Chad Ferguson · VP Sales · MBO America · PRINTING United 2025
At Printing United in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH speaks with Chad Ferguson, Vice President of Sales at MBO America, about his first year in the role and the company’s expanding footprint in the finishing market. After nine years with Standard Finishing, Chad Ferguson joined MBO America to take on a leadership position focused on driving sales growth, building stronger customer relationships, and broadening awareness of MBO’s digital finishing solutions. He explains that the biggest change for him personally has been moving from working independently as a territory manager to leading a national sales team, emphasizing collaboration and mentorship across the organization.
Ferguson highlights that while MBO has long been recognized as a global leader in folding equipment, the company has successfully evolved into a major player in roll-fed digital finishing. At the show, MBO America is demonstrating its roll-fed digital line featuring an auto splicer and the CC23 contour cutter—technologies that showcase the company’s strength in inline production and modular design. Each component is built for flexibility and efficiency, allowing customers to reconfigure their systems as needed. The modular “parking lot method,” as Ferguson describes it, means users can roll components in and out on caster wheels, adapting their setup for specific production jobs with ease.
He emphasizes that many printers still associate MBO primarily with traditional sheetfed folding, yet the company’s modern portfolio includes advanced solutions for high-volume, data-driven applications such as direct mail, transactional printing, and commercial finishing. The hallmark of MBO equipment remains its robustness, precision, and German engineering quality. Ferguson’s goal is to ensure more printers in North America recognize that MBO can support nearly any finishing need, from simple folding to complex inline digital workflows.
Discussing automation, Ferguson notes that while Europe has led in adopting collaborative robots and autonomous systems, the U.S. market is now catching up. He mentions strong customer interest in MBO’s CoBo-Stack and other automation solutions, particularly as print providers struggle with labor shortages. For many shops, he says, the challenge of finding and retaining skilled operators is driving investment in automation. Ferguson believes this shift is inevitable and that MBO’s adaptable, modular approach positions it perfectly to help printers boost productivity, reduce manual handling, and future-proof their operations.
Contact
MBO America
08053 Marlton
New Jersey
USA
Email : sales@mboamerica.com
Sun October 26th
Mark Syswerda · Chief Sales Officer · Tru...
At Printing United Expo in Orlando, Wayne from INKISH meets Mark Syswerda from Truly Engaging Print to discuss how digital embellishment—especially with Scodix technology—has transformed their business. Mark explains that Truly Engaging is a 30-year-old company specializing in direct-to-consumer (DTC) and wholesale printing, with most of its work handled online. “We’re primarily an e-commerce brand,” he says. “The majority of our jobs come through web-to-print, but we also handle wholesale projects for other brands, especially where we’ve built niche expertise—like magnets, stickers, and Scodix embellishments.” The company operates a fleet of HP Indigo presses—12,000s and 15,000s—alongside two Scodix presses. “Our first Scodix arrived in 2019, right before COVID,” Mark recalls. “A few years later, we added another one. The new polymers work across a wider range of substrates, and that’s opened up a lot of possibilities.” Wayne asks how customers experience embellishment when ordering online. “That’s the tricky part,” Mark admits. “You can’t feel raised foil or spot gloss on a screen. We rely heavily on sampling—single personalized proofs—so customers can actually hold and feel their design before ordering. For life events like weddings or births, that tactile quality is everything.” The Scodix investment, he adds, has been a major differentiator. “It lets us stand out with products that others simply can’t offer,” he says. “We’ve even become a demo site for Scodix. They bring potential customers to see our machines running in real production, and that’s brought in new business for us too.” Designers at Truly Engaging have also embraced the technology. “Our team’s creativity has exploded,” Mark says. “They’re experimenting with gradients, texture variations, and layered effects. It’s not just putting down polymer—it’s turning every piece into something you can feel. Our design department keeps developing new templates and ideas that push what’s possible.” He praises Scodix’s collaboration and support: “Their product teams have done training sessions with us both at our Chicagoland production facility and our Minnesota marketing hub. They’ve been fantastic partners.” Looking ahead, Mark sees more opportunities for innovation. “We’re applying embellishment to magnets, postcards, even sticker mailers,” he says. “And we’re taking advantage of USPS’s Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive (TSI) discount program—it’s a perfect fit for embellished print.” Mark concludes: “Scodix has been a game-changer for us—creatively and commercially. It’s helped us stand out, raise our average order value, and deliver print that people genuinely want to touch.”