Leaders of major reprographics vendors in Germany kneel before a banner at the 100th birthday of Motio, the German reprographics association. From left to right: Achim Carius, Motio; Andres Kaiser, KIP; Heiner Kayser, Sihl; Johannes Bischof, Konica Minolta; Jo van Onsem, Xerox; Georg Hollenbach, efi; Moritz Rogger, Agfa-Graphics; Jeppe Frandsen, Canon; Ralf Muhle, Es Te Folding; Uwe Jungk, Ricoh; and Karl-Heinz Neumann, Motio.
German Reprographics Association Celebrates 100 Years, Changes its Name
Reprographics business and association leaders from throughout Europe celebrated the 100th birthday of Wirtschaftsverband Kopie & Medientechnik (WKM), the German reprographics association, from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5 in Leipzig, Germany. A highlight of the event was the announcement that the organization is changing its name to Motio.
About 350 people attended the event, which included seminars and a trade show. Most attendees were members of WKM or vendors to the industry, but a number of leaders of associations from other countries also attended, including leaders from Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Austria. Ed Avis, managing director of IRgA, also attended.
The seminars focused on digital reprographics, running an online repro business, marketing, using the “cloud,” and more. A particularly popular session discussed the possibilities involved in 3-D printing, and two exhibitors in the convention hall exhibited 3-D printing technology.
The announcement of the name change to Motio was the biggest news of the event. Heiko Schmalfuss, the deputy chairman of WKM, made the announcement and explained that the new name represents a more modern association serving members who do much more than make copies. He also introduced the organization’s new logo and website.