Thailand, Korea and Japan are where I spent time over the last few weeks, meeting with customers, suppliers and two new members of the MPS Systems Asia team!
My first stop was in Bangkok, to meet up with Suwannee Tantisrisuk, recently hired as MPS Area Sales Manager for Southeast Asia, based in Thailand. With Suwannee’s previous experience as an owner of a label print company where she also operated flexo presses, she brings a valuable user-perspective to the role. Soon Suwannee will be warmly greeted by my colleagues in Arnhem during her upcoming training on MPS presses in the Technology & Expertise Centre.
Suwannee Tantisrisuk, Area Sales Manager
While in Bangkok, Suwannee and I met among others with Paul Myatt, the new regional manager for Domino’s label business. Discussions were focussed on our joint hybrid EF SYMJETsolution (MPS EF press integrated with the Domino digital N610i inkjet printer), as Domino has bolstered its local presence of its N-Series digital color label press in Asia. This synergy is an advantage to label printers in Asia looking to add the best of both worlds in digital and conventional technologies with a single press.
Other supplier visits were also part of our journey, as building these local relationships is a fundamental element of our growth plan. We visited the Rotometrics factory, where they demonstrated the intricate detail of their magnetic dies. Also on the agenda were meetings with IST Metz, a supplier of drying & UV curing systems and Flexo Wash, a provider of innovative and high-quality cleaning equipment for aniloxes, gravure cylinders, printing plates, plate sleeves and other press parts.
Wim van den Bosch joins the tour
During my recent travels to Japan and Korea, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by Wim van den Bosch, CEO of MPS.
We met with Mr. Kang, Seoug Hee – President of Sanki Korea, the local MPS agent in Korea. Mr. Kang is very knowledgeable in high-speed label applications such as shrink sleeves, mono films, and multi-layer labels, and is currently in negotiation with two printers for new MPS presses.
Wim and I discussed the progress in Asia and next steps, which includes the hiring of another local engineer and a new position of general assistant/marketing communications for the MPS Systems Asia team.
And on the topic of new team members, I also spent time with Julius Urbano, our new Regional Service Engineer who will assist with customer support and new installations. Julius will also receive training at MPS headquarters in The Netherlands. Hopefully he’ll enjoy some Dutch treats such as poffertjes (small, fluffy pancakes), rookworst (smoked sausage) and of course Gouda cheese!
After my hectic, but rewarding few weeks of travel, I took time to unwind and re-energize in the Cameron Highlands, a popular retreat in Malaysia. Here’s a few pics that just might tempt you to visit:
Mark your calendar
Come meet us! New to the list of upcoming MPS events for Asia are:
March 16-18
Karachi, Pakistan
Hall 6, K-Group
May 2-3
Bangkok, Thailand
Our Area Sales Manager George Tan is also delivering a presentation about the EF SYMJET at a conference in Taiwan on March 21.
Next on my travel agenda is Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. Joining me will be Eric Hoendervangers, Global Sales Marketing Director and co-founder of MPS.
