Karsten Schwarze Product Manager Impressed · Hunkeler Innovationdays 2025 · #HID25

In this conversation, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH sits down with Mark Nixon to explore a career that began on the shop floor of a printing company at just fifteen years old and has since evolved into a global role within print inspection and automation at AVT. Mark shares the accidental but formative start that pulled him into print, the appeal of the smells, the pace, and the constant problem-solving, and how those early experiences shaped a lifelong connection to an industry that changes minute by minute. Together they reflect on how print differs from many other manufacturing sectors, why its technical complexity is often underestimated, and how careers in print rarely follow a straight, pre-planned path. The discussion moves into Mark’s transition from market-creating companies to a business focused on efficiency, repeatability, and waste reduction, and how inspection systems have shifted from being seen as a necessary evil to becoming a core part of lean, profitable production. They talk openly about quality control, customer expectations, and the idea that it is better to prevent problems from reaching the customer in the first place than to argue about them afterward. Mark explains how modern inspection goes far beyond finding faults, integrating deeply with workflow automation to identify, remove, and replace errors before delivery. The conversation also looks ahead, touching on where inspection technology is heading, the growing importance of speed, intelligence, and customization, and the role of close collaboration with customers and other technology providers. Mark reflects on joining an independent, established company that now operates with a startup mindset, the opportunities that come with it, and how decades of experience across different print technologies can be brought together to drive the next phase of innovation. It’s an honest, wide-ranging discussion about print, technology, business, and the value of staying curious in an industry that never stands still.