Harm Jan Hulleman · Sales Director EMEA · Tecnau · Power to Move

At Canon’s Power to Move event in Venlo, Morten B. Reitoft speaks with Harm Jan Hulleman from Tecnau about the critical role finishing and paper handling play in modern inkjet production environments.

The conversation takes place shortly after Canon’s introduction of the new ColorStream 7000, a platform that represents both an opportunity for new installations and a replacement cycle for many existing continuous-feed inkjet users. As Hulleman explains, while a press may attract the initial attention, productivity, workflow efficiency, and profitability are often determined by everything that happens before and after the print engine itself.

Tecnau has been closely involved with Canon’s continuous-feed inkjet platforms for many years, and the discussion explores how unwinding, rewinding, cutting, stacking, and finishing solutions continue to evolve alongside advances in print technology. Customers upgrading from earlier generations of ColorStream systems are not only evaluating new print engines but also considering how modern finishing technology can improve productivity, automation, and application flexibility throughout their operations.

A significant part of the conversation focuses on the growing importance of workflow integration. Rather than viewing printing and finishing as separate disciplines, many production environments now approach investments from a complete end-to-end perspective. According to Hulleman, increasingly sophisticated customers recognize that finishing requirements should be considered early in the decision-making process, often alongside the selection of the print engine itself.

The discussion also covers Tecnau’s expanding capabilities following the integration of Sitma into the group. By combining printing, finishing, packaging, and distribution technologies, Tecnau is increasingly able to support customers with complete production workflows that extend beyond the printed product itself. This is particularly relevant in markets such as books, transactional communications, direct mail, and other applications where packaging and fulfillment are becoming integral parts of the overall value proposition.

Looking at broader industry trends, Hulleman points to continued growth in digitally produced books, customized production environments, and highly automated workflows. While technology continues to evolve, the underlying objective remains unchanged: helping print providers move efficiently from print to finishing, packaging, and ultimately profitability.

Recorded at Canon’s Customer Experience Center in Venlo during the Power to Move event, this interview offers insight into the often-overlooked but increasingly important role that finishing technology plays in the future of industrial print production.