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Tag Archives: success

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Monday, May 25th, 2020 means a milestone in knowledge transfer in print. And it was a good start to an exciting week. The first day ‘Learn With Us’ went very well. Morten B. Reitoft, CEO/editor of INKISH did a great job!

Close to 500 people attended the four sessions with Mark Hinder, Henrik Klem Lassen, Andreas Weber, and Kit Tomshøj, Kasper Tomshoej and Michael Bradley.

You can see the sessions here, if you missed them:

 



SIGN UP NOW — it’s FREE or SEE LIVE on YouTube and INKISH.TV

In progress: sessions by INKISH D-A-CH in german language.


 

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Learn With Us – The program at a glance


Monday May 25th: Price calculations, Sales prices, Social Media, and Strategy.
https://lnkd.in/drjbp3U (already done, see the archive links above)

Tuesday May 26th Market, Environment, Carbon Footprint, IoT
https://lnkd.in/d3-ci6n

Wednesday May 27th: Automation, Smart Templates, Web-to-Print, Colors
https://lnkd.in/dkBpmyq

Thursday May 28th: Sales, Digital Finishing x 2, and Web-to-Print
https://lnkd.in/dXNJwqB

Friday May 29th: Inkjet, Workflow & Production Automation, Outsourcing
https://lnkd.in/dSRtmgd


 

Learn with is us supported by:

HP Graphic Arts · PrintVis · Grakom · Canon EMEA · TECNAU · Hunkeler AG · Intergraf · Horizon International Inc. · Ricoh Europe · CHILI publish · Highcon · Vpress · Enfocus · Spot-Nordic ·  Print24 and Infigo Software Limited

 


 

Have a closer look: Print & Social Media

 

 


 

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Von Andreas Weber, Head of Value | English version via INKISH.News

 


Selbst mehr als eine Dekade nach dem Aufkommen von Social Media und den damit verbundenen dramatischen Veränderungen in der Kommunikation tut sich insbesondere die Print-Branche schwer mit der neuen, digitalen Art, Geschäftskommunikation per Social Media zu betreiben, um das Go-to-Market zeitgemäß und nachhaltig erfolgreich zu gestalten.

 


 

Für die #drupa2020 als globale Leitmesse einer Branche, die global pro Jahr rund 1.000 Milliarden Euro umsetzt, wird es wichtiger denn je, vor, während und nach der Messe wirkungsvoll zu kommunizieren und zu interagieren. Das gilt für alle: Messeveranstalter, Aussteller, Besucher und vor allem für Fachmedien.

Keine Frage: Es ist zwingend, einen eigenen Weg zu finden, um Kunden und Interessenten medial direkt anzusprechen. Und es gibt auch sinnvolle Möglichkeiten. Nur: Es werden teils wirre Thesen vertreten und kolportiert.

Viele folgen dem Prinzip ‚Gewollt, aber nicht gekonnt‘. Gerade auch Print-Fachmedien, die ihre Print-Titel mit Websites ergänzt haben, seit Jahren an Lesern, Reichweite und damit Bedeutung verlieren, und sich daher mit dem gewohnten Redaktionskonzept hilfesuchend auf Social Media stürzen, um auch dort die gleichen Inhalte zu publizieren.

Ähnlich tun es viele Unternehmen, die ihre Pressemitteilungen unverändert an Fachmedien senden, auf ihren Websites selbst publizieren und auf Plattformen wie Twitter, Facebook, XING oder LinkedIn teasern. Dass dies nicht wirken kann, ist evident: die meisten schaffen keinen nennenswerten Response, ihre Botschaften verpuffen.

Richtig oder Falsch? — Einige Tipps

Falsch: Social Media bietet viele Kanäle.

Richtig: Social Media ist ein Überbegriff für zahlreiche spezifische, auf Interaktion ausgerichtete Plattformen der digitalen Kommunikation. Plattformen für Bilder (z.B. Instagram), für Videos (z.B. YouTube oder auch Facebook), für Kurznachrichten (allen voran Twitter), fürs Geschichten erzählen (Blogs via WordPress, Medium u.a.), für Spaß und Unterhaltung (TikTok), für Podcasts (v.a. iTunes)  für persönliches Netzwerken (z. B. WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat) und für B2B-Kommunikation (v.a. LinkedIn). Und last but not least: für kollaboratives Publizieren von Fachinhalten (z.B. für Print durch INKISH.TV und INKISH.News).

Falsch: Social Media lebt von vielen kurzen Meldungen, die gepusht werden, um möglichst viel Reichweite aufzubauen.

Richtig: Jede Art von Inhalt kann individuell, höchst spezifisch und multimedial genutzt werden, um Interaktionen zu erzeugen und Dialoge herzustellen. Fast wie bei einem persönlichen Gespräch.

Falsch: Social Media führt zur Informationsüberflutung.

Richtig: Wer per Social Media lernt, die richtigen Plattformen für seine Absichten auszuwählen, seine „Botschaften“ spezifisch gestaltet, inkl. dem Feedback-Management und der passenden Verschlagwortung, und sich bestens vernetzt, wird nicht Opfer von (sinnloser) Information, sondern deren Gestalter. Nebeneffekt: Kosten entstehen dabei kaum. Und sich kurz zu fassen, auf den Punkt zu kommen, um für sich und seine Inhalte Sympathie zu schaffen, ist ein riesiges Plus!

Falsch: Social Media ist oberflächlich und kurzlebig — Inhalte erleiden das Schicksal von Eintagsfliegen.

Richtig: Die wichtigsten Inhalte, ob beruflich oder privat, finden sich heute und morgen auf Social Media-Plattformen, sind messbar, werden grossteils von Google dauerhaft indiziert und sind stets auffindbar. Zudem ist die Interaktionsbereitschaft der Nutzer maximal hoch, da die Plattformen einfach zu bedienen sind, man sich nicht mit Anwendungstechniken, Updates etc. beschäftigen muss, sondern voll und ganz auf Inhalte fokussieren kann.

Lichtblick

Social Media hat sich bei Innovatoren und Start-ups im Print bereits erfolgreich etabliert. Smarte Anbieter von Fotobuch-Applikationen sowie Spezialanwendungen bei Textil- oder Tapetendruck, Mass Customization, Postkarten, Postern etc. begründen ihr Geschäftsmodell auf Social-Media-Plattformen. Die meisten tun dies für mobile Kommunikation via Smartphone und Tablet.

Zudem lassen sich Social Media-Inhalte und -Aktivitäten in Multichannel-Szenarien einbinden, was allerdings bei Druckereien wie auch bei ihren Lieferanten kaum richtig bewertet bzw. eingesetzt wird. Wie sonst könnte man darauf kommen, Social Media als Erweiterung von überkommenem Direktmarketing und damit als neuen Push-Kanal zur Informationsvervielfältigung dessen zu nutzen?

Fazit

Das Wesentliche ist aus meiner Sicht, auf Dialoge/Konversationen und Interaktionen zu setzen, sowie die Befindlichkeit der Einzelnen auf den unterschiedlichen Plattformen zu evaluieren und darauf einzugehen, was problemlos funktioniert, da Social Media erlaubt, Marktforschung in Echtzeit zu betreiben.

Damit könnte der neuen Maßgabe gedient werden, die das Digitalzeitalter zwingend macht: Nicht was ich kundtun will, ist relevant, sondern das, was ich lernen kann durchs Zuhören, Diskutieren, Durchdenken, Bewerten usw., um daraus kundenorientierte, maßgeschneiderte Angebote zu gestalten.

Ratschläge

  • Position überdenken — Perspektive wechseln!
  • Fundamental-Irrtümer unterlassen.
  • Sich persönlich durch aktive Social-Media-Arbeit kundig machen, um einen klaren Fokus zu finden.
  • Das Wesen moderner Kommunikation im Digitalzeitalter verinnerlichen: „Interaktion durch Konversation“ in den Mittelpunkt stellen und stringent verfolgen, um sich smart ins Gespräch zu bringen und als attraktiver Partner für Innovation und Transformation zu profilieren.
  • Nicht mehr den falschen Propheten folgen, sondern lieber eigene Wissensnetzwerke aufbauen.
  • Angesichts der Tatsache, dass sich im Zuge der Transformation der Print-Branche die bereits enorm große Komplexität noch steigert, z. B. durch Themen wie Künstliche Intelligenz, IoT, Subskritions-Modelle, Blockchain etc., sind kontinuierliche Konversationen in Netzwerken und auf Plattformen zwingend.

Wer das tut, wird schnell angenehm überrascht sein und wandelt sich im besten Fall zum exzellent vernetzten Wissensarbeiter!

Addendum

Ich selbst nutze Social Media von der ersten Stunde an. Und habe einen systematischen Ansatz entwickelt, die für mich relevanten Plattformen zu identifizieren und erfolgreich zu nutzen. Mit meinen Blogs erreiche ich über 150k Profis aus fast 160 Ländern, bin per LinkedIn mit fast 23k Entscheidern direkt im Kontakt, ergänzt durch zusammengefasst rund 10k weitere per LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, XING. Zahlose spannende Kontakte und Projekte konnten so generiert werden. 

Gerne gebe ich Interessierten weitere Tipps und Hilfestellung.

 


 

Hinweis

Für Innovationsinteressierte empehle ich die Lektüre von #hotspotsubscription, meinem neuen Fach-Blog zu digitaler Transformation durch neue Geschäftsmodelle via #subscription. Der Blog kann kostenfrei subskribiert werden!

 

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ThinkPaper Technocracy.001

By Andreas Weber, Head of Value, initiator of #Think!Paper | German Version

#Think!Paper Edition 1, Volume 8

If we are to overcome the paradox that has plagued the print media industry worldwide since the ’90s – having the best technologies but being confounded by frustration, stagnation and dwindling sales and suffering bankruptcies, misfortune and glitches – we need to stop believing that technology is the panacea.

Why?

“Buy my new technology and everything will be fine” – sounds great, but really it’s terrible advice. Think back to the brightest and best in the history of printing – such as the inventor Alois Senefelder, the typesetting technician Ottmar Mergenthaler, the grandfather of type and calligraphy Prof. Hermann Zapf (who is said to have inspired Steve Jobs), not to mention John Warnock and Charles Geschke who invented PostScript and founded Adobe. Three things stand out:

  1. Technology is ‘only’ ever a means to an end, serving to realize the higher ideal of enhancing our ability to communicate with one another.
  2. Technological innovation is important if we are to drive progress. However, changes for the better can only be achieved if new technological opportunities are utilized in an appropriate and creative way.
  3. Whether new ‘printing technology’ can evolve into beneficial and effective ‘printing art’ depends primarily on adopting a creative approach to shaping media-based communication and business scenarios.

Anyone who fails to take this on board as the ticket to escaping the dictatorship of technocracy is sure to fall into a nasty trap. They will be doing themselves more harm than good by pursuing completely nonsensical ideas. After all, messages like “the best of both worlds – digital printing is as good as offset” or “our new inkjet printer gives you a new business model at the same time” are no use to anybody – neither the customers ordering print products, nor the companies that produce them.

My message

“Let’s put an end to technocracy. Let’s go back to treating print with the respect it deserves, as the most beneficial form of communication in human history!” – Indeed, the end of technocracy heralds the start of success!

My call and the basic premise of #Think!Paper — The Beauty of Print&Transformation: We have to start using technoLOGY technoLOGICALLY again.

 

ValueCheck Trends ThinkPaper 001

 

More about the #Think!Paper project can be found in the ValueBlog.

 


 

Value Publishing HD BPK 2017 Mike Hilton 12062017.001

A milestone in the history of #Heideldruck: the new vision, mission and strategy presented by Rainer Hundsdörfer and Dirk Kaliebe at the Annual Press Conference heckle in Frankfurt am Main/Germany on 8 June 2017. Photo: Andreas Weber.

 

Graphic Repro On-line News to Friday 09 June 2017

Welcome to this week’s roundup of another 23 news items for you, plus Laurel Brunner’s latest Verdigris Blog which looks at ‘Waste and guilt’, providing food for thought. In Online Features, we have a rather special article on 200 Years Koenig & Bauer, which has travelled an innovation-lined road from the very first cylinder press to today’s digital print and more, and is now set to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in Würzburg in August.

Heidelberg dominated the lead headlines on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; then on Wednesday, we had Komori from Gareth Ward, featuring pharmaceutical carton printer and packager, Chester Medical Solutions, which has capped an investment programme with the UK’s first of Komori’s new B2 presses for carton work; then on Friday, KBA’s 200th Anniversary.

 


”The new strategy ’Heidelberg goes digital’ clearly convinced at the press conference — which at the same time caused a jump in the course of one year. Despite the complexity, the Heideldruck CEO Hundsdörfer and the Chief Financial Officer Kaliebe were able to present their views and arguments in a convincing and comprehensible manner. The Heidelberg Digital Business and Services (HDB) Board of Management is playing a key role, as new business models philosophies are being created for Heideldruck as well as for customers and partners. —Andreas Weber, Head of Value. Source: ValueCheck on Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG


 

Of particular importance this week is Heidelberg’s new growth strategy until 2022, presented at its Annual Press Conference held on Wednesday, along with the release of its Annual Report for 2016/2017, plus two acquisitions announcements. The first of which actually led Tuesday’s headlines with the takeover of technical documentation software provider DOCUFY, and set to strengthen Heidelberg’s Digital Platforms division; with the second on Thursday, as Heidelberg confirms it has taken over Fujifilm‘s coatings and pressroom chemicals operations in the EMEA region, situated in Kruibeke in Belgium, and Reutlingen in Germany.

Key sales and installations this week came from Heidelberg UK at 4-Print with a Versafire CP digital press and Suprasetter CTP system, Durst at Image Data in the UK with superwide-format for fabrics (also from Gareth Ward); and Xerox at Inkfish in Cape Town on Monday; Inca Digital in Scandinavia on Tuesday; Komori in the UK on Wednesday (mentioned above); and Ryobi in the UK at Northend Creative on Thursday; then Hybrid Software in Italy, IFS in the UK with Horizon, and Manroland Web at Quad/Graphics in North America on Friday.

You’ll also find software upgrades and new kit this week from Agfa and Xaar on Monday; new cobalt-free Inks from Huber on Tuesday; and productivity boosts for Highcon Euclid on Friday.

The tailender this week goes to Ricoh on Wednesday as the Ghent Workgroup announces that Ricoh has successfully achieved GWG PDF Preflight Certification.

That’s all until next time. You find more not mentioned below if you scroll down carefully, particularly for Labelexpo Europe taking place in Brussels from 25 – 28 September.

With best regards, 

Mike Hilton

 



 

e-News comprises:  Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and Wild Format Technology Guides from Digital Dots, 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 a weekly overview and listing of all news added to the site in the prior week. 

 

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Headline News

Almost 29,000 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 news page

Week beginning Mon 05 Jun – published date also appears in article footline

Monday

4-Print adds Versafire CP digital press from Heidelberg

4-Print in West Molesey, UK invests in digital and Suprasetter A75 CTP to meet new customer demand…

Image Data adds Durst to meet demand for fabrics

Yorkshire print group expands fabric print capability as retailers swing to backlit screens and stretch fabrics. By Gareth Ward…

Inkfish improves production quality with Xerox in Cape

Cape Town Digital print and signage company improves digital print and production with new Xerox Versant 80…

Agfa Graphics unveils new upgrades to Arziro

Agfa has released new versions of two elements within its Arziro ecosystem for the general security printing market…

Xaar strengthens aqueous portfolio with new 5501 heads

Xaar announces new addition to aqueous printheads portfolio…

Tuesday

Heidelberg expanding its Industry 4.0 offering

Takeover of technical documentation software provider DOCUFY strengthens Heidelberg’s Digital Platforms division…

Strong industry support for quality print apprenticeships

Trailblazer Consortium continues to press for an appropriate approach to the new Print Apprenticeship Standards…

Cobalt-free inks enable eco-label certification

Hubergroup sets all sheetfed offset printing inks to cobalt-free formulations to strengthen sustainability…

Spandex launches 3M Materials Product Guide

New 3M Materials Product Guide from Spandex aims to help customers deliver high value applications…

Billes Tryckeri AB lauds its Inca Onset X2

Scandinavia’s first Onset X delivers productivity gains of 30 per cent in wide-format production in just five months…

Wednesday

Chester Medical leads with carton-specified GL29 Komori

Pharmaceutical carton printer and packager Chester Medical Solutions has capped an investment programme with the UK’s first of Komori’s new B2 presses for carton work. By Gareth Ward…

Enhance your Competitive Edge at Dscoop with Scodix

Live demos of Scodix Ultra Pro Digital Enhancement Press with Foil Station at Dscoop EMEA 6 in Lyon this week…

Ricoh achieves GWG PDF Preflight Certification

The Ghent Workgroup has announced that Ricoh has successfully achieved GWG PDF preflight certification…

Thursday

Heidelberg presents its new growth strategy to 2022

Heidelberg’s growth strategy reveals significant improvement in sales and result targeted in period to 2022 at annual conference…

Heidelberg expands consumables with Fujifilm acquisition

Heidelberg takes over Fujifilm’s coatings and pressroom chemicals operations in the EMEA region…

Labelexpo Europe 2017 announces new expo feature

Labelexpo Europe heralds fourth industrial revolution with bold feature area at Brussels Expo from 25 – 28 September…

Meech at Labelexpo Europe 2017 in Brussels

Meech to display static control and web cleaning solutions at Labelexpo Europe 2017 taking place in Brussels in September…

Northend Creative in Sheffield adds Ryobi LED-UV

Northend Creative Print Solutions has become the latest to invest in RMGT’s Ryobi LED-UV, plus Cron platesetter…

Friday

200 years of Koenig & Bauer in Würzburg

Innovation-lined road from the first cylinder press to digital print, as KBA in Würzburg celebrates its 200th Anniversary…

Highcon Euclid speed boost announced at Dscoop EMEA

Dscoop EMEA conference in Lyon chosen to launch productivity boosts for Highcon Euclid B1 and B2 machines…

Hybrid celebrates sale of 100th PACKZ in Italy

Hybrid Software has announced the 100th sale in Italy of its professional editing software PACKZ…

UK Bookbinders enters digital chapter with Horizon

IFS-supplied BQ-470 PUR perfect binder and HT-30 three-side trimmer chosen to support new business division…

Quad/Graphics adds 64-page Lithoman in Versailles

Leading North American printer selects Lithoman press from Manroland Web Systems for its Kentucky facility…

The lead articles from a week last Friday… 

‘Pledge for Print’ BPIF appeal for Government backing

In a bid to boost the Government’s support for the printing industry, the BPIF is asking all parliamentary election candidates…

Print on the Brain – Sign up for a free copy now

Latest issue of Print Power magazine ‘ALL IN THE MIND’ looks at the remarkable neurological benefits of reading in print…

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 2014 – 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 last year, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page.

Value Dialogue – exclusive Interview series

Most recent…    An important role in the breakthrough of industrial digital printing!

‘We keep our promises: sustainable industrial production with premium quality digital printing.’ – Montserrat Peidro-Insa, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. Interview by Andreas Weber…

Online Features May/Jun Chapter 05

200 years Koenig & Bauer

Innovation-lined road from the first cylinder press to digital print, as KBA in Würzburg to celebrate its 200th Anniversary in August…

Previous…    K+D´s Swiss passion for precision leads to Equinox

For the benefit of the pharma customer, K+D´s passion and Esko´s Equinox ensure a perfect colour match…

Schumacher Packaging turns to Durst single-pass technology

Durst is now field-testing its flagship system, the Delta SPC 130, as Schumacher Packaging becomes its field test partner…

Verdigris – Environmental Initiative

Laurel Brunner’s weekly Verdigris Blogs 2017

Waste and guilt

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Wed 07 Jun

Previous…    Printing Plates Progress

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Fri 19 May

Fespa & Green

The weekly Verdigris blog by Laurel Brunner – Wed 17 May

Technology Guides – from Digital Dots

Technology Guides for Wild Format 2016 – 2017

This is the brand new series for 2016 – 2017. All have illustrated PDFs to download.

No 26   How Does Direct to Garment (DtG) Printing Work?

Direct-to-garment printing, or DtG, is one of the buzzwords we are starting to hear more and more often in wide format circles… By Sophie Matthews-Paul

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… but you must scroll down to view each Chapter and its content when you visit the Newsroom

News from Messe Düsseldorf 2017

Previous…    drupa Prize 2017 awarded to Anne Sokoll

Scholar of German convinces with her Doctoral Thesis on the Writers’ Movement in the GDR…

drupa 2020 invites exhibitors from all over the world

Kick-off for no. 1 printing technologies event / Highlight topics showcase the industry’s innovative force / New key visual ’embrace the future’…

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 Website is supported and sponsored by: 

Canon SA,   Drupa 2020,  Esko,&n bsp;  Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG,  Kemtek Imaging SystemsLeonhard Kurz Stiftung,  Ricoh Europe, and Sappi Limited 

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

CEO Talk on Innovation Oliver zünd.002

@ 2015 by Value Communication AG, Mainz/Germany. Composing: Andreas Weber. Photo Oliver Zünd: Zünd Systemtechnik AG.

It’s a truly impressive success story. Zünd Systemtechnik AG, a family-owned business with operations worldwide, specializes in developing and manufacturing digital cutting systems. The Zünd name represents Swiss Quality and is synonymous with precision, performance, and reliability.

The company description states: “Since 1984 Zünd has been developing, manufacturing, and marketing modular cutting systems and is globally recognized as market leader. The Zünd customer base consists of manufacturers and suppliers in many different industries, including graphics, packaging, garment and leather, as well as technical textile and composites. Zünd maintains headquarters in Altstätten, Switzerland, where the company’s R&D, marketing, and production facilities are located. Besides Zünd’s own sales and service organizations in Hong Kong (China), India, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, Zünd relies on a worldwide network of long-standing, independent distribution & service partners.”

In a recent Value CEO Interview, Andreas Weber asked Oliver Zünd to explain some of the reasons for his company’s success.


Why has the history of Zünd Systemtechnik AG become such a success story?

Oliver Zünd: What really distinguishes us — our true forte — is “thinking forward”, that is, focusing on long-term strategies rather than short-term, quarterly goals. This gives us a great deal more flexibility and is something we, as a family business established in 1984, are in a position to do. Of great importance to us are the close relationships we have established with our customers and our many regional ties. 80 percent of all Zünd machine components originate within a 30-kilometer radius of our factory. We are also very focused. We know exactly what our strengths are and have specialized in developing a solid, modular cutting platform that serves vertical and highly specialized markets. The advantages are twofold: 1. Better risk management on our part. 2. Customers benefit in their ability to upgrade and expand their systems as needed.

What are your sources of inspiration for further company expansion and product development?

Oliver Zünd: We rely on a very well-educated workforce and have an R&D staff of more than 40 employees. For a company of our size, this represents an unusually high ratio. Our strategy is to stay in close contact to our markets so we can react as nimbly as possible to any changes. This means that our business has to involve direct customer contact wherever possible, which is why we serve the D-A-CH (Germany-Austria-Switzerland) region directly from our headquarters in Altstätten, Switzerland. This allows us to remain very close to end-users. Our steady involvement in numerous industry tradeshows also helps us stay on top of different markets and developing trends.

Can you cite an example?

Oliver Zünd: A good example is Fespa , which took place in May 2015 in Cologne, Germany. We were able to present to an international audience a variety of brand-new automation solutions. We introduced a state-of-the-art picking robot, which will be available in Q4. In addition, we showed the new Automatic Router Bit Changer – ARC. This feature automatically selects the correct router bit based on the material at hand, which significantly decreases setup time and reduces the potential for operator error. Our main focus at these tradeshows is the direct contact and dialog with our end-users.

How do you gauge the relevance of your products and solutions, particularly in terms of innovation and customer/market value?

Oliver Zünd: When it comes to new product developments, we try to work wherever possible with beta customers in close proximity. This is how we test features, such as the picking robot, and optimize them as necessary for real-life production environments. For customers at greater distances – by now more than 6,000 in 113 countries — we make sure they have continuous support throughout the product life-cycle. We continually gather and evaluate customer feedback, so that in principal, we are able to capture and implement relevant suggestions in max. 12 months.

What is your take on the general state of printing in the digital age, as it pertains to your customers?

Oliver Zünd: In our view, digital printing continues to have a great deal of potential; however, competition among production houses will no doubt continue to rise as printing volumes get redistributed. Because of the continued trend towards digital, the structure of print jobs changes, especially in terms of volume per job, which is steadily decreasing as orders become more customized. This benefits us as well as our customers, of course, since it fuels the need for digital cutting, particularly in conjunction with increased print customization. From our standpoint, the best PSPs know how to find new customers for digital printing and can thereby establish new markets, especially through the use of new materials. They manage to distinguish themselves from the crowd through new applications and the use of our high-performance cutting systems.

What would you be doing if you weren’t involved in digital cutting?

Oliver Zünd: Something completely different, most likely related to some kind of sport that would take me around the world. I’m very happy with the way things are though, since no sport allows you to grow old.

This interview was conducted by Andreas Weber via Skype on June 10, 2015. Our gratitude to Daniel Bischof, Zünd Systemtechnik AG, for his assistance.

 

GERMAN TEXT VERSION

SOME IMPRESSIONS VIA FESPA 2015

Our interviewee:

Oliver Zünd (39) became head of sales and marketing at his father’s company after completing his studies in economics at the Hochschule Chur. In 2004 he transferred to the United States where he oversaw the establishment and initial development of Zünd America in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2006 Oliver Zünd returned to Zünd Systemtechnik AG management in Altstätten, Switzerland, and became COO in 2011. He is currently pursuing an Executive MBA in business engineering at the University of St. Gallen.

Please click for further Informationen

Zünd at Discovery Channel:
https://youtu.be/jhopvuv5nm8?list=PLlisgYauQkmnqbBQsZwE1ynm52JkYjBjr

Zünd Corporate movie:
https://youtu.be/Y4x70tZbfHM

Zünd Homepage:
http://www.zund.com/de/

Zünd on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ZundCutter

Zünd Screenshot WeTransfer

Photo: Zünd Systemtechnik AG

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