Mr Giuliano Bianchet, VP, Regional Sales, EAMER, Kodak
Kodak will be attending Gulf Print and Pack 2022. They didnt’attend Dubai Expo 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Giuliano Bianchet, VP, Regional Sales, EAMER, Kodak, says “Kodak is continuously working on investments in industry-leading technology for the print industry. The world premiere of a new solution will be announced at a customer innovation event in June 2022 along with the launch of the recently announced KODAK ASCEND Digital Press and the KODAK ULTRA 520 Press, announced in 2020.”
Installation of the world’s largest CTP system at WKS Group, Germany
“WKS Group was looking to replace three outdated UV CTP machines for exposure of traditional UV-sensitive offset plates with one fully automated, high-performance thermal CTP system that loads the XLF plates directly from the pallets on which they are delivered. The customer also wanted to drastically reduce staffing requirements in their plate making department and significantly increase the plate throughput capacity at their web offset printing plant.
The KODAK MAGNUS Q4800 Platesetter offers market-leading speed and productivity for extra-large format (XLF) plates and is capable of imaging plate sizes up to 1600 x 2900 mm for 96-page web offset presses. The MAGNUS Q4800 configuration installed at WKS Group provides fully automatic XLF plate loading from four pallets with up to 4,800 plates online, which enables over 10,000 m2 of plates to run before reloading. Equipped with an XPL Pallet Loading System with four pallet stations for four different plate formats, the overall configuration is almost 19 meters (62 feet) long and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide.”
KODACOLOR Film-to-Fabric (also known as DTF or Direct-to-Film) Ink System
“For fabric printers wanting high-quality fabric prints without the expense of a full-fledged Direct-to-Garment (DTG) fabric printing system or wanting to offer additional print projects on fabrics other than cotton to their customers, Kodak’s FTF ink system is a perfect solution.
Film-to-Fabric ink systems can be used with most modified inkjet printers and involves three simple components: powder, film, and ink. The benefits of DTF, like Kodak’s FTF (Film-to-Fabric) system, include the ability to print on a wide variety of fabrics, such as natural fabrics, polyester, nylon, rayon, blends, and cotton; less investment in hardware for startup; and more flexibility to accept customer printing projects. Kodak’s easy-to-use film-to-fabric ink system includes KODACOLOR powder, KODACOLOR film, and ink specially designed for use in a film-to-fabric application. Customers with existing Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printers have the option to use KODACOLOR DTG inks with KODACOLOR film and powder to add Kodak’s FTF to their offerings.”
Combining hardware offerings with software solutions
“Kodak works closely with its partners to ensure we provide each customer with the right Kodak solution to help them become more profitable and sustainable. Kodak offers a wide range of products to bridge the gap between offset and digital. Whether a company is looking to get started with a hybrid solution or wants to make the full transition to digital production in one step, Kodak has a solution that will fit each business’s needs.
The key to maximizing the value of hardware and production equipment lies in their efficient integration into a comprehensive, intelligent workflow software solution. KODAK PRINERGY on Demand Workflow is the industry’s leading cloud-based prepress automation software which enables printers to increase productivity, cut turnaround times and reduce costs while keeping their IT infrastructure secure. PRINERGY Workflow is an ideal solution for printing companies of any size. It offers smart automation, support for offset, flexo, digital and gravure printing, compatibility with virtually all third-party software and equipment, and connectivity with the broadest range of digital presses.
Even more comprehensive options are offered by KODAK PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions, a smart and secure end-to-end software platform for a printer’s entire organization. Kodak has partnered with the print industry’s best business software providers for ERP and MIS collaboration and e-commerce solutions. This first of its kind software solution is hosted on Microsoft’s highly secure Azure cloud platform and solely managed by Kodak.”
Impact of COVID pandemic
“Our business was of course impacted by the direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic. Despite these challenging conditions, Kodak continued to execute against our long-term strategy: strengthen our financial position, put our customers first and deliver solutions that help printers all over the world drive growth and profitability.
Delivering on our commitment to Print that Pays, Kodak launched a number of new print solutions, including the groundbreaking KODAK ASCEND Digital Press for retail/POP and packaging applications, and the revolutionary KODAK PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions.”
Impact of Russia-Ukraine war
The war is affecting all aspects of the print and packaging industry, from supply chain issues through to scarcity of much needed commodities which has put upward pressure on prices.
How can Artificial Intelligence and other latest technologies help the printing industry grow?
“In today’s printing environment, turnaround times are getting faster, margins are getting thinner, and customization is growing in popularity. Artificial Intelligence helps address these trends by using data to help streamline the workflow, maximize cost-efficiency and allow printers to push the boundaries of customization with digital print. With AI, a print service provider can use data about its business and how it operates to make better decisions – revealing and capitalizing on opportunities to cut costs, streamline processes, and reduce waste.
The most significant application for AI in print is workflow software. Kodak’s PRINERGY Workflow Software was originally built on an Oracle database which gathers data constantly from jobs being prepared for production. The concept of an AI-powered workflow was expanded with Kodak’s cloud-based On Demand Platform which can tell printers how much ink they’re using, how many jobs they’re processing, which types of jobs are the most profitable, and more – using dynamic optimization strategies and shared insights.
In all of this, we are just in the early stages of what AI will enable us to achieve in terms of process improvements and efficiency gains in the future.”
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