(continued from page 1) GRAPH EXPO 16: Pioneering Pathways to Industrial Print they will fi rst reach out to the printers that they know for ‘print services.’ Therefore, it would serve printers well to get acquainted with the myriad of possibilities within industrial printing. I have found that any printer who focuses on a unique service and/or niche, ends up a lot more successful than the average printer offering the same average products.” It’s not just about printing on different surfaces though, notes Lama Eldahdah, Marketing Manager, PIM (Booth 2561). “We defi ne ‘industrial printing’ as not just the ability to print on any surface, but to also display on any surface any content one may have regardless of the quantity. ” For Tom Wittenberg, Sign & Display Marketing Manager, The Americas, HP (Booth 1825), it goes beyond the applications as well. “Based on my assessment of the industry today, I defi ne industrial printing as producing above a given volume, say 5000 sq. ft./hr., operating at least two shifts per day, 5-7 days per week, printing on equipment that is solid and durable for the hours it will need to run, and costing somewhere above $300,000.” Tracking the trends There are a few distinct trends that are pushing industrial print forward. One of the biggest is the explosion of improved technologies that have been coming to market in recent months. Wysong notes that improvements in inks, specifi cally, have been a major factor in the sudden (continued from page 1) growth of this segment. “Latex inks have been experiencing a meteoric rise in the last few years. The color quality is there now, so latex’s other advantages, such as fast cure times, and extremely low VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions, are really starting to shine. But most important to the industrial print space is latex’s fl exibility in terms of the substrates it can print to without jeopardizing consistency of quality. Uncoated materials and textiles, for example, have often been challenges for solvent inks, but latex prints to those surfaces quite smoothly.” Equipment itself has begun to see huge gains in what it is capable of producing. “The biggest trend in industrial print today is the demand for technology advancements that increase speed, quality and productivity, and reduce costs,” says Wittenberg. “As new equipment models are debuted, one will be able to identify at least one of these key selling points.” So where can show visitors fi nd these innovations on the GRAPH EXPO show fl oor? The House That Print Built pavilion (Booth 2566) will have a wide range of examples of industrial printing. PIM (Booth 2561) is one of those companies that will be participating, and Eldahdah notes, “We are part of this pavilion because we think it’s a smart concept with potential to grow. It will take PSPs time to further explore for themselves this new concept demonstrated here at GRAPH EXPO, and consider it seriously for themselves, but everything has to start somewhere.” On that note, scores of other exciting new innovations can also be found in suppliers’ booths across the show fl oor. For Racad, the innovations on display will be on the software side. “We have a handful of customers that have pushed us to develop 3D applications to display their packaging and the 3D printing products, which we are now offering,” says James. “Certainly companies wishing to add a web component to their industrial print capabilities should connect with us. XMPie (Booth 1625) will probably have similar capabilities as well, and I hear Chili Publish (Booth 2266) has embarked on this path as well.” Ricoh will be showing off its innovations on the ink side, notes Wysong. “The fast curing times of latex inks – for which latex is perhaps best known – are getting faster as technologies improve. Aqueous resin inks, for example, can dry up to 40% faster – that’s 40% faster than other latex inks! That’s achievable across a lot of different substrates, not just the easy ones. These fast-drying inks also often have longer shelf lives, which bring with them additional benefi ts. One of the most relevant is that it helps encourage cutsheet shops make the leap to include industrial applications. The longer shelf life gives these shops to a lot more wiggle room when ordering inks, so they have more time to use what they’ve got as they build their wide format operation. You can see these aqueous resin inks at the Ricoh booth.” HP is also going to be focusing on the latex technologies. Wittenberg points out the biggest innovations in industrial printing are: • The ability to deliver high print quality at high speeds • New ink technology designed to improve durability and scratch resistance • Mobile applications, like the HP Latex Mobile App, allow unattended operation, freeing up the printer operator to accomplish other tasks • The environmental and health improvements that the third generation latex inks provide “At the HP booth show visitors will have the chance to see the latest in industrial printing technology, including the HP Latex 3500 Printer,” says Wittenberg. Industrial printing is a relatively new segment to the print market. It encompasses techniques and equipment that, even a few years ago, wouldn’t have been possible. But advances in technology and software have created new markets and profi t opportunities that attendees at this year’s GRAPH EXPO have a ground fl oor opportunity to can take advantage of fi rst. This market space will only continue to grow, and those print service providers who embrace it early stand to gain market share that will be diffi cult to compete with in the years to come. Catch Up with PIA ing rates for both C-corps and S-corps and allowing for 100% expensing. This is a starting point for any tax reform effort that would take place under a new Administration and PIA has been closely involved in these proceedings. Our priority is maintaining 100% expensing for advertising costs and we will fi ght hard to ensure this is a key part of any reform bill in 2017 and beyond. Postal reform is entering a real crunch period due to a legally mandated rate review that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) will commence as early as January 2017. The PRC will examine USPS volume, expenses, the current rate system of capping increases to the Consumer Price Index, and has the authority to create a new rate setting system. Legislatively, the industry’s goal is to lobby Congress to pass a fi nancial stabilization bill that would allow USPS to demonstrate a more positive balance sheet heading into the PRC rate review next year. We’re supporting a carefully crafted, bipartisan bill that has been advancing through the House this summer. Action could take place on this legislation in September, but it is more likely to be addressed during the lame-duck session in December. Speaking of lame duck, this will be the time of year when it’s critical for the industry to push languishing legislation– such as patent reform–over the goal line, while at the same time staying on defense to block any last-minute regulations in the area of environment, health and safety, and labor relations. It’s also an important time to plan the industry’s advocacy agenda for next year. The only thing we know for certain about this fall’s election is that someone will emerge to be in charge: of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. PIA is ready to advocate on behalf of the industry no matter who emerges victorious. Show Daily: We keep hearing about workforce issues. Can you describe some of your leading efforts in this area? Michael Makin: PIA and our Affi liates have been talking about the Workforce and Baby Boomer retirement crisis since the early 1990s starting with our Print 2000 Study by our Chief Economist, Ron Davis. Unfortunately, the printing industry’s workforce is older than many other industries so we are being hit with the crisis and skills gap sooner than others. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median age in our industry is 46, whereas for the rest of the U.S. workforce population it is 42.3, for all manufacturing it is 44.6, and for nondurable goods 44.1 Print companies hiring away older workers from competitors is no longer a sound long-term strategy, but it does fi ll an immediate need. Strategic fi rms are thinking long term and doing two things. First, going to the schools. While the number of schools offering graphic communications programs has dropped they are still out there. For a listing of college/university level schools see the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation’s (PGSF) Website at pgsf.org and their Resources tab. For High Schools and Vo-Tech, see the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation’s (GAERF) PrintED list of certifi ed schools by state at gaerf.org. Not every High School and Vo-Tech school are certifi ed with PrintED, so you can ask your local PIA Affi liate for a list of schools with graphic communications programs. PIA is also supportive of the National Council of Print Industry Certifi cations (NCPIC), based in Wisconsin. So far NCPIC offers certifi cations for fl exographic, sheetfed, stitcher, and web offset. More are coming. Companies who are ramping up new recruits can use these certifi cations to train and engage employees. See printcertifi cation.org. Employers can also fi nd workers at our national job bank, which is run by PrintWorkers.com. See printing. org/jobbank. Plus, many of our local PIA Affi liates have their own local job banks. PIA members can fi nd tips on recruiting and interviewing, sample employment application, offer letters, testing information, etc., on the Pre-Employment page of our Human Relations section on printing.org/hr. Companies need to get serious about workforce management if they are going to be able to satisfy customer demand. Offi cial Show Daily | PrintingNews.com GRAPH EXPO 16 | September 27, 2016 | 61
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