DG3 is a fantastic printing company with diverse production. Patrick Caragliano says with a smile, “We can produce anything here but foil stamping and embossing.” - we believe them. One of the centerpieces on the production side is the new Koenig & Bauer Rapida 105 - but they have everything you can dream of. Binding, enveloping, digital print, and tons of people. It is a fantastic company with an exciting story told by Steven Babat and Patrick Caragliano - super happy to have experienced DG3 firsthand; second best is, of course, through the eyes of your INKISH team :-)

Steve Luedke recently joined Mark Andy after 26 years with WS Packaging, so he brings a converter's perspective to the press manufacturer's customer service department. He is responsible for its new Mark Andy 360 customer service initiative, announced at Labelexpo Americas 2024.

Steve Johnson, or Tonerman, is well-known in the American print community. He is a smart businessman, a columnist with WhatTheyThink, and now also featured on INKISH. Listen to Johnson and learn the difference between books and manuals. In this interview by Mark Vruno, you get a lot of great insights about his company, Copresco, and great learning in general. With this interview, we also introduce Mark Vruno. He has been with us at various tradeshows and will also be at PRINTING United, but this is his first FULL INKISH Interview. Great work—welcome on board!

Steve Billow was recently appointed President & CEO of Fujifilm Dimatix. You may not know that name so well, but in the graphic arts industry, that equals Samba print heads, used in many inkjet printers. We got a chance to talk to Billow about his job, inkjet in general, and many more things - super nice talking to you, and looking forward to further conversations!

Stéphane Royère is the head of Packaging and Print with Leonhard KURZ. We got a chance to talk to him after he finished his panel discussion with Sabine Geldermann (drupa), Sebastian Tange (Koenig & Bauer), and Tim Sterbak (IST Metz) and talked to him about sustainability, value-adding, and of course, also their platinum sponsorship at drupa 2024. Enjoy!

What is KURZ Label Weeks about? Well, it all started with the cancellation of LabelExpo, which KURZ considers a very important trade show. Stéphane Royère explains in this interview the idea behind Kurz Label Weeks - and what the expectations are. Interesting to learn how vendors turn a cancellation into an opportunity, and of course, interesting to see the result of Label Weeks which last almost four months!

In this episode, Stéphane Royère from KURZ will show new silver products that maybe have less "blink" but still can make people look one more time.  

French with English subtitles: DB Print, based in Lille, France, is one of Komori's heavy users of its printing equipment and current offering. What are the new challenges, and what solutions are the large offset printers looking for, especially in commercial printing? What are the drivers when they seek to invest in new technologies, and how do they anticipate entrepreneurial difficulties? We chat with Stéphane Cannone, Managing Director of DB Print, and hear some of his thoughts on the matter. It turns out to be a difficult choice and must consider the lifespan of the technology, the cost savings, and the search for prolonged efficiency gains. -- DB Print basé à Lille, France est l'un des gros utilisateurs de Komori de son équipement d'impression et de son offre actuelle. Quels sont les nouveaux défis et quelles solutions les grands imprimeurs offset recherchent-ils réellement, en particulier dans le domaine de l'impression commerciale ? Quels sont les moteurs lorsqu'ils cherchent à investir dans les nouvelles technologies et comment anticipent-ils les difficultés entrepreneuriales ? Nous discutons avec Stéphane Cannone, le directeur général de DB Print, et découvrons certaines de ses réflexions à ce sujet. Il s'avère être un choix difficile et doit tenir compte de la durée de vie de la technologie, des économies de coûts et de la recherche de gains d'efficacité prolongés.

OneVision delivers Workflow Solutions to the industry - and has developed a modular-based solution that fits all sizes. In this engaging interview with Stepha Reiter, you get an insight into what OneVision offers, the challenges, and what to expect at drupa. Nice talking to Stephan Reiter again!

Since Stephan Plenz left Heidelberg years ago, he has worked as a consultant for a number of companies. Ten months ago, he was appointed Managing Director for Actega Metal Print, and together with his team, he is now working on bringing Ecoleaf to the market - initially in the labels segment, but as Stephan Plenz explains in the film - later for other segments. Ecoleaf is developed on technology acquired from Landa Labs also years ago but is not, according to Plenz ready for the market. He describes Ecoleaf as a disruptive technology. Plenz is also a board member of Tresu and Landa, so a busy man :-)

Interview in Dutch - subtitles in English. Kennismaking met de exclusieve verdeler in de Benelux van het Zwitserse Zünd. We bespreken de trends in het "vrijmaken" van drukwerk en industriële applicaties. Termen als automatisatie, robots en connectiviteit zijn ook in de afwerking zeker niet meer vreemd, integendeel. -- EN -- Introduction to the exclusive distributor in the Benelux of Zünd. We discuss the trends in the "liberating" of printed sheets and industrial applications. Terms such as automation, robots and connectivity are certainly no longer strange terms in the finishing department, on the contrary.

In this engaging conversation, Stephan discusses Tessitura's innovative technology designed to seamlessly connect hardware and software within the printing industry. Tessitura specializes in creating a "transporting and translation medium" that facilitates communication between various systems, such as MIS (Management Information Systems), workflow systems, machines, and reporting services. This integration extends to both modern and classic machines, offering a comprehensive solution for improving operational efficiency and data accuracy. Stephan highlights the origin of the company's name, "tessitura," an Italian musical term meaning "the weaving" or "comfort range of a singer," reflecting the company's mission to interweave different technological systems harmoniously. Most Tessitura team members are musicians, adding a unique cultural layer to their technical endeavors. The conversation delves into the practical benefits of Tessitura's technology, emphasizing its ability to provide production leaders with a transparent overview of production progress, enhance quality control, and facilitate accurate cost calculations. Stephan points out the challenge in postpress operations, where performance often relies on guesswork. Tessitura solutions offer a way to gather precise data, enabling better operational decisions and efficiency. Moreover, Stephan explains how Tessitura's technology simplifies the integration process between different vendors' systems, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming custom project work. The company's approach significantly reduces development time and expense using a specialized interface that translates and transports data between systems. The discussion also touches on Tessitura's participation at Drupa, showcasing its integration capabilities, classic machine integration solutions, and tools for enhancing shop floor transparency. Stephan invites interested parties to visit their booth for more information. Despite being a relatively new player in the industry, Tessitura has made a significant impact. The market's reception has been mixed, with some clients quickly recognizing the potential of Tessitura's offerings while others are slower to appreciate the innovation. Stephan's narrative illustrates Tessitura's commitment to breaking down technological barriers and fostering a more connected, efficient printing industry.

Friday May 31st, Fujifilm had an award show at the Hyatt hotel in Düsseldorf - and one of the winners was Stephan de Vries from Fotofabriek in the Netherlands. First and foremost, congratulations - and second, in this interview you will learn more about how Fotofabriek won the Innovation Award by making a children's book product using AI.  

“It’s always about people, but a party is, of course, an opportunity to also meet each other in a more relaxing environment,” Franzisi explains, and as Editor Morten B. Reitoft has been with the company for a week, the interview circles around topics like people vs. technology, growth, and operating in a competitive environment. Steffen Franzisi is a straightforward leader with high expectations for his people and great expectations for the future - analog, digital, or whatever serves the customers best. Interesting interview. Language: German Subtitled: English

Stefano De Marco recently became the new General Manager for Tecnau taking over from his father. Congratulations to him and Tecnau. In this 'Over the Skype', we talk about market opportunities, competitive situation, and of course also the new Revolution50 platform. One of the things I liked about the session is the discussion about the changing needs when high-volume finishing moves from transactional print to commercial print. As with all our ‘Over the Skype’ interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!

One of the surprises we got at FEFCO was that this vast industry seems to lack industry standards - and that's where OpenPack comes in place. With their software platform, they enable communication across different brands and devices - and despite still being a startup, the industry has onboarded with OpenPack - and it seems to be a huge benefit for the industry. We agreed with CEO Dr. Stefan Uebelacker to do an online session about their software and what they offer shortly to give more insights about their solution - super interesting to learn about!

Samba print heads from Fujifilm are probably the best-known in the industry, and of course, we had to talk to Stefan Steinle from Fujifilm about printheads - so here we are :-)

In this engaging conversation on inkish, Stefan and Jannik from MBO and H+H, subsidiaries of the Komori group, discuss their companies' expertise and innovations in the printing and post-press industry. MBO, acquired by Komori in 2020, specializes in post-press solutions, focusing on making printing companies more productive and efficient through advanced mechanical engineering. H+H, a part of MBO since 2000 and based in Bielefeld, Germany, excels in creating machines for folding pharmaceutical leaflets and other thin paper products, boasting capabilities of folding up to 24 times in parallel. The dialogue also touches on the future of printing, emphasizing the importance of robotic solutions like the CoboStack for enhancing operational efficiency and addressing labor shortages. As they prepare for Drupa 2024, both companies hint at showcasing their latest innovations and customer-focused solutions, demonstrating their commitment to advancing the printing industry's capabilities.

Stefan Schülling came to MBO with a background from the ink-side of the industry, and the journey he has been on the past year is impressive. Now leading MBO. Along with a new streamlined organization and being integrated with the Komori organization, there is plenty to do, and at drupa, MBO shows new products and updates to existing lines. But listen for yourself :-)  

KAMA seems to be the rising star on the finishing and embellishment sky, and here, INKISH's Jacques Michiels talks to Stefan Kleditzsch.  

Stefan Kessler from Lambda presents in this film their NIR - or Near Infra-Red curing solution that is the perfect solution for water-based curing. With the right frequency of the bulb, the drying process starts from the inside of the ink and gives the printer a number of advantages. If you are printing with UV, you know that it's photo-initiators that react to the UV-light, and though low-migration UV and a broader frequency perspective open up for UV to be used with food packaging, water-based has numerous advantages. This film is good to get wiser on!

The COVID pandemic is for sure still not over, and the number of cancellations and postponements of events is still something we have to live with. Hunkeler Innovationdays, one of the most beloved events, has already been postponed a couple of times. Though many had hoped for the event to occur in February 2022, Hunkeler President Stefan Hunkeler gave the sad message about moving the event to 2023 a few weeks ago. INKISH went to Switzerland to talk to Stefan Hunkeler but focused more on what to expect in 2023. Our colleagues from WhatTheyThink did also talk to Stefan Hunkeler - see the interview made by David Zwang at the following link: LinkedIn Profile

In this online interview, Stefan Hunkeler shares his view on Hunkeler Innovationdays and how important the event has become for the entire industry. As usual good things to learn in a casual format. Enjoy!

The German family business Bischof Druck GmbH is at Mark Andy's Low Migration Event in Poland. Originally a small printing company specializing in offset and copy-through forms, and later expanded into the local label market. A good conversation with Stefan Bischof and one in which several other printing companies can recognize themselves. The need to look for other lucrative markets and to broaden the view to labels and packaging is also present on the agenda of many today. Enjoy!