Organisers are impressed and pleased with feedback from the inaugural New Zealand Printing & Packaging Forum held on Tuesday at Sorrento in the Park, Maungakiekie One Tree Hill, Auckland.
Hosted by PrintNZ and New Zealand Printer, the New Zealand Printing and Packaging Forum brought a mix of print and related industry professionals together to explore some of the major issues and trends the industry is facing such as AI, sustainability, and print v digital. Attendees who provided feedback all agreed they would return for the next Forum having gained valuable insights from this one.
Matt Ashman, managing director of Platinum Sponsor Durst Oceania, joined New Zealand Printer publisher James Wells for a chat about the company’s growth and its commitment to ongoing research and development for the industry. Durst has unveiled a number of innovations recently, including its G3 label printer launched at the recent Labelexpo Europe in Barcelona. The company is heading to Printing United in Orlando, USA, next month, where it will showcase its latest solutions and its software advancements.
Keynote speaker Gau Kurman of SupaHuman AI, presented two of the company’s successful case studies that demonstrated how the technology can help businesses save labour, time, and money through the smart application of AI.
Robert Welford, president of Xeikon USA, discussed the future of specific technologies in the label converting and printing sectors, giving event attendees a perspective of the global situation and what solutions are most likely to influence printing in the future.
Pascal Wybo, from Belgian company Hybrid Software, delivered a presentation featuring the latest advancements in software including his take on the effect AI is already having in the industry.
Graham Harris, recently appointed managing director for Koenig & Bauer Australia New Zealand discussed the company’s recent successes. The local branch has received Koenig & Bauer’s top award for sales globally.
Zephyr Brown, information and sustainability manager at SCG, gave a detailed presentation on the company’s strategies for sustainability, enabling attendees to understand how they can implement sustainability initiatives into their businesses.
Nikki Withington, founder of Square One, discussed the role of packaging in a circular economy; the effects of coming regulations, and how to implement smart sustainability initiatives into packaging and print businesses.
Forum panels explored topics of major interest to the industry. The printer’s panel discussed the challenges businesses face right now and what we can do to overcome the. The suppliers panels covered some of the latest technology in the industry as well as the ways that manufacturers and suppliers are working to help businesses grow and improve their margins.
Training also featured with a panel featuring past Apprentice of the Year and Trainer of the Year winners.
The Pride In Print panel addressed how judges looked at entries and how companies can give their entries more chance of success as well as what success at the Pride In Print Awards means to the winners.
The event sponsors were:
Platinum: Durst Oceania
Gold: Wholesale Print
Silver: Cyber, Koenig & Bauer, Konica Minolta
Bronze: Spicers and Total Supply
Supporters: Aarque Group, BJ Ball Group, Blue Star, Caxton, Competenz, Dieline Solutions, Hammerking, Hybrid Software, Nekkorb, and Xeikon.
The event simply could not take place without the generous support of the above organisations.
One of the event’s highlights was the opportunity that attendees had to network and catch up with each other.
Ruth Cobb, chief executive PrintNZ, opened and closed the Forum. In her closing presentation, Ruth explained some of the initiatives and work that PrintNZ undertakes on behalf of the industry and its members.
This year’s People In Print Awards and Rising Stars Of Print Awards took place immediately after the Forum at the same venue.
