DRUPA PR DERBY POWERS ON
We’re in the final straight of the press conference derby here at Drupa. The impulse to communicate widely via the media is still running strongly but the number of players that feel they have anything to say is diminishing. Only a few press conference on this Thursday, notably Italian flexo manufacturer Omet, as well as Kornit. We’ll bring you coverage of those and also fill in the gaps of those we attended but didn’t report on over the past few days.
Kodak’s colourful career
Few technology companies encapsulate the scope of the technology change that has reshaped the printing industry over the past few decades more than Kodak. One of the 20th century’s iconic brands it got caught in a blizzard of disruption that decimated its camera, film and printing plates business. I recall a company executive in the 1990s telling me Kodak could not shutter film manufacturing plants around the world speedily enough.
The changes didn’t stop there and here at Drupa 2024 Jim Continenza, Executive Chair and CEO fronted the media on Tuesday to tell us the company is enjoying its best year in 35. “We’ve stopped losing money,” he said. It’s a salutary reminder that we operate in an industry where rapid change is the norm and no one, no matter how big, is exempt from creative destruction.
Kodak is now a much more focused, almost exclusively, graphic arts company, best known for its Sonora processless printing plates, which are becoming the industry standard but also for its range of Kodachrome and Ektachrome inks. But Jim was here to talk up the company’s digital future.
Acknowledging the digital transformation is driving company strategy, he announced the first sale of a Prosper Ultra 7000 Ultra continuous flow press. The Kodak continuous flow technology is not quite inkjet but a variation of the non-impact imaging technology. It’s able to deliver more ink to a substrate than any other and when it works there is no better or more vibrant digital printing format.
That’s good and not so good, because there can be a lot of moisture on the paper. Jim announced the arrival of the Optimax pre-coater to take care of that able to operate at 500 feet per minute. There are three models of the Prosper press; the 520, the 6000, as well as the 7000 turbo. There are also Prosper modules that can fit onto other presses - offset or flexo – to add customisation.
But the company’s steady revenue comes from its traditional printing plate business. There are apparently 6000 printers around the world using the Sonora processes plates, the target market for the newly announced Magnus Q3600 CTP system that can punch out 53 plates per minute.
Then there’s the Kodak workflow, Prinergy, which is very widely used, claiming 3000 printers globally. Kodak is far from being the giant corporation it once was, but for the printing industry that may prove to be quite advantageous.
Xeikon busy
I didn’t make the Xeikon press conference held on the company’s stand in Hall 11 on Wednesday. Busy day. As it turns out it proved to be a bonus. When I went around to pick up the press kit I was recognised and greeted by Trevor Crowley, Xeikon’s long-term Australian manager. So nice to see a face from home.
Trevor is having a good show, extending his stay to accommodate Xeikon customers who are arriving next week. He’s quite impressed by the number of Australian industry types making the trip, especially as the 260 tickets to the Print21 party Friday night have been almost exclusively bought by locals.
He took me around the stand, extolling the virtues of the new Xeikon inkjet, the PX33000 HD. This is the third generation of the line that proves the company has comfortably moved beyond its toner-based origins. The 1200dpi LED machine is equipped with Xerox inkjet heads as opposed to the company’s reliance of Kyocera. He is fielding a number of interests in bringing the first machine to Australia.
On the other side of the stand is the Titon toner TX500 press running in conjunction with a Kurz foiler. This outputs impressive customised digital metal foiling, with Trevor assuring me the end result is unique in its ability to withstand scuffing and wear.
Xeikon is an original pioneer of digital printing, launching its first machines the same year as Benny Landa with his Indigo. That the brand has not managed to have the same high profile as what is now HP is down to a combination of luck and corporate shenanigans. The technology is still great and getting better. Nice to see Xeikon is assured of its future as a division of giant US ink maker Flint, a partnership that was announced at the last Drupa in 2016.
The future is in packaging
By now it’s obvious that the future of the printing industry is more and more inclined to the packaging sector. As communication print continues to decline packaging is growing steadily with no end in sight. In Hall 8 here at drupa the Swiss packaging giant presides over an impressively large stand that speaks success.
Certainly, Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO and scion of the family-owned business bubbled with optimism when he hosted the media pack. I wasn’t there but according to the press kit he said. “We are fulfilling our industry vision ‘to shape the future of the packaging world’ based on the pillars of connectivity, digitalisation, automation, and sustainability. Our solutions empower printers and converters to embrace digitalization while advancing towards a more sustainable future. We are proud to engage with industry leaders, forge new partnerships, and chart a course towards continued innovation and progress."
Central to that future is a new digital printing and converting platform for folding carton the Digital Master 55. Focused on short-to-mid-size runs it leverages short lead times with high product quality. At 100 mpm (meters per minute), the platform is fast, aiming to enable the shortest time to market (even offering same-day delivery). Jean-Pascal says it has the best total cost of ownership (TCO) among printing and converting solutions.
He made the point that this just-in-time production minimizes the need for large stocks and inventories. This platform, which features inline and automated printing adjustment capabilities and quality inspection, is promoted for runs up to 6,000 B1 sheets. Production time can be reduced by up to 80% while eliminating waste, logistics, and downtime required for traditional production processes.
Every label has a message
The era of RFID (radio frequency identification) has arrived on steroids, especially in the USA where companies such as Walmart use the identification technology on every item in their stores. But is it just one of numerous developments in labels and packaging. A label has moved a long way from it origins informing customers what’s in the packet. Now it’s an information mother lode.
Ask Marco Calcagni, marketing manager for Omet, the Italian flexo press manufacturer. In a low-key presentation on the stand to a handful of journalists the mild mannered Marco presented the ways in which companies are embellishing and adding to the humble label.
Omet is at the defrost of enabling its customer to embed any number of high-tech gizmos in to labels that will not only allow manufacturers to track goods, but will be reactive to changes in the condition of the packages.
He highlighted the company’s new Galileo services initiative, as well as its new Sfera digital platform that can link every Omet machine around the world. In a display of grand commercial tolerance, he told us customers with rival manufacturer’s machine can also be linked into the system.