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Presidential inauguration gets a helping hand from Kongsberg
Gent (Belgium), February 11, 2009 - Few people watching the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States would have realized the role EskoArtwork's Kongsberg i-XL played in the proceedings. For Hargrove Inc, a management firm for special events, custom exhibits and trade show services which has been a major contractor for every presidential inauguration since 1949, time was of the essence. The company had seven days to provide all the services for the inauguration: ten balls, three dinners, seven floats and many other events which entailed 44 separate jobs in 34 different venues over six days. Most of the decorations used in these events were printed on a Vutek QS3200 large format printer and cut on an EskoArtwork Kongsberg i-XL.
Hargrove CEO Tim McGill said: "It was extremely gratifying to be able to fabricate some of the unusual components for major Inaugural events like the concert at the Lincoln Memorial and the Neighborhood Ball." Hargrove produced a 10,000-square-foot floor for the performers at the Lincoln Memorial as well as the faux walls used to hide the scaffolding, some 22-feet tall, and the moveable walls that closed and opened to allow for set changes.
"At the Neighborhood Ball, President and Mrs. Obama had their first dance on a custom-built circular stage with a faux finish applied by local artisans," McGill said. The company also produced its largest Presidential Inaugural Seal ever for the Neighborhood Ball. "Normally, we produce hundreds of inaugural seals ranging from 30 inches to 12 feet," he said. "For the Neighborhood Ball, we produced a wooden, three-dimensional seal 16-feet in diameter."
Kongsberg table with i-cut vision system saves the day
Fred Strickland, director of production at Hargrove Inc., said: "The EskoArtwork Kongsberg i-XL with i-cut vision system saved the day. It allowed us to cut all of the items we printed without any effort at all. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish."
The Kongsberg i-XL is a die-less cutting and creasing table that delivers record-breaking productivity and versatility. It perfectly complements digital printing of sign and displays with unique finishing solutions on the widest range of materials, providing automation, high productivity and outstanding precision. Printed signs and displays can be custom-shaped right on the finishing table. The i-cut vision system makes sure that finishing is adapted to the shape of the graphics, which guarantees a cut contour that perfectly matches the printed graphics. The shaping itself, like contour cutting, follows the graphics exactly as created by the printer.
Mark Quinlan, President EskoArtwork North America, comments: “We are extremely pleased and honored to have contributed to the success of President Obama’s inauguration events. There were considerable time pressures placed on Hargrove, but we knew they could rely on our outstanding line of cutting tables—particularly with their automated digital finishing. Our tables are equipped with a versatile set of tools that can cut and crease heavy-duty materials used in a wide variety of new, emerging applications for signs and displays. We are certain, as Hargrove created its many graphic displays, that it benefited from the Kongsberg table’s ability to work with a very diverse range of substrates, from textiles to heavy-duty re-board materials. They are an outstanding investment for the digital printer who is searching for a profitable and productive finishing solution for short run jobs.”
About Hargrove Inc.
The company employs 200 full-time workers, a number that increased to more than 700 during the Presidential Inaugural preparations. The facility includes a 35,000-square-foot fabrication shop, 5,000-square-foot paint shop, 4,400-square-foot art shop, 24,000-square-foot computer shopw, 25 all-weather loading docks, 135,000-squarefoot warehouse, and complete design studio. The event, trade show and exhibit company provides nationwide service from its Lanham, Md. Headquarters. For more information about Hargrove, visit www.hargroveinc.com.
About EskoArtwork
EskoArtwork is a global supplier and integrator of innovative solutions for packaging, commercial printing, sign and display finishing and professional publishing. Its products and services help customers raise productivity, reduce time-to-market, lower costs and expand business. EskoArtwork is the worldwide market leader with pre-production and collaboration software for packaging buyers, designers and manufacturers. The CDI flexo computer-to-plate imagers, Kongsberg short-run converting and signage finishing systems complete the portfolio for the packaging, label, signage and display industries.
The company also provides a range of workflow solutions for the commercial printing and publishing market, as well as the Enfocus suite of PDF tools for graphic designers and print production professionals.
EskoArtwork employs around 900 people worldwide. Its global sales and support organization covers Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Japan, and is completed by a network of distribution partners in more than 40 countries.
EskoArtwork is headquartered in Gent, Belgium, and has R&D and manufacturing facilities in 5 European countries, the United States and in India. The consolidated full year revenue for 2007 amounted to EUR 170 million, with an EBITDA of EUR 30 million.
Source: EskoArtwork Press Release
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