The media got the embargoed press release about 20 minutes before the information could be published at 16:00, December 6th, 2023 - which is BREAKING news. Of course, acquisitions between companies like Hunkeler and Müller Martini will always create headlines and have consequences. However, this is not just an acquisition, but in our view, a game-changer for several reasons. First of all, we believe it will change the dynamics in the finishing industry - and yes, initially only in the digital space. However, as the digital space continues to grow, the impact of a merged Müller Martini with Hunkeler can have huge opportunities. We are, in particular, curious about what this does to the long-time relationship between Horizon and Hunkeler - mainly because the two companies have worked closely together for years, and now the acquirer is maybe Horizon's biggest competitor - but it may also have other consequences as the biggest market for Hunkeler and probably Müller Martini, North America, have Standard Finishing as distributor for both Hunkeler and Horizon - can that continue? Or what will happen? All of these are speculations, and time will tell - but they are interesting - and an acquisition with further impact than most other M&As lately. Warm congratulations to Hunkeler and Müller Martini. Find the official press release below: Müller Martini and Hunkeler join forces for the future After careful consideration, the owner families have decided to merge the Hunkeler Group with the Müller Martini Group. Müller Martini Holding AG has acquired all of the shares of the Hunkeler Group. With this transaction, the Hunkeler family and Crédit Mutuel Equity have sold off all their shares to Müller Martini. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Hunkeler AG and Müller Martini AG are both global market leaders with innovative solutions for post-print paper processing. Both companies focus a significant part of their innovative strength on the economical production of individualized print products within an automated smart factory. Hunkeler and Müller Martini have been very close for many years. The long and successful history began during the 2nd World War, when Hans Müller worked for Hunkeler as a mechanical engineer before setting up his own business in 1946 and founding the company Hans Müller / Grapha. These good relations have been maintained for decades. The local proximity in the Zofingen region and the already existing and successful partnership in the machine and component business form an ideal starting point for even closer cooperation in the future. By joining forces, both companies see great opportunities to bundle their innovation activities and to serve their global customer base even better in the future through joint sales and service activities. The two owner families have therefore decided on this strategic transaction that led to the acquisition of Hunkeler AG by Müller Martini AG. Bruno Müller: "The graphic arts industry is constantly changing and regularly calls for new innovations. By combining the key components of the two companies, such as personnel, expertise and technology, we will be able to serve our global clientele even better with innovative solutions in the future." Stefan and Michel Hunkeler: "There is a long-standing partnership between Hunkeler and Müller Martini and a regular exchange. The opportunity for the merger is currently greatly beneficial for both partners and our joint customers, as it will result in considerable advantages in a combined enterprise. This is also a strong commitment for the Zofingen region."

Hunkeler can do “Books of 1”, so let's look at their new Book Sorting Module. Benjamin Locher, product manager, explains to us some of the important advantages of this particular module at the end of the impressive new Starbook plow folder line. As NEXT LEVEL AUTOMATION is the motto and dominant theme of the Hunkeler Innovationdays 2023, we see how they practice what they preach.

In the last episode, Pat McGrew fooled you a bit, right? But now you can see the second part of the Symeta unboxing episode where Pat McGrew shows you the level of personalization Symeta is offering. Discounts are one thing, but more important is it to show the combination of high print quality and the data-driven workflow that enables Symeta to deliver. We are happy with what we see. We should go to Symeta and make a film! Remember to Watch, Like, and Share.

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At the HP Open House #PrintAhead event, INKISH met with Category Manager PrintOS Bob Raus. HP announced the 'Automation Center' upgrade to its PrintOS, and we discussed that. Still, Bob Raus also speaks about the market, how software enables printers to do more with their hardware investments, and even how HP allows many software services to be used on other than HP hardware. Conclusion - This is a super interesting conversation, and for PSPs and Converters, it is important to learn that software is as much of a game-changer as the hardware we all fall so easily in love with. Thanks to Bob Raus for a very open-minded and interesting chat - thank you!

Durban is a major print hub on the east coast of South Africa - a couple of hours' flight from Cape Town and only one hour from Johannesburg. Impress Printers is, by all means, a full-service printing company with capabilities from web-offset and sheetfed offset to digital production of labels, cut-sheet, and inkjet roll-based printing. HP is 'living' their newly defined reality where indigos are placed side by side with a T-250 inkjet machine - and all machines are busy from schoolbooks produced on the T-series to posters, covers, postcards, and high-quality printed brochures printed on the numerous Indigos placed in air-conditioned rooms. The contrast to the offset production is sharp as the offset production is about getting volume produced; the HP technology is used for both fast turn-around products, but also short runs and print requiring personalization. Suhail Agjee, who operates Impress Printers with his father, is proud of what they have achieved. I would say a successful printer in South Africa with capabilities beyond most. Great story.

Bennett Graphics is absolutely one of the more amazing printing companies we have visited. Not only is it a family-owned printing company, but it also prides itself with hundreds of awards and prizes for being the best printer. The awards come from hard work and dedication, as well as the will and ability to invest in the newest and latest technology. You see the newest Scodix, Highcon, and HP equipment along with offset presses and binding equipment. Great company, great people - and this film were made in a very special way. More about that on INKISH.NEWS. Thanks to Adair Hall and Adam Seiz for making this together!

Présentation de la nouvelle machine HP Latex 2700W (Blanche) par le spécialiste produit Thierry Martin. Comme nous le faisons toujours dans notre série de "présentations-walkthrough", nous vous proposons un aperçu rapide des nouveautés de la solution. Nous passons la scène à Thierry Martin.

How can printing companies use HP Digital Solutions software to drive business - by Kirk Lewis and Tim Webster demoing the use of HP Siteflow.

How can printing companies use HP Digital Solutions software to drive business - by Tim Webster HP Solutions with Ulrich Schätzl, Simon Smogur, Jon Tolley, and Chris Knighton.

HP relève le défi écologique avec ses imprimantes latex de 4ème génération et ses encres à base d'eau. Sébastien Tison nous donne un bon aperçu et explique comment HP veut aider à relever ce défi, que beaucoup dans l'industrie recherchent. La recyclabilité est un enjeu important, donc il y aura de très bonnes discussions.

In this short interview, Editor Morten B. Reitoft asks HP's Yale Goidis about curing and bonding/pre-treatment to optimize print and speed. Interesting observations!

La direction internationale de l'impression grand format HP a décidé de venir à Lyon pour prendre la température de ce qui se cuisine en France. Nous rencontrons un Mike Boyle très enthousiaste et de bonne humeur, qui reste à l'écoute de l'évolution de l'industrie graphique et de ses activités. C'est toujours agréable de pouvoir parler aux décideurs et de les entendre directement. Je suis sûr que nous aurons davantage d'occasions de nous rencontrer et d'entendre dans un avenir proche, car ils ont un certain nombre de choses en préparation. INKISH vous gardera bien entendu au premier rang lorsque la nouvelle sera annoncée. —- The international management of HP large format printing has decided to come to Lyon to take the temperature for themselves of what is cooking in France. We meet a very enthusiastic and good-natured Mike Boyle, who keeps his finger on the pulse of how the global graphics industry is changing and going about its business. Always nice to be able to talk to decision makers and hear from them directly. I'm sure we'll have more opportunities to meet and hear in the near future as they have a number of things in the pipeline. INKISH will of course keep you in the front row when the news is announced.

Bel entretien avec Marion Amélineau. Marion Amélineau est la Directrice Marketing d'Indigo & HP PageWide Inkjet France et elle répond à la question de savoir si le marché en France est prêt pour une nouvelle vague de numérisation accrue. Il y a évidemment plusieurs réponses, mais un modèle hybride, combinant l'analogique et le numérique, semble de plus en plus populaire aujourd'hui. HP souhaite être l'entreprise technologique la plus écologique d'ici 2030. Nous vous invitons à écouter certaines des idées que HP a en tête.

It's difficult not to be impressed by the amazing opportunities you can do with a label press. Of course, you can print labels, and sometimes you choose analog and sometimes digital, and VERY often you mix offset, flexo, digital, varnishes, and embellishment - exactly what makes labels so impressive. However, if you have presses like the Screen 350UV or the new Screen PAC830F you can also produce pouches that extend your business opportunities like never before. But as usual host, Pat McGrew takes you through a wealth of inspiration in this Print Sample TV episode!

Will, the printing machines in the future, be fully automated, and how will the robots support that mission? - By Henrik Christiansen, HCH Graphics.

How to start and what steps to take in order to grow a Smart Factory & can it be a game changer in the printing industry? By Luc Peeters, Drukkerij Peeters nv.

BOBST leads the digitalization of label production with one label portfolio, including narrow flexo printing machines, all-in-one / all-inline solutions (flexo and inkjet), and digital printing presses. The innovative MouventTM Cluster technology deployed in BOBST digital portfolio opens new horizons for label converters, combining high-quality printing, high productivity, and the right economics. It is answering the growing demand for short runs, faster time-to-market, versioning, and seasonal products. Discover how one of our customers in optimizing their production floor with limitless, profitable digital label production.

When planning trips that involve many printing companies in many states or countries, we, from time to time, get last-minute cancelations as a PSP can be too busy, machines are not ready, or simply days in between without work. This time, Editor Morten B. Reitoft had a stop-over in Louisville before heading back to Denmark, and we called Steve Wuerdeman from HP, as he lives in Louisville, to hear if he could recommend a printing site to visit - and lucky us - we got to meet Brandon Boyers and Jen Von Almen from Vivid Impact in Jeffersontown. A super interesting company with so many capabilities, from offset to digital, and the production of beautiful applications like covers for vinyl albums to children's books with amazing effects, a company that once again shows how things can be done differently. What you see is a printing company, but speaking to Brandon Boyers, you realize that the production is merely a tool enabling the real business - data-driven communication, where print is "just" a part of it. But listen for yourself and enjoy!

Public Procurement is complicated and tedious, and many printers simply have given up on selling to public companies and organizations. Things are not always easy and here is an insight into how Public Procurement is seen from the buyer's side and how the city of Antwerpen has streamlined their buying process. Here Director of Media & Communication Joris Heirbaut presents the route from then to now - enjoy!

It is a new year and you are looking for that edge as a Print Service Provider (PSP). You may even consider yourself a Marketing Service Provider (MSP). In any case, you need fresh ideas for how to drive success for your operations through optimisation, remote working and, ultimately, cost savings. For your offerings, your print shop needs to take more orders into the print workflow. That work needs to have personalisation as an option and the security of tracking and reporting to ensure it is delivered. More than delivery, you also need a process that ensures billing accuracy, so none of your print shop profits stays on the table. In 2021, the way to drive your print shop’s boost in success can come from an unlikely player—post-composition print workflow solutions. We invite you to join a lively discussion with the mission to benefit Print Service Providers (PSPs) and their associated print shops. By taking on the right tools and making sure that those tools can grow and shrink easily with your needs, the door to new opportunities is set to open. Analysts tell us that these themes will endure throughout 2021: · larger number of orders with smaller quantities · need for personalisation · requirement for fast production and delivery · requirement for competitive pricing. To support your customers, your print shop will need to be at the top of its optimisation game. You will need to have your cost savings strategy dialled in. We believe you will want to leverage post-composition print workflow tools so you can improve print-ready files coming in from customers. Moreover, we believe having a great relationship with experts in this area will bring you less stress and boost your success. Join us for the conversation and accelerate your 2021 print shop success.

Print Sample TV is about - well print samples - but in this episode, Pat McGrew showcases the MONDI Color Copy sample book and explains why Mondi as a paper vendor is successful in the inkjet print space. The samples show the paper types and give you examples of print, embossing, and other enhancements in a handy format. As Pat McGrew explains, this is the collection that every production manager should have in his large pockets!

IST Metz sells UV-curring for other OEMs and offers customers retrofitting opportunities, not only retrofitting of LED-UV in IST's mercury housings but even competitors' housings, making it extremely easy for customers to choose IST. Volker Selg is good at explaining how LED-UV works and what advantages it gives the customers - one to see.

Brendan Perring and IPIA have become synonymous with the British Printing Industry, and as many may mostly see the public events, such as The IPIA Big Breakfast online event or excellent award shows, Editor Morten B. Reitoft realized in this interview how important IPIA and the work the federation does supporting the British industry. In the conversation that lasts 40 minutes (so make sure to have plenty of coffee), you will learn how IPIA made a difference to the negotiations in Downing Street 10 and how IPIA continues to evaluate itself to stay relevant and worth the membership fee. Great story, and add to that, a beginning that takes you to how Brendan Perring got involved with print. You'll like it!