2012 has been a fantastic year to be in the UK, with a light at the end of the recession tunnel, the high spirit throughout the country following incredible sporting achievements at the Olympic and Paralympics and not forgetting the Queen’s Jubilee earlier in the year.
It really has been a great year to be British, but how about being in business? We've found it to be a hugely successful year but what has contributed towards this? We've taken a look back at our year to take a closer look at some of the highlights.
- January 2012, printMAX became Roland’s most successful authorised dealer for a second year running. This was a real kick-start to the year, becoming the most successful UK dealer once again obviously meant we were doing something right and we intended to continue this throughout 2012. Several years back, the MD at printMAX, Michael Bolton, made the decision to really strip down the business, focusing mainly on Roland products. Roland large format printers are some of the best in the market; they do a fantastic job for our customers and as such are a great product line. At printMAX we've focused so much on that specific range that our knowledge is second to none, with skilled engineers and a knowledgeable support and sales team the title of Roland’s most successful authorised dealer was an accolade we had worked hard for and were extremely proud of. Following a successful 2012 we now have to keep our fingers crossed that we've done enough to make it a hat trick.
- February 2012, printMAX made the decision to invest in social media and create an on-line network. Back in February there were only a handful of suppliers on the social networks, printMAX realised that the opportunity to connect with customers and other contacts in a one-on-one manner was not to be missed! After taking on a new member of staff to take responsibility of all on-line activity along with the company’s marketing efforts, printMAX’s on-line network has grown substantially with a twitter following of over 1,750 and a 100% increase in some Google rankings.
- April 2012, another April, another Sign & Digital UK. The team headed up to Birmingham’s NEC building to once again showcase the best Roland printers on the market. The exhibition has always been a success for us and 2012 was no exception! With more on-site orders than ever before and a hugely profitable follow up month, Sign UK proved once again to be an event not to be missed. If you’d like to see us in 2013 we’ll once again be at stand F30 next to Roland for the duration of the exhibition.
- Following a fantastic summer of celebrations, starting with the Jubilee and ending with the Paralympics there was buzz building around Roland DG and what they might have up their sleeves.
- September 2012, following a month long teaser campaign it was finally revealed that the new release from Roland would be the long awaited SolJet Pro 4 XR-640. An incredibly fast printer incorporating the new Eco-Sol Max 2 inks (including the brand new light black addition) along with new Versaworks updates. It’s a fantastic printer offering faster printing speeds, higher quality production and more versatility in terms of operation. printMAX became the first Roland dealer in Europe to secure a sale and have since gone on to sell more XR-640’s than any other dealer with countless installs lined up for the new year.
With the year coming to an end we’re looking forward to the next year and what that might bring to us. Hopefully in January, with the announcement of Roland’s most successful authorised dealer for 2012, we might have been able to get the hat trick! With January and February full of XR installs the next big event will be Sign UK 2013 where we’ll once again be demonstrating and advising on the latest Roland large format printers. The major difference to 2013 will be Fespa, in London it will certainly be a ground breaking event as it’s the first year the show has made it to the UK; we look forward to the potential that could offer! As for the rest of the year... who knows?! Perhaps Andy Murray will win Wimbledon, the new Royal arrival should bring another UK celebration and maybe Simon Cowell will come back to the X factor! Hopefully this time next year we’ll be able to look back at another year of growth and success. Until then, from all the team at printMAX we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!