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If you have followed INKISH during Drupa, you know we have reported quite a lot from Fujifilm. The company excels in several product categories, and in this interview with Takefumi Horiguchi, we dig into the understanding of Fujifilm's workflow/software portfolio. Fujifilm is as ambitious in software as with every other segment it operates in, so keep an eye on its software portfolio. Also, off-camera has exciting things in development!  

It was always great talking to Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon International. The company showcases a lot of technology in its booths and its partners' booths. As always, the focus is on increased productivity and automation, but this time also on partners like Ultimate Tech. Enjoy the interview, and don't forget to see our Horizon Post Card as well!

New wider and faster Truepress generation and a promise to keep supporting customers with high-quality print without needing treated paper. Rob Kruithof Kremer is very engaged, and we are sure you will love this one :-)

Reitoft welcomes Taketsugu and thanks him for joining despite the late hour in Japan. Taketsugu, representing Horizon, is busy preparing for Drupa, the major industry show in Düsseldorf. Reitoft expresses admiration for Horizon's continuous innovation and commitment to R&D. Taketsugu affirms that Horizon is still developing new ideas and is committed to achieving its smart factory concept, which began in 2019 and remains a work in progress. They discuss Horizon's use of robotics, AGVs, and robot arms, all integral to their smart factory initiatives. Taketsugu explains that the demand for such technology is growing, particularly in Europe and the US, where automation is sought for repetitive tasks. Although Japan's printing industry lags in adopting new technologies, Taketsugu mentions that labor shortages due to an aging population are driving a gradual increase in demand for automation. The conversation shifts to Horizon's iCE LiNK platform, which integrates both hardware and software, emphasizing the importance of data collection for operational efficiency. Taketsugu highlights the collaboration with software vendors to enhance data utility, which benefits both Horizon and its customers by providing insights and predictive maintenance alerts. Reitoft inquires about data security concerns. Taketsugu reassures that Horizon only collects machine data, not personal data, and emphasizes customer transparency. They discuss Horizon's long-standing partnerships, such as with Hunkeler, which continue despite industry changes like acquisitions. Taketsugu shares that Horizon will showcase 18 different solutions at Drupa, including bookbinding technologies and various automated systems. Reitoft praises Horizon's modular equipment design, which allows for scalability and integration based on customer needs. Reitoft acknowledges Horizon's market-driven approach and the importance of customer feedback in its development process. Taketsugu mentions Horizon's expansive booth at Drupa, which will feature live presentations and demonstrations by knowledgeable staff. Finally, Reitoft and Taketsugu discuss the overall market outlook. While the printing industry's volume may be shrinking, opportunities within specific segments, such as books with increasing titles but shorter runs, are growing. Taketsugu highlights the feasibility of short-run and on-demand printing, which aligns with current market trends.  

Super nice meeting Yoshinari Otani, General Manager, Screen at PRINTING United. As usual, a wonderful booth, but also interesting technology, for example, the recently announced Truepress Jet S320.

Fujifilm was the biggest exhibitor at PRINTING United and showed for the first time the entire range of graphics products from large format, toner to inkjet - and we, of course, took the opportunity when presented to talk to 'Toshi' - General Manager of Fujifilm North America - enjoy!

In this Get Work Done session, Bryan Takano, Yasuo Taketsugu, and Naresh Bedi give us a view into the engine room at Horizon, showing their new MiniCABS binding solution, AGVs, and robot arms. It is great to see, and if seeing is believing - you certainly get it here!

Editor Morten B. Reitoft and Yoshihiro Oe met for the first time at Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019 and have since got to know each other in meetings exchanging views on the cultural differences between Japan and Europe. In this interview, Yoshihiro Oe explains how understanding cultural differences (in general) helps Horizon develop binding equipment to understand the needs in the different markets. With high salaries in Europe and the lack of labor shortage, automation supports BOTH concerning labor shortages and reduces costs for the company's customers. A great interview - dig in! *We apologize for the technical errors in the sound :-(

Horizon and Hunkeler have been close partners for many years, and as they have technology that supports each other, it's only natural to showcase these solutions at Innovationdays. Yasuo Taketsugu explains in this film how technology originates and that Horizon is both markets- and engineer-driven. At Hunkeler Innovationdays, Horizon will show several solutions - and even a brand new one. So stay tuned! Films referred to the interview: https://inkish.tv/inkish-video/friedmann/ https://inkish.tv/inkish-video/esser/

At IGAS, Horizon showed twenty-one end-to-end solutions, and one of them was demonstrated to INKISH by Naresh Bedi. The setup is as follows: A content printer - in this example, cover and content printers are from Ricoh, but it could be almost any printer. The content printer prints the content on typically SRA3 size and deliver these to a gatherer that batch the sheets into a book block. The book block consists of as many 'ups as you have on the sheet, and the next stage is to cut the collated sheets into book blocks of the approx size of the book (bleed size as a minimum). The second similar line has printed the cover, and both are matched using QR codes before being fed into the BQ-500 binder. The cover is fed directly into the cover feeder section of the BQ-series, and the content is taken by a robot arm, first measuring the spine size, and hereafter the book block is inserted into the BQ500. Now the glued book is transported to the HT300, a one-knife-three-side trimmer enabling fast book-of-one production. As you can see in the film, everything is automated and requires minimum effort from the operator - a truly cool solution!

Everybody is shouting for labor, but what is the long-term solution to the labor shortage? In hall two at IGAS, one booth looked considerably different from all the other booths. There was an education stage sponsored by several OEMs and branded Think Smart Factory. On stage during the day's many presentations, but outside the stage area, there was a technology show-off with a Horizon BQ-binder and an HT-three-side knife wrapped in a cool anima-style design. The solution was entirely managed by two robot arms and one AGV. Bryan Takano from Horizon explains that it's a technology show-off to show young people about opportunities in the printing industry. By combining art and technology, more will likely be interested. Behind the technology show-off, a huge fantastic painting was shown. In front, some really cool, very large print samples using different technologies were among the draws for the passing audience. But see for yourself, Jan Majnik (INKISH Filmer) captured some really nice views of both!

As IGAS gets closer to the end of our coverage, we wanted to talk to Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon about the show's first days. Very positive feedback from printer partners and attendees is among the words Taketsugu ties to the recap. Also, the overall sales are positive, and Horizon has a huge interest in continuing the growth they see with their products. Enjoy!

IGAS is the largest print exhibition in Japan, and Horizon, the largest exhibitor, demonstrates 21 end-to-end solutions. In this presentation, Keisuke Nakai talks about a solution that consists of a feeder, a rotary die-cutter, a spot gluer (addition), and a pocket folder - and voila, a document pocket solution is now available - and of course, still with the flexibility of using the solution for more applications. Great technology view, and with this option, customers can demand more sustainable solutions for document folders rather than using PVC or plastic.

Horizon presents nothing less than 21 end-to-end solutions; all targeted to different applications and all very real scenarios for the thousands of IGAS attendees. In this film, we talk to Muneki Ban from Horizon International. He shows us a setup that is actually two solutions. The first half is fed with up to B1 sheets, which are folded into typically 16-pages signatures, and where the signatures are moved to the pallet using a robot solution. The second half of the setup in this film is where the signatures are placed in a machine gathering the signatures into book blocks, moved on a conveyor to the BQ500 binding solution, and finally, using a three-knife trimmer delivering finished books - and all handled with only one operator. The solution can even be extended with AGVs that can drive the pallets from a printing press to the feeder and the folded signatures to the gatherer - simply amazing and extremely productive!

IGAS is the no. 1 print show in Japan and used to be a more international exhibition. Today the show is still huge, but its influence is more regional, with a strong focus on Japan. In this 'walkthrough,' Yasuo Taketsugu from Horizon International gives editor Morten B. Reitoft a guided tour through the biggest of all booths at IGAS. Enjoy!

Horizon is the biggest exhibitor at IGAS for a good reason. At the show, Horizon, together with partners like Canon, Konica-Minolta, RGMT, Screen, Ricoh, Miyakoshi, and Fujifilm, presents 21 end-to-end solutions. Technology that showcases not only binding but also workflow integration, integration of robots and AGVs - and, to be honest, a wealth of technology that underscores Horizon's commitment to its customers. We are, of course, as media, not endorsing any particular vendor or solution. However, Horizon sponsored our trip to Tokyo - and still gave us total freedom to film not only Horizon products but cover the entire IGAS show. We appreciate this, and as a courtesy, we would like you to enjoy this postcard from Tokyo showing you a few moments from Horizon. The editing is done by INKISH filmer/editor Ziga Kovac - great work!

At PRINTING United, we got a chance to meet with Colin Flinn from Horizon USA. We first met Colin Flinn back at the Think Smart Factory event in Kyoto, where he surprised us by being fluent in both Japanese and English. We have also met Flinn at several online events LIVE from Japan, where he and his team has built up a comprehensive online/offline demo facility - but now it's at PRINTING United where Colin Flinn demonstrates Horizon's new Gauze, End Paper, and bar code printing capabilities, enabling customers to use the BQ-series binders for softcover AND book blocks for hardcover books - quite amazing, but see for yourself :-)