EFI

EFI announced another sold out EFI Connect user's conference with 10 percent more pre-registered customer attendees compared to 2015.

EFI has acquired Shuttleworth Business Systems, a privately held print software provider headquartered in Kettering, U.K.

The Printing Plant is a privately-held narrow-web flexographic printer in Cincinnati that has been in operation since 1979. The company has grown considerably over the years, adding experienced staff and state-of-the-art equipment. Yet as with most every part of printing these days, there is always room for improvement. Especially with color.

Tennessee-based Graphic Label Solutions (GLS) was seeking an alternative to its existing label production process. The company was using screen printing as well as a wide-format printer to produce labels. But as run lengths shortened, the screen printing process became cost-prohibitive, and digital wide-format printing lacked the throughput needed to meet demand. In addition, GLS was seeking new business, a more efficient way to finish its work, and sought an environmentally sustainable solution to match the company's desire to have as small an environmental footprint as possible.

Short runs are becoming business as usual for converters, with brand owners wanting more and more runs of reduced lengths. A recent InfoTrends survey of packagePRINTING readers set out to see to what extent such runs are becoming more common. We obtained responses from 69 companies, each a converter of labels, folding cartons or both. The general results indicate that respondents' print jobs now include a significant share that is less than a few thousand linear feet, and that the share is growing.

EFI, a company specializing in digital printing innovation, announced that InnoMark Communications has selected EFI Radius ERP software to unify and manage business data and operations across its 11 facilities. Fairfield, OH-based InnoMark selected this ERP system based on its best-in-class tools for streamlined, multi-plant management and the technical capabilities Radius gives users to direct an extensive range of finishing and fulfillment processes.

The sweet spot for digital is still in the label segment of packaging. For now, moderate-speed digital presses will continue serving as short-run alternatives to flexography, empowering those machines to operate at optimal speeds and throughput. When the performance of both systems is optimized, their coexistence in a converting plant can bring greater profitability to the bottom line.

Broadening its VDP and cross media capabilities, EFI has acquired DirectSmile, a Berlin-based provider of software solutions for cross media marketing automation. DirectSmile employees, including co-founders and former principals Christoph Schacht and Christoph Clermont, have joined EFI’s Productivity Software Web2Print Solutions Group.

The label market continues to be amazingly dynamic and presents an immense range of opportunities for converters no matter which technologies they use. And best of all, it's only going to grow and expand. No one, after all, wants to live in a world without labels.

Indications of a North American economic recovery are popping up everywhere. From a large jump in new orders by U.S. non-manufacturers to a continued increase in long-term housing demand, there is ample reason to be hopeful.