PRESS STATEMENT: FC GROUP REPORTS RECORD 2021 Q1 SALES RESULTS DESPITE COVID-19

According to Fenton Curley, MD of FC Group “This has been a period where we have had to show leadership and direction for all our staff and clients and completely rethink the way we do business. As a company we have adapted very well to these challenges”.

Fenton was of a firm belief that the global printing industry, although significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, would bounce back with the correct approach and forward thinking for the new normal!

This belief was not without putting in place sustainable strategic efforts at the very onset of the pandemic.

It is therefore not surprising and very welcoming to FC Group and our partner Kodak that at the end of the first quarter in 2021, amidst the challenges posed by Covid, we have closed eight major new hardware sales encompassing five Kodak Achieve Platesetters; two Kodak Trendsetter Platesetters; plus, a Kodak Nexpress Eco SX Digital Colour Press, some which are in the process of being shipped and the others, at least 3 currently being installed in Ghana and Nigeria. Added to this is of course the ongoing consumable revenue for all these devices.

As a business and a team, we have all had to adapt, rethink, reflect, remain ready and dynamic, let go and move along with the new reality. We quickly developed better team cohesion using Microsoft Teams, interacted more effectively with our customers and quickly came up with creative solutions with our partners to meet the needs of our customers.

• We reacted and responded quickly to new researched leads or that passed on by partners
• We nurtured and moved these leads quickly through our sales funnel
• We created effective weekly communications to all our customers and leads via email, WhatsApp and on our social platforms
• Our ability to support our clients remotely using our unique technology, has been key to keeping all our clients fully supported
• We took on new regions and agencies to be proactive and be ready to bounce back.

We have paid particular attention to working closely with our partners to offer special equipment and service bundles thus promoting greater flexibility in supporting our customers' needs, wherever possible.

We will be releasing more news and stories on some of our customers who, by responding to the unfolding crisis, either through preparedness of their existing CTP systems through FC Group’s effective service promise or by upscaling with new equipment purchases at the right time, have managed to position themselves to benefit from the new opportunities presented by the changing business reality.

KODAK ACHIEVE & TRENDSETTER PLATESETTERS
FACTS: #1 Kodak latest ACHIEVE Platesetters use up to 43% less power than previous models and up to 93% less than solutions from other manufacturers. They provide #2 More Automation and Use Less Space. They provide #3 More Speed, #4 More Energy Savings.

>>LEARN MORE https://www.kodak.com/en/print/blog-post/saving-energy-5-ctp-technology-trends about how Kodak CTP Technology Trends are transforming prepress now more than ever as printers strive to do whatever they can to save energy, automate or embark on innovative technology, both for cost and environmental reasons. They are the perfect solution for printers who want to have the most energy-efficient operation.

To keep you abreast with the trends and key benefits of the Kodak's CTP Solution >>WATCH VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wQVEyWEkBo.

KODAK NEXPRESS ECO SX DIGITAL COLOUR PRESS
The KODAK NEXPRESS SX Digital Production Colour Platform can help customers drive more jobs per shift and more profit per page, by consistently and reliably producing market-leading image quality from job to job and day to day.

Announced at Drupa, now not commercially available, the new Fifth Imaging Unit and Long sheet option of up to 26”/660 mm allows customers to be able to print 6-page brochures or 3-up A4/letters. Also has an expanded feeder (roll and sheet) and in-line finishing modules to help complete jobs in fewer steps with maximum productivity and minimum waste.

Fenton, MD of FC Group is sharing this great sales news with industry players to encourage leaders to keep on pushing. The Africa packaging market is expected to reach a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period (2021 - 2026). Although COVID 19 is impacting the industry where packaging manufacturers are facing supply chain disruption along with decreasing manufacturing onsite in many parts of the world, this is expected to grow and forms FC Group’s key growth strategy. We have recently been given the dealership by Miraclon, New Home of Kodak Flexcel NX Solution, to also supply and look after East Africa and look forward to expanding in these new markets.

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ABOUT FC GROUP

FC Group is here to support you with your CTP, Plates and Pressroom Solutions—future purchase decisions or with general advice. By the time we install our new purchases we would have been supporting more than 70 CTP Systems in West Africa alone.

We are the Authorised Kodak distributor have been selling Kodak CTP and Digital Print Solutions and Consumables in strategic African Countries for more than 2 decades.

Based on our outstanding performances we have also been given the dealership for Kodak Digital Solutions and Kodak Flexcel NX Solution by Miraclon, in East Africa and are actively scaling up on business there.

With offices, warehousing and highly skilled and trained local engineers and technicians in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana and partnering with reputable manufacturers (Kodak, Miraclon, Glunz & Jensen, Morgana, Kinyo, Duplo and Edale) we are in a unique position to support our customers in West, East and Central Africa. We have a salesforce amassing some 40+ years of experience in the printing industry who are best placed to advise on the best equipment solution from our full range of printing equipment and consumables to suit your needs.

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Call us: +44(0)1462 684 388 +44(0)7909 256 373 + 234 802 111 3670 +254 722 427660