Jet Technologies hosted its first open house event in three years at its Sydney headquarters. Director Jack Malki delivered a speech telling the industry that evolution is the best way to survive.
He said “Our last open house was during Covid at the end of 2021 and we are thrilled to see everyone, but the world has changed a lot. If we listen to some media outlets, and not the ones here today, print is dead and we should all just call it a day. But we refuse to believe that, and we refuse to agree that is the fate of print and you are here today because you refuse to believe that.
“However, what’s the trick to keeping print relevant and making sure that our businesses can survive. We have to keep on evolving. If we do the same things, and we don’t keep on investing in technology, the first thing is we won’t attract the next generation that works in our industry. Standing still is going backwards.
“We see immense value in books, in commercial print, labels and packaging. All of these wonderful things that are printed.
“For over 10 years, we have had a demonstration centre here in Sydney and made the commitment to having the space and investing in technology, training and people. It costs a lot of money and a lot of effort, but we do this because we want to succeed and we want to see our clients succeed and there is no better way to demonstrate the technology than by bringing you here and be physically hands on.
“Today we are joined by clients who over 10 years ago launched their businesses using offset KBA presses purchased through Jet Technologies. They are now thriving. We have label printers who were once limited by letterpress and flexo and who have embraced our films to innovate within the book space, and the success stories continue.
“Thank you once again for being here today. A special thank you to everyone who has taken the time to attend, especially those who’ve travelled some distance. We truly appreciate how busy everyone is. We also extend our thanks to our partners supporting us today, including Esko, X-Rite, Screen and those supporting us from afar. Together, let’s prove the naysayers wrong and ensure that print not only survives but flourishes.”
The Jet Technologies open house event featured a Screen L350 UV SAI with high fidelity mode and the new Jet iQ digital finishing equipment featuring the new Xaar Versatex Printbar.
Also included within the event was a Colour Workshop, focusing on colour uniformity between digital and flexo print; an Inks & Coating Workshop focusing on latest solutions from Actega; Finishing Station demonstrating sensory film and varnish solutions as well as a Rotary Tooling & Mesh Station featuring equipment from Kocher + Beck and SPG.
Live demonstrations were also available at the event from Scott Thompson and Chris Barry from Esko and David Stead from X-Rite.