’ x 4’ model at only £49,995. With the additional inclusion of a number of normally optional extras, the competitive new pricing is expected to attract interest from businesses looking to leverage the benefits of direct to substrate printing for the first time.
 
The Mimaki JFX200-2513 utilises state of the art, Greenguard GOLD certified LED UV inks to print to a broad range of rigid substrates, and with its low power consumption, competitively priced consumables and direct to substrate workflow, is well placed to empower businesses to offer new products across display graphics, packaging, signage and grand format output.
 
The promotional pricing also includes mainland UK delivery, a full set of inks, a fully comprehensive one-year warranty and an ioniser bar, which greatly reduces static on certain media.
 
“The Mimaki JFX200-2513 is a proven solution that can bring substantial new revenue generating opportunities for companies looking to invest in the latest flatbed printing technology,” says Hybrid’s chief operations manager, Brett Newman. “There’s good reason for the JFX200’s stellar reputation: It fuses creativity, high print quality and ease of use, and with the promotional pricing, customers can save over £11,500 when they invest this summer.”