Editor Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH reflected on his two-week US trip, focusing on his experiences at Print United. He expressed gratitude for his small company's recognition in the US market and emphasized the importance of feedback from readers and viewers. Reitoft praised the efforts of the Print United team, particularly Mark Subers and Amanda Kliegl, for continually seeking improvements and introducing new initiatives. He highlighted the Media Day event, allowing media representatives to engage with vendors and learn about new technologies through speed dating sessions, workshops, and Q&A opportunities. Reitoft noted that such events help media focus on important updates, making it easier to communicate valuable information to their audiences. He anticipated that detailed content resulting from Media Day would be shared in the coming weeks and months. Reitoft also discussed the Knowledge Center, a conglomerate of small booths at the entrance where media and industry specialists could educate attendees. While he commended the concept and execution, he suggested that allocating more resources and ensuring consistent presence at the booths would enhance their effectiveness. He stressed the importance of recording and broadcasting educational sessions to reach a broader audience, even if live attendance is limited. However, Reitoft raised concerns about the poor internet service at the Las Vegas Convention Center, describing it as a significant hindrance for media outlets that rely on high-speed connectivity to deliver content. He found it unacceptable that attendees were offered limited internet speeds at high costs, emphasizing that reliable internet is essential for modern trade shows. He also mentioned the separation of the South and Central Halls due to reconstruction, which made the event feel like two distinct shows and disrupted the seamless experience envisioned by the "under one roof" slogan. Morten B. Reitoft admitted that he discovered the second hall only on the second day, suggesting that the layout was not intuitive. Addressing his discomfort with certain aspects of Las Vegas, Reitoft recounted an evening event at The Palm where he observed a noticeable presence of prostitutes. He found this contradictory to industry initiatives promoting respect and opportunities for women, such as the Women for Print Alliance. Reitoft expressed concern over the exploitation inherent in such scenarios and the negative reflection it casts on the event environment. He observed that while the South Hall, featuring large format and apparel exhibits, was busy and crowded, the Central Hall experienced lower attendance, especially afternoon on the third day. Reitoft underscored the necessity of industry support for trade shows to ensure their continued existence and the benefits they provide in networking and showcasing new equipment. In conclusion, Morten Reitoft deemed the show valuable despite the issues highlighted. He hopes that future events will address these concerns, particularly regarding internet connectivity and venue layout. He reaffirmed the importance of trade shows for learning and industry advancement, encouraging stakeholders to consider these factors for future participation. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reitoft/

Editor Morten B. Reitoft spoke at the Horizon Finishing First event. The presentation is about why automation isn't always needed and, when needed, how to identify the potential.

Editor Morten B. Reitoft welcomes the audience to the final pre-Drupa Live event, the fourth in a series. He acknowledged previous technical issues in Casablanca and hoped for a smoother session - which we got :-) The program will feature Matthew Faulkner from Canon as the first guest and will be broadcast on multiple platforms (LinkedIn, Inkish TV, YouTube, and Facebook), encouraging audience engagement through questions. Reitoft discusses the impact of Drupa's cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the industry's anticipation for the 2024 edition, which is two weeks away. He describes the planning process, which began a year ago, and the creation of a physical brochure called "Drupa 24" featuring high-profile industry figures like Montserrat Peidro, Ulrich Stetter, Anthony Thirlby, François Martin, John Sommers, Paul Hudson, and Sarah Kilcoyne-Guilliam, offering their perspectives on the event. A daily segment called "Bonjour," a casual show featuring industry guests over croissants and coffee, is mentioned, with hosts like Pat McGrew. Key guests for these segments include Dr. Andreas Pleßke, Annette Friskopp, Daniel Erni, Ralf Sameck, Christoph Gamper, Julie Watson, Yasu Taketsugu, Jennifer Kolloczek, Volker Leonhardt, Diego Dias, Jordi Giralt, Erik Normann, and Tim Sterbach. Reitoft highlights the extensive coverage planned for Drupa, with over 300 films and episodes featuring industry insights on technology, business, sustainability, IoT, robots, and workflow. INKISH and its content partners will be key sources for updates on the event. They also introduce the INKISH In-Flight magazine, a 144-page printed publication available as a physical copy or a digital file, with an option to have it delivered to hotels for €15. The speaker expresses excitement for Drupa and its opportunities for networking and technology showcases, transitioning to the first guest, Matthew Faulkner, with a brief introduction.

Visiting vendors is always fun, and when we went to Israel, we got two great opportunities: to speak with Gershon Alon and Golan Landsberg - straight from the HP V12 lab outside Tel Aviv in Israel. In this short interview with Gershon Alon, we get his view on how HP PrintOS supports the industry's megatrends - and yes, the trends are also what we see wherever your hardworking INKISH team is! More jobs, shorter jobs, and more customized jobs. The trend is apparent within almost every segment of the industry. HP PrintOS is a great software that enables printers to optimize print production, and as Gershon Alon explains, the software is vendor agnostic. Vendors like Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, EFI, and Kodak already integrates with HP PrintOS. Enjoy!  

We asked Jordi Giralt directly, "Do KURZ open more up towards the world?" and Jordi Giralt answered immediately, "Yes." And you do see how KURZ with the Label Weeks opens up for more customers, but also new partners, like Grafotronic, which you can see in another INKISH film. The world is changing, and what we like about KURZ is that the solid business is based on solid values, robust leadership, and a fresh look at opportunities. Interesting to follow the KURZ journey, and in this interview yet, a chapter is documented :-)

What do top executives find interesting at a tradeshow like drupa? Well - our first guest is Montserrat Peidro. She is a board member with BOBST but has an extensive background in Heidelberg and HP +. Her entire life has been training to become a board member with BOBST - according to Peidro, a dream position. In this 25-minute boothwalk, we have fun, learn, and many interesting views. Enjoy!

In this "Over the Skype" session, K.S. Ashik has a great conversation with Assistant Director Marketing Mohit Bansal from Naph Graphics. Naph Graphics is one of the larger newspaper press vendors in India. In this session, INKISH India leads the conversation about the market, the products, the current, and the future. Why should a customer choose Naph Graphics? You will get at least some of the answers in this Over the Skype session. As with all our ‘Over the Skype’ interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!

French with English Subtitles. The Komori organization is expanding its local presence in Europe and beyond. A bold strategy that requires the right people on site. We chat with Moez Jebali about his role in this strategy and the challenges Komori decided to take on. -- L'organisation Komori étend sa présence locale en Europe et au-delà. Une stratégie audacieuse qui nécessite les bonnes personnes sur place. Nous discutons avec Moez Jebali de son rôle dans cette stratégie et les défis que Komori a décidé de relever.

Christoph Gamper, CEO of DURST Group, is always interesting to speak to. In this interview from LabelExpo Europe 2023, we talk about Hawkeye - Durst's AI technology and how LabelExpo is different from a show like drupa. When we talk to Gamper, he is one of the few CEOs who have no fear of discussing issues like the value of a trade show or the organizer's flaws. Liberating is the word that comes to mind. Christoph Gamper will be one of the guests at our upcoming '23-edition NON-EVENT in Copenhagen. Enjoy!

Theurer.com is one of many exhibitors at LabelExpo Europe 2023, and though everybody is suffering from the heat, the mood is high. Managing Director Tobias Theurer finds time to talk to INKISH and gives us some background of the company, but also how the MIS/ERP solution has developed from being 'only' an invoicing and quotation system to a system able to so much more - integration, workflow, imposition, and with growth and presence in many markets Theurer.com predicts a bright future - we were happy to finally catch up with Theurer in person, super nice :-)

Crystal Clean Connect fully automates the entire plate-making process, from imaging and exposure to plate production, reducing the number of steps in the flexo plate-making process from twelve to just one. It delivers a 90 percent reduction in dedicated operator time, an average 25 percent increase in press OEE, and a 20 percent reduction in ink usage. The system results from two years of joint development between Asahi Photoproducts and Esko. Mirco Wilk from All4Labels, Pascal Thomas from Esko, and Dieter Niederstadt from Asahi Photoproducts share the story in this film. Enjoy. Interviewed by Jacques Michiels.

Rencontre avec le Directeur France, Martial Granet chez Mimaki. Il nous parle des nouveaux produits et pourquoi il les a amenés au salon. Première occasion de les voir en action sur le territoire français. --- Meeting the France Director, Martial Granet at Mimaki. He tells us about the new products and why he brought them to the show in France. First opportunity to see them in action on French territory.

The VIGC Hackathon is an annual event organized by VIGC and EY. The purpose is to develop ideas for future solutions in a fun and competitive environment. In less than 48 hours, an idea changes from just an idea into something presented to a jury and an audience. This year's Hackathon had twelve teams presenting exciting ideas - some more innovative and exciting than others - but the jury unanimously agreed on this year's 2nd place - yes, we also agreed on number one and number three :-) The Shiprz project was developed by Miki Rubin and Wouter Meeuwisse - and subsidized shipping costs by adding personalized advertising on shipping labels. In this interview you can learn much more - so please enjoy!

The first part is a component of an imaging section of a digital toner printer. I spent many years managing a service department. So, I started rotating at a distributor for Konica Minolta. From a business position, to then service. And then became VP of Operations and Strategy. From one side, I see users taking the machinery to the maximum. Or even more than an OEM even thought about. Before OEMs were focused on installing midfoot machines in the field. And that's what they get measured by. We have to be as close to the buying customer as possible. And at the end there's going to be a very big consolidation of production. Printers have an amazing advantage for on-demand local production of X. So, this was 2019 - a week before that flight, I called Bernd Zipper. And that ended up traveling to an Online Print Symposium. And this was this huge eye opener. I think local culture is very important. I wouldn't call it 'transform'. I would call it 'adapt'. Panama has no postal system. So how do you deliver something? There's been an increase on last mile delivery startups. So that's facilitated not only print, but all the e-commerce. This is a print controller board where everything connects to. It's basically the brain of the machine. We're trying to build something similar. But outside of the printer. Our company is called IMPRIMU. And we're building an on-demand print network. Those are my kids. We were at the beach one day. And just putting it into context…all these difficulties last year. But at the same time there were so many good moments. And the question is: how do you take advantage of those good moments? And are you able to appreciate them? That is actually our product. That is value we are providing to a tuna processing plant. And we are providing pretty on-demand labels for them. I love being a part of that adaptation. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikirubin/

It was a super interesting chat with CTO Mike Natalizia from AstroNova. Of course, developing modern inkjet label presses is very different from the days with ribbons. In this interview, we talk about technologies, market demands, substrates, and inks. Super interesting!

Mike Mohn from Wallace Carlson enjoys eProductivity Software/EFI Connect 2022 to learn how to maximize the mid-market solutions software benefits.

In times where we focus on efficiency, speed - is there at all space for focusing on quality, and if so, how to identify customers willing to pay for quality. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-malpas-21403a24/

Whau - what a story. Mike King is the President and CEO of New Jersey-based Eagle Systems. In this, Over the Skype episode, he tells how his father and him, worked in New York City, and how the interest for foils eventually became Eagle Systems. With a more than 30+ years knowledge about both hot- and cold-foil, not strange that their website is thefoilexperts.com. As with all our 'Over the Skype' interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!

Interview in English - subtitles in Dutch. Ook Agfa heeft er voor gekozen om zonder beursstand, dus beperkt aanwezig te zijn op Drupa. Een wat merkwaardige vaststelling voor velen, maar waarschijnlijk ingegeven door het feit dat ze sinds vorig jaar afscheid hebben genomen van hun Offsetdivisie. Ik ontmoet Mike Hosten dus op neutraal terrein waar we het hebben over zijn DPC onderdeel binnen de Agfa groep en hoe zij Drupa en de evoluties in het grafische speelveld verder vorm zien krijgen. — EN — Agfa has also chosen to have a limited presence at Drupa without an exhibition booth. A somewhat strange observation for many, but probably due to the fact that they said goodbye to their Offset division last year. So I meet up with Mike Hosten on neutral ground where we talk about his DPC part within the Agfa group and how they see Drupa and the developments in the graphic playing field taking further shape.

Interviewed by James Wells from Intermedia, Australia Produced by INKISH. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehorsten/

With a background from IBM and Ricoh, Mike Herold used to be primarily associated with products around the mentioned companies' ecosystems. Still, in his relatively new role with EMT International, he is suddenly invited to former competitors—and that journey is, of course, interesting. Still, it also gives Herold many new opportunities!  

Mark's Quest for American Exhibitors led him to Mike Herold from EMT International - and after sharing American anecdotes, Mike Herold's history from IBM to Ricoh to EMT International is talked about - and, of course, the equipment from EMT. Enjoy!

Mike Barry discusses the new technology being launched by Domino at Labelexpo Europe, including the European debut of its N7310 inkjet press and new inkjet integration module.

Valiani is an Italien based, family-owned company founded in 1974. Until ten years ago, the company specialized in producing machines doing Passepartout - with that knowledge they entered into industrialized cutting up to B2 format. In this film, we talk with Mikael Bryske who is now Sales Director and responsible for sales of the very exciting machine on a global scale. But listen to what Mikael Bryske has to say in this film - we are confident that you will find it interesting!