Building a Packaging Powerhouse Through People, Process, and Technology with Koenig & Bauer
Paul Densley, Managing Director of Castle Color, shares his journey from the newspaper print industry to leading one of the UK’s most respected and technically advanced packaging companies. In this film, Paul talks openly about Castle Color’s philosophy of people, process, and technology, and how that mindset has shaped everything from investment decisions to customer relationships. He explains why Castle Color focuses on being an embedded supply partner, how continuous training and process understanding sit at the core of the business, and how technology is used to enhance people rather than replace them.
The conversation goes deep into Castle Color’s expertise in fiber-based packaging, including cartons, advanced barrier coatings, and highly specialized blister card technologies that are guaranteed to seal. Paul outlines the company’s diverse customer base across food, healthcare, hygiene, personal care, and sporting goods, and explains why the type of packaging matters more than the size of the customer.
Paul also reflects on Castle Color’s disciplined approach to machinery investment, including rigorous testing, supplier comparisons, and the long-term impact of choosing the right technology partner. He shares real-world experience of consolidating production onto fewer presses while increasing productivity, retaining and retraining staff, and building strong, long-term relationships with suppliers.
Looking ahead, Paul discusses the future of fiber-based packaging, sustainability, and how Castle Color plans to continue pushing the boundaries of packaging technology and design over the next decade.
Is AI a useful tool or a threat to a brand? · Gee Ranasinha · CEO · Kexino
Happy New Year, and welcome to INKISH’s first interview of 2026. Morten Reitoft is joined by his good friend Gee Ranasinha for a wide-ranging conversation about AI, with a particular focus on generative AI and what it really means for marketing, creativity, branding, and trust. They unpack the difference between machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI, discuss why tools alone don’t replace human judgment, and explore how brands risk becoming generic if technology is used without intent. The discussion moves from AI in marketing and design to bigger questions about authenticity, differentiation, security, and the future value of human creativity in an AI-driven world.
I asked ChatGPT if it believes that Generative AI can be a threat to brands - and here is its answer:
Yes — generative AI can be a threat to a brand, but only under certain conditions.
Generative AI becomes a threat when it is used as a shortcut rather than a tool. If a brand relies on AI to produce content without clear direction, taste, or accountability, the result often drifts toward generic, formulaic output. Over time, this can erode distinctiveness, making the brand harder to recognize and easier to replace. When everything starts to look and sound “AI-made,” audiences subconsciously read it as inauthentic, low-effort, or interchangeable.
The real risk is not the technology itself, but the loss of human judgment. Brands are built on consistency, intent, and emotional resonance — things that require someone to decide why something should exist, not just how it can be produced. If AI is allowed to define tone, visuals, or messaging without strong brand governance, the brand can slowly hollow out, becoming a polished shell that says nothing meaningful.
Used correctly, however, generative AI is not a threat at all. It can accelerate ideation, lower production friction, and help teams explore more options in less time. When guided by clear brand principles, human taste, and strategic oversight, AI can strengthen a brand rather than weaken it. In that sense, AI raises the floor of execution — but it does not raise the ceiling. Brands that continue to stand out will be the ones that use AI to move faster, not the ones that let AI decide who they are.
In short: generative AI threatens brands that surrender authorship to it. Brands that treat it as an assistant, not a substitute, will be just fine.
Trevor Schroeder · Director of Product & Solutions · PageWide T700i · HP
This video features Trevor Schroeder discussing how HP approaches print as a set of distinct segments, shaped by long experience in areas such as photo printing, publishing, direct mail, and commercial print, and more recently by rapid growth in packaging. He reflects on the industry’s shift from analog to digital and how similar transformations are now playing out across all segments, with inkjet packaging standing out because of its speed, quality, and ability to handle very high volumes. Labels and packaging are described as a significant growth opportunity within HP’s portfolio, combining inkjet and liquid electrophotography technologies.
The conversation explains how packaging differs from other print segments due to supply chain complexity, large repeat volumes, and increasingly unreliable forecasts. Digital printing, supported by more interconnected software and ERP systems, enables faster responses to changing demand. Schroeder also addresses material and substrate challenges, including long or unpredictable lead times and strong demand driven by the shift from plastic to paper, particularly in Europe. These trends require manufacturers to reassess strategies, understand their customers’ needs, and invest in the right equipment.
The video also touches on material science collaboration across the value chain, ongoing consolidation in the packaging industry, and the importance of manufacturing efficiency beyond the press itself. Digital production is presented as a way to optimize entire plant workflows, free up constrained capacity, and unlock growth within existing assets. The discussion concludes with insights into HP PageWide Industrial’s focus on high-throughput, integrated systems and platform-based investments designed to adapt to evolving packaging and corrugated market demands.
Chris Pereira · President · C17 Media
This video follows the development of a print operation in Toronto that evolved from print brokering into complete in-house manufacturing over more than a decade. What began with basic commercial print needs gradually expanded into wide-format production, vehicle graphics, and specialized automotive and motorsport applications.
The conversation explains why depending on external vendors became a limitation—particularly around scheduling, consistency, and accountability—and how bringing production in-house changed both operational control and long-term planning. Growth happened incrementally, through measured investments in equipment, space, and people rather than rapid expansion.
A significant part of the discussion focuses on workflow and automation. As job volumes increased and margins tightened, software became critical to meeting timelines and controlling costs. The video outlines how imposition is handled using Ultimate Tech software, where layouts are automatically generated based on material type, sheet or roll size, flute direction for corrugated work, and production method. This reduces manual intervention, material waste, and ink usage, while improving repeatability across jobs.
Ultimate Tech is shown as one component in a broader workflow that also includes web-to-print, ERP, preflighting, and accounting systems. Rather than being implemented all at once, the workflow was built piece by piece, with adjustments made over time as requirements became clearer. The video also addresses early limitations, the evaluation of alternative solutions, and why the final setup reflects practical production needs rather than theoretical efficiency.
