Mr Edmundowicz will lead Gelato’s sales, commercial partnerships, customer success, and acquisition teams, while aiming to grow the company’s US network and partner ecosystem. The new CRO joins Gelato with prior experience as a revenue leader of software companies such as Xactly, Conga, Cloud Elements, UpKeep, and think-cell.

Henrik Müller-Hansen, founder and CEO of Gelato, said, ‘By offering global e-commerce players local production of art, apparel, books, and drinkware, across 32 countries, Gelato supports the rapidly expanding creator economy. Bobby’s unique experience within sales operations and growing SaaS companies, will help us accelerate our growth.’

Over the past year, Gelato has more than doubled its US customer base and sales, acquired 12 new US production partners, and named Atlanta, Georgia, its US headquarters. In 2024, Gelato will aim to continue adding to its US team, planning to triple the headcount by the end of the year.

Despite being refined over the last 15 years, the company’s production software is an area of focus. Mr Edmundowicz’s software development and B2B knowledge will be ‘invaluable’ in its further growth and evolution.

Mr Edmundowicz commented on the reason behind joining the company stating, ‘The organisations where you make the biggest difference are the ones where you believe in the mission. As soon as I learned about Gelato and met the team, I was all in. I look forward to working with our customers to identify opportunities to grow their businesses.’

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Working alongside Creative Gravy, the 12m-high building wrap is covering essential repairs being made to the Flagstaff gate. It features an amalgamation of art created by 30 budding artists from across Oxford, aged between eight and 25 years old. The high-impact design was printed on high tensile PVC mesh on MacroArt’s Durst 512R, then was stitched together to create the mural ready for installation.

The design was created as part of Blenheim’s partnership with local charity Oxfordshire Youth. Visual artist Kate Turnbull was commissioned to lead interactive creative sessions at the palace and assist the young individuals in bringing their vision of this Unesco world heritage site to life. The finished mural combines drawings, digital imagery and text such as poetry. 

MacroArt’s group account director, Mike Hamling, said, ‘This is a new high for our partnership with Blenheim Palace. Not only is it our biggest installation to date with them, but it is also fantastic to support such a great cause that is Oxfordshire Youth. Witnessing young artists take inspiration from seeing their designs now in situ. 

‘Our team worked so hard to bring this to life and I think we’ve created something that we can all be very proud of.’

Samantha Vaughan, head of marketing at Blenheim Palace, commented, ‘What a wonderful project this was! We are extremely delighted with the outcome; our entrance is definitely a showstopper, and we couldn’t have done this without the team at MacroArt helping to create this bold and vibrant artwork.’

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The Agfa Avinci CX3200 3.2m roll-to-roll printer can print both directly to textiles and to transfer paper, and at a speed of up to 270sqm/hr. It also features the Agfa ‘thin ink layer’ technology for low ink consumption.

The Big Display Company had never purchased from Afga before. Marketing director Jack Murphy commented, ‘We are really pleased with the results from our first Agfa print engine. Our old dye sub machine needed replacing with repair bills growing each year, so our raw material supplier suggested we talk to Agfa.’

‘We knew what the business wanted, we’ve purchased many machines over the years, so I asked Agfa lots of technical questions and their replies came back immediately – I suppose it’s the benefit of dealing directly with the manufacturer. I had looked at other suppliers, ones that we are more familiar with, and there were cheaper machines available, but they were going to be more expensive to run. Agfa has a good reputation and the Avinci delivers what we need.’

According to Mr Murphy, the final tool in clinching the deal quickly with Agfa was its finance package, which allows customers to lease whilst purchasing the Agfa wide format equipment and software. He added, ‘Once the decision was made on the printer, the finance deal was a great solution for us and very quick to set up. The finance, coupled with the service offered by Agfa have been very impressive.’

The Big Display Company, based in Slough, is a family business, originally established in 1978 by Vince Murphy as Bullseye Awards and Garments. For many years it specialised in the production of trophies and awards; today, they still produce the iconic annual BBC Sports Personality Award. Over the years it has diversified into many other areas, from banners and rigid boards to fabric gazebos, flags and tablecloths. Today it employs 25 people and supplies customers across the UK. It now has an arsenal of printing systems and a Zund GS 3.2m cutter to complement the Avinci.

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The almost two-century-old company, founded in 1829, is focusing on hyper-personalised offerings and currently serves regional weekly press titles, magazines, printed advertisements and catalogues. Until recently, the company specialised in rotogravure for mass communication and large volumes, printing around 10 million magazine copies a week. But for the past two years, the 23 partners and employees of Huma  Print have been shifting from mass to hyper-personalised printing.

Managing director Bruno Arasa said, ‘Mass printing no longer offers interesting prospects. The future of print is moving towards less quantity but more efficiency through better targeting and increased personalisation – allowing for greater added value.’

To achieve this transformation, the company invested €6 million (£5.1 million) to equip itself with the right digital printing and finishing machines. It changed its name from Hélio Corbeil and moved to new premises in Combs-la-Ville, in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris.

Mr Arasa added, ‘Our new machinery brings together the very best in digital printing. We choose the Screen Truepress Jet 520HD printer for its offset quality equivalent, but also because the inkjet printer allows us to propose the customised offers at the heart of our new strategy.

‘Screen was capable of identifying the technical specificities and magazine press quality we were aiming for. We needed a whole new ecosystem, and they were capable of developing real tests with real files in real-life situations, as well as provide technical support and assistance. Screen proved themselves through their actions. And we saw the results with our own eyes with real print on different substrates.’

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The company, now partnered with Lake Book of the USA, produces 150 million books a year, with a turnover of €100 million (£85.5 million). The firm was already using a Jet Press 720S for book cover printing, but invested in the 750S after hearing about its faster speeds.

Nicola Franceschi, head of research development at Grafica Veneta, said, ‘When we became aware of the Jet Press 750S – a machine that produces the same quality at faster speeds – we were immediately interested. We evaluated the performance and it was an easy decision to upgrade our digital sheet-fed printing line.’

In early 2021, the business looked to increase the speed at which is could produce high quality book covers.

Mr Franceshci explained, ‘Back in early 2021, as well as partnering with Lake Book, we made another investment in the future of our business improving our digital print capacity. The focus being on short runs – where we could increase the speed without jeopardising the standard of quality we regularly produce.’

Since the purchase, the company reports that printing times for each job have been reduced and is now looking to update the Jet Press 750S even further.

Mr Franceschi added, ‘We’re aware of the High Speed upgrade that is available on the press – so that has the potential to speed things up even further. We’ve worked with Fujifilm for many years. We trust their team and their technology. They’ve helped us expand as a business and we’re always keeping a close eye on what new printing equipment they develop.’

General manager at Fujifilm Graphic Communications Italy Paolo Zerbi said, ‘Producing copies in their millions for some of the biggest publishers in the world, Grafica Veneta knows quality and understands what’s required to make a good impression on its customers. The Jet Press 720S served them very well and we’re delighted with the impact the Jet Press 750S has made in the past year. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them as they continue their growth.’

Operating from a 100,000sqm solar-powered  factory in Trebaseleghe, northern Italy, and with 750 employees, Grafica Veneta’s customer base has been expanding throughout Europe, North Africa and America.

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The ex-head of sales at PrintMax is experienced in supporting customers in the evaluation of capital equipment and long-term purchasing strategies.

The move to CMYUK, which supplies large format digital printers, cutting equipment and materials, means Mr Martin will work with a variety of technology brands such as EFI, Canon, Epson, Mimaki, Kongsberg and Klieverik.

Mr Martin, who joined PrintMax in 2008 as a consumables account manager, will report to sales director Sue Hayward.

Mr Martin said, ‘CMYUK is the undisputed number one supplier in the industry. Its infrastructure and facilities are designed to place the customer and its business needs at the centre of the product assessment process.

‘The resources available are unique to the industry and include on-going professional training, equipment evaluation, materials testing, and workflow audits underpinned by a team that has immense knowledge and experience.

‘My passion is about developing relationships. CMYUK provides unique tools and support that will allow me to fully focus on customers.’

Ms Hayward said, ‘Chris is a natural fit for the company, committed to a customer-centric approach that will be further enhanced and supported by our infrastructure. He understands our inclusive approach that encompasses all customer types from the solo creative producer all the way to the industrial multinational.’ 

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The Hampshire-based business, rebranded as JDP after its recent acquisition by Venn Holdings,  was founded in 1976 and produces stationery, marketing materials and packaging, complemented by personalised mailing and finishing services. The acquisition by Venn is part of the latter’s plan to build a technology-focused printing group across the labels, commercial and packaging sectors. Part of this involves ‘redefining the break-even point of digital to analogue products’.

JDP already has an Indigo 7600 SRA3 press and an Indigo 12000 B2 model; the former is to be replaced by the 100K model, also a B2 machine, which represents a dramatic increase in capacity, with the new press able to produce 100,000 B2 impressions ‘per shift’. According to Venn Holdings, the new installation has enabled an immediate 70% growth in digital impressions and JDP has subsequently won new contract business as a result. The capacity is also planned to be used to create ‘strong partnerships’ in both B2B and B2C markets, and is said to bring the ability to scale up production with minimal labour costs.

Venn director Anthony Thirlby said, ‘Deploying and utilising the correct technology across the full spectrum of our targeted product portfolio is paramount to the strategy of JDP and Venn. We have a very clear vision on how we incorporate our clients’ requirements from the ever-evolving world of the printed product. Ensuring we are a tech-led smart manufacturer of all things print will always be our core DNA.’

The first UK installation of an Indigo 100K was at Sussex-based Pureprint in October 2020.

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Rae, formerly head of global marketing at Heidelberg and more recently head of sheet-fed marketing at Koenig & Bauer, and Thirlby, who was managing director at EPS Colour and then global head of commercial at Heidelberg, see the purchase of the high-end commercial print business the first step in a strategy to create a ‘technology-driven print group across the commercial, label and packaging sectors’ and say they are ‘already talking with other prospective group additions’.

Mr Thirlby stated, ‘We have talked about working together for the last five years; we both love the industry and have a large and diverse business network between us. The timing is perfect and starts with a known commercial platform. We are committed to using market-leading technology and processes across all three segments of the industry to diversify our group portfolio.’

The purchase of John Dollin Printing was funded by Compass Business Finance and the company has been rebranded as JDP. Mr Rae explained, ‘Becoming JDP retains the heritage of the original family name, reflects the membership of an ambitious acquisitive group and modernises the look to portray a technology aura, which is the aim of our future.’

Mr Rae told Digital Printer, ‘Our background has always been predominantly litho technology and we worked hard on proving the lowest break-even capability of an offset press versus digital. Now we have bought JDP we are going to spin that 180 degrees and push the break even point up. This will surprise the offset suppliers!’

Two sales directors have also been appointed, Roy Heeney and Jenny Eagle, both of whom worked with Thirlby at ESP.

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Last November Heidelberg started reinventing itself for the digital age. Actually, that isn’t quite right. Last November was a turning point because Heidelberg Druckmaschinen’s digital reinvention began earlier. The most visible indicator of that process was the company’s much vaunted relationship with Fujifilm to sell a rebadged version of the JetPress 720s sheet fed digital press. Heidelberg was also doing its best to build online subscription models for customer service and support. Was an industry stalwart finally getting the digital message and aligning that digital step with the company’s environmental one: no inventories, printing close to the point of use and so on? No, not really, not deep in the Heidelberg heart. Despite the warm words of digital encouragement drupa 2016, when things were supposedly changing, feels like a lifetime ago. Sadly it didn’t work out. The ‘birth party for the new Heidelberg’, as then-CEO Dr Gerold Linsbach described drupa 2016, is looking far less festive.

Today the Heidelberg Primefire is no longer and the company is labouring heavily under debts of €465 million with liabilities of €834 million due within a year and another €1.1 billion on a further horizon. With €635 million in cash and receivables there is still a gap of more than a billion Euros. Ouch. Has Heidelberg turned into an ugly poster child for the industry it serves? Maybe that’s too bleak a view. There is more to it and the more might mean a happier future, nostalgia aside, for Heidelberg. The company is reinventing itself to provide products which have a greater likelihood of generating long term revenues than digital presses in an oversaturated market. These products relate to climate change mitigation and sustainability, but they have little to do with Heidelberg’s traditional markets.

The company ditched Primefire as part of its restructuring into Heidelberg Digital Technology and Heidelberg Lifecycle Solutions segments. The former focuses on the company’s established sheetfed offset business including label printing, print related data processing and digital printing. That means the Versafire EP and the Versafire EV digital presses, rebadged Ricoh Pro C9200 and Pro C7200 engines respectively. The difference between what each company supplies is in the digital front end systems. And the relationship with Ricoh is getting closer.

The other segment, presumably the one where most investors’ interest lies, is about ‘the lifecycle business, software solutions and platforms’. As well as printing presses, Heidelberg develops and sells charging systems for electric and hybrid cars. The company started offering various models of these units earlier this year and claims several thousand customers already.

This is great news for the sustainability of motoring and probably of Heidelberg itself, so it marks an important transition point in the history of Heidelberg Druckmaschinen. The company is continuing to serve its traditional market whilst pivoting towards a very different future. Not participating in drupa 2021 is part of that move. Heidelberg’s future is about sustainability in many new and possibly unexpected dimensions. It’s a new direction, not just for Heidelberg.

– Laurel Brunner

This article was produced by the Verdigris Project, an industry initiative intended to raise awareness of print’s positive environmental impact. This weekly commentary helps printing companies keep up to date with environmental standards, and how environmentally friendly business management can help improve their bottom lines. Verdigris is supported by the following companies: Agfa Graphics, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Miraclon, Ricoh, Spindrift, Splash PR, Unity Publishing and Xeikon.

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The report, The Future of Digital vs Offset Printing to 2024, suggests that global output, measured in terms of billions of A4 prints , will remain static over the period but that value will grow at a compound rate of 1.3% to reach US $862.7 billion. Digital print, and particularly inkjet, is said to be ‘an increasingly important and valuable part of the overall print market’ and that the further growth from this year will be driven by technical innovations and shifts in market demands. These will see digital print move into new sectors such as packaging and increase competitiveness on longer runs with via new generations of high throughput presses, while also offering new revenue streams for print service providers.

The report acknowledges that both analogue and digital print production are becoming more efficient, which drives down unit costs, while short-run print and associated finishing/converting processes improve supply chain efficiency. Key drivers that affect the demand for offset litho and digital print include rising global consumption thanks to population growth, urbanisation and the rise of a global middle class with discretionary spending power. Other factors include the effect of the internet on how people communicate and access information, and expectations in terms of speed of delivery, relevance and interactivity.

Sustainability and environmental impact are also growing concerns, while technology trends such as the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 are expected to enhance the productivity of print processes. 

The Future of Digital vs Offset Printing to 2024 compares digital and offset litho printing over the period 2014–24 in publication, graphic and packaging applications. It looks at trends affecting the demand side of print and printed packaging over the decade, and reviews how print production and technology supply chains are responding. It is available now; Digital Printer readers may take advantage of a 10% discount by quoting the code DP19 and ordering by 30 September 2019.

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