EFI Connect 2018 has hosted CEO Guy Gecht's 'fireside chat', which this year featured the first two customers of the Nozomi C18000 inkjet packaging printer: Eric Bacourt of Spanish packaging giant Hinojosa Packaging Solutions, and Mal McGowan of Ireland's McGowans Print.
The duo joined Gecht on stage at the Wynn Las Vegas to discuss the state of European packaging and how the Nozomi has helped their businesses get ahead. "We've found the Nozomi is a very efficient piece of equipment," said Bacourt, who runs one of Spain's biggest manufacturers of corrugated cardboard packaging - the first in the world to install the C18000. "The definition of the images it provides is also really the highest we've been able to find in terms of digital printing on corrugated board. It's state-of-the-art," he said.
"The Nozomi is a game changer," said McGowan, whose company, McGowans Print, is a purely digital house covering all aspects of digital print and is now moving into corrugated board. "It's a complete new era - the biggest change I've seen in digital technology in, I would say, the last 10 years. You can tell a Nozomi print a mile away - it's better, it's got a gloss finish, and it's probably the easiest sale for my salespeople to do. Same price, but a hell of a lot better."
Europe's recent geopolitical upheavals didn't escape notice, with Bacourt expressing his concern about the Catalonian secession crisis and its impact on business, and McGowan crossing his fingers for a 'soft Brexit' that won't cause headaches at the Northern Irish border.
There was also some advice on offer from both printers. Bacourt told the audience that corrugated board manufacturers need to have plants close to their customers, as shipping more than 400 kilometres or so is not cost-effective; McGowan, meanwhile, warned that in small markets such as Ireland, diversification is important - a 'jack-of-all-trades' printer will fare much better in an environment like this than a specialty house.
The EFI Nozomi C18000 is capable of printing 75 linear metres per minute on substrates up to 1.8 metres wide. The secret to its success is its high-quality, single-pass printing, says David Lindsay, PR manager at EFI. "It really moves digital beyond sampling and prototypes into full-fledged production. It's really competitive with medium-run litho," he said.
There haven't been any Australian installations yet, but the interest is there, and it's available worldwide now. "We have interest globallly, including in Australia," said Lindsay.