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10 Nick Howard A juggernaut in the world of packaging 12 15 18 22

ISSN 1481 9287. PrintAction is published 6 times per year by Annex Business Media. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065710. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department, 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1. No part of the editorial content in this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. © 2026 Annex Business Media. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of this publication. Printed in Canada.

A case for end-to-end digitization in print plants

15 Finishing, next in line for deep tech

How robotics, AI can remove bottlenecks in large-format printing

18 We have a skills problem

When Gen X operators retire, who will run the presses

DEPARTMENTS

GAMUT

6 News, People, Installs

10 CALENDAR

SPOTLIGHT

22 Dan Deveau, owner, Cameron Advertising

COLUMNS

FROM THE EDITOR 4 Nithya Caleb Inclusive leadership in action

TECH REPORT

8 Press is no longer a bottleneck

CHRONICLE

Inclusive leadership as a business advantage

IThe percentage of inclusive companies that are likely to capture new markets.

recently had the opportunity to interview Dan Deveau, owner of Toronto-based Cameron Advertising. During the interview, Deveau spoke a lot about the work culture at his company. He stressed the open-door policy he follows and how important it was for him to create a welcoming space where people could work without fear of judgement. It’s evident his leadership skills have been effective, as Cameron Advertising is home to several employees who are related to each other as well as have stayed with the company for a long time. I’ve noticed a similar pattern in many printing companies – it’s not uncommon for children to follow in their parents’ footsteps & join the same company (at least in the past when printing had ready acceptance as an attractive industry, a perspective that’s being challenged by the current generation). This prompted me to explore different leadership styles. Inclusive leadership caught my eye.

As described by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), “Inclusive leaders are individuals who are self-aware and actively seek out and consider different perspectives to inform their decision-making and collaborate more effectively with others.”

Inclusive leaders ensure team members are treated fairly, have a sense of belonging and value, and have the resources and support they need to achieve their full potential. CCL lists seven steps that leaders can take to become inclusive including deepening self-awareness, listening to understand employees, and being honest about their vulnerabilities.

Michael Bach, a consultant for BuildForce Canada, an advocacy group for the construction industry, reduces them to the following four pillars:

• understanding and addressing individual biases;

• appreciating and effectively interacting with people from diverse backgrounds;

• acknowledging their own privilege and leveraging it to create inclusive and equitable workplaces; and

• leading with empathy.

Bach refers to a 2021 Catalyst study that found employees with highly empathic senior leaders have higher levels of creativity and engagement than those with less empathic leaders.

Promoting diversity

In a Forbes article, Julie Kratz quotes author Jennifer Brown, who wrote in The Shape of Change, “When we face challenges that have no precedent, when we navigate terrain for which we have no maps, we need the full spectrum of human experience and perspective available to us.”

Diversity building is a key characteristic of inclusive leadership. When you have people from different backgrounds and lived experiences on a team, you naturally have a variety of perspectives to draw from, which gives the company a competitive edge when compared to businesses with employees that think and act alike.

In a blog post on the Harvard Business School, Tim Stobierski refers to a CEO Force for Good study that estimated inclusive companies are 70 per cent more likely to capture new markets than less inclusive counterparts.

Key skills required

Harvard Business School Professor Robin Ely recommends leaders respond instead of reacting to a situation. She recommends leaders step away from the situation to put some distance between the moment & self, let go of the walls that tend to come up naturally when one is threatened, and approach the challenge with a clearer perspective.

Another important skill is being curious and thoughtful about team members – show an interest in their personal lives and ask questions to know them better. This would help leaders develop empathy.

One of the skills that I value a lot is exhibiting vulnerability. It’s not a weakness to admit your ignorance. This acceptance will open the door to new learnings and growth as well as help build new relationships. After all, if you specialize in sales, it’s highly likely operations would be challenging if you’re new to that role. By embracing vulnerability, you’re also enabling your employees to reach out for help as needed. This helps them and the team grow.

How would you describe your leadership? I’d love to know.

NITHYA Editor ncaleb@annexbusinessmedia.com

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Hemlock Printers relocates its wide-format production operations to a newly renovated facility in Burnaby, B.C. Originally home to Hemlock Printers from 1973 to 1986, the renovated site brings wide-format and fine art printing under one roof.

Henkel acquires the Stahl Group, a global player in high-performance specialty coatings for flexible materials, for €2.1 billion. The portfolio comprises leather finishing coatings, performance coatings as well as high-performance paper packaging and graphics coatings. The company made adjusted sales of approx. €725 million in 2025 fiscal.

Qliq Innovation, Mississauga, Ont., and PAR Print, Whitby, Ont., merge operations, combining expertise in creative, design, large & small format, litho-offset, and retail fixtures (wood, metal, acrylic).

Cascades sells its corrugated packaging plant in Richmond, B.C., to Crown Paper Group for a total value of $65.5 million, including real estate assets. Cascades also discontinues its activities in the honeycomb paperboard and partition packaging product sectors. As a result, its three plants in York, Pa., and Saint-Césaire and Berthierville, Que., will be closed. Emballages LM, Saint-

non-discretionary obligations and fully repaid by Canada Post, serves as a short-term financial bridge to protect service continuity. It is in addition to the repayable funding of up to $1.034 billion announced in January 2025.

François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Que., acquires certain assets from the Quebec plants for approx. $9 million.

International Paper plans to create two independent, publicly traded companies. International Paper will comprise its current business in North America including legacy IP and DS Smith assets, and the EMEA Packaging business will comprise legacy DS Smith and IP assets in EMEA. In 2024, International Paper acquired DS Smith to create one of the world’s largest packaging companies. International Paper intends to retain a meaningful ownership stake in the new company.

Tower Products, a manufacturer of pressroom chemical solutions, strengthens its partnership with Technorol & RWB Boswell Graphic. They will work more closely on fulfillment and pressroom optimization initiatives.

The federal government is offering Canada Post $1.01 billion in repayable funding for the 2025–26 fiscal year to help the Crown Corp. “maintain its solvency and keep services running for Canadians as it faces ongoing financial pressures.” This funding, which would be provided on an as-needed basis to cover

With a new brand identity, Drupa offers a glimpse into its conceptual and content-related repositioning two years ahead of the trade show. The central element of the new image is a the octopus, which stands for networking, intelligence, agility, and resilience, as well as the simultaneous mastery of complex processes. The next Drupa will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany, from May 9 to 17, 2028.

Butterfly Equity, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food and beverage sector, acquires ePac Holdings from its investor consortium that includes Amcor and Indevco North America. Founded in 2016, ePac specializes in flexible packaging solutions for CPG customers, with a particular focus on food end markets. It has 14 facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada. The incumbent leadership team, led by CEO and co-founder Virag Patel, will continue to operate ePac and has retained a significant ownership interest in the business.

Kodak increases U.S. production of Sonora process-free plates due to a “significant” increase in demand. At the Kodak plate plant in Columbus, Ga., a second production line has

been added. The Columbus facility produces Sonora and Trillian SP thermal plates, serving printers throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South America.

Greenpeace Canada reports that Domtar, Canada’s largest pulp and paper company, received more than $200 million in public funding between 2020 and 2024 from federal and provincial governments. It’s calling for more transparency from Domtar about its operations. The Paper Trail to Nowhere report raises concerns about lack of transparency, weak accountability and what it describes as an opaque corporate governance structure at Domtar, which was previously called Paper Excellence.

Toronto-based Morris Marketing Group shuts down its direct mail print services for the real estate industry. The group is instead concentrating on its all-in-one CRM and automated marketing solution for real estate professionals. Established in 1929, Morris is a third-generation family-owned company.

Rochester Institute of Technology’s print and graphic media technology curriculum is being integrated into the packaging science program, where they will be able to take coursework emphasizing manufacturing processes, materials science, colour management, and package printing technologies. The institute clarifies bachelor’s degree students will continue to study premedia, production workflows, converting technologies, process control, and variable data printing, as well as their applications to folding cartons, flexible packaging, labels, corrugated fibreboard, metal decoration, and others.

HP promotes Ali Zolfagharian, sales leader for Ontario, who will now be covering the entire Eastern Canadian region. Additionally, the company brings its Quebec and Atlantic Canada operations under its Ontario and U.S. Midwest divisions to create a broader and more connected Eastern footprint for HP.

Canon Canada appoints Steve Daigle as senior business manager, Industrial Production Inkjet (web & sheetfed) and Large Format, for Eastern Canada. With more than 25 years of work experience in the graphic arts industry, Daigle brings a wealth of expertise to his new role. Fully bilingual, Daigle was with HP previously. Based in Montreal, Daigle will conduct sales for Canon’s industrial presses, as well as large format solutions (rollto-roll and flatbed). His territory will span Eastern Canada, covering Kingston, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

Komori’s former COO of the Americas, Kosh Miyao, recently passed away. He was revered as a pillar of the graphic arts community whose contributions shaped Komori America and influenced the wider printing industry.

Miyao began his career with Komori America in 1986, starting in service and parts, where he quickly developed a deep, hands-on understanding of Komori equipment. This foundation gave him an exceptional technical knowledge base that would define his career and make him an invaluable resource to employees, customers, and partners throughout the printing industry.

Over the next three decades, Miyao served in numerous leadership roles across the organization, including senior vice-presidential positions. In 2008, he was appointed president and COO of Komori America. He was a strong advocate for the North American market, deeply understanding the challenges faced by a Japanese manufacturer operating in the United States. In 2017, Miyao was promoted to vice chair, and in April 2018, he transitioned into a consultant role.

Those who worked closely with Miyao remember him as smart, humble, and good-natured. His quick wit, memorable sense of humour, and genuine respect for others made him well liked by employees and customers. Throughout his more than 30 years with Komori America, he left a lasting impression not only through his leadership, but also through the way he treated people. Beyond his professional life, Miyao was devoted to his family and enjoyed spending time fishing.

Best Deal Graphics and Printing in Toronto completes installing a new Komori GLX 1040 RP Advance Ex Edition double coater press.

Hemlock Printers, Burnaby, B.C., installs two new StackStar C robotic arms from Heidelberg. The robots are integrated with the company’s Stahlfolder TH 82 folding systems.

Toronto-based Specialties Graphic Finishers recently installed a B&R Moll Versa-fold folder-gluer. This is Specialties’ third B&R Moll machine.

Claire Wong, plant manager, and Greg Taylor, head operator of Specialties Graphic Finishers.

Press is no longer a bottleneck

Why end-to-end workflow is critical for growth

By Alec Couckuyt

For decades, competitive advantage in commercial print was defined by the pressroom in terms of speed, format, makeready time, colour stability, etc. That equation has changed.

The digital revolution did not replace offset; it forced it to evolve. Heidelberg, Komori, Manroland and Koenig & Bauer have transformed traditional presses into highly automated production platforms with automated plate loading, simultaneous makeready operations, closedloop colour control, inline inspection systems, advanced press presetting driven by job data, etc. Offset did not stand still. It modernized.

At the same time, digital manufacturers such as HP, Canon, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, and Fujifilm have scaled productivity to levels that erased the old narrative of digital being limited to niche volumes. This has resulted in larger formats, higher duty cycles, improved substrate flexibility, automated front ends, and increased integration with finishing systems.

In commercial print, an equilibrium has emerged where offset is used for longer, stable runs and digital for short runs, versioning and personalization. Hybrid production floors are the new standard. Here is the strategic shift many organizations overlook.

Workflow is the constraint

Modern presses, offset or digital, are extraordinarily capable. The limiting factor is often what happens after the sheet leaves the delivery.

Finishing, cutting, folding, gluing, binding, packing, and shipping increasingly determine throughput. If these processes remain manual, sequential, or disconnected, overall velocity suffers, regardless of press speed. This is where the next wave of trans-

formation is taking place.

We are seeing rapid adoption of automation and robotics in postpress with automated material handling, intelligent bindery systems, inline inspection, and integrated finishing modules. Companies such as Müller Martini, Horizon, Hunkeler, Bobst, Heidelberg and Komori are increasingly delivering connected production ecosystems rather than isolated pieces of equipment.

Running parallel to this technological shift is a structural labour challenge. Skilled operators in press, bindery, and finishing are increasingly difficult to recruit and retain. Automation is therefore not simply a productivity play; it is a resilience strategy.

The strategic question for executives is no longer, ‘How fast can we print?’ It is, ‘How seamlessly does work flow from order entry to cash collection?’

Investing in faster presses without aligning finishing capacity and systems integration often creates imbalance. Throughput gains at the front end are neutralized downstream. Work-in-progress accumulates. Lead times remain unchanged.

The organizations gaining ground are those designing their operations holistically by:

• evaluating value-stream capacity;

• integrating MIS and ERP;

01/26

The month when Müller Martini released the Diamant MC 30 book line for industrial hardcover production.

Some Canadian leaders are already setting the tone. Operating hybrid offset and digital environments, they have invested not just in imaging platforms, but also in automation, robotics, and workflow integration. Their differentiation lies in how the system works together, not in any single machine. And that orchestration depends on something less visible, but far more strategic: data.

Modern MIS and ERP platforms serve as the operational backbone. Upstream, they integrate estimating, CRM, and customer portals. Downstream, they drive scheduling, press presetting, finishing instructions, inventory management, procurement, and billing.

Increasingly, artificial intelligence is layered into these systems to optimize scheduling, flag production anomalies, predict maintenance needs, and dynamically allocate work across offset and digital platforms.

When properly integrated:

• job data flows automatically from estimate to production;

• press parameters are preset digitally;

• instructions are system generated;

• inventory is adjusted in real time; and

• billing is triggered without manual intervention, enabling true end-toend workflow acceleration.

• aligning offset, digital, finishing, and logistics;

• automating where labour scarcity introduces risk; and

• making capital allocation decisions based on total workflow design. Technology across offset and digital platforms has reached extraordinary maturity. OEMs build remarkable machines. The automation features are real. But the uncomfortable truth is most printing companies do not have a press problem. They have a flow problem. They have data silos. They have finishing bottlenecks. They have too many manual touches. They have workflow that evolved instead of being designed.

Buying a faster press may feel like progress but if the workflow isn’t engineered for total throughput, the bottleneck moves downstream. In today’s market, with tighter margins, labour scarcity, and rising customer expectations, the winners won’t be those who print the fastest. They’ll be the ones who deliver the most seamlessly. The pressroom used to define the business. Now workflow does.

ALEC COUCKUYT is a business strategist, economist, published author, and speaker with extensive international management experience. He can be reached at aleccouckuyt@gmail.com.

CONNEX

Production Redefined

With the Connex workflow system, you can manage your production more efficiently, in a more connected way, and with near-complete automation. Data flows directly from the ERP system to the machine without manual intervention, providing precise real-time production feedback down to the individual product. The Connex Info Cloud presents all information clearly –for maximum transparency and optimal decision-making.

mullermartini.com/connex

A juggernaut in the world of packaging

The amazing story of Bobst

By Nick Howard

…continued from Jan./Feb. 2026 issue

s with any successful enterprise, occasional good intentions and marketing decisions don’t always pan out. And so, it was mystifying that in 1975, Bobst stepped away from its core interests to enter an industry it knew nothing about: the burgeoning phototypesetting field. BobstGraphic was set up to take on CompuGraphic, AM Varityper, Bethold, Linotype and Itek, among others. But lacklustre sales led to the offloading of the division to U.S.-based Autologic in 1981.

AAfter 28 years of dominance, the end of the now-legendary SP1080 arrived in 1978. Earlier in the decade, Bobst had redesigned machines with a new livery, launching the faster SP1120 and SP126, doubtless the scions of the classic SP900/1080/1260/1420/1650 series. Acceptance remained strong. In 1981, further re-engineering led to SP102, now available with an optional cam-driven mechanism. The SP102CE was claimed to reach speeds of 9,000-10,000 sheets per hour, compared with the SP1080-E’s 4,500 sheets per hour. The cam, although logical for increasing speeds, ultimately drifted off the design boards, supplanted by a constantly improving toggle or dog-leg impression.

The downside of being a pioneer

During the 1970s, competition intensified. Wupa, a Hamburg-based manufacturer once owned by shipbuilder Blohm + Vos had, for decades, been a minor competitor with its upper-platen descending machines (Bobst’s lower-platen technology

Top: The original 1936 SCAMAG (now KAMA).

Right: Bobst recently launched a new version of its Expertfold folder-gluer with automated blank aligner.

proved superior). Wupa’s ownership changed hands multiple times, eventually ending up in the Heidelberg stable as Dymatrix, following Heidelberg’s 2003 purchase of Jagenberg.

Barcelona’s Iberica, once heavily influenced by Ben Sugarman of Chicago’s Consolidated International, had greater success, in part, because of Spain’s lower input costs. Ironically, Iberica was once owned by Italy’s Cerutti, which was purchased by Bobst in 2021. But, by then Iberica was under a different ownership. Koenig & Bauer acquired it in 2016.

Wupa, Iberica, and England’s Crosland, as well as the Swiss firm Gietz (focused on hot stamping) and East Germany’s Kama, accounted for the bulk of European competition. Still, more intense threats grew from the east. Japan was closely watching Bobst’s successes, and companies such as Sanwa, Iijima, Nikko (now part of Bobst), and Sugano made substantial inroads. Heidelberg’s relationship with China’s MK Masterwork rounded out the competition. Taiwan’s SBL (SmoothBonWell), several South

Korean builders, such as Young Shin, and a constant stream of Bobst-cloned Chinese startups, trailed but remained in close pursuit. The downside of being an originator is that everybody tries to emulate you.

The period between 1960 and 2000 illustrates the best of Bobst and how, had it not altered course, could have suffered greatly. Bobst realized it had to adapt and decided to produce lower-priced machines. In 1997, Bobst opened new plants in Brazil and China.

Growth by acquisition

Just as Gulf + Western had done years before, Bobst accelerated its acquisition pace. In 1985, S.A. Martin, a French manufacturer of flexo folder-gluers, was acquired from Creusot-Loire, a failing French manufacturer of newspaper presses. Peters Maschinenfabrik of Hamburg, a corrugated machine company, followed in 1986, and in 1987, Bobst acquired a majority interest in Italy’s flexo and gravure leader Schiavi SpA. The rapid pace continued in 1993, with Asitrade AG, the Swiss corrugated manufacturer, then Rotomec, Atlas, Titan, and Midi from the Finnish group Metso in 2004 (Atlas and Titan, both British, were sold back to management in 2008). Also in 2008, a significant acquisition was made with the purchase of Germany’s flexible packaging leader, Fischer & Krecke.

Bobst still wasn’t done: 2011 saw the 65 per cent purchase of Hong Kong’s Gordon, owners of Shanghai Eternal Machinery and brands Eterna and Brausse die-cutting equipment (full ownership in 2015). Bobst also has a relationship with the German corrugated machinery company BHS. Perhaps this may grow into something more?

For decades, Bobst had a cozy rapport with Heidelberg, Manroland and Koenig & Bauer. Now levees have crested. Two of the three also sell folding carton equipment.

No one ever got sacked for buying a Bobst

Today, Bobst remains the world leader in all things packaging, from labels and flexible packaging to boxes. Eighty-five years on, from the threshold AP900 to the latest generation, I can’t think of any manufacturer who can lay claim to such an extraordinary

legacy. Henri Bobst developed transcendent architecture, with simple makeready and operational elements, that were the envy of the folding carton industry. The highest form of flattery is perhaps that all his followers have continually copied the Autoplaten and its offspring.

Aggressive competition from Heidelberg and Koenig & Bauer with complete systems (including Heidelberg’s unique Flexo Boardmaster and the MK Masterwork Duopress, capable of cutting, stamping, stripping and blanking) pose significant challenges to Bobst. As the originator of modern horizontal platen technology, along with stripping, blanking, and stamping, the company also offers a complete range from 30 to 64 in. for carton production. Bobst’s current leadership will almost certainly include a move into printing, presumably inkjet. With such a vast arsenal of technologies, well beyond die cutting, there is no packaging aspect Bobst doesn’t have a solution for.

CALENDAR

April 22-22, 2026

Hybrid Fusion 2026

Packaging Summit Sarasota, Fla.

April 26-29, 2026

FTA Forum, Infoflex 2026 Milwaukee, Wis.

May 07-May 13, 2026

Interpack 2026 Düsseldorf, Germany

May 19-22, 2026

FESPA Global Print Expo Barcelona, Spain

May 19

Bobst Packaging Forward Atlanta, Ga.

June 10, 2026

PAC Global Disruptors Summit 2026 Toronto

Studies indicate that in 2015, 52 per cent of all packaging worldwide was produced using Bobst equipment. Even more amazing is that many of the original AP900s, now going on 85 years, are still in operation!

In the 1949 movie The Third Man, Harry Lime commented, “In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.” Harry obviously didn’t know the Swiss and must have never met Henri Bobst!

NICK HOWARD, a partner in Howard Graphic Equipment and Howard Iron Works, is a printing historian, consultant, and certified appraiser of capital equipment. He can be reached at nick@howardgraphic.com.

June 16-17, 2026

Print & Digital Convention Düsseldorf, Germany

July 17, 2026

PrintForward Golf Tournament Richmond, B.C.

July 21-July 23, 2026

Wide-Format Summit Miami, Fla.

Sept. 15-17, 2026

Loupe Americas Chicago, Ill.

Sept. 23-25, 2026

Printing United Expo Las Vegas, Nev.

Nov. 6

Canadian Printing Awards Toronto

End-to-end workflow automation will create a more efficient and profitable business.

AUTOMATING WORKFLOW

A case for end-to-end automation in print plants

By Pat McGrew

For more than 60 years, we have talked about workflow automation, driven by data, to add efficiency, reduce costs, manage labour challenges, and increase margins. In this century, we stepped up the volume, embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution, branding it Industry 4.0, and demonstrating the value workflow automation brings to print manufacturing. With an efficient, scalable, automated workflow that begins before you sell the job, every printer can survive the pressures of increasing paper and consumables costs, demands for faster turnaround,

labour challenges, and the requirements to support very long and very short print runs.

Automating workflows is the core of the future of all manufacturing, but the results can be dramatic for print. In the print industry, we look at workflow as the rules, protocols, and processes that are defined, documented, repeatable, and auditable. Your print business has many workflows guiding work through your front office, back office, and production to delivery. Each time you sell a product or service, one or more workflow routines manage the sales pitch, estimating, contracts, job production, delivery, and payment.

Beginning when a customer agrees to buy print and delivers the job to the shop to when the work is handed over for delivery, and the job tickets are closed in production and sent to accounting, every step is at risk. Bottlenecks adding time and complexity to the job can happen at any and every step. Those bottlenecks cost time and money, thus eliminating expected profits. Tuning and tightening print manufacturing workflows using automation tools adds efficiency and scalability and keeps more revenue in the business.

Steps for automation

The current marketplace for workflow automation is vast. Tools are available for every size printer in every print segment. Spend the time to look at the software available for the market segments you serve. Many tools are built to serve the needs of multiple print technologies and products. However, before you go shopping, you need a clear understanding of your current workflow state. Begin with an honest self-assessment, looking at all of your workflows. Make a list of your production workflows and the workflows touching them. If you produce a variety of print products, identify the workflows used for each one. If you have automated some or all of your workflows, note that on your list. Further, determine:

• who is responsible for the architecture of each workflow;

• who is responsible for solving bottlenecks in each workflow;

• where do workflows intersect;

• what are the rules for sales interacting with production;

• what are the rules for customer service representatives to interact with production;

• who is responsible for interacting with customers when there are problems with inbound files;

• how are change requests managed;

• how are proofs and approvals managed, and who monitors customer approvals; and

• how is accounting notified of additional charges and the final cost? You may want to add more items to your assessment list. Consider the areas that rarely experience bottlenecks and those that are more susceptible. Think about the people in the processes as well as the technologies. Look at any existing automation

to determine if it is still providing the expected results.

Automate to eliminate friction

There are three fundamental reasons to spend the time and money to implement and tune automation.

Reduce the time to onboard work

Walk your workflow and watch a range of jobs as they arrive and move through the processes that get them into production. Record the time and the number of steps. How many loops do you see? Is everyone working by the same set of rules, or is everyone writing their own rules?

Reduce time to make the job ready

How much time and effort are expended to move work into production? How many loops, delays, and reworks? Mistakes and misunderstandings reduce the margin on the job, so look at your averages. There may be a pot of gold waiting for you in an automated workflow.

Reduce production time

The year when the term, Industry 4.0, was introduced.

Your recipe for production has time elements, but also people and tasks. Count the manual steps and the loops in those tasks that extend the time to completion. How many tools are in use officially and covertly?

These three reductions open the door to less waste, fewer missed deadlines, more efficient production, and higher profit margins.

People cause friction

The print industry is actively working to bring back apprenticeships and find more efficient ways to train newcomers and those transitioning to new roles. While that is happening, people performing tasks create workflow friction. Tasks performed inconsistently may lead to job rework and reruns, missed specification changes, and mispriced work that erodes profit

margins through a long series of minor incidents during production.

People are inconsistent. They may be wonderful teammates and enthusiastic workers, but that is not the same as repeating the same tasks daily with reliable precision. They are not robots, but that is what you need – software robots executing repeatable and auditable tasks in a predictable and auditable manner.

Use your data to understand where staff members spend their time, how long tasks take, and how many loops they make. Most shops don’t track their teams by the minute, so consider a quick survey to see what they think takes the most time in their day and the sources of frustration. Look at the number of touchpoints from when a file arrives in production. How much time do they spend verifying inventory, resolving preflight errors, chasing missing assets, and handling colour management or finishing questions by trading emails, text messages, phone calls, and chats? Automation can get much of that time back, freeing the team to handle more challenges.

Paper and consumables cause friction

Paper, film, vinyl, and the vast range of specialty substrates a shop may need to stock, along with the consumables that are part of the print process, like ink, toner, solvents, and cleaning tools, are a source of friction, but automation can be a lubricant.

Take stock of everything you keep in inventory and your replenishment rates. You may have a dedicated inventory management system for tracking, but you might be doing it manually using spreadsheets. Look at what has been sitting in stock for longer than average and what you regularly expedite. If you automate your orders based on agreed replenishment quantities and update received goods in your internal inventory management sys-

Tuning and tightening print manufacturing workflows using automation tools adds efficiency and scalability and keeps more revenue in the business.

tem, you should find that material management becomes easier. Take it a step further and integrate order and received goods management into the systems feeding your estimating and quoting to ensure you have the raw materials you need to complete the work. Over time you should find your stockholding becoming more efficient.

Deploy automation as the lubricant

Preparing for the future demand’s efficiency and optimization of every process. Islands of automation linked by manual processes is not a best practice. End-to-end workflow automation is the path to follow. Follow the Crawl-Walk-Run rule!

If you have islands of automation, begin by reviewing those automation tools and the manual processes linking them. Review your installed software solutions. What are your options for expanding your adoption and deployment of adopting tools you own to achieve end-to-end automation?

Look at job onboarding, prepress, production, and delivery. Anthony Thirlby at Venn Holding in Belgium shares that 55 per cent of the life of a job is spent in estimating, job administration, and scheduling. Focusing on these areas in your Crawl phase builds repeatable results that may save minutes to hours in bringing the job on board, adding money to the bottom line.

Even if you have a web-to-production portal or digital storefront, take a few steps back and review if they are still working for you or need a tune-up. If jobs arrive and seamlessly flow to

prepress and production, great! But if there are still loops and bottlenecks, it is time to look at how your tools are set up and solve the bottlenecks.

If you are in a manual job onboarding environment, using hot folders and email, this is the time to stop. Your Crawl phase should be the development of a requirements and specification protocol to inform acquisition and implementation of automated job onboarding. Automated job onboarding will save time, create consistency and efficiency, and free team members to spend time on more valuable tasks.

After job onboarding, walk into automating customer approval management, change request and resolution, and then close the loop. Verify that every job is invoiced, including change requests—set policies for discounts. And use your production data to keep pricing up to date. When all processes are connected and sharing data, you are ready to run. It may take two years to build the endto-end process, but new automated step lifts your level of efficiency.

What happens when you embrace automation

Automation is not magic. Automation takes a well-defined and transparent plan. It takes executive sponsorship and team leadership. It is part art and part science. Automation requires calming the fears of employees that their jobs may be eliminated. It requires a different type of conversation with the current array of software vendors. But if you do your assessment and have those conversations, the resulting waste reduction, produc-

Automating workflows will reduce the time to onboard work, make the job ready, and produce it.

tion efficiencies, and customer satisfaction can change the company’s trajectory.

If you need talking points for your team, here are the top reasons to embrace automation:

Eliminate manual and repetitive tasks: Automation eliminates repetitive tasks and errors, allowing faster processing, thereby reducing turnaround times and increasing overall efficiency.

Integration enabling data sharing across applications: Integrating digital technologies with traditional print methods is the bridge to the future. It allows seamless integration between design software, content management systems, and data-driven workflow processes.

Easier to collaborate: Work rules are different in every country, but the global economy lets us sell print around the world. Automation paired with cloud-based workflow solutions fosters more efficient communication, faster approvals, and reduced lead times.

The percentage of time spent in estimating, job administration, and scheduling of a job. 55%

Enables waste reduction: By identifying workflow inefficiencies and eliminating them, reprints due to production mistakes become a thing of the past. Leveraging vendor data and integrating business workflows with production workflows minimizes waste through better inventory management. The ability to print on-demand and in smaller quantities reduces excess inventory and waste typically associated with outdated or unused materials.

Print manufacturing workflow automation brings increased efficiency, improved production quality, and more flexibility in scheduling. The business result is increased capacity through efficiency and higher available profit margin on each job.

Automation and management of the automation rules allow the print shop to adapt to changing customer demands, integrate with digital processes, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver a better overall experience. The resulting optimized print workflows are essential to staying competitive in a digital age while still leveraging the unique benefits and tangible qualities of print.

PAT MCGREW is the managing director of McGrewGroup. This is article is part of the Drupa Essential Series of Print.

FINISHING, RIPE FOR AUTOMATION

How robotics, AI can remove bottlenecks in large-format printing

By Treena Hein

With trends like ‘Buy Local’ and ‘Made in Canada’ staying strong across the country, demand for large-format printing is also holding steady, if not growing. From banners and rigid signs to building wraps and vehicle graphics, large format remains a strong market for both interior or exterior environments, for temporary or long-term display. Specifically, Rafa Menéndez, head of sales and marketing at PLASTGrommet, notes that “fabric signage is growing in popularity, driven by its vibrant image quality, lightweight properties and ease of installation and reuse. These products can be transported and reused without creasing or damage, making them an increasingly attractive option.”

Menéndez also points out that as printing technology continues to advance, driving faster presses and increasingly efficient pre-press software, print shops are often overlooking the finishing stage within the large-format production workflow.

“It’s frequently where the most-significant bottlenecks emerge,” he says. “Processes such as cutting media to size, applying grommets and welding or sewing hems and seams are still commonly performed manually.”

He adds that the simple scale of large-format production – the need to move and position large media rolls and super-wide prints – introduces more time pressure on jobs that are already labour intensive. Welding large banners without automation, for example, typically involves two operators to manage heavy rolls of

Print finishing technology hasn’t kept pace with the advancements in printing presses, causing work to slow down in large-format print shops.

material while manually positioning grommets along the edges.

“Similarly, sewing hems on textile signage such as mesh polyester can be particularly demanding,” says Menéndez.

The good news, he reports, is that investigation is being done into these production bottlenecks and how to solve them.

“For example, a recent Alliance Insights report, Exploring Automation in Wide-Format Printing, found that turnaround time and manual bottlenecks are two of the leading causes of slow production,” he says, “with 30 per cent citing manual workflow bottlenecks such as prepress, file preparation or finishing. We therefore expect to see more businesses investing in large-format finishing automation to address these challenges.”

Simple automations

Indeed, there are many opportunities to

automate large-format jobs in just one or two single steps. Off the top of his head, Menéndez lists upgrading a manual grommet press to a semi-automatic or automatic press will shave significant time off orders. Another example is using electric media roll lifters, which make it easier and faster to move large, heavy rolls around the production floor. And not only does a hydraulic roll lifter turn a two-person task into a one-person job, it also makes the work environment safer.

Another simple way to automate large-format jobs, says Menéndez, is to synchronize conveyor systems with welding equipment, which helps to streamline long seams while reducing handling and alignment errors.

Firms like PLASTGrommet also offer finishing systems that automate welding, grommeting and cutting. They not only generally pay for themselves quickly, but

can also enable print shops to take on much larger order volumes than before. They also lower the skill threshold needed to achieve consistent results, as well as reduce errors. Additionally, there are also hybrid systems on the market that integrate cutting and grommeting as well as welding of banners and sewing of textiles in a single system. Menéndez says they’re a very good option for companies where banner and textile volumes do not justify investment in separate machines. For example, Britten, a Michigan-based company focusing on large-format printing for events, has invested in a PLASTGrommet Hybrid TexWiz platform to address their bottlenecks at the sewing stage.

Robotics to the rescue

Pat McGrew, owner of McGrew Group industry consultancy in Aurora, Colo., notes that robots are already present and providing benefits in many large-format

print shops. These robots, which replace forklifts and hand lifts, can take on various physical forms.

“In the print shop, needs are becoming more complex, so the machines we want are changing,” McGrew explains. “Machines that can move elegantly in the print shop, without bumping into people or

Welding or sewing hems and seams are still performed manually in print shops.

disrupting processes, are already available. Robots and cobots are available from many manufacturers and come in forms that resemble automated lift trucks and automated scales, as well as more human-like designs. Some of these machines are limited in their ability to interact or follow directions, but they can be useful for handling heavy loads to prevent employee injury.”

She also highlights that some machines can interact with ERP (enterprise resource planning) and MIS (management information systems), “arriving to grab raw inventory as if by magic, and transporting the goods to the needed location. They can pick up work-in-progress and move it to the next required station and move finished goods for shipping or mailing.”

In her view, the best robotics solutions for large-format print shops will be designed to do just this – meet the functional needs of production while interacting with workflow systems governed by rules-based automation.

McGrew adds that “over time, much of that interaction will be guided by AI agents, trained to understand the specific work location and business needs. They will replace human-managed forklifts and hand lifts because the investment in these new options virtually eliminates workplace injuries. They are efficient, capable and only need a break to recharge.”

While McGrew doesn’t have an estimate of the percentage of print shops in the U.S. or North America having these robots, she sees them in “many” shops. And we can expect adoption to grow, driven by increasing recruitment challenges in parallel with the costs of both the robots themselves and their implementation dropping over time.

Processes such as cutting media to size, applying grommets and welding or sewing hems and seams are still commonly performed manually.

- Rafa Menéndez, PLASTGrommet

AI-driven print optimization

AI is needed to manage robotics used in large-format printing, but AI-empowered printing machines can also provide many efficiencies. Software can analyze printing as it occurs and adjust parameters such as ink flow, resolution and media type to maximize quality and consistency as well as speeding up turnaround while minimizing waste. AI, equipped with the appropriate sensor systems, can also monitor the operation of printing machines, providing early maintenance alerts as required.

McGrew notes that “depending on the age of the equipment in a given shop, it’s likely there are AI tools embedded in the control logic, digital front ends and workflow implementation. Are printing companies taking advantage of the tools their vendors supply? Some do, some don’t and some are using specific features as they need them.”

In the end, she stresses that AI requires input to be useful.

“Without data, the AI can’t help,” she explains. “If you want AI tools to help you with ganging and nesting, that tool needs to know what equipment you have, its specifications and the type of work you do. If you want it to manage your colour, it has to know what the output equipment is capable of, and it needs to understand the standards and profiles the input files use. It isn’t magic, and it can be time-consuming to set up.”

McGrew also cautions that setting up AI tools for qualitative work is not a ‘one-anddone’ proposition, but “will need constant care.”

Best first steps

In terms of how a print company should proceed in investigating AI/robotics for large print jobs, McGrew notes that every large format printer should be talking to their vendors about what options they al-

Synchronizing conveyor systems with welding equipment will help streamline jobs.

ready have and plan to have in future.

“Ask about their roadmap, what efficiencies they plan to bring to the table and how they plan to keep up with the changes that keep coming to the many AI infrastructure tools,” she advises. “They will look at your pain points, and which ones lend themselves to an AI-assisted solution. If you aren’t sure, talk to your vendors about help with an assessment or find an independent consultant who can come in, look at your processes for bottlenecks and gaps and make recommendations. Today, DIY AI is risky. It’s changing too fast. But your vendors and trusted consultants can help you find your way.”

KOMF I AMIG A 5 2 T D

Designed & Manufactured in Czech Republic B2 format in either Single Side or Double Side in 1 pass

We have a skills problem

When Gen X operators retire, who will run the presses

By Rodney Blissett and Nithya

The print industry is a $7.9-billion business in Canada, according to IBISWorld. It is packed with worldclass technology and equipment rivalling any modern manufacturing sector. Yet it continues to fail where it matters most: the people expected to run it. There’s a chronic shortage of skilled people in the print trade and it’s only going to get worse.

As Steve Gardner, regional sales manager, Müller Martini Canada, warns, “When Generation X [the majority of skilled press operators in Canada] leaves the building, there’s going to be a lot of companies in trouble.”

Companies invest millions in new equipment, celebrate installations, bring in OEM trainers for a few days, and then quietly hope someone ‘figures it out’ once real production pressure takes over. The gap between what machines are capable of and what people are trained to do is where this industry bleeds time, money, and talent.

Modern print shops are filled with automation, robotics, and increasingly sophisticated control systems. On paper, many of these operations should be running flawlessly. But walk the floor and the same issues surface repeatedly: inconsistent setups, chronic downtime, unnecessary waste, and press operators hesitant to make adjustments because they don’t fully understand the consequences.

Jason Foubert, general manager of the Toronto plant, Marquis Book Printing, believes the industry has created its own monster, and this lack of knowledge in print plants has

$7.9B

nothing to do with young graduates or their perceived lack of interest in trades.

Printing technologies have continued to improve and it’s easier to print a sheet, bind a book or fold a paper now than 20, 30 years ago. Manufacturers are selling that ease, suggesting machines can be operated by anyone without training. Printing companies are buying that ease, argues Foubert. This has created a situation where there’s a lack of

When Generation X leaves the building, there’s going to be a lot of companies in trouble. - Steve Gardner, Müller Martini Canada

basic understanding of what’s behind the buttons.

“Nobody even understands how we’re putting ink to paper, whether it’s digital or conventional,” he says. Additionally, in larger plants, there’s a tendency among machine operators to rely more on the maintenance team for what traditionally used to be troubleshooting or operator adjustments.

Expensive consequences

When press operators lack basic knowledge about machines, it becomes expensive to maintain equipment. According to Foubert, this increases a company’s service costs, preventive maintenance expenses and lost work time due to unforeseen downtime, which could be hours or days depending on the severity of the problem and where the service reps are located, which, in Foubert’s experience, is increasingly Europe or the U.S.

Long-term

equipment problems are educational

In the past training wasn’t formal,

but it was constant. Senior operators passed down knowledge one couldn’t find in a manual—how a machine should sound, what vibration meant trouble, when speed was a friend and when it would cost you quality. That knowledge was reinforced shift after shift. It created confidence, consistency, and pride in the craft.

Sadly, that culture has slowly been eroded by lean staffing, rushed

startups, early retirements, and relentless production pressure. Experience walked out the door, and very little has replaced it.

Unlike Europe where printing is a certified trade with well thought-out apprentice programs, training is inconsistent, informal, and heavily dependent on the company in North America. What operators learn vary from shop to shop, shift to shift, and person to person. In many cases,

operators aren’t trained so much as they are left to ‘survive’.

Canada has no Red Seal–style, nationwide certification for printing or post-press trades. Skills earned in one province may not be recognized in another. This lack of standardization limits mobility, weakens consistency, and sends a clear message about how seriously the industry takes its own trade.

Instead of a shared framework,

“The Nyala significantly boosts our growth strategy and print quality.”

Michael Parris, President, InView Graphics, Inc., USA

fragmentation has been normalized. Every shop defines ‘qualified’ differently. Skills transfer stops at the plant door. Quality becomes uneven. And the industry continues to act surprised when it can’t attract, retain, or develop skilled people.

A mechanical mindset

Gardner suggests hiring people who are mechanically minded and inherently curious about equipment. Foubert adds it’s important for companies to invest in people and create a culture of training and constant learning. This doesn’t mean you’re encouraging people to break a machine when experimenting with it.

“It’s the curiosity that’s been lost by the operator,” he says. “Let them figure some of this stuff out because, in the long term, you’re going to have a lot of operational savings.”

He adds there needs to be a cycle of continuous improvement in companies and a customized workflow that works for the business.

“It’s custom manufacturing. You could put the same press in 10 plants

When press operators lack basic knowledge about machines, maintenance costs increase significantly.

and it’s going to be utilized completely different in all 10 plants. So the operator has to learn your work and how that’s tied into your workflow. They need time to actually do the work on your press,” shares Foubert.

Attrition fears

Another misconception is around attrition. Companies hesitate to invest in training because of attrition. However, people don’t leave because they’re trained. They leave because they’re unsupported, blamed for problems they were never equipped

to solve, and given responsibility without understanding. Plants that invest in skills, clarity, and progression retain people longer. Plants that don’t create turnover and then label it as labour shortage.

OEM training has value, but its limited. It teaches what a machine can do, not how a specific plant actually runs day after day with real materials, real deadlines, and real pressure. That middle ground—between startup training and daily production—is where most waste, downtime, and frustration live. It’s also where the industry invests the least.

Nobody even understands how we’re putting ink to paper, whether it’s digital or conventional. - Jason Foubert, Marquis Book Printing

Although this may sound like doom and gloom, there are glimmers of hope. The work being done by PrintForward through its PELT program shows what’s possible when skills development is taken seriously. But isolated programs are not enough. This mindset must be turbocharged, scaled, and treated as essential.

The solution isn’t complicated, but it does require honesty, structured operator training, documented SOPs based on real production, workflow audits, and continuous skill development tied to performance rather than blame.

At Marquis Book Printing, they’ve created extended periods of preventative maintenance that goes beyond an OEM’s recommendations.

“We give each asset a shift down. Everybody on that team, whether it’s a crew of one or six, have specific tasks as a part of that preventative maintenance,” which helps them learn more about the machine, explains Foubert.

The number of years U.K.’s National Vocation Qualification program has been functioning.

Additionally, Marquis has created a shadow programme where operators follow the maintenance crew, assisting them with corrections and repairs, as needed, so that they become more knowledgeable.

With these initiatives, Foubert hopes operators will find joy in experimenting and working with machines instead of just feeding and taking off prints.

Gardner stresses it’s important for companies to come together, pool their resources to create a good roster of highly skilled operators. Sadly, in his experience, no one seems keen on collaborating.

The U.K. printing industry can be an inspiration for us. The National Vocation Qualification (NVQ) allows candidates to demonstrate both practical skills and underpinning knowledge in a subject. They have been a part of the education structure in the U.K. for 15 years.

“They are designed to allow everyone who is actively involved in a vocational job to achieve a formally

recognised qualification and be accredited for what they can competently do,” explains Jon Bray, who runs a print training program called Learn2Print.

Bray shares the NVQ training programs are constantly updated to include the latest in workplace developments. Additionally, these qualifications are recognised by other European countries, making labour mobility easy. The qualification is designed to allow industry newbies to work toward a formally recognised qualification. Depending on experience the course would typically take between 12 and 26 months to complete. Learn2print offer two courses in prepress, machine printing and postpress to support the printing industry.

It’s important for the us to remember that the future of print will not be decided by who buys the fastest or most automated machine. It will be decided by those who finally accept that skills are foundational infrastructure for a business.

Dan Deveau / owner / Cameron Advertising

Cameron Advertising in Toronto was established in 1955. Dan Deveau’s father bought it. Dan joined the family business in mid-1970s, mainly in sales. Around 2005-’10 Dan took over the company’s operations completely. Cameron Advertising services fast food outlets, retail companies, events, gas stations, etc. They print building hoardings, corporate work, interior design and other types of commercial print applications. Dan believes the company’s “continued commitment to purchase new equipment with very little or no thought whatsoever” helps them stay ahead of competition. They recently become the first print service provider in North America to invest in Agfa’s Onset Panthera flatbed printing system. Dan is also very proud of his employees, some of whom have been with the company for decades. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with him.

What is the state of the Canadian print industry?

DD: There are varying types of print. Some, I think, are going to be phased out over time. But it’s not doom and gloom for certain kinds of niche printing, some of which we do. We’re diversified, so I don’t see us shutting shop anytime soon.

What attracted you to the print industry?

DD: First of all, I never had a choice. I was like 14 years old when I started working at the shop during summer holidays. I graduated from post-secondary and my dad said, ‘Congratulations, get to work’. It was all I ever really knew back in the mid to late 70s. But I think the motivation for me when I got into the business is my people. Every day isn’t straightforward and easy, but we’ve developed a camaraderie here amongst our staff. Everybody shows up. Our Christmas parties are off the charts. I speak to my staff three to four times a year in general meetings. My door is always open. Kids come into the shop all the time. We know them all. We know the spouses. And I think we’ve built a real culture here. There are always new projects coming in. There are always exciting things for us to battle every day. So it’s fun.

How can the industry attract more young people?

DD: We’re always looking for good people here. We always need to have a couple of eager young salespeople to blend in with our more experienced staff. We’re getting younger at our shop. Unfortunately, the industry, from a manufacturing standpoint, is not ‘sexy’. Our company tries to entice people by having a benefit and a pension plan as well as profit sharing— little things to entice youngsters who want to make a career out of print.

The year when Cameron Advertising was established.

In such a competitive landscape, how can printers win more sales?

DD: Sales drive everything. I was lucky enough to know a bunch of my dad’s friends when I started selling at 20. In this age of global pricing and e-commerce, you’ve got to develop a relationship. At the end of the day, you’re putting ink on paper. What makes you better than the next person? It’s very hard to make a case with the technology alone. Personal

connections matter.

What are some of the biggest opportunities in the print industry?

DD: We’re very diverse here. We’ve got a great set of partners around the Greater Toronto Area, who we’ve dealt with for 30-40 years. We do all our own printing in-house, but some of the finishing gets outsourced when we’re overloaded. We’ve got a team of great installers across the country. So it’s finding whatever your niche is and being able to have the diversification to do different jobs.

What do you think is the most exciting aspect of the printing industry today?

DD: I think the continued R&D by press manufacturers is what really makes it solidify in my head that print is still going forward.

Dan Deveau’s response was edited for length. For more Q&A Spotlight interviews, please visit www.printaction.com/profile.