Xanté Sees 20% Sales Growth, Despite COVID-19

Xanté’s X-16 and X-33 UV flatbed signage printers.

Xanté announced that year-over-year sales growth for Q4 2020 exceeded the same previous period in 2019 by greater than 20%.

“In the face of a global pandemic,” notes President and CEO Robert Ross, “when many print partners were either shut down or severely restricted in their operation, we managed significant growth. This remarkable growth was credited, in large part, to a 40% sales increase in our X-16, X-32, and X-33 UV flatbed signage products. Our customers needed new solutions that would keep their commercial print operations afloat even though they were seeing a significant drop in traditional print – many as much as 70%. The expanding signage business was their answer.”

In early April 2020, as widespread efforts to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus began, more and more print providers initiated changes to their businesses to capitalize on the growing need for signage. The X-33, X-32, and X-16 printers, which allow printing on substrates up to 24x36˝ and up to 11.75˝ thick, are the ideal solution for those shops that did not already have a flatbed UV sign printing solution.

“We immediately realized more requests for information from our customers for our X-model printers,” says Mark Priede, VP of Global Sales and Marketing. “But without the usual trade shows and in-person events we used to have, how could we demonstrate the quality and capabilities of these printers?”

Xanté immediately switched to “virtual roadshows,” showcasing their printers online to interested customers around the world.

“We were very impressed with the results from this strategy and, in fact, had to increase the number of sessions to accommodate extra guests,” says Priede.

Even though mid-year results were disappointing, by year’s end Xanté saw deliveries of its En/Press Digital Multimedia Press outpace those of 2019. More companies turned to direct mail as another communications channel to reach their customers confined or working from home. Powered by its iQueue Adobe PostScript PDF workflow software and integrated iQueue Mail Presort/NCOA capabilities, the En/Press provided a very cost-effective solution for print providers to respond to new market needs. Whether it was postcards, newsletters, or envelopes, Xanté customers were able to quickly respond to requests for presorted mail jobs thanks to the integrated iQueue Mail.

Packaging requirements for retailers, which exploded due to the pandemic, also created a severe need for efficient package printers among print shops. Xanté’s Excelagraphix 4800 Digital Package Printer enabled shops to keep up with the demand for custom-printed cartons with its ability to turn out full-color cartons with minimal change-over from job to job.

“Our growth demonstrates a transformation in our industry and very well could be the new normal. Growth in commercial print is possible if you adapt. Our industry is changing, and commercial printers must quickly change with it. Traditional print decreased significantly in 2020. It’s either evolve or struggle. We are focusing on technologies for this new normal,” concludes Ross. “For those that embrace change, there is a bright future.”