Yoji Otsuka is the General Manager, Sales for Screen Graphic Solutions. In this conversation, he speaks over his American name "Joe" that he also uses on his business card, but more importantly how Screen has become one of the leading and most prominent suppliers of Inkjet presses. Screen Graphic Solutions was founded in 1943, but has roots back to 1868 - so what did Screen do before producing Inkjet machines? Yoji "Joe" Otsuka explains that the legacy of Screen's products and services are important elements in why Screen has become so popular. As we mentioned on numerous occasions before - we LOVE the Conversations format where editor Morten Reitoft have a longer and always very friendly conversation with a guest. We met with Yoji Otsuka at the Think Smart Factory event in Kyoto last year - enjoy it. It's a good one!

Welcome to a special episode of Taktiful Tuesdays! We’ve hit episode 10, the dime episode, and I’m thrilled to have Bill Duerr, President of Hatteras, join me for a deep dive into leadership, innovation, and the future of print. Bill shares his insights on how Hatteras stays competitive in a changing industry, the power of listening to customers, and the company’s investment in digital embellishments with the new Harris & Bruno ZRX press. We also get into AI’s role in print, company culture, and Bill’s gnarly 11-day surf adventure in Indonesia because we love a good story. If you work in the printing industry, are a business leader, or love hearing about innovation and leadership, this is for you.

We spoke about the changes Bui has seen in Hunkeler Innovation Days over the years and how this growth benefits its business partners. We covered Screen's Truepress Jet 520HD mono press and the opportunities it opened up in the pharmaceutical industry. It offers offset-quality printing, meeting all readability standards. Its Primer- free, high opacity ink coverage on thin papers as well as automatic defect removal with complete traceability

Before drupa, INKISH had a LONG but exciting trip in the US, and on a cold (very) Saturday morning, we met up with Buddy Kramber (VP Operations, The Bernard Group) and Erik Norman (President, SwissQprint North America) for an interview about the acquisition of SwissQprint printers. The Bernard Group is one of the most amazing printing companies we have visited - and this was our second visit to Chanhassen-based printing- and much more. Six years ago, we saw an incredible automated company with incredible growth that has continued and, according to Kramber, will continue. Investing in SwissQprint along with the AGFA and EFI printers (as far as we remember), the SwissQprint adds a layer of gamut to the production as it can produce with special colors and superior quality. Interesting to see how customers also look at options that can only be produced on the SwissQprint printer.

In this interview, CEO Bruno Müller from Müller Martini speaks with Editor-in-Chief Morten B. Reitoft about the vision that is the driving force within the company. In 2000, the faster roll-based digital printers entered the market and Bruno Müller defined the vision of how to make machines that could do products of one. We, of course, ask if this isn't where we are now, and Müller smiles and says it can still be much better - so dear printers and binders, more to expect in the future - excited :-)

The interview features Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH speaking with Bruno Müller from Müller Martini about the significant transformations the company has undergone over the past 35 years. Bruno Müller discusses the evolution from his early days in the newspaper division to adapting to major shifts in the industry, particularly the decline in newspaper production and the rise of digital printing technologies. Bruno highlights the company's focus on listening to customer needs and adapting its culture, products, and strategies to market demands. He emphasizes the challenges of managing spare parts for older machines, which were not originally designed to last as long as they have. This has necessitated a shift in the company's approach to production, moving towards modular designs that use common components to streamline operations and reduce complexity. The interview also touches on the recent acquisition of Hunkeler, describing it as a strategic fit that complements Müller Martini's strengths and enhances its product offerings. Bruno Müller notes the importance of evolving business models in response to digital technology advancements, which is crucial for staying relevant and competitive in the printing industry.

This session "Over The Skype" is the opportunity to discover IMPRIFRANCE, a network of independent French printers spread over the whole territory which gathers 68 members including 1 school of graphic and multimedia professions. Bruno Barbier, its president, describes the profiles of the printers within IMPRIFRANCE, how new members are recruited, and the advantages for a printer to be part of such a group. Buno Barbier also presents us with a summary including the update of the Imprifrance.fr website and a brief review of current actions... This session is also an opportunity to understand, thanks to Bruno Barbier's analysis, the primary concerns of IMPRIFRANCE printers in this context of health, economic and social crises following the Covid 19 pandemic which is still raging in France, to learn how IMPRIFRANCE, particularly through its collective strategy, its partnerships within the group, provides support and solutions to the network's business leaders. Bruno Barbier concludes by giving us his vision of the printing industry with the increasing importance of the cash flow, whether in the short term for the survival of printing companies or in the medium term to relaunch the return to activity once the crisis is over, but also the importance of becoming increasingly agile for these companies, especially to respond to the new behaviors of customers who will emerge from the crisis with an even stronger negotiating power. This interview is very rich in information as the groups are important today to enable printing companies to respond to the current crisis and the challenges of tomorrow. So don't miss this interview and the fascinating analysis of Bruno Barbier!!! --- Cette session « Over The Skype » est l’opportunité de découvrir IMPRIFRANCE, réseau d’imprimeurs français indépendants répartis sur l’ensemble du territoire qui regroupe 68 adhérents dont 1 école des métiers graphiques et pluri média. Bruno Barbier, son président, nous décrit les profils des imprimeurs au sein d’IMPRIFRANCE, comment se font les recrutements des nouveaux adhérents, et les avantages pour un imprimeur à faire partie d’un tel groupement. Buno Barbier nous présente également un résumé notamment la mise à jour du site Imprifrance.fr et un bref bilan des actions en cours… Cette session est aussi l’occasion d’appréhender, grâce à l’analyse de Bruno Barbier, les préoccupations premières des imprimeurs IMPRIFRANCE dans ce contexte de crises sanitaire, économique et sociale suite à la pandémie du Covid 19 qui sévit toujours au sein de l’hexagone, d’apprendre comment IMPRIFRANCE, notamment par sa stratégie collective, ses partenariats au sein du groupement, apporte son soutien et des solutions aux chefs d’entreprise du réseau. Bruno Barbier conclut en nous donnant sa vision de l’imprimerie avec une importance de plus en plus grande de la trésorerie que ce soit à court terme pour la survie des imprimeries ou à moyen terme pour relancer le retour à l’activité une fois la crise passée, mais aussi l’importance de devenir de plus en plus agile pour ces entreprises notamment pour répondre aux nouveaux comportements des clients qui sortiront de la crise avec un pouvoir de négociation encore renforcé. Cette interview est très riche d’informations tant les groupements sont aujourd’hui importants pour permettre aux imprimeries de répondre à la crise actuelle et aux défis de demain. Alors, ne manquez pas cette interview et l’analyse passionnante de Bruno Barbier !!!

In this Coffee Break session from Bronte's booth at Innovationdays, Francesco Crotti speaks with Jan Friedrich from Hunkeler. Friedrich explains how important Bronte is as a glue between the customer and the ability to produce books of one. Interesting views!

In the '10 Minutes Coffee Break' at Bronte's booth, Francesco Crotti hosts a short interview with different people. The first is with Editor Morten B. Reitoft, talking about the necessity of automation in book production. Always fun to be the person being interviewed; during the following days, you will see industry specialists from McGrew Group, HP, and Hunkeler.

In this episode from Bronte, Francesco Crotti throws a very difficult yet interesting question to Ashley Gordon from HP. How is the publishing industry changing? Though you may not get all the answers in this Coffee Break from Innovationdays, you'll learn enough to get you thinking. Enjoy!

What was supposed to be our California Cruising tour also took us to Dallas in Texas, and lucky us, as this allowed us to meet with Jim Singer from Brodnax21C. Brodnax is a General Commercial printing company with both digital and analog equipment. The company has specialized in trading cards and high-end printed products, and as they are an Eagle Systems customer, Mike King and Ellen Manning asked to stop by to see how they utilize the Eagle. And that was a great experience to see and understand why Jim and his team invested in cold foiling. Brodnax has also agreed to invest in a Landa Press in a new DURST vast format machine and has on order a new SCODIX 106 HD machine - and I understand from Jim Singer that even more signatures are on their way for more equipment. Efficiency and a firm belief in the future are what I see when visiting Brodnax - Super lovely people, and super great to see print striving.

HP delivered samples to Pat McGrew from their new T-250 wide page printer with their new brilliant ink. Is Pat McGrew impressed - yes, she is! In this Print Sample TV episode, you will see samples showcasing the new inks and how beautiful the output of the T-250 is. As always, listen, watch, and learn!

Obviously, the corrugated market is important to BOBST, and in this interview from the SuperCORR expo in Orlando, 2024 - VP of Sales Brian Kentopp talks about the dynamics of the industry. He also talks about how BOBST now supplies its customers with sensors that can report usage, uptime, and everything necessary for pre-emptive maintenance. This super exciting interview, and of course, the corrugated market, is important to BOBST - and as a leading supplier, they keep being at the forefront of innovating technology focusing on productivity, sustainability, and smarter and easier-to-use for even not-skilled employees. Super interesting listening to - enjoy!

TEC Mailing Solutions is, according to Brian Euclide, the only provider in the US, able to provide mail data-cleaning, and other services related to addresses in the US, online. Not only online but also via an intensive set of API's that enable their customers to integrate their own systems. Being a cloud-based supplier, you may have seen both Brian Euclide and his colleague Scott Eganhouse at various trade-shows where it's become kind of trade-mark to see the company's employees dressed in cloud-patterned suites. Great gimmick. Great guys, and well - sounds like their solutions could be interesting for more to dig into. 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!

In this interview, Brian Damitz from KURZ USA explains part of the company's fantastic commitment to sustainability. The foil carrier has gotten much thinner, with many advantages besides environmental benefits. Learn more here.

Brian Damitz from KURZ USA handles the sales in the Midwest, and his engagement in the products is compelling. In this interview, Damitz focuses on new foils introduced at drupa 2024 - and we also get to talk about how embellished products secure eye balls in the retail space. Super interesting!

The first time we met Brett Stow was during the planning of our trip to Minneapolis. Still, as there was a snowstorm in Minnesota, we didn't get the chance to meet each other in person, but that changed at Drupa, where we got the chance to meet at two booths of companies represented by Brett Stow—namely KAMA and Perfecta. In this interview, we met with Stow at the Perfecta booth, to discuss how the products fit into an American context—enjoy!  

In this session, Morten B. Reitoft explains his view on branding vs. marketing and why branding is the better option for CapEx investments. The logic is simple - PSPs and Converters don't buy anything based on a single point of communication, so why should a conversion lead to anything relevant - and how many times should the same lead be generated over a period of 3-6-12 months before it reverts into a REAL conversion - namely the sales? In the session, Morten B. Reitoft also explains how he sees the role of marketing in a company - regardless of whether it's with an OEM or a PSP. You don't have to agree!

James Quirk talks to VP of Manufacturing Bradley Zeifel about the advantages of using BW Papersystems for the converting, and Zwiefel gives many examples of when the flexibility of the machines delivers :-)

Brad Ranson is responsible for sales with KOMCAN - the distributor of Komori and MBO products in Canada, and according to Branson, business is good. At KOMCAN's booth, you see the MBO CoboStacks, cobots supporting printing companies with huge success. The interest is vast, and already two machines are at work in Canada :-)

Highcon was the first customer on INKISH, and what a journey the company has been on - from a startup to today a publicly traded company. At Graphics Canada, we meet Boris Bogdanovski, who manages Canada and parts of the US and explains the success of Highcon. Among other things, he explains how Highcon is developing high-energy lasers able to cut corrugated cardboard without burned edges and without burning the substrate. We will soon be showing two new films from Highcon - one in North America and one from Europe, but this is a good starting point :-)

In this Print Sample TV episode—number 83—can you believe it? Pat McGrew shows some excellent ideas done by Canon. It's a Booth Guide, a super takeaway from Graphics Canada—and, of course, Pat McGrew also shows two books made by Canon. Great to see print is SO alive!

Rotomail is, by all means, a fantastic printing company and is a living example of how Digital Transformation is not only about technology but also the mindset. Rotomail came from a background being an IT service provider, to Direct Mail, to now also being one of Europe's largest digital book printing providers. A vast number of printing machines from HP and Canon, embellishment from Scodix and MGI, binding equipment from Tecnau, Hunkeler, Contiweb, and Kolbus - but what makes Rotomail stand out from most is the software 'Bronte' that ties all the business processes from customers ordering books to plan, to imposition, to proofing, production, and invoicing - all seamlessly integrated, and with no pre-press planning at all - all super optimized. In this film, CEO Alessandro Antonuzzo explains the ideas behind the strategy and implementation, and as Rotomail is the owner and the company that developed Bronte, of course, proudly talks about the capabilities and how it can help other books-of-one-companies, should they choose to invest in the maybe best end-to-end solution on the market. Learn and enjoy!