DURST Next

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Matthais Miederer · Sales Manager · Scodix · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Wayne Beckett speaks with Matthias Miederer, Regional Sales Director DACH at Scodix, about the continued evolution of digital embellishment and why the technology is becoming increasingly relevant across commercial print, packaging, and wide-format applications. Having spent more than a decade working with digital embellishment technologies, Matthias reflects on his journey through the industry and explains why joining Scodix represented the next logical step. Today, he is responsible for the DACH region, one of Europe's most important markets for value-added print, where printers are increasingly looking beyond commodity production towards higher-margin applications. The conversation explores the launch of Scodix's newest platform, which significantly expands the range of printable substrates. From lightweight commercial papers to corrugated board, rigid materials, Dibond, and acrylic, the new press enables print service providers to address a far broader range of applications with a single investment. For many businesses, this opens opportunities to serve new markets while creating greater flexibility across existing production. Wayne also asks an important question that many print service providers may be considering themselves: if you don't already offer digital embellishment, where should you begin? Matthias believes the starting point is not the technology itself but the business case. Digital embellishment is fundamentally about creating additional value, allowing printers to differentiate their products, command higher margins, and generate new revenue streams rather than competing solely on price. The discussion also highlights the growing opportunities within packaging, where shorter production runs and increased demand for premium finishes continue to drive interest in digital embellishment technologies. As brands look for ways to create greater shelf impact without sacrificing flexibility, solutions such as those from Scodix are becoming increasingly relevant. A fascinating conversation about innovation, value creation, premium print, and why digital embellishment continues to open new opportunities across multiple print markets.
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Peter Senoner · Künstler · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Editor Morten B. Reitoft speaks with South Tyrolean artist Peter Senoner about the fascinating intersection between art, technology, and innovation. During Durst's 90th anniversary celebration, visitors are welcomed by Peter's remarkable artwork "Picadilli," a unique hybrid piece created in collaboration with Durst. Built from multiple printed and hand-painted layers on wooden panels, the artwork blurs the boundaries between traditional craftsmanship and advanced digital printing, creating a single visual expression where technology and artistic creativity become inseparable. Peter explains that technology is never the goal—it is the tool that allows an artist to realise ideas that would otherwise remain impossible. Whether through digital printing, layered materials, or new production techniques, technology expands the artist's vocabulary while preserving the uniqueness of the creative process. Every finished piece remains one of a kind and cannot simply be reproduced. The conversation explores the similarities between artistic creation and technological innovation. Both require curiosity, experimentation, collaboration, and the courage to challenge existing boundaries. Peter believes this shared mindset made Durst an ideal partner, as both artist and company continuously strive to move beyond what is already known and discover new possibilities. The collaboration was made possible through the LUMEN Museum, where Peter's exhibition created the connection with Durst. From there, an idea evolved into one of the visual highlights of the company's 90th anniversary celebration, demonstrating how industrial technology can become an integral part of contemporary artistic expression. A thoughtful conversation about creativity, collaboration, and why some of the most exciting innovations happen when artists and engineers begin speaking the same language.
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Jens Hopfgartner · International Business Development · Trafalgar · DURST Next

At The Durst Next event in Brixen, Wayne Beckett speaks with Jens Hopfgartner from Trafalgar about one of the most talked-about technologies at the event: humanoid robots and what they could mean for the future of industrial manufacturing and the printing industry. While the robot accompanying Jens attracted attention from almost every visitor throughout the event, the conversation quickly moves beyond the novelty. The humanoid on display is designed to demonstrate the direction robotics is taking, while industrial versions are already being prepared for real production environments. According to Jens, manufacturing facilities will be among the first places where humanoid robots become commercially viable, long before they find their way into everyday households. The discussion explores why production environments are ideally suited for this new generation of robotics. Flat factory floors, structured workflows, and trained operators create ideal conditions for robots that can move autonomously between machines, transport materials, load and unload equipment, and take over repetitive or physically demanding tasks. Rather than replacing people, the ambition is to allow employees to focus on work that requires experience, creativity, and decision-making while robots handle the heavy lifting. One of the most interesting aspects of the conversation is the role of artificial intelligence. Jens explains that the true value of these systems is not found in the mechanical body itself, but in the software controlling it. AI enables robots to understand their surroundings, learn from experience, adapt to changing environments, and communicate directly with manufacturing systems. Instead of performing only one repetitive task, future humanoid robots will be capable of carrying out a wide variety of activities throughout an entire production facility. The interview also touches on the timeline for adoption. While robots in private homes may still be many years away, industrial applications are developing rapidly. Standardised production environments make implementation significantly easier, and advances in AI are accelerating development at a pace few would have predicted only a few years ago. For printers attending The Durst Next event, this technology offered a glimpse into what future production facilities may look like. Combined with intelligent workflow orchestration platforms such as Kyveris, autonomous robotics could become a natural part of connected manufacturing environments where machines, software, and people work together more efficiently than ever before. A fascinating conversation about robotics, artificial intelligence, automation, and why the factory of tomorrow may arrive much sooner than most of us expect.
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Michael Deflorian · VP Kyveris & Software Solutions · DURST Group · DURST Next

At The Durst Next event in Brixen, Wayne Beckett speaks with Michael Deflorian about Kyveris, Durst's ambitious vision for the future of intelligent, connected print production. Following Christoph Gamper's keynote and a series of in-depth customer sessions, Michael explains how the industry's understanding of Kyveris is rapidly evolving. What initially appeared to be another workflow platform is now emerging as something far more comprehensive: an open ecosystem designed to capture production knowledge, connect machines, orchestrate workflows, and ultimately enable autonomous manufacturing. During the conversation, Michael outlines the five pillars behind the Kyveris strategy. The foundation remains Durst's expertise in hardware and application knowledge, but the next layers introduce connected workflows, intelligent orchestration, artificial intelligence, and eventually robotics. Together, these technologies are designed to transform isolated production devices into a continuously learning manufacturing environment where every job contributes new knowledge to the system. One of the central themes is Industrial Intelligence. Michael explains that the objective is to create consistent production results regardless of machine, operator, factory, or shift, while simultaneously reducing waste in both materials and production time. By capturing the knowledge that today often exists only in the minds of experienced operators, Kyveris aims to make expertise available throughout an organisation, creating more predictable production and helping businesses overcome the growing shortage of skilled labour. The discussion also explores Durst's modular philosophy. Rather than requiring customers to adopt an entirely new ecosystem, Kyveris has been designed as an open platform where printers can implement individual capabilities at their own pace. Whether the need is production planning, workflow orchestration, AI-assisted decision-making, or eventually autonomous material handling through robotics, each business can build its own journey towards higher levels of automation. Michael also discusses the role of artificial intelligence and robotics in future print production. AI will help analyse production data, optimise workflows, recommend process improvements, and continuously refine machine performance, while autonomous mobile robots and robotic systems will increasingly handle material movement throughout the factory. Together, these technologies represent Durst's long-term ambition to create highly connected manufacturing environments where people, machines, and software work together more efficiently than ever before. A fascinating conversation about industrial intelligence, artificial intelligence, connected manufacturing, and why Kyveris may become one of the industry's most significant developments over the coming decade.
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Philip Mödinger · Corporate Development · DURST Group · DURST Next

At The Durst Next event in Brixen, Editor Morten B. Reitoft speaks with Philip Mödinger—one of the young driving forces behind Durst's innovation initiatives and the development of the Kyveris Sandbox. At just 26 years old, Philip has already taken on significant responsibility within one of the printing industry's most innovative companies. In this conversation, he shares what attracted him to Durst despite having no previous background in printing, why ambition matters, and how being given ownership and trust has allowed him to contribute to projects that may shape the future of industrial production. Rather than discussing only technology, the interview explores an equally important topic: attracting young talent to the printing industry. Philip explains that younger generations are not looking simply for jobs—they are looking for responsibility, the freedom to experiment, and the opportunity to make a real impact. He believes the industry has enormous potential to attract talented people, provided companies are willing to empower them and allow new ideas to flourish. The conversation naturally turns to Kyveris, where Philip has played an important role in translating a long-term vision into something customers can experience today through the Kyveris Sandbox. He explains that the objective is not simply to build software or hardware, but to solve real production challenges by combining intelligent software, connected machines, workflow orchestration, artificial intelligence, and automation into one integrated ecosystem. One particularly interesting part of the discussion focuses on collaboration across generations. Philip argues that innovation does not come from replacing experience with youth, but from combining the knowledge of experienced industry professionals with the energy, curiosity, and willingness to challenge assumptions that younger employees often bring. Listening, learning, and then pushing ideas forward is, in his view, the key to meaningful innovation. Asked whether Durst is becoming a software company or remains a hardware company, Philip offers perhaps the simplest answer of the day: neither. Durst's future lies in solving customer problems, regardless of whether the solution is software, hardware, automation, or an intelligent combination of all three. A refreshing conversation about ambition, innovation, leadership, and why the future of the printing industry depends as much on people as it does on technology.
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Chris Schowalter · Global Sales Director software · DURST Group · DURST Next

At The Durst Next event in Brixen, Wayne Beckett speaks with Christian Schowalter, Global Sales Director Software at Durst, about one of the company's most ambitious initiatives ever: Kyveris and the vision of creating truly intelligent, connected manufacturing. Celebrating Durst's 90th anniversary was not only an opportunity to reflect on the company's remarkable history, but also to present a clear vision for its future. Christian explains that while Durst will continue to build world-class printing systems, the company's long-term ambition extends far beyond hardware. The goal is to become the partner that helps customers move towards highly automated, data-driven, and ultimately lights-out production. The conversation explores what Kyveris actually is. Rather than being another workflow product, Kyveris is an open industrial intelligence platform designed to connect machines, workflows, business systems, operators, and, eventually, robotics into a single ecosystem. Christian explains that collecting data is only the beginning. The real value comes from creating a common data layer where information from different systems can be understood, shared, and transformed into actionable intelligence through artificial intelligence. One of the key principles behind Kyveris is openness. Durst is developing the platform to be vendor-neutral, allowing equipment from different manufacturers to participate in the same connected production environment. Christian believes this open approach is essential if printers are to benefit fully from automation and AI, as modern production environments rarely consist of equipment from a single supplier. The interview also discusses Durst's acquisition of callas software, a strategic investment that strengthens the company's expertise in PDF processing, workflow automation, and OEM software development. Christian explains how callas plays an important role in Durst's broader software strategy while continuing to serve partners throughout the printing industry, reinforcing the company's commitment to openness rather than creating closed ecosystems. Looking ahead, Christian discusses Durst's ambitious target of connecting 600 companies to the Kyveris platform by 2030. While challenging, he sees ambitious goals as an essential part of driving innovation and ensuring that the entire organisation continues to think beyond today's products towards tomorrow's manufacturing environment. A fascinating conversation about software, artificial intelligence, open ecosystems, and why Durst believes the future of printing will be built on connected intelligence rather than standalone machines.
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Matt Aitken · Managing Director · IVE Group · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Editor Morten B. Reitoft speaks with Matt Aitken, Executive Chairman of IV Group in Australia, about why his company has rapidly embraced Durst technology and what he believes sets it apart from many competitors. Although traveling from Australia requires more than 25 hours in the air, Matt explains that attending Durst's customer event was never really a decision. Having already visited Brixen several times, he sees the event as an opportunity to connect with one of the industry's most innovative companies while gaining insight into the technologies that will shape the future of print. IV Group has become one of Durst's fastest-growing customers, investing in six Durst machines within just a few years. Matt explains that the decision was never simply about replacing equipment—it was about finding a technology partner that shares the company's long-term vision. As customer demands continue to evolve across retail graphics, point-of-sale, brand activations, exhibitions, and fashion, IV Group wanted a partner committed to continuous innovation rather than maintaining the status quo. The conversation also explores Kyveris, Durst's new platform for intelligent workflow orchestration. While still in its early stages, Matt believes the concept has enormous potential to help print businesses become more efficient through connected production and data-driven decision-making. At the same time, he raises an important issue that many printers will recognize: balancing the benefits of sharing production data with the need to protect commercially sensitive information. Having worked with connected manufacturing systems for years, he believes confidentiality and trust will be essential to the platform's success. Throughout the interview, Matt returns to one central theme: remaining relevant. For him, investing in Durst is not simply investing in machinery—it is investing in a company that consistently looks ahead, challenges itself to innovate, and continues to push the industry forward. A fascinating conversation about technology partnerships, innovation, data, and why forward-thinking print businesses choose partners that are already building tomorrow's solutions.
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Houssine Chekkar · Founder & Managing Director · Masaka · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, INKISH speaks with Houssine Chekkar from Morocco about one of the industry's most important topics: how automation and AI will reshape printing without replacing the people who make it work.

Inspired by Christoph Gamper's keynote, the conversation explores how software, orchestration, and automation are changing the role of operators and creating new opportunities for printing companies. Rather than replacing skilled employees, Houssine believes these technologies will enable people to focus on higher-value tasks while making businesses more efficient.

The discussion also offers an interesting perspective on the Moroccan printing industry. Houssine explains why many still underestimate North Africa's technological development and why Morocco has become a growing manufacturing and export hub for both North and West Africa. With world-class printing companies, modern equipment, and an increasingly international outlook, the region is far closer to Europe and North America than many people realize.

The conversation also highlights the importance of travelling, learning from other markets, and building international relationships. As the first representative from Morocco to attend NON-EVENT, Houssine shares why these global communities matter and why he looks forward to returning again.

A thoughtful conversation about technology, people, education, and the future of print.
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Andrea Riccardi · Director of Product Management · DURST Group · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, INKISH sits down with Andrea Riccardi, one of the key people behind Durst's highly successful P5 platform, to discuss the company's next major step: Kyveris. While many people see Kyveris as a workflow solution, Andrea explains that the vision goes much further. It is about connecting the entire production process—from order intake and RIP to printing, finishing, and logistics—using data to make printing companies smarter, more efficient, and better prepared for the future. Having played a central role in developing the P5 platform, Andrea shares how the philosophy has always been about more than building outstanding printers. The goal has been to create an ecosystem where software, sensors, machine intelligence, and production data work together to optimize every aspect of production. Kyveris is the natural evolution of that vision. The conversation also explores one of the industry's hottest topics: artificial intelligence. Andrea believes AI should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat. Instead of replacing operators, intelligent software will support them, helping companies overcome labour shortages while allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks. With Durst aiming to connect hundreds of machines over the coming years, Kyveris represents an ambitious journey towards Industrial Intelligence—where connected equipment, meaningful data, and intelligent automation become the foundation for the modern print factory. A fascinating conversation about software, machine intelligence, automation, and why the future of printing is about far more than the press itself.  
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Christian Harder · Chief Sales Officer · DURST Group · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Editor Morten B. Reitoft speaks with Christian Harder, Chief Sales Officer at Durst Group, about why more than 2,000 visitors from nearly 50 countries travelled to South Tyrol to celebrate Durst's 90th anniversary—and to experience first-hand the company's vision for the future of industrial printing. The conversation begins with the remarkable commitment shown by Durst's customers and partners. Travelling from every corner of the world, many of them are not simply attending a product launch but reaffirming long-standing relationships with a company that has built its reputation on innovation, reliability, and partnership. Christian believes this level of engagement reflects much more than technology—it reflects trust built over decades. Despite challenging market conditions across parts of the printing industry, Durst continues to grow. Christian explains how the company has strengthened its position by focusing on long-term investments, continuous innovation, and maintaining a family-owned business philosophy that allows decisions to be made with a much longer perspective than quarterly results. Whether in graphics, labels, packaging, textiles, or industrial applications, the objective remains the same: helping customers build sustainable and profitable businesses. A major part of the discussion focuses on Kyveris, Durst's new platform for intelligent workflow orchestration. While many may initially see Kyveris as another workflow solution, Christian explains that the vision is considerably broader. The platform is designed to connect machines, software, operators, and production data into one intelligent ecosystem that enables printers to become more productive, efficient, and competitive. One of the most interesting aspects of Kyveris is its open philosophy. Rather than being limited to Durst equipment, the platform is being developed as a vendor-agnostic solution capable of integrating technologies from across the production floor. By connecting presses, finishing equipment, software, and business systems—regardless of manufacturer—Durst aims to help print service providers optimise their complete production environment rather than individual machines. Throughout the interview, Christian returns to one central message: printers are not investing in equipment alone—they are investing in partnerships. Technology will continue to evolve, but long-term collaboration, customer success, and the ability to help businesses remain competitive will ultimately define the industry's future. A thoughtful conversation about leadership, innovation, workflow orchestration, and why Durst believes the future of print is built on connected production and lasting partnerships.
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Matt Ashman · CEO · Durst Oceania · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Editor Morten B. Reitoft speaks with Matt Ashman, Managing Director of Durst Oceania, about the Australian and New Zealand markets, why Durst continues to grow across the region, and how the company's latest strategic initiative, Kyveris, fits into the future of print production. Although Australia and New Zealand together represent a relatively small population, Durst Oceania has built an impressive presence, reaching 100 Durst installations in just seven years. Matt explains that the region continues to invest in new technology and that printers remain optimistic despite global economic uncertainty. Australian print service providers value local partnerships, long-term support, and technologies that help them remain competitive in demanding markets. The conversation naturally turns to Kyveris, Durst's new platform for intelligent workflow orchestration. Matt explains that Durst has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to anticipate where the market is heading—from photographic systems to wide-format inkjet, labels, packaging, and industrial applications. In his view, Kyveris represents the next logical step, connecting production through software, automation, and data rather than focusing solely on individual machines. Matt also shares why customers from Australia immediately accepted the invitation to travel to Brixen. Visiting Durst headquarters allows them to experience what he describes as the company's DNA—a culture where everyone is aligned behind a common vision. That commitment, combined with long-term investment in research and development, gives customers confidence that they are partnering with a company that is planning not only for today's business, but for the next decade and beyond. The discussion also touches on Durst's strategic collaborations with industry leaders, including Koenig & Bauer and OMET. Rather than trying to build every solution themselves, Durst continues to partner with companies that are leaders in their respective fields, allowing customers to benefit from complete production solutions built around best-in-class technology. A fascinating conversation about leadership, partnerships, innovation, and why Durst's vision continues to resonate with print businesses on the other side of the world.
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Cees Bolijn · AI, Data, Innovation · Probo.nl · DURST Next

At Durst's Print Next event in Brixen, Wayne Beckett speaks with Cees Bolijn from Probo, one of Europe's most forward-thinking print service providers, about automation, robotics, AI, and why the future of print production is being built one step at a time. Having spent the previous days attending Durst's software sessions, Cees shares his perspective on Kyveris and how it aligns with Probo's own automation strategy. While Probo is developing many of its own systems, he sees significant opportunities to combine Durst's vision with the company's existing infrastructure. For Probo, the objective is not simply workflow automation—it is the intelligent utilization of machines, materials, and people across the entire production environment. One of the most fascinating parts of the discussion focuses on robotics. Rather than placing robots directly on individual production devices, Probo is taking a broader logistics approach, using automation to move materials efficiently between machines and to create flexible production lines capable of handling different products and workflows. It is a strategy designed to maximize overall efficiency rather than optimize individual machines. The conversation also addresses one of the industry's biggest concerns: the impact of automation on employment. Cees believes robotics will inevitably change certain job functions, but rather than replacing experienced employees, the goal is to redeploy their skills towards higher-value activities such as predictive maintenance, process optimization, and quality control. At the same time, artificial intelligence is already helping to accelerate software development and simplify user interface creation, allowing innovation to move faster without necessarily increasing the size of development teams. Although Probo's automation journey only began around a year ago, measurable improvements are already visible. Better machine data, improved production sequencing, and greater visibility across operations are enabling the company to utilise both equipment and staff more effectively while laying the foundation for increasingly autonomous production. The interview concludes with a preview of INKISH FLOW, taking place at Probo later this year, where visitors will have the opportunity to experience many of these technologies in a real production environment and see first-hand how automation, robotics, and AI are reshaping modern print manufacturing. A highly insightful conversation about intelligent manufacturing, practical automation, and why the journey towards lights-out production is accelerating faster than many printers realise.