Disruptive Approach? Make it better by “Make it matter”!

 

Text, Photos and Posts by Andreas Weber, Value CEO | Analyst & Innovation Expert

 

 Why it is worth to read this blog post:

1. Catch the innovation spirit

2. Real paradigm shift for print

3. Great insights by a leading Scientist!

 

Quite interesting, how serious HP’s Graphic Solution Business Division tries to push the Graphic Arts community forward. On a global level even the CEO Meg Whitman was involved to present disruptive inkjet technologies. Analysts and journalists were invited to meet in Barcelona on May 12th, 2014. More or less exactly two years before drupa 2016 will start in Düsseldorf.

HP GSB’s ww Marketing Director Francois Martin stated: „We challenge the status quo!“. Technology disruptions are given to enable the transformation from „Wave One: Capitalize” and „Wave Two: Anticipate“ to „Wave Three: Create“. That means to run along to identify new services and new ecosystems to create new categories and new ways to use technologies. — I am wondering if that is related to how to manage HP GSB’s business or if it is as well a valuable advice for HP GSB customers…

 

Where is the beef?

Based on its already existing and well established PageWide Technology HP presented a prototype of a system scaling up to the large-format printing. To give you an idea, we share the links to the new press releases and White Papers. The launch of the new printing system will start earliest in the 2nd half of 2015. So we have time enough to think and talk about it.

But the presentation of a new printing system was not the key point of the meeting in Barcelona. HP took us to its Labs, shared first-hand knowledge. In a so called Dark Room Experience we got (for the very first time) the context of print innovation and market innovation driven by a huge variety of innovative application areas.

Dr. Ross Allen, Senior Technical Specialist and Inkjet Technology Scientist, based in St. Helena, CA, took us to a very impressive journey. Which started in 1984 to push HP’s inkjet performance advances by (the so called) Moore’s law. In fact for over 30 years, the performance of HP Thermal Inkjet printers has doubled every 18 months. The new enhanced PageWide technology will be a milestone by pushing productivity 8 times higher!

 

 

What is the disruptive innovation task?

„What powers HP innovation?“ – Dr. Ross Allen answered the question like this: „Unmatched vertical integration!“  — Printing Solutions are the result of Printheads, Ink & Media, Writing Systems, Image Processing, SW & FW based on unique intellectual Property, Research and Development plus ww Manufacturing & Support. HP as a market leader works on inkjet innovation around the globe at any time (day and night).

In fact: „The HP PageWide printhead is built with thousands of identical drop generators that offer uniform volume, speed and trajectory for precise printing. The technology also regulates the speed and penetration of Original HP pigment ink to accelerate drying and to control dot size, feathering and color-to-color bleed for high-quality prints.“

Albert Serra, ww R&D Director, HP LF Design Business highlighted that „Color is the new black. (…) So HP will disrupt in the first step the Reprographics market by cutting costs and enhancing productivity and ease of use in a significant way“.  And Thomas Valjak, VP & General manager LF Design Business Solutions EMEA, explained the new disruptive Go-to-Market approach. He „re-engineered“ HP’s distribution channel to enable the best One-Face-to-the-Customer approach via qualified and certified dealers.

 

Summary and our take:

It was worth traveling to Barcelona. Specially to see the Labs, to talk to Dr. Ross Allen and other HP GSB executives to realize that we will definitely go through a paradigm shift caused by disruptive InkJet technologies. It is quite clever by HP to focus in the first step the Reprographics market. But the large format (B2+) and all other benefits will also help commercial printers in the future to reduce costs, increase productivity, flexibility, quality, usability. And last but not least: to create new applications. But, as Dr. Ross Allen said to me: „We enter a new era based on a great experience to change the world of print!“

 

Further informations:

More information about the latest additions to the HP Designjet production printing portfolio is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/DesignjetProduction2014 and at www.hp.com/go/designjet.

Videos and updates on the new products are available on the HP for Designers Facebook page, the HP Graphic Arts YouTube channel and the @HPGraphicArts Twitter handle.

 

__________________________________

 

We love to showcase the outcome of an techie event
in a smart and entertaining way. ENJOY!

 

__________________________________

Short and brief Overview
by our Facebook Post and Tweets: