In this 'Over the Skype' session, Manager Advice, Marketing & Communication David Benoit of GRAFOC.be talks to Jacques Michiels of INKISH Benelux about the most recent developments in the graphic labor market in Flanders. Important and interesting topics that concern all Printers and graphic companies in Flanders include: How to find or train operators for Web to print/digital printing machines/inkjet presses? Impact of Covid19 on our graphics sector from a GRAFOC standpoint. - Information from the sector regarding vacancies, possible upward or downward spiral with regard to employment and challenges for the sector. What bonuses can a graphics company obtain for training Workers PC130 (sectoral training bonus)? How do graphic training centers deal with the partial switch from traditional graphic (offset) machines to digital tools and production resources? The various services and (subsidy) possibilities via GRAFOC to support the graphics industry. And much more… Watch, Like, and Share as usual. (NL) In deze 'Over the Skype'-sessie spreekt Manager Advies, Marketing & Communicatie David Benoit van GRAFOC.be met Jacques Michiels van INKISH Benelux over de recenste ontwikkelingen op de grafische arbeidsmarkt in Vlaanderen. Belangrijke en interessante onderwerpen die alle Drukkerijen en grafische bedrijven in Vlaanderen aanbelangen en aan bod komen zijn onder andere: Hoe vinden of opleiden van operatoren voor bv. Web to print/digitale drukmachines/inkjet persen ? Impact van Covid19 op onze grafische sector vanuit standpunt GRAFOC. - Info uit sector ivm vacatures, mogelijke op- of neerwaartse spiraal mbt tewerkstelling en uitdagingen voor de sector. Welke premies kan een grafisch bedrijf bekomen voor opleiding van Arbeiders PC130 (sectorale opleidingspremie)? Hoe gaan de grafische opleidingscentra om met de gedeeltelijke switch van traditionele grafische (offset)machines naar digitale tools en productiemiddelen ? De diverse diensten en (subsidie)-mogelijkheden via GRAFOC ter ondersteuning van de grafische industrie. En meer… Kijk, “like” en deel zoals gewoonlijk!

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Language: English · Subtitles: English/Spanish At Labelexpo in Mexico, INKISH speaks with Dave Telken, Senior Vice President of Mark Andy Print Products. He reflects on his 40-year journey with the company and its evolution from a small, family-run business to a global printing technology leader. Dave shares how Mark Andy’s customer-first, consultative approach has remained at the core of its values, emphasizing transparency, trust, and long-term partnerships. Now leading the division responsible for consumables, parts, and pressroom equipment, Dave explains how Mark Andy is a one-stop shop for print businesses, offering everything from doctor blades to anilox cleaners with competitive pricing and global logistics support. He highlights the company's strategic expansion into regions like Mexico and Europe with local warehouses and sourcing to ensure better service and pricing. With a strong focus on global growth, Mark Andy is positioning itself to support customers in the U.S. and Europe and across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, solidifying its presence as a trusted partner in the ever-evolving print industry.

It's always great to meet new people, and Dave Boles, President of Atlantic Packaging Products, is no exception. Experience, knowledge, and a strong focus on achieving goals drive him and the group of companies he manages. Under the Atlantic Group name, Dave Boles is responsible for paper production, converting, and print; the group even has other specialties they service. During the interview, Dave Boles also explained that everything is measured and that the companies operate under an almost zero-error policy, which gave the company a lot of advantages during the pandemic. Seems to be a good place to be :-) Dave Boles also said during the interview that they recently placed two VERY large orders with BHS - so all in all - great :-)

Datta Deshpande is the CEO and Owner of Pratham Technologies out of Pune, in India. Pratham Technologies is focusing on the production of folding machines for thin-paper, and small formats - with a focus on the inlay notes found in pharmaceutical packages. Datta Deshpande has a strong focus on a quality product, and mention in the interview, that Pratham Technologies only see two-three competitors in this segment. With over 5.000 installations globally, the company have to build a reputation for delivering high-quality folding machines. Sit in and listen - very interesting. 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! Thank you to INKISH India and Country Manager K.S. Ashik

Wayne from INKISH is at The Print Show in Birmingham, where he speaks with Darren Shepard, National Membership Director of the BPIF. Darren has been with the organisation for 11 years and explains that his primary responsibility is to look after members and grow the federation’s network. The first day of the show has been very positive, with plenty of good conversations both with existing members and with companies who are discovering the full scope of BPIF’s services. Darren explains that the BPIF recently refreshed and rebranded its membership structure. At its core, trade association membership focuses on lobbying government, providing regulatory support, and gathering industry data. Members can then add value through gold and platinum tiers, which include HR, health and safety, environmental, and legal support. Associate membership is also available for suppliers looking to connect with print businesses. The federation currently represents around 1,000 companies, covering roughly 55% of the UK print industry by turnover, and is working to expand its offer to smaller companies to reach more of the 6,800 businesses identified in the sector. On training, Darren highlights that BPIF Training is the largest provider of apprenticeships in the print sector, with nearly 400 learners across the UK. Their courses cover all key areas of print, including press, prepress, and postpress, as well as specialised areas such as flexo, digital, litho, and bookbinding. They also offer apprenticeships in customer service, business administration, leadership, and even signage manufacturing. The training is delivered via companies themselves, but BPIF also works hard to promote careers in print to schools and young people, producing publications to highlight opportunities, earning potential, and the wide variety of roles available. Although the average age in the print industry has remained at 42 for the past decade, Darren notes that the balance is shifting. Shop-floor roles are often filled by older staff, while younger entrants are joining through marketing, customer service, or creative roles. The BPIF continues to champion print to the next generation and provide vital support to businesses of all sizes. A comprehensive look at the role of the BPIF in membership, advocacy, and training for the UK print industry, filmed live at The Print Show in Birmingham.

Order one of the market's most advanced Koenig & Bauer presses - check. Order two of the most advanced Eagle systems in the market - check. Create stunning (and we are NOT exaggerating) trading cards using cast & cure, cold foil, and multiple offset printing options - and we are at Carlson Print Group in Minnesota. We didn't see secret areas, but we saw unbelievable samples and met dedicated staff. Staff that have the chance to work with the planet's coolest technology along with the coolest print applications you can imagine. This was a very special one. Thank you, Mike King and Ellen Manning, for bringing us to Carlson Print Group, where we met with Darren Carlson and Rodney Franson. WHAU.

Will all labels be printed digitally within the next 20 years? How will it be when Ferdinand Rueesch III steps down from Gallus? How is the market developing, and what does the future look like? Gallus CEO Dario Urbinati answers the above questions in this very open-minded interview with Editor Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH. Enjoy!

Editor Morten B. Reitoft sat down with Daragh Whelan a few months ago. Whelan has a lot of experience in the label/flexible market and has managed one of the larger UK-based label-converting companies, taking them from one position in the market to the next. Now he works for BOBST and has the title of OneECG Process Manager. OneECG is a BOBST term, but nevertheless extremely interesting to learn from, as the flexo-technology evolves so fast and in such a quality that ECG or extended color gamut is becoming a game changer in the industry. Faster setup times, a higher level of automation, and great opportunities for Converters to make more money. In this interview, Whelan shares his insights, and we are pretty sure you will both learn and enjoy.

At the Fujifilm booth, you can see the relatively new Jet Press CFG1160. First, we get a chat with Mark Stephenson about how big the difference there is between continuous feed and, for example, the 750. Hereafter, we get a walkthrough of the 1160 by Danny Bakker, who also talks about a feature that has been kept more or less as a secret, but how Fujifilm can get almost all types of paper through the machine untreated - a unique feature - and simple but see the film, and you will know :-)

Morten from Inkish speaks with Daniela from Prati at LabelExpo in Barcelona, highlighting a more human side of the trade show. Daniela explains a special internal project at Prati where employees were asked to read books, choose meaningful quotes, and turn them into printed bookmarks. The bookmarks were finished on the booth using the Digi Compact and given as a small token to the visitors. Each team member contributed a favorite quote, and while many hadn’t read each other’s chosen books, they discovered a common theme: travel and personal growth. One collective bookmark displayed quotes like “The measure of love is to love without measure” and “The world is like a book and those who do not travel read only one page” by, reflecting the team’s shared spirit. Daniela says this project brought the team closer together, building a sense of family and emotional connection among colleagues. She joined Prati in September 2022 and describes working there as feeling valued as a person rather than just a number, with everyone’s ideas being heard and appreciated. Morten concludes by noting how touching and inspiring it is to see the people behind the technology, and thanks Daniela for sharing the story.

It was a great pleasure meeting Daniel Velema, as always, this time at SuperCORR in Orlando. In this interview, we are updated on the progress of the VarieJet 106, how SPC-130 is doing in the market, and, of course, how the market, according to Daniel Velema, is developing. We are getting closer and closer to the launch of the VarieJet, but listen to Daniel Velema here and learn! LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielvelema/

Daniel Velema was recently announced as Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer Durst - and that journey is interesting as Velema has great experience bringing the joint venture forward. In this interview, we get a chance to talk about the market and the potential - and though Velema is busy with customers, there are still a few things to learn, we believe - Enjoy!  

Daniel Sugg of Robos Labels in Germany is a long-time DURST user. His interest in the Expo was to learn directly from the DURST technicians about the new ink heads, color fidelity, and speed. Robos concentrates on the industrial label market and those features and capabilities are critical.

In this interview Daniel talks about the history of Lenticular and how it's developed over the last few years and how it can be used to offer clients an alternative across a lot of different applications and industries.

Daniel Pierret got into the Lenticular/Substrate Institute as a photographer. When you talk to him, you instantly know that he loves photos, great design, and what lenticular can do to a photo or an image. Find inspiration here or at the IST UV-DAYS 2025 in Nürtingen, June 3rd-5th.

Reconfirmation from CEO Daniel Erni about Hunkeler Innovationdays 2025 - but also an interesting conversation about how the acquisition by Müller Martini will strengthen the R&D. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-erni/

It is always good to meet friends at events, and Dan Brunton is no exception. With Dan Brunton's knowledge, industry experience, and being a fifth-generation publisher, we are not surprised to meet him at FEFCO. Everybody at FEFCO knows him, and in this short interview before the opening session at FEFCO, we talk briefly about the industry. Enjoy!

How does an ink manufacturer differentiate, and what are the challenges in developing INK? Daniel Boronat from Kao Chimigraf is in this interview from IST UV-Days, giving open answers to editor Morten B. Reitoft. Enjoy the film - it's a good one :-)

Great interview with Daniel Boronat from Kao. They contribute to the printing industry with their expertise in creating the right inks for the right machines and applications. They seem very well placed to follow the industry's shift from traditional printing to inkjet, so we had to ask them. Good insights, and also interesting to hear from the chemistry side of printing.

The first Graphics Canada show after the pandemic was anticipated by many, and of course, maybe most by the event director, Dan Mustata. All the exhibitors we've been talking to talk about highly qualified leads are generally very positive about Graphics Canada, and so is the show's boss, Dan Mustata - Enjoy!

U.K.-based Kernow Coatings, one of the smaller exhibitors at PRINTING United Expo, has an exciting story. Housed in a Wisconsin warehouse, its coated substrates for a wide range of narrow and wide-for digital print applications are available from U.S. paper distributors. Dan Lawellin: LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dlawellin/

Dan Collins was recently promoted to VP of Purchasing & Production for General Formulation in Sparta, MI. Dan Collins took over Purchasing after a colleague left General Formulations, and because of a good team, Collins was able to have the additional work soon; the company, Collins, and the rest of the management realized that it made a lot of sense to have purchasing and production together - especially as Collins explains that the success of General Formulations very much depends on high quality and fast deliveries. We also get a chance to talk about the global geo-political situations, sustainability and many other interesting things. We thank Dan Collins for a super interesting and open-minded interview!

Dan Brunton is the owner and Managing Director of Brunton Business Publications - a dedicated B2B publisher for the global fibre-based packaging industry, with magazines 'International Paper Board Industry,' 'Corrugated Today,' ‘Packaging Portal,' 'Folding Carton Industry,' and 'Recovered Fibre News.' In this context, we have invited Dan to join us for a conversation about one of the first 3D virtual events for the global corrugated industry - namely ConneXion - why did he did this, the considerations, and the takeaway. Hopefully, an exciting conversation looking at how and why vendors need to use new and innovative methods of staying in touch with packaging converters and Brunton's ability to deliver on this.