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‚Die Lithographie ist auf der ganzen Welt im Vormarsch!‘

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English translation, see below!

Fokus: Litho Days III In Türkiye – Ankara (5./6./7.12.2025)

Von Barbara Wilhelmi (Internationale Senefelder Stiftung)

‚Die Lithographie ist auf der ganzen Welt im Vormarsch!‘ – Dieser Satz des berühmten Lithografen Erich Mönch stand in den 70-iger Jahren an der Wand des Druckzentrums in Tübingen, und er erschien schon damals eine ironische Bemerkung zu sein. Bei den Litho Days III in der Türkei im Dezember 2025 wurde dieser Satz Realität, denn schon zum dritten Mal nach 2021 und 2023 hatte das Dou Printstudio von Doḡu Gündoḡdu und Naz Önen zu einem Litho-Event in die Türkei eingeladen und sie stützten sich auf die Kontakte die sie auch beim Internationalen Lithographie Kolloquium der Internationalen Senefelderstiftung im April 2024 geknüpft hatten.

Auch in diesem Jahr präsentierte das Dou Printstudio in Ankara wieder ein reichhaltiges Programm: Zu Beginn der Besuch in der großartigen  Ausstellung „Separation and Merging Point“ (FOTO 1,1 + 1,2), in diesem Jahr gestaltet von der bekannte Kuratorin Eda Berkmen, in der Anafartalar Shopping Mall, No. 203. Zu sehen waren Lithographien von Künstlern, gedruckt im Dou Printstudio (Edition III). Die Werkstatt selbst konnte am Morgen des 6. Dezembers, dem Feiertag der Lithographen, besichtigt werden (FOTO 2).

Im Mittelpunkt der Litho Tage III stand danach das Panel: „DISCUSSING THE SUSTAINABILITY WITH ROOTED LITHOGRAPHY STUDIOS“ (FOTO 3) mit den Printmakern Christian Bramsen (Atelier Clot, Paris), Jan Pelkofer + Paul Klös (Tabor Presse Berlin, Deutschland), Kapser Fleng + Julie Peter Hjörring (Grafisk Värksted, Dänemark), Mikkjal Matras Andersson (Steinprent, Faroe Islands), Louise Aakermann Nielsen (Bornholm) – Moderation: Naz Önen.

Es ging um das Verhältnis der professionellen Drucker in den unterschiedlichen Werkstätten im Kontakt mit den Künstlerinnen und Künstlern, die Aspekte der professionellen Druckwerkstätten, die auf die eine oder andere Weise die Vorstellungen der Künstlerinnen und Künstler umsetzen. Die Qualitätssicherung auf hohem lithographischen Niveau wurde ebenso Thema wie der Vertrieb und die Vernetzung der Drucker untereinander, um Perspektiven für die Zukunft entwickeln zu können. Dazu wurde die Frage erörtert, ob Drucke nicht vielmehr den Status von Originalen haben sollten und sich dementsprechend dann auch die Preisgestaltung verändern würde (FOTO 4). Der Wandel ist einerseits geprägt durch den Wegfall der großen Druckereien, aber andererseits gibt es auch neues Entstehen von kleinen Printstudios wie dasjenige in Ankara und eine türkische Künstlerin Derin Tuksal, die seit vier Jahren Derin Print Shop leitet, das Gemeinschaftsatelier für Radierung in Istanbul.

Die Probleme, nicht mehr die Materialien kaufen zu können wie früher, werden nun oft auf unkonventionelle Weise gelöst durch Eigenproduktion. So ist in der Druckwerkstatt von Dou eine selbstgebaute Lederdruckwalze zu bestaunen (FOTO 5). Und dort hängt auch, wie ein Schutzpatron, das lithographische Porträt von Alois Senefelder neben Atatürk (FOTO 6). Das Panel der Lithodays III fand im Erimtan Archäologischen Museum statt, wo ebenfalls eine temporäre Ausstellung (“Litho Wall–1”) für jeweils drei Monate mit einer speziellen Auswahl aus dem Dou Printstudio zu sehen ist. Am Abend des 06.12.2025 gab der dänischen Botschafter, Ole Toft, in der dänischen Residenz in Ankara einen Empfang (FOTO 7). Das Projekt wurde möglich gemacht durch den Support vieler kultureller und politischer Institutionen, wie z.B. das Goethe-Institut in Ankara und weitere Botschaften vor Ort (siehe Aufzählung unten).👇

Vielen Dank für das unvergessliche Erlebnis der Lithoö Tage III. Viel Erfolg für Doḡu Gündoḡdu, Naz Önen und das Duo Print Studio – Barbara Wilhelmi

Fotos: Barbara Wilhelmi, Duo Print Studio

Litho Days III in Türkiye – Ankara December 5th to 7th of 2025

by Barbara Wilhelmi (Internationale Senefelder Foundation)

Lithography is on the rise all over the world! This statement by the famous lithographer Erich Mönch was displayed on the wall of the printing center in Tübingen in the 1970s, and even then it seemed like an ironic remark. At Litho Days III in Turkey in December 2025, this statement became reality, as the Duo Printstudio, comprised of Doḡu Gündoḡdu und Naz Önen, hosted a lithography event in Turkey for the third time, following previous events in 2021 and 2023 and they relied on the contacts they had also made at the International Lithography Colloquium of the International Senefelder Foundation in April 2024. 

This year, the Dou Printstudio once again presented a rich program in Ankara:

It began with a visit to the magnificent exhibition “Separation and Merging Point” (PHOTO 1.1 + 1.2) in the Anafartalar Shopping Mall, No.203. The exhibition, curated by the renowned Eda Berkmen, featuring lithographs by various artists, printed by the Dou Printstudio (Edition III). The workshop could be visited on the morning of December 6, the lithographers’ day (PHOTO 2). The panel discussion of Litho Days III began that same afternoon: “DISCUSSING THE SUSTAINABILITY WITH ROOTED LITHOGRAPHY STUDIOS” (PHOTO 3) with printmakers Christian Bramsen (Atelier Clot, Paris), Jan Pelkofer + Paul Klös (Tabor Presse Berlin, Germany), Kapser Fleng + Julie Peter Hjörring (Grafisk Värksted, Denmark), Mikkjal Matras Andersson (Steinprent, Faroe Islands), and Louise Aakermann Nielsen (Bornholm) – moderated by Naz Önen (Dou Printstudio).

The discussion focused on the relationship between professional printers in different workshops and the artists, and the aspects of professional printmaking that, in one way or another, realize the artists’ visions. Quality assurance at a high lithographic level was discussed, as were distribution and networking among the printers to develop future perspectives. The question was discussed whether prints should have the status of originals and whether the pricing would change accordingly (PHOTO 4).  The transformation is characterized on the one hand by the demise of large printing houses, but on the other hand, there is also the emergence of new small print studios, such as the one in Ankara, and a Turkish artist: Derin Tuksal, leading Derin Print Shop, the collaborative etching studio in Istanbul for four years. 

Dou Print is currently the only independent collaborative lithography studio. The problem of no longer being able to purchase materials as before is now often solved in unconventional ways through in-house production. For example, a self-made leather printing roller can be admired in Dou’s printmaking workshop (PHOTO 5). And there, like a patron saint, hangs a portrait of Alois Senefelder next to Atatürk (PHOTO 6). The Lithodays III panel took place at the Erimtan Archaeological Museum with a temporal exhibition (“Litho Wall–1”) which showcases each time a special selection from Dou Print Studio’s collection for three month periods. On the evening of December 6, 2025, reception hosted by the Danish Ambassador, Ole Toft in the Danish Residence (PHOTO 7). The project was made possible by the support of many cultural and political institutions, such as the Goethe-Institut in Ankara and other local embassies (detailed list below).                                                                                                    

Visiting the Lithodays III was a truly memorable experience for me and I wish all the best for Doḡu Gündoḡdu and Naz Önen and Dou Duo Print Studio in Ankara – with best regards Barbara Wilhelmi  

Photos: Barbara Wilhelmi, Naz Önen / Duo Print Studio

Litho Days in Türkiye project has been made possible with the support of 

the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Culture and Social Affairs, 

the French Cultural Centre in Ankara, 

the Goethe-Institut in Ankara, 

the Embassy of Poland in Ankara, 

the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, 

the Ministry of Culture Denmark and the Danish Arts Foundation

as a EUNIC (The Network of European National Cultural Institutes) project, 

along with KAFT’s product and Radisson Blu’s accomodation sponsorship.

 

Invitation poster created by Duo Print Studio

After the divorce comes the wedding: Fujifilm is to make Xerox future-proof!

February 2, 2018
CEO Talk on Innovation, Digital Transformation, Valuable Advice, ValueCheck
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ValueCheck The New Fuji Xerox 2018.001

Comment by Andreas Weber, Head of Value | German version

A little over a year after the spin-off of Xerox and Conduent, there is now going to be a new “marriage of convenience”. Xerox Corporation and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. will be merged and Fujifilm Holding will take a majority holding. This will result in “The New Fuji Xerox”, a global Group with an expected turnover of 18 billion US dollars. An agreement to that effect was reached and published on 31 January, 2018.

Fuji Xerox was originally founded in 1962 as a joint enterprise of Xerox and Fujifilm, in order to give Xerox better market access and good growth opportunities in Asia, Asia Pacific and especially in Japan and China. In 2000, during Xerox’s serious existential crisis, the entire China business of Xerox was sold to Fujifilm. Over the years the old Fuji Xerox evolved dynamically from a trading company into an innovative technology developer, whose products Xerox now also marketed and almost equaled the turnover of today’s Xerox Corporation.

 

Source: Fact Sheets byFuji Xerox
Source: Fact Sheets byFuji Xerox

Act of desperation or stroke of genius?

According to his own statement, the new “old” Xerox CEO Jeff Jacobson is still in office and had come under severe pressure in recent months (which is clearly perceptible in his somewhat unwise video post about the Fujifilm agreement). Major shareholder Carl Icahn had led vicious attacks and publicly branded Jacobson and his management team failures. Icahn appeared concerned that Xerox would meet the same fate as Kodak. Has the situation now been improved by the merger? It is still too early to say for certain. One thing’s for sure, however; the short and medium-term focus is on consolidation and cost savings in the billions. As a result, “The New Fuji Xerox” is better armed against some very strong competitors, especially Canon. Growth will not initially be possible. It has already been announced that around 10,000 employees of the old Fuji Xerox will lose their jobs.

 

UPDATE: CARL ICAHN AND DARWIN DEASON RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 12th, 2018 AN OPEN LETTER TO XEROX SHAREHOLDERS.  

Key message: To put it simply, the current Board of Directors has overseen the systematic destruction of Xerox, and, unless we do something, this latest Fuji scheme will be the company’s final death knell. We urge you – our fellow shareholders – do not let Fuji steal this company from us. There is still tremendous opportunity for us to realize value on our own if we bring in the right leadership.

Icahn open letter 02122018
Icahn open letter 02122018

 

Xerox responds to Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason Open Letter on FEB 13, 2018.

 

Selected comments by public media

  • Gizmodo: “Xerox is the poster child for monopoly technology businesses that cannot make the transition to a new generation of technology,” —Harvard Business School’s David B. Yoffie told the paper.
  • New York Times : “After Era That Made It a Verb, Xerox, in a Sale, Is Past Tense”.
  • REUTERS: “The joint venture accounts for nearly half of Fujifilm’s sales and operating profit. Both companies have struggled with slow sales of photocopy products, as businesses increasingly go paperless.”

 

“The New Fuji Xerox” will have to continue struggling with old problems. Instead of a clear vision, they stick to defending the status quo (‘box selling’) and provide no discernible ground-breaking innovations which can inspire markets and investors and are superior to competitive products.

In addition, there are decrepit structures and, at least in the old Xerox world, a worrying lack of customer contact. The feeling is that too many Xerox employees are working in staff roles and are not adding value with their work or actually dealing with the needs of the customer. In addition, in Europe the Xerox Europe headquarters in the UK is getting really top heavy, is riddled with masses of administrative staff and its market relevance is completely diffused.

But: Where there’s life, there’s hope. The major asset of Xerox as well as Fuji Xerox is that there are still a lot of capable employees who could take the helm if they were allowed to. These are experts who are competent in dealing with software, workflows, multi-channel solutions, artificial intelligence and much more. It is to be hoped for their sake that “The New Fuji Xerox” honors this and comes to the fore to enthuse customers again.

 

Predicted structure of the new Fuji Xerox organization

 

Fuji Xerox Konzernstruktur

Source: TechCrunch.

 

 

Notes

Message from the CEO

 

Please note: more facts are listed on a special website: http://www.thenewfujixerox.com

 

 

SUPPLEMENT:

Letter to the Shareholders of 7 March 2018

In an 11-page letter, Xerox management commented in detail to shareholders on March 7, 2018, on the merits of merging with Fuji Xerox resp. Fujifilm. (Letter is attached as a PDF via slideshow),

It should be noted that in the age of customer experience and customer centricity, any benefits that could arise for Xerox customers are addressed with no syllable. Too bad. First of all, it expresses that the focus is on Xerox at Group level to deal with himself; and second, the opportunity is missed to make a name for itself among the shareholders and investors as a forward-looking and customer-oriented company.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

NOTE

At least, Xerox Corp. announced on May 2nd, 2018, that Jeff Jacobson left the company. The follower via ‘Hot-Landing’ is Carl Icahn’s team member John Visentin. At the moment it’s not evident if the deal with Fujifilm is still valid.

Read: My comment (in german) “ValueCheck: Xerox — Per Hot-Landing auf zu neunen Ufern”.

And Forbes‘ story “Executive Onboarding Note: How Xerox’s New CEO John Visentin Can Survive His Hot Landing”.

 

About Andreas Weber, Founder and CEO of Value Communication AG
Since more than 25 years Andreas Weber serves on an international level as a business communication analyst, influencer and transformer. His activities are dedicated to the ‘Transformation for the Digital Age’ via presentations, management briefings, coachings, workshops, analysis&reports, strategic advice. Contact: LinkedIn-Profile

 

 

Nach der Scheidung ist vor der Hoch-Zeit: 
Fujifilm soll Xerox zukunftssicher machen!

February 1, 2018
CEO Talk on Innovation, Digital Transformation, Posts in German Language, Trends @ Graphic Communications, Valuable Advice, ValueCheck
3 Comments

ValueCheck The New Fuji Xerox 2018.001

 

Kommentar von Andreas Weber, Head of Value | English version

Etwas über ein Jahr nach dem Spin-off von Xerox und Conduent steht nun eine neue Zweckgemeinschaft an. Xerox Corporation und Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.werden zusammengelegt und mehrheitlich von der Fujifilm Holding übernommen. Es entsteht „The New Fuji Xerox“ ein globaler Konzern mit voraussichtlich 18 Milliarden US-Dollar Umsatz. Darüber wurde eine Vereinbarung getroffen und am 31. Januar 2018 publiziert — fast zeitgleich mit den Ergebnissen von Q4 des Jahres 2017, die keine überragenden, aber relativ stabilen Resultate und dennoch einen Kursrückgang von fast 4 % brachten.

 

Bildschirmfoto 2018-02-01 um 10.10.47

 

Fuji Xerox war seit 1962 ein Gemeinschaftsunternehmen von Xerox und Fujifilm, ursprünglich gegründet, um Xerox besseren Marktzugang und gute Wachstumsmöglichkeiten in Asien, Asia Pacific sowie speziell in Japan und China zu verschaffen. Im Jahr 2000, während der existentiell schweren Krise von Xerox, wurde das komplette China-Geschäft von Xerox an Fujifilm verkauft. Im Laufe der Jahre entwickelte sich das alte Fuji Xerox dynamisch vom Handelsunternehmen zum innovativen Technik-Entwickler, dessen Produkte nunmehr auch Xerox vermarktete und vom Umsatz her mit der heutigen Xerox Corporation fast gleichzog.

 

Bildschirmfoto 2018-02-01 um 10.10.34

Grafiken: Factsheet The New Fuji Xerox.

 

Verzweiflungsakt oder Geniestreich?

Der neue „alte“ Xerox CEO Jeff Jacobson bleibt nach eigenem bekunden im Amt und war in den letzten Monaten heftig unter Druck geraten (was in seinem wenig smarten Video-Beitrag zum Fujifilm-Agreement deutlich spürbar ist). Grossaktionär Carl Icahn hatte harte Attacken geführt, stigmatisierte Jacobson und sein Management-Team öffentlich als Versager. Icahn schien besorgt, dass Xerox das gleiche Schicksal wie Kodak widerfahre. Einschätzungen zufolge, wird Icahn gemeinsam mit anderen Aktionären durch die Verschmelzung nunmehr quasi als Trostpflaster eine Sonder-Dividende von rund 2,5 Milliarden US-Dollar erhalten. 

Hat sich durch das Zusammengehen nun die Situation verbessert? Dazu ist es noch zu früh, Konkretes zu sagen. Soviel ist aber sicher: Kurz- und mittelfristig stehen Konsolidierung und Kosteneinsparungen in Milliardenhöhe im Fokus. Damit ist „The New Fuji Xerox“ besser gewappnet gegen überstarke Wettbewerber, vor allem Canon. Wachstum wird aber zunächst nicht statt finden können. Verlautbart wurde bereits, dass rund 10.000 Mitarbeiter der alten Fuji Xerox ihren Job verlieren werden.

„The New Fuji Xerox“ wird weiter mit alten Problemen zu kämpfen haben: Statt klarer Vision klebt man am Verteidigen des Status quo (‚Box Selling’), liefert keine erkennbaren bahnbrechenden Innovations-Leistungen, die Märkte und Anleger begeistern können und Wettbewerbs-Produkten überlegen sind.

 

In den Medien ist ein großes Thema, dass Xerox seine Innovationskraft verloren hat. 

 

UPDATE: CARL ICAHN AND DARWIN DEASON RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 12th, 2018 AN OPEN LETTER TO XEROX SHAREHOLDERS.  

Kernbotschaft: To put it simply, the current Board of Directors has overseen the systematic destruction of Xerox, and, unless we do something, this latest Fuji scheme will be the company’s final death knell. We urge you – our fellow shareholders – do not let Fuji steal this company from us. There is still tremendous opportunity for us to realize value on our own if we bring in the right leadership.

Icahn open letter 02122018
Icahn open letter 02122018

 

Xerox Corporation veröffentlichte am 13. Februar 2018 eine Erwiderung, die fast schon wie eine Gegendarstellung wirkt.

 

Hinzu kommen verkrustete Strukturen und zumindest in der alten Xerox-Welt eine beunruhigende Kundenferne. Zu viele Xerox-Mitarbeiter sind dem Gefühl nach in Stabsfunktionen tätig und damit nicht unmittelbar wertschöpfend tätig oder konkret mit den Bedürfnissen der Kunden beschäftigt. In Europa kommt hinzu, dass das Xerox-Europa-Headquarter in UK einen echten Wasserkopf bildet, mit Massen an Verwaltungsangestellten durchsiebt und in seiner Marktrelevanz völlig diffundiert.

Aber: Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt. Das große Asset von Xerox wie auch Fuji Xerox ist, dass es immer noch eine ganze Menge von fähigen Mitarbeitern gibt, die das Ruder umreissen könnten, wenn man sie doch ließe. Das sind Experten, die sich mit Software, Workflows, Multichannel-Lösungen, Künstlicher Intelligenz und vielem anderen sinnvoll beschäftigen können. Ihnen ist zu wünschen, dass „The New Fuji Xerox“ dies honoriert und in den Vordergrund rückt, um ‘Stakeholder’, also Kunden, Investoren, Mitarbeiter, Partner etc.,  wieder zu begeistern.

 

Die neue, voraussichtliche Konzernstruktur von “The New Xerox Fuji”

Fuji Xerox Konzernstruktur

Quelle: TechCrunch.

Hinweis

Weitere Fakten sind gelistet auf einer speziellen Homepage: http://www.thenewfujixerox.com

Dort ist auch das nachfolgende, oben bereits zitierte Video “Message from the CEO” publiziert.

 

 

 

NACHTRAG: Brief an die Aktionäre vom 7. März 2018

In einem 11-seitigen Schreiben hat die Xerox-Firmenleitung am 7. März 2018 die Aktionäre nochmals detailliert über die Vorteil des Zusammengehens mit Fuji Xerox resp. Fujifilm informiert. (Brief ist als PDF per Slideshow angefügt),

Anzumerken ist, dass im Zeitalter der Customer Experience und Kundenzentrierung evtl. Vorteile, die sich für Xerox-Kunden ergeben könnten, mit keiner Silbe angesprochen werden. Schade. Denn damit wird erstens zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass der Fokus darin besteht, sich bei Xerox auf Konzernebene (weiterhin) am liebsten mit sich selbst zu beschäftigen; und zweitens wird die Chance vertan, sich bei den Aktionären und Investoren als zukunfts- und kundenorientiertes Unternehmen zu profilieren.

 

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NACHTRAG 2 — Jeff Jacobson ist gescheitert!

Am 2. Mai 2018 wurde öffentlich, dass sich die Gruppe um Carl Icahn durchgesetzt hat. Jeff Jacobson musste Xerox verlassen. Per ‘Hot-Landing’ wurde John Visentin zum neuen CEO und Vice Chairman berufen. Wie und ob es mit Fujifilm und dem Mega-Deal weitergeht, wird sich in den nächsten Monaten zeigen.

 

 

NACHTRAG 3 — Xerox verliert deutlich an Börsenwert!

Mit der Androhung einer Klage über 1 Milliarde US-Dollar setzt Fujifilm die Xerox Corp. heftig unter Druck. Seit Anfang Februar 2018 rutschte der Börsenkurs pro Aktie von rund 34 US-Dollar auf knapp über 27 US-Dollar ab. In den Finanzmedien wird dies argwöhnisch beobachtet: “Is Xerox (XRX) in Trouble for Terminating Fujifilm Deal?” (June 19, 2018)

 

Zum Autor

Andreas Weber ist Gründer und Vorstandsvorsitzender der Value Communication AG. Seit mehr als 25 Jahren engagiert er sich als international renommierter Business Communication Analyst, Coach, Influencer und Transformer. Seine Aktivitäten fokussieren sich auf ‚Transformation for the Digital Age’ via Vorträgen, Management Briefings, Workshops, Analysen & Reports, Strategic Advice.
Blog: www.valuetrendradar.com
Kontakt via LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/andreasweber
Twitter: @zeitenwende007 (personal) | @ValueCommAG (company)

 

 

Mike Hilton Global News Review: Print goes digital. Great benefit by Heidelberg Assistant!

December 18, 2017
Digital Transformation, Multi-Channel Innovation, Trends @ Graphic Communications, Valuable Advice, Value Contributors, Value Innovation, ValueCheck, ValueDialog
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6F43C4EF-C3D2-4D75-B6F2-7C7B1768E4A9.jpeg

When iron stirs emotions: Koenig & Bauer commended for product campaign by Marketing Club Dresden/ Germany. Photo: kba.com

Graphic Repro On-line News to Friday 15 December 2017

Welcome to a roundup of 15 News items, plus Laurel Brunner’s Verdigris environmental Blog, which this week looks at Kodak, as it hopes to become the leading company for sustainability in the graphics industry.

As the year draws to a close the news has also slowed down, so I shall leave you to browse through this week’s headlines which contain an excellent selection of mixed news once again. Of particular note are the leaders on Tuesday with Baldwin Technology having now finalised the acquisition of QuadTech from QuadGraphics; and then on Thursday we have Leonhard Kurz, as it announces ground breaking test results from INGEDE confirming flawless deinkability for the recyclability of KURZ’ foil-decorated papers and boards. Then Sappi on Friday, as it announces plans to significantly increase the production of dissolving wood pulp at its Saiccor and Cloquet Mills in South Africa and North America by 2020.

Mike Hilton's Global News Review 08072016.001

World Premiere: Dr. Ulrich Hermann, Member of the Board and Chief Digital Officer at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, started at 12. December 2017 together with Tom Oelsner, SVP Sales Excellence, the go-to-market campaign for Heidelberg. Read our ValueCheck and ValueDialog report.

The tailender for this week goes to Koenig & Bauer (Monday) for the commendation it received for its current campaign ‘Built for Your Needs. The KBA B2 Presses’ product campaign, at an awards ceremony held at the Marketing Club in Dresden at the end of November.

If you are in the Southern Hemisphere and are due to close for the holidays during the coming week, do take care, stay safe and enjoy your time with your family and friends over the festive season and New Year. Please don’t drink and drive, or text and drive, or even use your cellphone when driving… we need you to stay alive. Have a wonderful Christmas and wish you a very Happy and Prosperous and Successful New Year 2018.

My best wishes and best regards

Mike Hilton

e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and our drupa Newsroom, all of which can be accessed from the Website Home Page and its Index. We also have News in Review, which provides an overview of the week’s news each weekend.

Headline News

Almost 30,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation pages

Week beginning Mon 11 December – the published date appears in article footline

Monday
When iron stirs emotions at Koenig & Bauer
Koenig & Bauer commended for product campaign ‘Built for Your Needs. The KBA B2 Presses’ at event held in Dresden…

Sun Chemical price increase for Flexible Packaging
High raw materials costs the reason for the increase…

Flint announces price increase for Packaging Inks
Increased, incremental cost escalation forces Flint Group to raise the prices of its Packaging Inks products…

Tuesday
Baldwin Technology acquires QuadTech Inc.
Acquisition creates vision and inspection print technology powerhouse for the commercial, newspaper, labels, packaging, converting and publication gravure industries…

Mimaki to exhibit at PSI 2018 in January
Mimaki to bring a mini promotional product factory to PSI 2018 at Messe Düsseldorf 9 – 11 January…

Resource Digital’s Fujifilm Acuity investment pays off
High Wycombe-based wide-format printer impressed with upturn in productivity following Acuity Select HS installation…

Wednesday
Digital transformation of Heidelberg gathers pace

Heidelberg breaking new ground in customer support: Heidelberg Assistant goes into series production…

 

New reader survey suggests print investment opportunities

Vaughan Patterson, product marketing manager for commercial and industrial print at Ricoh SA reports on the recent Two Sides global survey which included South African respondents…

 

Screen Truepress Jet L350UV for Tenovis in Slovenia

Tenovis answers short-run demand and opens up new market opportunities with Screen Truepress Jet L350UV…

Thursday
Kurz cold foil passes deinking test with distinction
Ground breaking test results from INGEDE for the recyclability of foil-decorated paper confirm flawless deinkability…

Streamline Press Leicester chooses ‘Push to Stop’
Streamline seeks ‘world class’ status with Heidelberg investment in ‘Push to Stop’ Speedmaster XL 106-5+L…

Screen and Meccanotecnica to collaborate for books
Companies to collaborate for optimised book finishing using EQUIOS Book Solution with Universe Sewing from Meccanotecnica…

Friday   
Sappi to significantly increase DWP capacity by 2020
Sappi confirms expansion plans for dissolving wood pulp (DWP) capacity at its Saiccor and Cloquet Mills…

FINAT Technical Seminar March 2018, Barcelona
The New World of Labels: FINAT event tackles the technical challenges from 7 – 9 March 2018 in Barcelona…

The first Heidelberg Speedmaster CS 92 in France
Rollin Imprimeur greatly improves cost-efficiency and flexibility with France’s first Speedmaster CS 92…

The lead article from a week last Friday…

Sappi Fashion White grades launched for shopping bags
Unique brand communication with excellent colour reproduction on new grades for shopping bags of the future…

GraphicRepro.Net e-News  (ISSN 1814-2923) is sponsored and made possible by:

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG  (Heidelberg), The world’s largest printing press manufacturer for the industry worldwide. Visit the Heidelberg Website for more information.

drupa 2020 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry. Visit the drupa 2020 Website.You can also visit blog.drupa.comfor the latest industry news and developments.

Online Feature articles 2017
Only 49 articles last year – but you will find another eleven Expert Articles and ten drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber in our drupa Newsroom. There were over 70 in 2015, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page.

VaueDialogue 2017

Previous…      #InfluenceB2B Transformation for the Digital Age
#InfluenceB2B programme leads from innovation to transformation! By Andreas Weber, Head of Value…

Online Features Nov/Dec Chapter 08

Previous…      Comexi and QuadTech collaborate for flexible packaging
Both companies invest in research, innovation and training to better serve flexible packaging printing with closed-loop colour control…

Future solutions for the ‘growth market of packaging printing’
More than 300 customers from around the world attended the Packaging Day hosted by Heidelberg at its Wiesloch-Walldorf plant in November…

Sappi expands speciality and packaging paper capacity
Sappi to acquire the speciality paper business of Cham Paper Group Holding in Switzerland and Italy…

Verdigris – Environmental Initiative

Laurel Brunner’s weekly Verdigris Blogs 2017

Kodak & Corporate Responsibility
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Mon 11 Dec

Previous…      Sustainability Initiatives
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Mon 04 Dec

Drupa Newsroom

Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf in 2017 and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into Chapters for your convenience…just scroll down to view each Chapter

News from Messe Düsseldorf 2017

Previous…     Intelligent Printing in Focus
All in Print China to be staged at the new International Expo Center in Shanghai from 24 to 28 October 2018…

The various Chapters in the drupa Newsroom are highlighted below. When you enter, just scroll down to see and access the complete collection::

drupa daily; drupa Exhibitors’ show + post-show News; drupa pre-show Exhibitor news; post-drupa from Messe Düsseldorf; drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber; drupa Expert Articles – and more

The Graphic Repro On-line is supported and sponsored by:
Drupa 2020,   Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, and  Kemtek Imaging Systems

If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.

Our Website urls are:
http://www.graphicrepro.co.za
http://www.graphicrepro.net

GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923)  provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is  compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia.  e-mail graphicrepro.za@gmail.com

#Print — #Freitagsgedanken / #MyThoughtsfortheweekend

December 8, 2017
Digital Transformation, Posts in German Language, Valuable Advice, Value Innovation, Value Transformation
1 Comment

By Andreas Weber, Internationale Senefelder-Stiftung ISS Advisory Board (inspired by the #Kolloquium)

What makes me excited about #Print? What is annoying?

+ Without the ‘old’ the present and the future would not be possible! The course for the information age was already set around 1800 (from print to chip / via Photolithography).

+ The unbroken fascination and the inexhaustible transformation potential.

+ The passion and creativity of those who understand how to create and thrive on print.

– The widespread failure to adequately depict and make public the print in public consciousness.

– The unimaginative and ignorant, blatant rigor of many manufacturers that supposedly offer innovation.

– A blatant lack of communication expertise that hinders thinking outside the box.

#ValueCheck: Bücher als Skulpturen — dazu der Schriftsteller Christoph Ransmayr: „Anselm Kiefer hat ein leidenschaftliches Verhältnis zu Büchern, besonders zur Literatur, und einige seiner beeindruckendsten Arbeiten etwa mit Ingeborg Bachmann oder Paul Celan verbunden. Seine bleierne Bibliothek schlägt wie nur wenige Werke der bildenden Kunst eine Brücke zu jenem Medium Buch, das uns auf fast magische Weise erlaubt, über Jahrhunderte oder Jahrtausende hinweg in einer Art Gespräch miteinander verbunden zu bleiben.“ #Transformation

#Freitagsgedanken: Was begeistert mich an #Print? Was macht verdrießlich?

+ Ohne das ‚Alte‘ wäre das Heutige und Künftige gar nicht möglich! Die Weichen fürs Informationszeitalter wurden bereits um 1800 gestellt (vom Druck zum Chip).

+ Die ungebrochene Faszination und v. a. das unerschöpfliche Transformationspotential.

+ Die Leidenschaft und Kreativität derer, die Print gedeihlich zu gestalten verstehen und dadurch begeistern können.

– Das breite Versagen, Print im öffentlichen Bewusstsein adäquat darzustellen und erfahrbar zu machen.

– Die Fantasielosigkeit und ignorante, blasierte Rigorosität vieler Hersteller, die angeblich Innovationen bieten.

– Ein eklatanter Mangel an Kommunikations-Fachwissen, der behindert, über den Tellerrand zu blicken.

#Transformation

Mike Hilton‘s Global Review: Print as catalyst for masscustomization in packaging

November 27, 2017
Basic Topics on Innovation, Digital Transformation, drupa 2016, Trends @ Graphic Communications, Valuable Advice, Value Contributors, Value Innovation, ValueCheck
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Heidelberg, MPS in Obersulm and the publisher of turi2 edition selected the most important media persons in Germany for a unique, masscustomized cover page for a printed magazine. In total a number of 1,241. All together delivered as “pixels” a complete portrait of each single candidate printed on Primefire106. — One of those media VIPs was Andreas Weber, Head of Value, Frankfurt am Main/Germany.

Graphic Repro On-line News to Friday 24 November 2017

Welcome to a roundup of just 16 articles at the end of a quiet week for news, which tapered out almost completely by Friday. You’ll also find Laurel Brunner’s Verdigris Blog discussing the increasingly difficult problems encountered in successful paper recycling, as inks and coatings continue to change quite rapidly in their formulations and content. Rather like chasing moving goal posts.

Key news this week includes a more than £2-million pound spend by Taylor Bloxham of Leicester, UK on a new highly-spec’d Rapida 106 from Koenig & Bauer on Tuesday; while on Wednesday Wrap Cube became the first UK company to use 3M’s 780mC Reflective Wrapping Film, supplied by Spandex (you must see the photographs to appreciate why this gets a mention); and on Thursday,

Heidelberg celebrated the world premiere of the Primefire 106 with packaging printers from all over Europe at MPS-WestRock in Obersulm near Heilbronn, Germany at the beginning of November; and Scodix announces the start of its commercial roll-out of the E106 Digital Enhancement Press at an Open House, from 4 – 6 December at Gundlach Packaging Group’s facility in Oerlinghausen, Germany.

See as well the real-time report by Andreas Weber: “Value Check: Very well done — World Premiere of Heidelberg Primefire106 at MPS Multi Packaging Solutions in Germany”

To end the week on a high note, we had just one article from InPrint on Friday announcing that last week’s show in Munich ended with positive results. The next InPrint will take place in Milan at the end of 2018, before returning to Munich at the end of 2019.

That’s it until next time. There’s more to explore if you check out the headlines carefully, including the British Book Design and Production Awards winners on Monday; and some sound advice from Charl Vogel at Ricoh South Africa on Tuesday.

My best regards

Mike Hilton

e-News comprises:  Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and our drupa Newsroom, all of which can be accessed from the Website Home Page and its Index. We also have News in Review, which provides an overview of the week’s news each weekend.

Headline News
Almost 30,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation pages

Week beginning Mon 20 November – the published date appears in article footline

Monday
British Book Design & Production Awards winners 2017
The BPIF announces the winners of the 2017 British Book Design and Production Awards, held on 16 November in central London…

UPM supporting learning with Save the Children
UPM supports schooling opportunities of young people at risk of social exclusion due to poverty…

Tonejet unveiled Cyclone at InPrint 2017 in Munich
Tonejet Cyclone unites patented technologies to eliminate long lead times and minimum print runs for cans…

Neschen expands portfolio with EcoLam 1650
The perfect introduction to high-end print finishing…

Tuesday
How some commercial printers get hamstrung over new kit
Some commercial printers who invest in new production equipment don’t necessarily get the returns they reasonably expect says Charl Vogel, head of Commercial and Industrial print at Ricoh SA…

At Ricoh’s ‘Art of the New’ event in Telford, UK today…
Latest version Ricoh ProcessDirector v3.6 introduces white paper manufacturing to streamline production…

Taylor Bloxham switches to Koenig and Bauer Rapida
Taylor Bloxham invests in new generation, high performance Rapida 106 from Koenig and Bauer, replacing two machines…

Harlow Printing invests in StitchLiner Mark III
South Shields operation future-proofs business with newest next-generation Horizon StitchLiner from IFS…

Wednesday
3M’s Reflective Wrapping Film now available in UK
Wrap Cube is first UK company to use 3M’s 780mC Reflective Wrapping Film, supplied by Spandex…

Label Academy publishes new industry textbooks
The Label Academy has extended its book series with the publication of two new reference books, ‘Shrink Sleeve Technology’ and ‘Label Markets and Applications’…

Acuity investment sparks year of growth for Art & Servei
Spanish packaging and POS printer looks back on a year of increased productivity and faster customer delivery times…

Storbildsbolaget adds EFI Vutek FabriVU 340
Swedish large-format specialist makes the switch to EFI Vutek FabriVU to meet growing soft signage print volumes…

Thursday
World premiere of Heidelberg Primefire 106 at MPS
Heidelberg celebrates the world premiere of the Primefire 106 with packaging printers from all over Europe at MPS-WestRock in Obersulm near Heilbronn, Germany at the beginning of November…

Scodix E106 press available from December 2017
Scodix starts commercial roll-out of its E106 Digital Enhancement Press at an Open House from 4 – 6 December at Gundlach Packaging Group’s facility in Oerlinghausen, Germany…

Sign & Digital UK to return to the NEC in 2018
Sign & Digital UK announces increase in exhibitor presence for the 2018event, from 24 – 26 April 2018…

Friday   
Third InPrint in Germany ended with positive results
InPrint is now firmly established as the premier exhibition for print applications in industrial production…

The lead article from a week last Friday…

Easymatrix 106 die-cutter #100 to ship in December
The Easymatrix 106 die-cutter allows value-added products to be brought in house at Salzland Druck in Staßfurt…

GraphicRepro.Net e-News  (ISSN 1814-2923) is sponsored and made possible by:

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG  (Heidelberg), The world’s largest printing press manufacturer for the industry worldwide. Visit the Heidelberg Website for more information.

drupa 2020 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry. Visit the drupa 2020 Website. You can also visit blog.drupa.com for the latest industry news and developments.

Online Feature articles 2017
Only 49 articles last year – but you will find another eleven Expert Articles and ten drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber in our drupa Newsroom. There were over 70 in 2015, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page.

ValueDialog 2017

Previous…      #InfluenceB2B Transformation for the Digital Age
#InfluenceB2B programme leads from innovation to transformation! By Andreas Weber, Head of Value…

Online Features Nov/Dec Chapter 08

Previous…      BPIF Printing Outlook for Q4 2017 available now
Pick-up in output and orders despite a fluctuating Q3 – cost pressures and uncertainty shakes confidence for Q4…

Verdigris – Environmental Initiative

Laurel Brunner’s weekly Verdigris Blogs 2017

Recycling Paper Getting Complicated
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Mon 20 Nov

Previous…      New Standard supporting the environmental impact of print
The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Mon 13 Nov

Drupa Newsroom

Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf in 2017 and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into Chapters for your convenience…just scroll down to view each Chapter

News from Messe Düsseldorf 2017

Previous…     Intelligent Printing in Focus
All in Print China to be staged at the new International Expo Center in Shanghai from 24 to 28 October 2018…

The various Chapters in the drupa Newsroom are highlighted below. When you enter, just scroll down to see and access the complete collection::

drupa daily; drupa Exhibitors’ show + post-show News; drupa pre-show Exhibitor news; post-drupa from Messe Düsseldorf; drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber; drupa Expert Articles – and more

The Graphic Repro On-line is supported and sponsored by:
Drupa 2020,   Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, and  Kemtek Imaging Systems

If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.

Our Website urls are:

http://www.graphicrepro.co.za
http://www.graphicrepro.net

GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923)  provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is  compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia.  e-mail graphicrepro.za@gmail.com

Montagsgedanken: #Zeit

November 20, 2017
Digital Transformation, Valuable Advice, Value Transformation
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Wo nehme ich nur die #ZEIT her?

Gedanken von Andreas Weber, Head of Value, Gründer Das Kommunikationsparadies

Das Thema Zeit ist immer mit unserer eigenen Existenz verbunden.

Der allzu „Geschäftige“ wird verlieren, weil er sich als unsterblich empfindet. Ein schlimmer Irrtum.

Nur derjenige, der mit Muße und Umsicht agiert, ist Herr über sein Schicksal und agiert selbstbestimmt.

Muße findet, wer in Ruhe nachdenkt, kundig im Vergangenen ist und dadurch stressfrei seine Zukunft gestalten kann.

ValueCheck: Very well done — World Premiere of Heidelberg Primefire106 at MPS Multi Packaging Solutions in Germany

November 10, 2017
Digital Transformation, Trend Analysis (in brief), Trends @ Graphic Communications, Valuable Advice, Value Innovation, Value Transformation
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By Andreas Weber, Head of Value

You should keep the date 8 November 2017 in mind. Experts from around the globe joined the #Heideldruck #PackagingDays to get deep insights on how the packaging business makes progress to get transformed by innovation bizz concepts and digital print technologies. It’s all about the paradigmeshift from #massmarketing to masscustomization.

My take: It’s not a speculation anymore. It’s meanwhile a solide fact that modern print technologies like Heidelberg presented it take the lead to guide us in a sustainable way on the digital transformation journey. Driven by competency, creativity, relatedness and ‚German Mut’ we have new a solide basis to re-invent what we do. It’s amazing that such huge and fast growing markets like Label & Packaging were able to adopt print innovations in their sophisticated industrial environment on such a high level.

To make a long story short, I will share my real-time report via Twitter, a rich collection of quotes, comments, photos and video interviews produced in an authentic and unplugged manner during the event. It should give you the feeling like to have joined us in Wiesloch at the Heidelberg Print Media Center and at the MPS factory in Obersulm, Germany.

 

Note: For any reason there is probably a technical problem caused by WordPress. Some of the video thumbnails are shown upside down. But the videos should work properly if you click on it.

Prelude

A real world premiere commented by Andreas Weber.

Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer made clear that his company is the market leader in providing packaging print production solutions on a high-class quality & productivity level.

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In medias res

Steffen Schnizer, GM Sales at Multi Packaging Solutions MPS, Obersum/Germany, highlighted the excellent partnership with Heidelberg to make Primefire106 perfectly fitting to the needs of MPS customers demand.

Steffen Schnizel gave a special interview in German language as well. His key point: Packaging printing creates the highest demand regarding quality, color, productivity, reliability. At least Heidelberg could fulfill that now in the field of digital printing as well as in offset printing.

Heidelberg’s SVP Global Head of Digital Print Business Montserrat Peidro explains the relevance of digital print innovations for the market. Masscustomization is already the main topic to cover an increasing demand by brand owners! — (English version first, German version second).

 

NOTE: See as well the ValueDialog with Montserrat Peidro I published earlier this year. It‘s about the specific benefits of Primefire106 and the advantage of industrial digital printing.

 

Focus on technology

Heidelberg’s Board member Stephan Plenz shared great insights to identify the right technological needs and solutions. The secret: It’s not enough to have the right digital print engine … The Heart or better: the brain is Prinect — Heidelberg’s digital frontend system architecture which’s able to manage all kind of digital printing machines plus offset printing machines in once.

 

 

At a glance via Value@Twitter Moments

 

 

Read and share our ValueStorify as well to get access to all relevant Tweets

 

Bildschirmfoto 2017-11-13 um 09.44.45

 

 

 

 

Case study: #xug17orlando became a BLOCKBUSTER on Social Media

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CEO Talk on Innovation, Digital Transformation, Multi-Channel Innovation, Valuable Advice, Value Transformation
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Mark Schaefer (left) and Andreas Weber at #xug17orlando. Photo: Jeroen van Druenen, Amsterdam, NL.

 

By Andreas Weber, Head of Value

 

Amazing success: #xug17orlando wasn‘t just a best-in-class conference on #multichannel #print #transformation. — Via #InfluenceB2B it became a BLOCKBUSTER attracting experts around the globe. — Read as well the summary of all relevant content topics via my Storify multimedia report: ValueCheck at #xug17orlando — Be. More. Human. All you can learn regarding #Transformation #Print #Multichannel #Masscustomization

So far (10/29 to 11/04) we got for a very special topic like ’multichannel‘ a giant reach on Twitter of more than 1.2 Million and on LinkedIn of more than 110k via my own accounts. And even after the conference ended there is still interaction. Seems that my #influenceB2B Programme works properly! It includes a smart mix of real-time messaging and storytelling including a bunch of live videos, photos, comments, re-tweets a.s.o.. Very special: round about a number of 20 ’silly talks‘ — unplugged live video interviews with attendees, speakers, sponsors and organizers. (Special thanks to Christian Kopocz for doing the perfect camera work). All of them were shown on screen directly to the audience during the sessions, a part was shared via Social Media and Vimeo. So it’s not by chance to got those great stats and amazing feedback.

Can‘t wait to see the stats by others who contributed as well like XUG – The XMPie Users Group Inc., XMPie, Christian Kopocz, Jeroen van Druenen and others. Additional effects were created by Mark Schaefer and Mandy Edwards as leading Social Minds giving presentations and sharing our Tweets.

 

Christian Kopocz reported in the meantime interesting figures covering the total reach by Real Time Tracker checking the hashtag #xug17orlando as well. I made it already part of my chart. 

 

#InfluenceB2B success factors at #xug17orlando

  • At least it was all about having a great and seamless conversation driven by competency, trust and for sure a lot of fun!
  • No briefings and storyboards were needed. All activities happened spontaneously.
  • Almost all conference attendees got involved and became part of the game (so not only as usual the hosts, sponsors and speakers).
  • The intense Social Media work helped to get straight to the point and to showcase in real-time what happened and what was really relevant to the audience.
  • Even the main Round-table was on-the-fly re-organized to adopt the #InfuenceB2B Programme rules. Any single participant got the chance to share the individual expertise and opinions to answer the key question: How to make money with XMPie? The result was a rich collection of Hashtags representing a short&sweet practical guide.

 

Some comments of attendees and supporters

Brian Euclide, President TEC Mailing Solutions LLC, Madison, Wisconsin

— NOT OFTEN — do I leave a conference or a user group meeting with a positive attitude or an optimistic outlook. However, recently I attended the #XMPie User group meeting #XUG17Orlando for the first time and I feel personally compelled to highlight not only this group but the people in attendance. From the very first minutes upon arrival until the last minute at the bar before an early morning flight… I had the opportunity to engage with people like Andreas Weber Helene Blanchette Lori Wisz and of course Inbar Keren Yudasin. I have never left a conference wanting to stay another day! I left so inspired and yearning to go back. Thank you to Jeroen van Druenen & Christian Kopocz for having the #CloudMailingGuys! #Xerox #TECMailing

Mark W. Schaefer, Keynote Speaker, Executive Director Schaefer Marketing Solutions

Agree! This was a first-class event. Very impressive group of attendees. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and hope you’ll have me back some day soon!

Inbar Keren Yudasin, Production Systems Analyst at Fuji Xerox Australia, Sydney

I really liked your Live Videos [my Silly Talks] done in a charming and unplugged mode. It‘s so authentic. And quite important for a better understanding how to benefit from other expert minds to gain a better knowledge

 

Sample for a ’Silly Talk’-live video by Andreas Weber with one of the sponsors, PunchOut2Go. They liked it that much that they published it immedately on their own Twitter account. — Plus the charming talk with lovely guests from France! And the most interesting conversation with Adobe. TX to Mike Zahorik!

 

 

https://twitter.com/ckopocz/status/928726685658353666

 

 

 

Contact

Andreas Weber could be reached at anytime via LinkedIn!

About

Andreas Weber is an international very well reputated analyst and as well an educator, speaker, influencer and transformer. Since more than 25 years he deals with all major technology inventors like Apple, Adobe, Canon, Google, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Xerox and many others. He is also in touch with many start-ups and innovative graphic communication service providers around the globe.

Since the very beginning he is a digital communication savvy and online community organizer.

His business activities are dedicated to the ‘Transformation for the Digital Age’ via presentations, management briefings, coachings, workshops, analysis&reports, strategic advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ValueDialog: Wie meistert Canon Europe die Transformation fürs Digitalzeitalter?

September 23, 2017
Digital Transformation, Multi-Channel Innovation, Posts in German Language, Trends @ Graphic Communications, Valuable Advice, Value Innovation
1 Comment

Von Andreas Weber, Head of Value

Canon Europa hat zu einer neuen Organisationsstruktur gefunden, die bestmögliche Kunden- und Marktorientierung ermöglichen soll. Interessenten und Kunden haben es nunmehr mit einem zentralen Ansprechpartner zu tun, der seinerseits die Koordination mit unterschiedlichen Canon-Experten steuert. Das Customer Experience Center von Canon in Poing bei München repräsentiert als echter Hotspot eine Erster-Klasse-Anlaufstelle für Print-Innovationen. — Am 20. September 2017 wurde zu den Production Printing Days 2017 nach Poing eingeladen. Das dargebotene komplette Leistungsspektrum an Hard- und Software trumpfte mit einer Vielzahl an Anwendungslösungen auf, die von Expertenteams erläutert wurden, damit die Besucher sich durch den wahren Dschungel an Neuheiten durchfinden konnten. Ein guter Zeitpunkt für einen ValueDialog, der Canons „Transformation Journey“ verdeutlichen soll. Mark Lawn, Canon Europe, Director of Graphic & Communications Group, stand Rede und Antwort.

Warum unterscheidet Canon zwischen ‚Commercial Printing‘ und ‚Graphic & Communications‘?

Mark Lawn: Diese Differenzierung bezeichnet unseren Weg, eine Art Profil unseres Auditoriums in einem dynamischen Umfeld zu finden. Viele neue Applikationen finden nicht mehr nur in klassischen Marktsegmenten statt. Nehmen Sie als Beispiel eine Firma wie Amazon, die nicht mehr nur mit Büchern handelt, sondern diese auch selbst druckt und damit zum ‚Graphic Communications Provider‘ geworden ist. Hier müssen wir als Technologie- und Lösungs-Lieferant anders agieren können.

Das heißt, Canon stellt sich darauf ein, mit unterschiedlichen Firmentypen zu tun zu haben, die einerseits eine Geschichte in der Herstellung von Drucksachen haben und im Digitaldruck weiterkommen wollen sowie andererseits Quer- oder Neueinsteiger, die mit Hilfe von Print-Innovationen neue Geschäftsmöglichkeiten erschließen?



Inspirierend: Canon zeigte anhand einer eigens kreierten, fiktiven Marke auf, wie per Omnichannel Markenkommunikation funktioniert. Fotos: Canon Europe (oben), Andreas Weber


Mark Lawn: Ganz genau. Es gibt ausserhalb der klassischen Druckbranche, die sich auf industrielle Fertigung von Drucksachen fokussiert, eine Vielzahl dynamischer Anbieter, die ein breites, crossmediales Lösungsangebot entwickeln für eine Vielzahl an Kunden. Unsere Organisationsstruktur muss sicherstellen, hier jeweils einen zentralen Ansprechpartner zu bieten, der Wissen und Ressourcen bündelt, um individuelle Anforderungen präzise zu erfüllen. Im Bereich Graphic & Communications ist es entscheidend, sich in der Wertschöpfungskette nach vorne bewegen zu können, um zu einem möglichst frühen Zeitpunkt Einfluss auf Kommunikationsprojekte nehmen zu können und Print ins Spiel zu bringen. Also nicht nur mit denjenigen zu agieren, die Druckaufträge vergeben. Hier können gerade kleinere Dienstleister ihre hohe Flexibilität unter Beweis stellen. Das wollen wir aktiv unterstützen.

Dynamik bedeutet Veränderung. Womit müssen wir mittelfristig rechnen? Die drupa 2020 steht schon fast vor der Tür…

Mark Lawn: Pragmatisch gesehen, stellt sich die Frage: Womit beschäftigen wir uns heute? Aus meiner Sicht mit der Darstellung des Möglichen mit Hilfe von Print-Innovationen; es muss die Kluft geschlossen werden zwischen dem Stand der Technik und den Anforderung der Marken/Werbungtreibenden mit ihrer ‚digitalen’ Ausrichtung im Marketing. Hier wissen die wenigsten um den Nutzen von Print in einer vernetzten Welt. Die Print-Branche insgesamt muss sich in der Verantwortung sehen, das rasch zu ändern — vor allem auch mit Hilfe von Experten wie Ihnen als Influencer, im Social Media wie auch in Vorträgen.

Auf die Zukunft projiziert, heisst das, es findet ein Wandel statt vom Print Service Provider hin zum Business Solution Provider? Mit dem Focus auf ein neues ‚Ecosystem‘?

Mark Lawn: Da stimme ich voll zu. Das wird zwingend notwendig sein. Dazu müssen wir aber unser Silo-Denken in der Print-Branche aufgeben. Momentan ignorieren wir noch zu oft den Wandel, den ein Nachfrage-getriebenes Supply-Chain-Management provoziert. Neue Marktpotentiale werden so gut wie gar nicht zur Kenntnis genommen. Und: Wir erreichen mit unseren Botschaften noch nicht das richtige Publikum, um durch passende, neue Leistungsversprechen die tatsächlichen Innovations-Möglichkeiten, die sich mit Print, wie wir bei Canon es verstehen, überzeugend darzulegen. Denn nur so können neue Ideen durch konkrete Anwendungen in wertschöpfende Maßnahmen verwandelt werden. Die Branche muss sich zum ‚Problemlöser‘ transformieren, um jede Art von neuer Herausforderung nachhaltig mit zielführende Lösungen zu bedienen.

Vielen Dank für das Gespräch.


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Mark Lawn beim Pressebriefing in Poing. Video: Andreas Weber