Cost, competition driving innovation in print

Deidre Szemerei, Head of Print, Kemtek.

---

ITWeb sat down with Deidre Szemerei, Kemtek’s new Head of Print, to talk about forces driving innovation in the sector and the key trends shaping its future.

Szemerei provided an overview of the industry trends that were highlighted at this year’s Drupa, and how these will impact the local print sector.

She highlights that cost and competition are primary drivers of innovation.

According to Szemerei, businesses are increasingly turning to technological innovation as a means to achieve cost savings, amid rising expenses across the board. “Every original equipment manufacturer (OEM) has cost containment high on their wish list,” she notes, “while in printing, there’s enormous pressure to increase productivity and reduce manual intervention in print runs.”

She also points out that competition among OEMs fosters a healthy environment for continuous research and development (R&D). This, in turn, ensures that the print industry keeps evolving to meet customer needs, staying relevant and competitive. “Competition is healthy because it delivers better products and services for customers,” Szemerei said. “Not a year has gone by without some major innovation or push from the OEMs to make a more efficient product.”

Although Szemerei didn’t attend Drupa, she shared insights from her Kemtek colleagues who were present at the event. “Key innovations included advancements in inkjet technologies, particularly in digital printing solutions for labelling and packaging, with solutions showcasing improved quality, greater media compatibility and more complex applications.

“There was also a strong focus on sustainability, with everyone looking for more economically viable solutions. Inkjet plays directly into that, especially with sustainable and environmentally friendly inks and cartridges.”

Another trend highlighted at Drupa was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance print processes, reduce the need for manual intervention, increase automation and cut waste. “It also has applications in planning proactive maintenance, error avoidance and optimising print runs.”

Looking ahead, she predicts that AI is going to be at the forefront of innovation in the printing industry. AI has the potential to predict downtime, anticipate when user intervention will be required during a print run and even enable jobs with minimal manual intervention to be run overnight.

“AI can be used to track client trends and customer requirements, allowing providers to tailor packaging and delivery to each customer’s specifications,” she explains.

Increasing print run automation is also going to be an ongoing trend. “The ability to do runs without human intervention, including remote monitoring and workflow management, will free up people to do more creative tasks.”

Emerging technologies like augmented reality are set to enhance the customer experience by incorporating interactive elements like QR codes and NFC tags into packaging.

All of these innovations are directed at meeting demand for greater efficiency and productivity, increased uptime, cost savings and sustainability, while opening up new markets to customers.

“The landscape of print is going to change. There’s a lot of pressure on OEMs and I think we’re going to see mergers and a thinning out of the market, and potentially even see OEMs diversify into different revenue streams. They can’t afford to lose focus on R&D, or else they run the risk of becoming irrelevant. It’s very possible that we’ll see some different players emerge in the next five years.”

Szemerei also touched on Kemtek’s recent restructuring of its print division into two segments: industrial and digital print. “Historically, the business has addressed industrial print and large-format print. A decision was made to introduce something in between these two solutions and then split the business into industrial and digital print. While the two divisions don’t necessarily overlap, they are set up to collaborate, particularly in problem-solving for clients.”

The restructuring aims to tap into new markets and opportunities, allowing Kemtek to better serve its OEM partners and align their products with market needs. Both divisions have dedicated sales and service teams, and collaboration will be essential to overcoming challenges and providing superior service to customers.

By streamlining its operations into distinct but synergistic divisions, Kemtek hopes to explore new verticals and leverage untapped markets, ultimately driving further growth and innovation in the print sector.