Events

The sold out event recorded a 10 per cent increase on last year’s attendance.

Guy Gecht, chief executive at EFI, celebrating his 20th anniversary at EFI, delivered a lively and humour filled keynote presentation to open the event.

He said, “I want to talk about the forces changing our industry. To do that, I am going to relate Star Wars, one of the biggest movies of all time, to what we are seeing in the industry.

“You know, it is really difficult to predict the future, or as Yoda says: ‘Impossible to see, the future is.’ But we can look at the forces in place now.”

Gecht gives six guidelines for becoming a Jedi in the business of printing. Number one: you can bet on changes in market forces to accelerate. As examples, he mentions driverless cars and the speed of technology change.

 

He says, “The online world makes collaboration easier. It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million people; television, 13 years; the internet only four years; and Facebook only two years. More text messages are sent each day than there are people on earth. The lesson here is: don’t be the last to buy an analogue press.”

His second guideline: when facing a stronger force, use the Jedi (or Judo) strategy. He says, “Use your opponent’s strength. The online force is stronger than the print force. Use judo principles: be nimble and adaptive; have a balanced product portfolio; use your competitor’s strength to overcome challenges. Don’t fight the online force: use it. An example of how this is done is how hardware catalogues were close to closing down but they used online technology to grow their business. Now they are stronger than ever. Web to print is another example.

His third guideline: take the short runs road to long profit. He says, “We see this in fashion for example, short run brings profit. With online and digital you can take advantage of short runs. We are in the people business. Personalisation and customisation are all the rage and for this, digital printing is an enabling force.”

Guideline number four: look beyond paper. He says, “You want to appeal to a bigger market so let’s expand the definition of print. Printing used to be all about documents but that has changed. So if you want to address the issues today, go beyond paper and consider the imaging of things. This is really exciting. We can influence many industries.

“Inkjet is an enabling force. It is the only technology that doesn’t touch the media. Creative customers are leading the imaging of things revolution. Customers print on anything like carpets and create new business. They come up with great applications and they can share ideas with print buyers looking for innovative applications. This helps generate new leads.”

Number five: Don’t touch what you can automate. He says, “The online world has given us the capability to move away from making mistakes manually. Manual non-automated work belongs to the dark side. Non-automated work is a trap, a profit trap. We humans make mistakes and we cost more. Well integrated products are preferred over ‘islands.’”

His last guideline: not placing a bet is giving in to the dark side. He says, “Learn to move with the window of opportunity; standing still is not an option.”

He also unveiled the Imaging of Things exchange, an online customer applications gallery designed to help EFI customers and print buyers grow their network and business relationships.

The online exchange, free for EFI customers, provides a venue for them to post images and videos of their work in a forum targeted to print buyers looking for innovative application ideas. Gecht says, “The Imaging of Things exchange addresses the network effect online communities have in accelerating adoption of new technologies and applications. As a result, EFI customers can better promote their EFI print applications and generate new business leads.

Story telling provides a recipe for success 

RESORT industry and Las Vegas business legend Steve Wynn shared some of the secrets of his enormously successful career in resort and hotel development and management.

Speaking more like a favourite uncle sharing advice over a coffee, Wynn provides a business lesson built on his success. He stresses that, despite the luxury of his resorts, success really depends on creating a culture where employees gain a sense of pride and enhanced self-esteem through their work.

He says, “We built this pretty building and we shouted out to everybody, ‘Come here. You will have a better experience.’ The EFI printers around this room are not the cheapest you can buy. Our rooms are more expensive than our neighbours because we say they are better just like the EFI machines; they are better.

“We are all hustling our stuff and we are charging more. God knows there are a lot of rooms in Las Vegas and all the blackjack tables are the same. When we say they are better and we promise the experience will be better, is it true? Or is it BS? Is it true? Or is it developer speak? Is it true? Because underneath every major business franchise is this: Is the price justified? Well I’m sticking my chin out. There are 1500 people in this room who can say that. You get to decide; not me.

“In this building we have learned a lesson. The crystal chandeliers are fine, the marble is great but that is stuff and the stuff is only 10 per cent of the franchise. Really, it is only people that make people happy.

AT the conference, EFI announced an expansion of its Productivity Suite strategy. Gaby Matsliach, senior vice presidente, says, “We introduced the EFI Productivity Suites, a comprehensive, best-of-portfolio workflow platform at Connect 2015. This strategy improves users’ productivity, efficiency and profitability through Suite Certified workflows for specific segments.”

EFI has doubled its productivity suite offerings with three new certified suites for the quick printing, publication print and corrugated packaging segments. Matsliach says, “This goes beyond a product portfolio offering. It is an attempt to change the way we operate and the way we partner with you. We are trying to do a better job in partnering.

“Whether it is marketing, acquisition, management, pre-production, production, or post production, this strategy will give you more efficiency. You can eliminate touchpoints and optimise the eco-system you have developed over the years. Whether you are trying to grow the business or trying to diversify your product portfolio, there is a need to eliminate errors.”

He agrees with Guy Gecht that print businesses need to make decisions. He says, “Making no decision is the worst strategy. Our obligation is for us to find ways for you to evolve gradually, to get you where you want to go. How to enable a better ability to operate is high on our agenda.”

He sees consultancy services as something that is needed. He says, “In the software world, we see more cloud capability hosted, scalable solutions and reduced infrastructure needs.

“Packaging is a growing market. Within packaging, digital becomes an important factor. Our responsibility is to provide better support for these packaging opportunities.

“With the productivity suite strategy, the promise behind it is to provide an end to end offering that you can get out of the box so you don’t have to put all the pieces together. On top of that, we complement the product offering with consulting services. One year in, I can see workflows in action, real products. How we can transform the space looking at it from an end to end perspective.”

He sees this as a major shift in the way EFI looks at how it serves its clients. He says, “It is the end to end workflow that drives our improvement. We ask what is really needed. So it is no longer a bunch of products. It’s really building the end to end capability.

“We have made massive investment in living up to what is needed. We want to be a partner, to sit down with you and look at your needs and how to work out a road map do for you. You may choose to work with with someone else but at least you will have some idea of what you can do.”

Stamps took out the Pride In Print Supreme Award after the major prize had, on the awards night, gone to Auckland’s Logick Print.

After he became aware that only items entirely printed in New Zealand can enter the awards, Logick director Dave Gick asked Pride In Print management to disqualify his entry. Logick’s Babich Wines 100-year wine presentation piece had some elements in it printed overseas.

As a result, the awards committee bestowed the supreme award on Southern Colour Print for its New Zealand Post stamps work which won the Industry Development Category.

Sue Archibald, awards manager, says, “The final decision on the Supreme Award Winner had come down to the wire at judging between the two jobs and the Logick entry was considered to just have the advantage.

“With Logick now advising that part of this work was produced by an overseas supplier it is clear the judges’ final decision would have been influenced if this information was known at the time and therefore Southern Colour Print’s entry would have won the day.”

Archibald and Awards chair Scott Porter praised Dave Gick for his integrity. In a statement, they said: “The principles of Pride In Print champion honesty and transparency. Those principles are shared by the people in our industry.

“It is a reflection of those principles that Dave chose to voluntarily bring this to the attention of the Awards Committee. It is commendable Dave has taken the steps to withdraw from such a huge prize as supreme winner. The awards committee is in complete agreement in taking decisive action, and the supreme prize will now go to Southern Colour Print.”

Print it black

following its decision to make Southern Colour Print the supreme award winner, the Pride In Print Awards Committee organised a special presentation in Southern Colour Print’s home town of Dunedin.

Dunedin mayor Dave Cull presented the supreme award to Sean McMahon, managing director of Southern Colour Print, at the ceremony held in the Octagon. The presentation took place in front of an audience that included Pride In Print patrons and sponsors; Otago printing industry luminaries and stalwarts; representatives from New Zealand Post; and staff and management from Southern Colour Print.

Mayor Cull congratulated Southern Colour Print for showing how an Otago company can successfully compete on the international business stage. He said, “Dunedin is renowned for leading the way in business creativity, innovation and excellence.

“Southern Colour Print’s achievement in winning this coveted award exemplifies these qualities and reinforces Dunedin’s reputation as one of the world’s great small cities – an internationally competitive and growing knowledge centre.”

Southern Colour Print has a rich tradition of awards success and innovation and remains a staunch supporter of Pride In Print. Sean McMahon says, “This is our first supreme award and we are obviously quite happy. We have previously won two category awards and about 61 gold medals.”

He took a team of 20 staff to the event. He adds, “We are quite chuffed that so many patrons and sponsors made the effort to be there.”

On awards night, Mick Cullen, production manager at Southern Colour Print, represented the company to accept the Industry Development Category Award. McMahon, still upbeat about the initial result, says, “I wasn’t at the awards. I had tickets to the Highlanders match against the Crusaders in Dunedin, which the Highlanders won.

“Mick told me on the Friday night and said, ‘You are not going to believe what happened; we made it to the finals.’ He was standing up on the stage thinking, ‘Geez, I hope we don’t win,’ because he didn’t want to give a speech.”

The stamps that took out this year’s supreme award feature mini cut-outs of the actual World Cup-winning jerseys. They use the actual material of the jerseys worn by the All Blacks.

The end result according to Pride In Print judges: “A stunning stamp, yet perfectly useable for postage. “

Using rugby jersey fabric for a stamp marks an industry first and the feat has won international recognition from postal authorities, stamp enthusiasts, and Adidas.

McMahon describes the work as a true team effort. He says, “Looking back on it, because there were so many technical challenges for it to all come together in the end, it really involved everyone. Solutions to the numerous technical challenges came from all areas of the company.”

Category winners

Presence in the marketplace gave Cuisine Magazine’s June/July 2015 edition the Publications Category prize. PMP Christchurch produced the 174-page glossy. Its feature on chock a block tarts, crumbles, puddings, and cakes includes a cover image of a chocolate and cream pudding to excite reader’s taste buds.

Wellington-based Service Printers won the Business Print Category for what judges described as, “The faultless beauty and precision of an annual report.”

End customer REANNZ connects students and researchers with each other and the rest of the world via a high-capacity, high-speed network. Judges said, “The brochure captured its brand and featured diagonally-cut pages, giving a distinctive look and immediately attracting the eye of the reader.”

Stimulating youngsters to write formed the basis of a playing card game that brought the Packaging Category prize to Wellington’s Printlink.

Four packs of 65 cards contain topics, themes and ideas to interest youngsters. The Ministry of Education came up with the idea of a playing card set with a target audience of children aged between five and eight who need that extra push to get them to read and write.

Children select cards with ideas on them, and when they pair those up with other cards they end up having to come up with a story idea linking the various themes. Judge Dave Wilson says, “The Game of Awesome is really awesome. Every component fits together perfectly in the packs and the box they are kept in. It matches the customer’s needs perfectly.”

The Magnum Americana Freezer Label took the Labels Category award for Impressions International Limited of Penrose. Looking as delicious as the finished product; the judges said, “So much so it looks as good as the ice cream itself.”

The label had to convey the appeal of a chocolate peanut crunch crust on a delicious ice cream, and judges said it achieved that with mouth-watering perfection, giving it a fantastic lustre that made the buyer almost think it real.

When the QAMR Scottish Squadron arose again as a New Zealand regiment, it needed a flag to proudly show its new status to the world. The squadron chose Flagmakers, and the perfection of the entry carried enough weight to carry off the Display Print prize for the Hutt Valley company.

The fighting unit had seen service in Gallipoli, Crete, and North America. The New Zealand Defence Force asked Flagmakers to produce a twin-sided flag in the yellow and black colours of Wellington, with the regiment’s crest, crown and motto taking centre stage. They achieved the result printing on two sheets of material that they had to manually line up back-to-back for precise registration.

For more than a century, Dunstall’s Funeral Services has had the privilege of helping families in the Hawkes Bay community during their time of loss. When it came to the delicate task of creating a marketing campaign to guide a person on how to choose the format of their own funeral, Dunstall’s chose Brebner Print to commission a beautifully-crafted set of printed materials to help people face the practicalities in a sensitive and caring way.

The design of a tray, insert, sleeve and booklets, complemented with Brebner’s printing prowess succeeded in winning the Promotional Print Category. Judges said that the Dunstall’s brochures show sensitivity in taking people through an emotional and personal journey, and the printing and design combined to ease that journey.

Process Winners

 

Offset – Design Bind for the Year in Porsche

Gravure- Gravure Packaging for Healtheries Real Food Bar, Ginger & Lemon

Flexo – Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific for So Crispy Classic Chicken

Digital – Kinetic Digital for Powershop Customer Experience Manual

Screen – Southen Print for Feltex Green 100 per cent Triexta Yarn

Inkjet        – APC Innovate for Puraty Potent Organic Teas Shipper

Letterpress – Willy Coenradi for Little Wing