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The second day of PRINTING United had just started, and we were the early birds. The trio briefly touched on yesterday's findings and what to expect today. It will be a good day, visiting exciting exhibitors like HP, Design'n'Buy, Tecnau, Scodix, Koenig & Bauer, AMP, Heidelberg, Canon, Kyocera, and Solimar.

Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems recently employed Matt Thackray as the VP and General Manager of Kongsberg Americas. In this film, we did a guided tour of the huge booth and got the chance to see the equipment but also get to know Matt and understand his approach to the growth he expects!

We have been fortunate to follow President & CEO Stuart Fox from Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems from when ESKO sold Kongsberg. Initially, the focus was on getting the company up and running - which is only natural. At PRINTING United, editor Morten B. Reitoft meets a relaxed and full-of-energy CEO with the energy to take Kongsberg and MultiCam to new levels, explore new market opportunities and continue developing new and exciting products. Great to talk to Stuart Fox again, and we are certain you will enjoy it!

Automation, automation, automation. The same word, repeated three times, pretty much describes what customers need and what Ultimate TechnoGraphics provide. In this interview, you will hear Andrew Bailes-Collins and Ray Duval talking about why automation is so needed, but also see what the software does and how it scales with your business. At the booth, Ulitmate TechnoGraphics also emphasized the importance of Binding Automation. If you are interested in workflow/automation, you should check out the options Ultimate TechoGraphics provide!

Tharstern Desktop is a comprehensive MIS solution tailored to PSPs working with everything from offset to packaging and everything in between. At PRINTING United, we got a chance to talk to Chief Revenue Officer Lee Ward from Tharstern. In an interesting interview, you will learn that the Desktop version is a strong platform with integrations to other major software platforms, able to integrate into almost any software at any given point with a strong set of APIs. Ward also gives an insight into the implementation process, time, pain stakes, and the value of choosing to upgrade existing MIS systems to Tharstern, obviously :-)  

You may find this interview a bit nerdy, but technology is not only about the result but also how to get there. John Murphy from Tharstern is extremely patient with editor Morten B. Reitoft's questions and explains the flavors of JDF, the advantages of using databases and APIs, and how Tharstern integrates other solutions enabling customers integrated solutions to almost anything in the market. Great chat!

PRINTING United has started, and thousands of people arrived today, filled with expectations, and so did Deborah Corn, Pat McGrew, and Morten Reitoft. Every morning we will speculate over expectations and evaluate the day passed. The first day didn't go as 100% as planned, as the Las Vegas Convention Center broke all records for bad internet. Not because you always find things to complain about, but in today's world where we need to be connected, and as a media, even more. But here we are, and hopefully, we will find a technical solution in the coming days - but enjoy :-)

At the Horizon Finishing First event, one of the Horizon partners was the German workflow software specialist Impressed. Impressed has for 30 years delivered workflow solutions from Ultimate TechnoGraphics, Enfocus, and software for color management - pretty much all the needed software on the pre-press side. At the Finishing First event, Karsten Schwarze demonstrated the Impressed Server platform, which converts and streamlines the XML data. The software is super interesting for companies with multiple input data sources, but see the presentation and learn!

This was a very fun and very interesting session with Conrad Fischer, fifth generation owner of the printing company Die Pharmadrucker. Interesting views, like, *you won't need a print operator in the future," or "We don't have ANY of the salespeople left before we transformed our offset printing company into a specialized company serving the pharmaceutical industry." Or what about "I don't want customers who decide what I should work with tomorrow." - Plenty of amazing statements - in German, but soon with English subtitles!

Ralf Brückner is Account Manager for HP Germany, and with the success of HP everywhere, he is busy visiting customers. In this short interview from the Horizon Finishing First event, we ask whether print or finishing comes first. Ralph Brückner also talks about the partnership with Horizon and gives an example of how the SmartStacker (B2 format) fits perfectly with HPs B2 presses. The language is German, but it will shortly be subtitled!

Everything good ends, and after three days with guests from all over Europe, the Horizon Finishing First event is over. Timm Edelhoff is very satisfied with the event and promises that Finishing First as the event will revert, but listen for yourself to the closing notes here.

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.

Branschkoll is Swedish for "a hold on the industry" and is the leading information source in the Swedish market. Ola Karlsson visits the Horizon Finishing First event in Quickborn, Germany, to learn what makes Horizon interesting for the Swedish market. As Ola Karlsson explains - "We are a Swedish media/service but from a global perspective." Always nice meeting Ola Karlsson - one of the most important supporters of INKISH since we began eight years ago!

Full moderation of a nice conversation between Tilmann Wild from August Faller and Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH. Language in German - Subtitles soon in English!

Hunkeler Innovationdays is around the corner, so when we got the chance to talk to Reto Zaugg from Hunkeler, obviously a topic to discuss. However, we also got a chance to talk about how seamlessly Hunkeler and Horizon integrate into the new Stitchliner Mark V shown at Horizon Finishing First event. But take a listen yourself!

Can paper really influence productivity on your inkjet device? Well, according to Axel J Mangelsdorf from Crown Van Gelder, paper has a large impact on productivity AND quality. The uncoated paper from Crown Van Gelder has such a smooth surface that it almost feels like a coated paper, enabling higher print quality, but the paper is also engineered for speed. So listen to Axel J Mangelsdorf and get the latest update on new GSMs developed and how Crown Van Gelder is good for your inkjet press!

Sometimes - or actually mostly - what you print and what you fold need to be 100% correct, and with Kaiser Vision on your folding line, you can verify and set actions accordingly. Here the CEO of Kaiser Vision explains how the camera inspection system works on a Horizon bucket folder, typically used for pharmaceutical inlays.

Tobias Bairle is the owner and CEO of BAIRLE Druck & Medien and a customer of Horizon. At Horizon Finishing First event, he is looking into new investments and finding inspiration. Language German - will be subtitled shortly!

German Language with English subtitles: CEO and Lawyer Paul Albert Deimel from the German Bundesverband Druck und Medien BVDM gave a presentation about the temperature of the German printing industry. There are fewer companies and fewer employees, and dark clouds are in the sky with the current crisis. Here you can see his presentation.

Ralph Schaten works for Canon Deutschland as Key Account Manager. That brings him close to many customers. In this interview, he gets to talk about the customer journey, the technology, and the challenges customers need to pass before being ready for digital. Ralph Schaten was born into the industry as his parents used to operate a printing company - and now he is selling to the printing companies still in the market. Circular mindset, right?

The Horizon Finishing First event is about Horizon products and several partners. One of the partners is Tecnau. INKISH has made several films of Tecnau customers, and at one filming task in Madrid, Spain, we met with Harm Jan Hulleman. In this interview, we catch up from the filming session with Pullmen, but of course, it also touches upon Tecnau's revolution 50-series and why Tecnau attends the Finishing First event. Dig in, and get the story!

Seeing is believing, and Marisa Dürtsch delivers an excellent guided tour in English and German at Finishing First event. On these tours, she takes you to the Stitchliner Mark V and the amazing BQ500 series with all the bells and whistles you can think of. But don't take my word for it - watch this approx 12 minutes guided tour and enjoy!

Andreas Fischer is one of Horizon's Product Specialists, specializing in folding. In this film, Andreas Fischer explains the AFV566 folding machine that brings automation to a new level. Setup time is minimal, and watching skilled people see the presentation is fun - they almost don't believe their own eyes. Enjoy the presentation yourself - it is in so so German, but I will get English subtitles shortly!

She knows everything or pretty much everything, and when mentioning it, she brings her entire team into the conversation and tells us that all are binders and have a passion for Horizon and the products - we like it! In this interview, Marisa Dütsch also talks about the importance of being both a driver and market-driven and how important events like Finishing First is for the company. Super interview, you should watch it!