Inca Digital has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade, in recognition of its substantial success in overseas earnings and outstanding performance in international trading. Global Inkjet Systems (GIS), a developer of software drivers and electronics for industrial inkjet printheads, has also received a Queen’s Award in the same category in recognition of its achievement in growing revenues from overseas markets in Europe, USA and Asia.
Inca CEO John Mills, said: “We are immensely proud to have won this prestigious Award which recognises the enormous effort and commitment of the entire Inca team. Although the market is highly competitive and trading conditions have been tight over the last five years, we have maintained a strategy of developing high-performance wide-format printers that are in demand around the world.”
Since its foundation in 2000, Inca, which manufactures the Onset series of UV flatbed inkjet printers, has steadily expanded its facility in Cambridge to meet global demand for its printers. The move to a new 6,000 m² facility last year brought the manufacturing process under one roof and increased its overall capacity with scope for future growth. Inca’s focus on technical innovation has allowed the company to bring a new product to market every 18-24 months.
The USA has consistently been Inca’s largest overseas market, but over the last five years, several new and important overseas markets have been established. Brazil, Germany and Canada have seen significant growth (150% in Brazil since 2007) and the company has also had success in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and the Czech Republic. Other new overseas markets include South Africa, Dubai, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Belgium and Korea. Inca has developed a strong international distribution base thanks to the strength of its main distribution partner, Fujifilm. Today Inca printers are installed in 34 countries.
At GIS 89% of the company’s total sales in 2012 were in international markets – an increase from 47% in 2010. Overseas sales growth was 132% in 2012. Its technology is used in a wide range of inkjet print systems. Like Inca it is also based in Cambridge.