IFS managing director Eric Keane

In 2024 there will be a continuation of the pressures felt during 2023 – high interest rates, high inflation, labour and skill shortages, and some disrupted supply chains. There will likely be an accelerated trend in mergers and acquisitions for ambitious print companies to make either strategic acquisitions of their competitors, or in order to secure diversity in their product offering, do this through acquisition of other companies.

The sector will continue with consolidation and this will drive more investment in more technology and automation. The latter, in particular, was an accelerating trend in 2023. Most leading print companies have been looking to increase investment in more automated print finishing systems. This in turn has enabled IFS, in collaboration with our partners Horizon and Tecnau, to be at the forefront in supplying innovative, automated print finishing systems, that meet this demand to reduce operator touch points, improve output speeds and utilise less labour.

With the world around us so uncertain, trade fairs like drupa really do bring the business communities together. Business people do mix, and with that entrepreneurship and enterprise flourishes.

Phil McMullin, head of sales for Commercial & Industrial, Epson UK

Continuous improvements with sustainability considerations at their core will remain a significant focus for print production environments and suppliers in the short-to-medium term. Epson strives to build technologies that last and support responsible and efficient production. As we develop our own printheads, print hardware, and print software, we’re able to deliver a very customer-focused portfolio that responds to increased demand for product longevity and reduced energy and waste. We can also help operations explore the most effective options as well as offer support, advice, and guidance when it is needed. 

Ease of use is crucial for both operational efficiency and the ability to move into new markets. Simple and fast setup via user-friendly touchscreen ensures operator confidence and quick throughput to maintain agile and responsive production. These are key persuaders for businesses considering their next steps towards successful growth, and  empower operations to expand their offerings. This is important to help them capitalise on the growth opportunities of markets such as personalisation, where production needs to be right the first time, and every time.

Martyn Train, managing director, Duplo UK

With a steady 2023 under our belt we turn our sights to 2024 and the future of print, which appears to be thriving with resilience and innovation. Despite digital communication’s prevalence, our industry is undergoing a renaissance, embracing cutting-edge technologies to enhance its relevance to add value to the consumer, especially in sectors such as education, greetings cards and the recovery of in-plants.

This resurgence is fuelled by a growing appreciation for tangible, tactile experiences as well as the enduring appeal of high-quality printed products. As we have always said, print in its various forms continues to play a pivotal role in communication and the purchasing experience, offering a unique and timeless way to engage audiences.

At Duplo we are really excited about drupa and some of the new products we’ve been itching to show the industry. This includes upgrades to our range, brand new products that will take Duplo into new areas, as well as some innovations that will show how we are preparing for the future of our industry.

Yale Goldis, director strategy, commercial products and solutions at HP PageWide Industrial

As traditional print volumes decline, digital print will continue to grow. Commercial printers adopting the latest high volume production printing capabilities find better economics for themselves and their clients. They will also redefine their offerings and reimagine applications that bridge digital online and physical media.

Publishers are moving towards sustainable, targeted production. Shorter, frequent runs in the market are replacing large, centrally produced orders to mitigate supply chain risks and reduce book miles. Publishers are also adopting ‘gap’ printing, using POD production from the onset of a book’s life cycle, to meet unpredicted demand. 

Direct mail will continue its renaissance in 2024 as marketers rediscover the performance and value of print in the overall marketing mix. While postal and paper costs pressure overall mail volume, digitally printed, personalised, impactful and relevant mail will see healthy growth. 

Business models such as web-to-print meet growing consumer demands for convenient online ordering, customisation and improved customer experience. Closer integration with large data warehouses and powerful marketing engines enable true multi-channel campaigns executed across online and print media.

Will Mansfield, director, solutions marketing, Kodak

In 2023, the pursuit of production efficiencies was paramount. Advances such as higher quality faster inkjet presses, smarter workflow platforms and more automated CtP systems have significantly streamlined production. These innovations have reduced labour requirements and also improved the accuracy and consistency of printing, thus reducing waste. The economic landscape was again characterised by uncertainties and inflationary pressures. To adapt to these challenges for our plate customers, Kodak continued to invest in regional manufacturing as well as technology innovations.

Kodak is anticipating drupa 2024 as a unique opportunity to connect with printers from around the globe and debut new solutions. The show provides a valuable platform for Kodak to engage with customers and prospects and gain deeper insights into their evolving needs. We are excited to showcase our latest innovations in high-speed inkjet, workflow and offset solutions, demonstrating our commitment to advancing the industry. We are committed to being a strategic partner to our customers, helping them navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

Duncan Smith, country director, production, Canon UK & Ireland

As customers are expecting faster turnaround times and higher quality products than ever before, we at Canon have seen an increasing demand for cutting-edge inkjet technology in 2023.

Alongside quality and productivity, businesses are starting to realise that inkjet also delivers many economic and environmental benefits. With reliable equipment that harnesses automation, businesses can save on total cost of ownership with reduced power consumption and streamlined workflows. Additionally, inkjet enables print solution providers to broaden their media capabilities and branch out to a variety of markets, such as retail, manufacturing and interior décor.

We’re excited to return to drupa next year alongside some of the key players in the industry. We see this as a huge opportunity to not only showcase new technology, but also celebrate our achievements over the last few years. We expect to see a lot of conversation around the advancement of inkjet technology when it comes to production and wide-format print and are excited to share our developments in this space.

Andy Kent, general manager, Fujifilm UK

Sustainable and energy-efficient machinery and practices were key factors in 2023 when printers were looking at suppliers for equipment or consumables. The market has also seen many mergers and acquisitions as companies join forces to reduce fixed costs.

Energy costs remain a problem but other costs are stabilising, or even going down in some cases. With interest rates moving upwards, we initially saw some reluctance to invest in new equipment in 2023. I think this was because people felt it might be a temporary situation, but are now accepting that the higher rates appear to be here to stay for some time.

Analogue processes are increasingly transforming to digital, particularly in the packaging space where the market is still growing. I expect this to be one of the main trends and biggest opportunities in 2024.

I see AI as another trend with complimentary technology for making quick decisions in time-limited situations. I expect drupa to be well-attended because we will see new sustainable products and services that will inspire print businesses looking for an extra edge.

Charlotte Tueckmantel, GM Enterprise Print & eCommerce, eProductivity Software

2023 in many ways was the reset of the new normal. Coming out of Covid we saw a huge resurgence in our customers’ businesses, and record numbers in many areas. While 2023 took a slight step back it was still well above the Covid years, despite increasing costs across the board. This included the rising cost of people/talent; difficulty attracting new talent is a challenge that the industry has seen for a few years now and we will continue to see in 2024.

The rising costs of people, materials and energy will continue to drive higher levels of automation, supported by the emergence of actionable insights and AI starting to appear in the industry.

For 2024, we see a trend towards more remote or hybrid work in the front office driven by the need for greater flexibility and the challenges to hire skilled people. This shift, enabled by technology and coupled with the arrival or more automation, actionable insight, API integrations and AI will continue to change the landscape.

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Charlotte Tueckmantel, GM/VP, Global eCommerce, Publication & Enterprise Print, outlined the generic benefits of web-to-print, namely winning new business, fuelling overall growth and growing share of spend within existing customer accounts, also noting that customers generally want to work with fewer vendors, thus  simplifying their supply chains.

Reiterating the ‘platform’ nature of the MarketDirect suite , comprising the StoreFront, PackCentral, Cross Media and Fulfilment modules, Ms Tueckmantel outlined changes being rolled out in version 14 of StoreFront through 2023 and beyond. An improved buyer experience, particularly on mobile devices, is key to this, aiming to have the ‘fewest clicks to check out’. The incorporation of touch controls is also seen as something to engage both e-commerce customers and development staff within print companies.

SmartCanvas  tools are being rolled out across the suite components to facilitate easier site design and development, enabling updating of user interfaces and improving compatibility with mobile devices. These will also enable customers to personalise products for themselves. StoreFront already has integration with the Picscart image generation tools announced at Connect in January 2023 and these are expected to help solve the ‘content problem’ via ‘Moonpig-style’ templated designs for corporate or academic users who don’t want to tie up in-house graphic design resources; contextual online help and tutorials will also be available to help.

Coming in the autumn 2023 release of SmartStore will be increased SEO optimisation and a unified experience across desktop, tablet and phone implementations, while the Fulfilment module will gain support for trade show services and products. Another development will be SmartMatrix, a way of handling products that come in multiple versions or variants: a T-shirt offered in a choices of four sizes and five colours could mean 20 separate products to set up and manage, but they can all be administered as one product, for example. Plans for 2024 include the ability to include additional HTML pages within the StoreFront structure rather than linking to separate sites, more dashboard facilities and more intuitive workflows.

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Positioning the company as serving both the print and packaging markets, David Bentley, general manager for SBM print, revealed that the company had added around 100 staff in the period, made US $170 million in sales and had more than 4500 customers. A key expansion of the business had been into sector it had not previously served, including the provision of modules of its software for use in conjunction with non-print focused ERP systems.

Under the theme of adding value for customers he said that the eFlow Automator for production planning was one such offering and cited the Pogo (print on the go) mobile app, designed to track installations of large format work, which ties into the various EPS offerings’ core functionality. Pogo is being trialled now, with a broader roll-out expected from July 2023. As an example of the increased freedom to collaborate with other vendors, Mr Bentley also spoke of the integration with HP’s Print OS via JMF and JDF.

A key aspect of growth was the recently-announced acquisition of UK-based MIS developer Tharstern. Mr Bentley said Tharstern was ‘a great fit’ for EPS, for its customer base but also because of the Cloud-based technology it has in development. He told Digital Printer that the Tharstern brand would be kept, becoming EPS Tharstern, and that the acquisition would provide greater opportunities for the company’s staff.

The Cloud development theme was also picked up by Charlotte Tueckmantel, general manager/vice president for global e-commerce, publication and enterprise print, who commented that the ‘cloudification’ process had been accelerated by the covid pandemic and as a result EPS was now able to add key elements to customers’ existing or bespoke workflows.

Forthcoming EPS events include the Europrint 2023 user conference in Manchester on 21 and 22 June 2023. The company confirmed that it would be attending drupa 2024 and that its Connect conference and exhibition would be moved from its previous January slot to August 2024, still in Las Vegas, USA, with the aim of being a carbon-neutral event.

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