Xeikon has named Schaffner GF as its new distributor in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg.
Schaffner GF is an owner-managed family business, founded more than 60 years ago. It made a name for itself as a full-service provider in the graphics industry, specifically in the fields of consumables and inks, including products from Flint Group, Xeikon’s parent company, which are already part of the company’s product portfolio.
It was looking to add digital to its product portfolio, and is now taking over sales of the entire Xeikon product line, including dry toner and inkjet systems, in the aforementioned locations having assessed the product mix offered by Xeikon to be a suitable fit for its expertise and customers.
Schaffner GF CEO Cornelia Caffari explained, ‘We were only going to get into digital print if we were completely convinced by the product, which is absolutely the case now with Xeikon. We believe that the concept of high-quality, innovative digital printing systems is a perfect fit for the discerning Swiss market, and we are confident that partnering with Xeikon will be a recipe for success.
‘Due to its very specific ordering structure, a lot of short runs are produced in multiple languages in Switzerland. In addition, print customers and end-users have very high expectations in terms of quality.’
Monika Olbricht, global sales director at Xeikon, added, ‘Schaffner GF was looking for versatile, end-to-end digital print solutions with inline finishing. In Switzerland in particular, demand for niche products that allow print providers to diversify their markets will be on the rise in the coming years. In terms of efficiency and quality, this demand can best be met with digital print.’
Ms Caffari added that, as a full-service provider, Xeikon offered Schaffner GF comprehensive finishing and food safety for niche products, owing to its certified toners. A further deciding factor was the ‘value for money’ offered by Xeikon systems, she noted.
Schaffner GF will have access to the Xeikon hotline and the service team based in southern Germany in order to safeguard security and additional benefits for any potential Xeikon customers at the start of its sales activities. In addition, the team will have access to Xeikon’s state-of-the-art demonstration centre in Belgium to produce print samples on customer request. Schaffner GF’s trilingual sales team has been trained for a targeted approach in the sale of Xeikon products.
Furthermore, there will be targeted customer invitations to drupa 2020 as well as visits to the demo centre in Belgium for specific projects.
Schaffner GF is planning to expand its co-operation with Xeikon in terms of service and logistics in the near future.
