At Printing United 2025 in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH meets with Vihal Sahay, VP Sales of SpencerMetrics, on the final day of the show, a day Morten describes as when you finally have time to catch up with friends and talk in a more relaxed way. Vihal smiles and agrees, noting that although the last day has been calmer, it has still been busy and full of meaningful conversations. Morten begins by highlighting something that has always impressed him: the value of the data SpencerMetrics provides and how customers depend on it completely. Vihal nods. Their customers can’t live without their data. If a report doesn’t show up, or if the system skips a refresh, they immediately hear from them asking where their data is. Having been in the data analytics and performance management field for many years, SpencerMetrics has earned a strong reputation for precise measurement, deep integration, and consistent delivery of actionable insights. But this year marks a major new chapter for the company with the introduction of artificial intelligence. “We have to embrace AI,” Vihal says. “For decades we’ve been connecting multi-vendor, multi-technology production environments. We collect data, display it on real-time dashboards, and provide detailed analyses. But we discovered that most users only utilize about twenty percent of all the data we make available.” The reason, he explains, is time. Customers are managing production, staff, scheduling, and client demands, and they don’t have hours to dig through reports. So, the company decided to let AI do the analysis for them. That innovation comes in the form of Q, SpencerMetrics’ new AI assistant. “All the user needs to do is ask,” says Vihal. “Within seconds, Q delivers insights based on the data. You can ask something like, ‘Why isn’t my press running at full capacity?’ and Q might answer, ‘Because your bindery is behind schedule.’ It can analyze uptime, identify inefficiencies, or perform complex data reviews that used to require an analyst.” Morten comments that it’s like having an instant data consultant built into the system, and Vihal agrees. AI can’t replace human oversight, but it dramatically reduces the time required to reach actionable conclusions, turning information into real decisions within seconds. According to Vihal, existing customers were the first to show excitement. From the moment the show opened, they were asking if Q was ready. They’d seen the press release and wanted to test it right away. Q will be available as an optional add-on, rather than part of the base package. Mid-level and advanced users are already planning to integrate it, while others are evaluating how it could fit their workflow. Interestingly, the AI introduction also drew many new visitors to the booth. A lot of people said the data looked fantastic but admitted they didn’t have the time or expertise to analyze it. When SpencerMetrics demonstrated how Q simplifies that process, it completely changed their perception, and they could suddenly see themselves using it. As the conversation wraps up, Morten notes that the show appears to have gone very well. Vihal smiles, saying it’s been very busy and very successful. The company is thrilled with the response and excited for what’s ahead.

Virgilio Micale, global sales director at Cartes, discusses the company's conventional and digital converting technology on display at Labelexpo Americas 2024 and the increasing demand for high-end embellishments. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virgilio-antonio-micale-3b1591143/

It’s my team that is working. And we allocate project managers, teams to plan, execute and deliver projects in a timely and streamlined fashion. So, there is there is Diana there. Leonardo there. And I like Diego Maradona. And that is a Godfather picture. So, these are the people I like most in my life. Communication is the key for delivering any software. Say if I talk about North India, definitely it is a bit, you know, harder recruiting new guys in Punjab. Punjab based company. But some developers, they want to stay in their cities. So, and we also want to develop a company in our state only. So, the developers don't have to go to other states. Apart from working from our office, we all settle at our places, at our homes. But we have different kind of project management tools, communication tools. So that all made things easy for us. We went to a trip recently. We spent a whole year at home and we all wanted to have a break. We opted for a hill station where we stayed in Riverside camps for a couple of days. And we did yoga, meditation and enjoyed a bonfire. And the other picture. There we are all dancing, and it is from 13 April. I told the team: let's do some meditation also. We were on a very beautiful view. So yeah. So, I thought let’s do a meditation for 15 minutes. There is a thing in India. Like we have around 85 percent of the people in India are living below the poverty line. Some traditional Punjabi dance, the Folk dance, the Bhangra dance. They have a very different clothing for this. On that day there was a Navratri festival also. That marks the beginning of a new year in India. I am CEO of My Virtual Teams. I founded this organization in 2010. We are a family of fifty plus professionals. Fast Forward

Victor Naumann works with the customer life cycle, essentially everything from service to fully managed plants. It was a super interesting conversation, and amazing that being a world leader allows you to deliver service levels - on, well, all levels :-)

Veit Rudolph is the owner of Rudolph Druck and, in addition to running the business, he also promotes the industry. We got a chance to meet him, and from what we learned, he was at the first OPS events and complained about why he hadn't visited the event before. His words about OPS are very good, and we are certain that we all can learn from his story - so dig in :-)

Vanguard’s CEO Dave Cich is a true leader. In this INKISH CONVERSATION Dave describes how he builds his teams and describes his plans for a global sales force. With the acquisition by Durst, Dave explains how their global reach will empower this effort. We also see a very human side to what comprises a leader. LinkedIn Profile

Interviewed by Poligrafika, Aneta Łukaszewska Produced by INKISH LinkedIn Profile Vanessa Urbanek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-urbanek-9066562b3/

This is interesting. If you think UV is UV, think again. In this interview, IST Metz's Volker Selg explains the various types of curing technologies the company has specialized in, from Mercury UV and LED-UV to Excimer, which enable UV to be used for matt surfaces. IST Metz develops and builds everything in-house, which enables flexible products produced on demand for its customers globally.

In the suburbs of Indianapolis, we met with Kevin Bennet from EZ Mailing. EZ mailing is a company focused mainly on political campaigns - a type of company you mainly see in the US. When you come to EZ Mailing, all the walls are covered with slogans and banners from all types of political campaigns. Slogans from elections of mayors and house members to school elections and election of the head of a fire brigade. The diversity is vast, and so is the production, which has both offset, digital, binding equipment, inkjet devices for addressing, a huge paper warehouse, and what drove us to EZ Mailing, an RMGT Series 9 offset printing press. Besides the current machine EZ Mailing has, the company has already ordered its first 9-series perfector press to support the Bennet experience growth. He is even foreseeing growth that could lead to yet a perfector press. Who says print is dying?

Will Crabtree has been featured earlier on INKISH, and we are always happy to meet printers who experience growth. Not only has TampaPrinter.com expanded its premises, but the number of printing units, staff, and foot space have increased since we last met Will Crabtree and his team. What we like about this story is how online marketing and SoMe presence supports the printing industry. This should inspire all printers globally to use all kinds of media to grow your business. TampaPrinter and Will Crabtree is an amazing example of how growth is more a matter of will than anything else. See you sometime in the future.

In this INKISH #LearnWithUs webinar, we focus on tips & tricks for using films in your communication. INKISH, Head of Production, Žiga Kovač, gives you tips on how to use your SmartPhone for production. Ed Cornelissen hereafter talks about why he, as a printer, uses films to communicate and teach his audience. Finally, Editor Morten B. Reitoft shares the anatomy of storytelling - what to do and what not to do. See or see it again to learn!

Cissy Pettenon is the Digital Work Flow Deployment Manager at SPC and has been at eProductivity Software/EFI Connect before. In this short interview, she explains how SPC is a company embracing change and the value of meeting piers at eProductivity Software/EFI Connect.

Roy Everts and his company GLD Print en Media is located in Arnhem in the Netherlands - and yes, it is the renowned city from world war two - but being the center of GLD Print en Media is what this story is about! INKISH visited Roy Everts and his colleagues because GLD uses the Cloudprinter platform for orders - and in the film, you can hear Roy Everts saying up to a thousand orders a day. Cloudprinter is still a young company, but it is getting more and more recognized for its service and its innovative business model - but see and listen for yourself in this INKISH film. INKISH.NEWS article.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has been a buzzword for some time, but lately, one company, OpenAI, has made AI something everybody talks about. Erik Fieten does not only talk about AI but uses OpenAI's visual engine DALL·E to generate art for his wall art production business. In this interview with Editor Morten B. Reitoft, he explains "ART" and how DALL·E can create license-free art that can be used in his new online ventures. WallVis is an online art shop; how simple it may sound is unique. With DALL·E, Erik Fieten and his colleagues can create unique art, and it's merely impossible to create two of the same pieces - even when using the same words - but see and hear for yourself. New opportunity, and Erik Fieten is, as far as we know, a first-mover in this field. Great!

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Your Print Sample TV host, Pat McGrew talks about associations - and for good reasons. All industries have different associations and in the printing industry, this is also the case. Not only do the associations offer various learning experiences, but events, trade shows, and also utilizing different print technologies and applications are part of the role. In this episode, Pat McGrew shows you samples from the Printing United 22 event. We will be there, will you?

In a geopolitical context, despite its size, China has never played much more than a regional role. Still, as China has become the second-largest economy in the world, it has a solid military position and an almost ongoing trade war with the US, so the role of China is changing. In the West, we can argue against trade with a country with limited human rights, freedom of speech, and many things we don't understand or want to accept. China has been able to create an economic miracle, take millions out of poverty, and become one of the leading suppliers of goods of all kinds to the rest of the world. In this 45-minute interview, Editor Morten B. Reitoft talks with David Gibbons, who, for more than 12 years, has learned about China, the country, and its population thinking; married Chinese living partly in China gives us an insight. You can agree or disagree with his viewpoints, and I do ask him if the Chinese way and the advantages he sees are worth considering trade-off - and, well, I think you might be surprised about his views of how China works. I am pleased with this interview, so I hope you will listen with an open mind, as that is what freedom of speech and democracy are all about - and the 'strange' thing is, of course, that I had to ask David Gibbons whether he is in Australia or China before sending a YouTube link - as YouTube isn't allowed in China - strange world - but the normal is maybe ALWAYS based on your view angle!

Print Sample TV has earlier shown print samples from the Belgian company Symeta and for good reasons. Getting a large box delivered at your doorstep, printed as an actual flight-case, and with such a cool design, you can't be anything but curious. Symeta is a highly specialized DM company so, of course, they can create a "must-open" experience, and we are, of course, happy to share this with you - so please enjoy!

INKISH is part of the unboxing event in Cambridge - the first time we heard about the SpeedSet 1060 was at ICE in Munich, then a new update at FEFCO in Lyon - and finally, we see the 'beast' in Cambridge. The SpeedSet 1060 is a B1 water-based single-pass inkjet machine made for the folding carton/packaging segment - and excels with high quality at speeds up to 11,000 sheets per hour. The Unboxing event was visited by a number of selected customers from Europe and the US, and here captured by INKISH filmer Jack Fisher. Enjoy - and check also all the interviews we have done.

Everything that can go digital will go digital - and in a presentation at the Unboxing event of the new AGFA SpeedSet 1060, Sean Smyth from Pira International explains the trends. Editor Morten B. Reitoft gets the opportunity to ask whether AGFA ticks all the boxes with their new press - so dig in and learn :-)

At the AGFA Unboxing event, we met Roy Oomen from Highcon - and as both Highcon and AGFA deliver solutions for digital packaging as such, not a huge surprise - A growing partnership is on its way, and Highcon even presented their finishing solutions to the audience - but listen to what Roy Oomen has to say in this interview Cambridge.

Rita Torfs is the Product Manager of the new AGFA SpeedSet 1060 inkjet machine, which just launched at the Unboxing SpeedSet 1060 event. In this interview, you'll get a chance to hear about the project and the effort that goes into developing products over the years. Super nice meeting Rita Torfs!

Mike Horsten is the Press & PR Manager for AGFA. He is ALSO very experienced and shares in this interview his views on the success the SpeedSet is expected to have. Enjoy!