packagePRINTING Attends EskoArtwork Forum in Gent
PHILADELPHIA—In mid-November, packagePRINTING headed to Gent, Belgium to indulge in some of the best chocolate in the world, but more importantly, for a special event hosted by EskoArtwork. The “EskoArtwork Solutions @ Work” forum was held to officially introduce the newly merged company, a union of Esko and Artwork Systems.
To kick off the event on the morning of Nov. 15, EskoArtwork management held a press conference at its headquarters to discuss the merger and what is ahead for the company. Carsten Knudsen, CEO of EskoArtwork, explained the company’s vision for the future through its new mission statement: “To be the leading solutions integrator to the packaging and commercial printing value chain.” He said the company aims to be the go-to provider for pre-production and collaboration software for packaging buyers, designers, and manufacturers, and to be the preferred supplier of platemaking solutions for flexography. And, the real value, he explained, lies in ensuring integration from start to finish.
“Only the companies doing that integration will be successful going forward,” Knudson asserted. “We have the ambition to grow faster than the market.” He also acknowledged that the company has a significant amount of work ahead of it to make sure it creates a strong, integrated product portfolio from each company’s separate offerings.
Although both companies primarily focused on the packaging markets, EskoArtwork will now offer extensive software solutions to the commerical print market. Arjen Maarleveld, senior vice president, products & solutions, explained that the commercial industry is in strong need of solutions for digital and offset printing, something the company will address. Guido Van Der Schueran, chief commercial officer, also emphasized that commercial printers are driving the market toward digital printing and are looking for “cheaper, better, and faster products.”
Van Der Schueran explained that EskoArtwork held the forum to reinforce its commitment to its customers. “With this event, we also send a strong signal to our current and future customers: EskoArtwork is committed to protecting their earlier investments,” he said. “Our product development teams will continue to deliver solutions that further improve on their existing configurations.”
Later in the afternoon, the company displayed its complete range of solutions in what Knudsen described as a “corporate trade show” for a broad variety of print and packaging applications, set up in market segment-oriented stands geared toward brand owners, designers, trade shops, commercial printers, the tag and label market, converters, and sign and display builders.
The product that attracted quite a bit of attention was the Esko Visualizer, a software program that allows design agencies to create and share realistic mock-ups and soft proofs of packaging designs. Attendees were fascinated with the software’s ability to experiment with different inks, substrates, and effects in different environments, under various lighting conditions. The product is designed to save costs by providing package iterations through the software instead of spending excess money on manufactured mock-ups.
For more information on the Esko Visualizer and the newly formed EskoArtwork, visit www.eskoartwork.com
