Julie Watson is the CEO of Ultimate TechnoGraphics based in Montreal, Canada. Since 1989 the company has focused on the imposition and was the first to introduce imposition using computers. Just imagine how many things have changed since then? Technology, customers, speed, CPU-power, Memory, and Julie Watson's career plan changed in 2008 when her father suddenly passed away at drupa in 2008. First, her mother, Joanne Watson, took over the leadership. Five years ago, Julie Watson became CEO of Ultimate Technographic - the company by some better known for their flag-ship software Impostrip. In this Conversation with Editor Morten B. Reitoft, Julie Watson shares her views on technology and why speed continues to be an essential factor in efficient workflow/automation. INKISH has months ahead of this interview filmed two Ultimate TechnoGraphics customers Print On Demand from Cape Town, South Africa, and Sendmoments from Germany. Print On Demand https://inkish.tv/inkish-video/pod/ Sendmoments https://inkish.tv/inkish-video/sendmoments/

Always excellent to see successful collaborations and our friends from Ultimate Tech and Horizon International is a brilliant example. This is being talked about in this Bonjour - but more interesting things - so dig in :-) LinkedIn Profiles: Julie Watson https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliew/ Yasuo Taketsugu https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasuo-taketsugu-55999134/

Morten Reitoft and Julie Watson discuss Ultimate Tech's preparations and excitement for Drupa 2024. Watson highlights the company's recent activities, partnerships, and technology introductions. She explains that while Printing United was significant for introducing new technologies like the AI-driven cutting buddy and new nesting technologies, Drupa remains crucial for showcasing its latest innovations to a global audience. Watson mentions the upcoming releases, including the 2024.1 version of Impostrip with enhanced job organization features and compatibility with PDF X4 from the Ghent Workgroup. She also discusses their container version of Impostrip on AWS, demonstrating their commitment to cloud-based solutions. Ultimate Tech will showcase its full-featured solutions across multiple platforms (Linux, Mac, Windows). Reitoft asks about Ultimate Tech's integration capabilities, particularly with their Ultimate Bindery software, which automates finishing processes and supports over 85 devices. Watson explains that their drivers validate jobs and automate device setups, allowing seamless integration and reduced manual intervention. They discuss Impostrip/Bindery's scalability, highlighting its ability to handle high volumes of short-run digital print jobs efficiently. Watson emphasizes the importance of starting with automation and gradually integrating more processes and devices to enhance productivity. Watson also discusses integrating their solutions with other systems, such as MIS and Web2Print platforms, using APIs for open connectivity. She mentions their collaboration with Omikai to showcase an end-to-end workflow solution at Drupa. Reitoft and Watson conclude by discussing the logistical ease of being a software company at Drupa compared to hardware manufacturers and the historical significance of Ultimate Tech's participation since 1990. Watson shares a personal anecdote about her family’s long-standing involvement in the industry.

Your humble editor was late for this interview, but despite that, this conversation with CEO Julie Watson from Ultimate TechnoGraphics was really GREAT. The Canadian-based company, founded in 1989, is the developer behind the widely used software Impostrip. In this 'Over The Skype' session, CEO Julie Watson and editor Morten Reitoft speak about the newly released update of Impostrip, APIs, workflow/automation, the industry, and of course, where Julie Watson sees the future for her company. Great session - enjoy!

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 that can be 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 winner. The winner is Julie Dumoulin with her Opinry. Opinry is a solution to help judge designs before being implemented into products - to ensure consistency and sellability! In this interview, we talk to the winner - and I am sure you will see passion and dedication to the very idea of being a young entrepreneur as well as a young woman that we believe can take Opinry to market. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profile

Since we at INKISH are always looking for interesting stories and new players, we wanted to learn more about JETRIX, a name we've seen more often lately. The Jetrix brand is actually owned by InkTec, a South Korean manufacturer of wide-format flatbed and roll-to-roll inkjet printers. They are focusing hard on the LFP market, and recently expanded to Europe and the US. Let's meet Julian Menell, helping them shape sales from Oxon, UK.

At the BHS Open House ´23, we met with the next generation of BHS, Julian Engel. 19 years old and on the edge of choosing a university, preparing himself for being the next generation owner and management for BHS. BHS is, as you will realize in the interviews we have done with his father, Lars Engel, and his uncle Christian Engel, driven by strong family values. But listen for yourself and get to know the next generation - another first here on INKISH, we believe :-)

At the 'Seiko Open Week 2022 event' people from all segments of the industry were represented. Juan Castells works with Itaca, one of the leading manufacturers of organic pigment. The pigments are used in both digital and analog inks and are quite interesting to learn and understand about the ink market - especially with a focus on tiles. Juan Castells also showcase examples of how other materials can be printed with the right mix of ink and printhead. The next venture is to digitally print vinyl and other products. Enjoy!

In this "Over the Skype" we talked to José Luis Bezaury, Managing Director of Litoplas, who tells us about the wide portfolio of solutions he offers in labels and packaging, as well as what has been the success factor of his company in 25 years of experience. En este "Over the Skype" entrevistamos a José Luis Bezaury, director general de Litoplas, quien nos habla acerca del amplio portafolio de soluciones que ofrece en etiquetas y empaques, así como cuál ha sido el factor de éxito de su empresa en 25 años de trayectoria.

In this Over the Skype session, Jacques Michiels from INKISH Benelux talks to an exciting gentleman, Jos Steutelings. Jos Steutelings is the Managing Director of VIGC, who, among other things, does events that have become very popular. In this interview, we discuss the Hackaton event; an event developed together with Ernst & Young. Innovation for the industry, and due to the COVID-19 virtual. Virtual enables this to be an event with a broader potential, so listen to the exciting conversation, and prepare yourself for a great event.

Interview in Dutch - subtitles in English. Wie eraan denkt om te (gaan) werken met LED UV kan zijn “licht” ;) - opsteken bij Sadechaf Benelux. Wie zijn zij? en welke expertise of oplossingen brengen ze naar voor als we willen drogen/curen met UV? Een zeer informatieve babbel, zonder te vervallen in een overkill aan té technische bewoordingen. Dit is er eentje voor de bezitters of toekomstige gebruikers van (led) UV systemen. -- EN -- For anyone who is thinking of working with LED UV Sadechaf will shed some “light” ;) on the situation. Who are they? and what expertise or solutions do they bring to the table if we want to dry/cure with UV? A very informative chat, without falling into an overkill of overly technical words. This is one for the owners or future users of (Led) UV systems.

Exclusive NEON effects in large format products are one of the KPIs and the new product that SwissQPrint shows at the fair. Jorge Suberviola Freire, the Spanish GM brings us up to speed.

Digital Market is an Andalusian company that distributes HP equipment led by Jorge Domínguez Garnés, who, in an interview, showed us the new sustainable innovations that HP has on offer. ----- Digital Market es una empresa andaluza distribuidora de equipos HP liderada por Jorge Domínguez Garnés, que en entrevista nos mostró las innovaciones sostenibles con las que cuenta HP.

The new HP Latex 630 has had great acceptance in the market, as Jorge Domínguez from Digital Market and David Salabert, commercial director of DPI's digital supplies, tell us. They have already sold several units of the equipment launched here during C! Print Madrid, so it looks like a winner. ___ La nueva HP Latex 630 ha tenido gran aceptación en el mercado, tal y como nos cuentan Jorge Domínguez de Digital Market y David Salabert, director comercial de consumibles digitales de DPI. Ya se han vendido varias unidades de los equipos lanzados aquí durante C! Imprime Madrid, para que parezca un ganador.

Jordi Quera, VP of sales and marketing at Zonten Europe, discusses why semi-rotary offset technology can compete with digital in the short run and its increasing popularity in the European market.

With experience from HP, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, and most recently, Leonhard Kurz, Jordi Giralt is a well-fit new CBO for the German finishing company KAMA. The Dresden-based company has a long history. The fast setup time of the finishing machines is one of the assets Giralt emphasized in his first interview after being appointed CBO. In an ever more and more digital world, Giralt also talks about the partnerships KAMA has with companies such as HP, Fujifilm, and more - and though well-established, Jordi Giralt is full of optimism for further growth of KAMA - and of course, INKISH will keep an eye on both people and technology - it's interesting. We are confident that Jordi Giralt will be a valuable asset to the company. Congratulations.

Jordi Giralt has a background in digital printing with both HP and Heidelberg, so when he joined KURZ being responsible for the digital embellishment products he had a lot of knowledge to draw on. In this interview, we get an understanding of the journey that Giralt now leads, but also a closer look at two of the three technologies KURZ offers. Enjoy!

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordi-giralt-15807213/

Imagine in the nearby future robots that will feed the KAMA ProCut76 die-cutter, move the stripped and blanked pieces to the KAMA Foldinger/Gluer FF52i - and 100% handsfree production takes place - even dies are exchanged by the robot - not only the vision, but soon reality! CBO Jordi Giralt talks about the products - also the digital embellishment machine Hammerhead recently announced - and of course, the journey KAMA is on - super interesting - and worth listening to! Enjoy!

KAMA's Jordi Giralt discusses the company's 130-year history, surviving two world wars, and its evolution from commercial printing to packaging. He highlights KAMA's new digital embellishment machine, the KAMA Hammerhead, set to launch in 2024. The machine focuses on efficiency and quick job changes, catering to the growing demand for digital embellishment. Giralt shares their success at Drupa, with unexpected sales and high interest from Latin American and Middle Eastern clients. Despite the busy schedule, Giralt expresses enthusiasm for the rest of the event.  

When you produce a huge amount of pages, the size of the files has a huge influence on processing speed and equipment efficiency. Solimar Systems have for decades been up-to-beat with innovative technology enabling slimmer files, better output management, and workflow around the printing presses. In this Over the Skype Jonathan Malone-McGrew explains what Solimar is offering, as well as sharing some of the values that have given Solimar Systems a really high level of customer satisfaction. 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!

James Quirk in conversation with Managing Director Jokin Iruretagoiena Osoro from ETI.

Spanish with English subtitles: John Vigna leads sales for Mark Andy in Latin America, where Mexico and Brazil are the company's two biggest markets. He discusses the press manufacturer's new technology launched at Labelexpo Americas 2024, the increasing popularity of its hybrid presses, and sales growth in Central America and the Caribbean. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-vigna-38a7a423/

Driving from Newark through New York, heading north, and passing through beautiful Connecticut is just one of the perks of being INKISH. Allied Printing is located in Manchester, and arriving at the printing company, you soon realize - this is big. Upon arrival, the receptionist showed us an aerial photo of the building and explained how the company has expanded over the years. We are meeting John Sommers Jr., who took over the company after his father unexpectedly passed away - and now operates a 450+ people company with web-offset, cut-sheet, digital, and binding capable of producing almost any printed product. We are visiting Allied Printing as they are a customer of Koenig & Bauer, and we get a tour + a good chat with Sommers about why Koenig & Bauer is the right OEM for them. Simply amazing company, with humor and friendliness beyond many companies. John Sommers Jr. is well-respected among the people working there, and as he passes through the shop floor, you realize the personal and first-name culture that also defines Allied Printing. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsommersjr/