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	D-PES Digital Printers & Engravers Exp

Among the number of sign expos held in China, D-PES is especially important because while APPPEXPO in Shanghai has become a more international expo,  D-PES offers the opportunity for distributors from around the world to see the major Chinese equipment manufacturers coming form different parts of the country.

D-PES was held in a huge complex a few minutes away from the city's hotel area.

This is a trade show where you can really get a sense of the situation of the sign equipment industry in China, and Asia in general. Even when you will hardly find American or European printer manufacturers exhibiting, D-PES is a huge expo, and you really need to attend at least two days to interact with all of the exhibiting companies.

Since of course the exhibition space is more affordable than printer expos in USA or Europe, companies can leverage the prices to have gigantic booths and hence, have more equipment exhibited. For example, Design, a Chinese printer manufacturer, brought 3 models to APPPEXPO in Shanghai, but had 5 UV printer models and 4 solvent models at D-PES Dongguan 2011.

D-PES is a good opportunity to inspect lots of printer models from several manufacturers. You can also learn about the way Chinese companies interact with other companies to market their printer models.

Transportation to D-PES, Sign China 2012

Last year D-PES was held in Dongguan, but in 2012 it will be held in Guangzhou, a neighboring city. Since we flew from the United States, we landed in the fancy Beijing International Airport, and then flew to Guangzhou Airport.

The ground transportation system is well organized and secure. Although Guangzhou is in general a visitor-friendly city, it is advisable to have a printed copy of the information of your hotel both in English and Chinese, as well as a map, since most of the times, personnel at the bus ticket booths and taxi drivers will not speak in English. Once installed in your hotel and gearing up for the trade show center, the taxis are secure and much cheaper than in the United States or Europe.

Guangzhou is of course not as well known to people from outside China, but to be blunt, it is larger than almost any city in the USA! Guangzhou is larger than any city in Central America. In Mexico only Mexico City is as large.

Although D-PES is a local expo, the ground transportation was professionally organized. The bus in the photo went back and forth from D-PES in Dongguan, to the other trade show in Guangzhou.

Climate is nice during February: you will see tropical trees outside the airport (I even saw a row of the Guatemalan national tree while I was in Guangzhou a few weeks ago (late December 2011; I have been in China five times during 2011). But since this is “winter” there is no heat (a pleasant way of saying you won’t roast as happens during Shanghai expos in the July heat there).

Language

Of all exhibiting companies, I don’t remember being in one single booth where no one spoke in English. In other words, although most printer technicians and printer operators only speak in Chinese, every company has competent and friendly sales staff who are fluent in English. Again, out of the expo, it is advisable to have a map and address printed in English and in Chinese, because taxi drivers usually speak only Chinese.

Leaf Li, one of the trade show's assistants for international visitors, providing information to part of FLAAR staff.

In comparison, at the giant Brazil expos, most people spoke only Portuguese. Fortunately I speak Spanish, so can understand basic Portuguese, but since I am used to 90% bi-lingual English-Spanish in Mexico and Central America, I was very surprised to notice how little English was spoken at the Brazil expo.

In Japan it was even more awkward; 90% of the people in the booths spoke only Japanese. This surprised me because I have lived in Japan, and really enjoy the culture, the country, and the people. I attended one printer expo in Japan, and would not advise it for anyone: almost no ability (or interest) in speaking English. And, almost no top managers and zero executives in the printer booths. I see more Japanese printer executives and managers in Chinese expos than in Japan!

Because in some cases it is easier to identify the companies by their logos, or not all Chinese companies have their name in Western writing, the organizers cleverly designed a logotype-based map.

General comments on D-PES, Sign China 2012

In general, UV-cured printer manufacturers dominate Western expos, but Chinese printers are equally composed by a large number of textile printer manufacturers, since the textile printing industry has a great demand in Asia.

You can also learn about the growing number of printers with DX5, DX6, and now DX7 printheads from Epson. One printer brand is really good.

D-PES is a key trade show for distributors who are interested in printing equipment for price-sensitive markets. Yet, once you enter the exhibition halls, you will have a different idea of Chinese equipment and little by little will find out that there is indeed equipment of reliable quality, which is not necessarily as expensive as equipment manufactured in the United States, Canada, or Europe.

If you wish personal guided tour of Chinese printer booths, you can ask for help from FLAAR

FLAAR Reports had four staff at D-PES 2011 and also attended D-PES 2010. So this will be our third year. Four of us will be at D-PES Sign China 2012 to help you with the exhibitor list.

If you are a
A printshop operator who prefers to look at ALL potential brands before making a final consideration (they you might learn a lot from visiting each booth with Dr Hellmuth or his staff who have been to China before).

A distributor, who perhaps wants to have an edge over other distributors in your country, by utilizing the experience and clout of Dr Hellmuth to neogiate with Chinese manufactures.

Or a manufacturer who wishes to take advantage of the knowledge that FLAAR has accumulated during its recent years throughout China.

Dr Hellmuth has visited factories all around China: ink factories, printer factories, substrate factories, media coating factories.

We have visited R&D labs, demo rooms (of products you have not even see yet).

In other words, to be blunt, the modest cost of hiring FLAAR as a consultant at D-PES is a clever investment. It gives YOU and advantage over your competition.

D-PES is in the same city, the same week as the competing Chinese expo “the Guangzhou expo.”  We also have two years familiarity with the older Guangzhou expo. We can explain to you the differences between the two trade shows.

Plus, if you wish, you can juggle your schedule to attend D-PES + the Guangzhou expo and then fly to FESPA Barcelona and still have time there.

Or, you can concentrate your time at the two gigantic Chinese expos and do your European printer shopping until DRUPA (or at Viscom or SGIA or ISA sign expo in America).

So it is very simple: the two simultaneous expos in Guangzhou in mid-February, or the APPPEXPO expo in Shanghai in July.  You can hire FLAAR to tell you the precise pros and cons of all three printer trade shows so you can decide which to attend.

Buf if your competitors get to China in February, and you wait until July for Shanghai, your competitors may wrap up key Chinese products in your territory before you even get to China!

To make a schedule for an appointment with FLAAR in China, e-mail FrontDesk “at” FLAAR.org.  You can download the PDF now in advance, work out the consulting fee, and then the FLAAR managers will provide you Dr Hellmuth’s Skype address, his direct e-mail address, and his direct telephone # (so we can help you in advance, for either the Chinese expos, or help you prepare for FESPA or assist you prepare for DRUPA).

Dr Hellmuth is rather obviously a German-speaker, has lived in Germany for years (and in Austria and Switzerland) has attended many DRUPA expos and can help you understand how to handle DRUPA (and whether it is plenty to attend the Chinese expos + FESPA and skip DRUPA !

Dr. Hellmuth interacting with friendly local staff at one of the exhibiting booths.

We go to each and every expo precisely to assist you: your budget and time may allow you to attend only one, or two. Here is where we can help you to make clever decisions.

First posted January 3, 2012.