EFI CEO Guy Gecht says the rapidly move to the online world represents good news for print businesses owners, who can use digital print to exploit a myriad of new opportunities.
Speaking to ProPrint as part of a round of global media phone calls from California this morning Gecht says that printers who recognise the opportunity and move with the times can provide a compelling service to the market.
He says, “The rapid move to the online world means printers’ customers are demanding short run, personalised, on demand work with no waste and no lead time. Digital print is perfectly positioned to capitalise on this, especially in fast growing areas such as signage, packaging, textiles and decoration, along with more traditional but still growing print areas such as direct mail.
“The world is moving forward, and for print businesses standing still is simply not an option. EFI’s mission is to provide our customers with the best tools to enable to move forwards in the most efficient and effective way.”
Gecht says that print business owners need to look for markets where they can deliver value. He says, “For instance I was at an election rally in Silicon Valley – the home of the internet and email – where direct mail was the primary means of communication for the candidates. Using data and print is incredibly strong.”
He also points to areas such as personalised wallpaper and textiles as emerging opportunities for printers.
He says, “If printers can give the market what it wants – short runs, personalisation, no waste, on demand printing – then they will have every chance of developing a successful business. EFI is pouring money into print because we believe it has a very strong future, but it will not be the print of the past, the world has changed.”
EFI had its biggest drupa presence to date at the show two months ago, launching a slew of new products across wide format, digital carton, inks, workflow, textiles, labels, MIS and web to print, highlighting the enormous print range EFI has.
[Related: EFI in stellar second quarter]
Gecht says, “Our view of print is much broader than most and I would encourage print business owners to think how they can leverage their skills across a broader range of applications.”
Gecht revealed that at least one Australian business will be amongst the first dozen customers for the new Nozomi 100 feet long inkjet digital corrugated carton printer that was launched at drupa and will be coming out of beta test next year.
EFI is one of the fastest growing businesses in print, with sales set to top a billion US dollars this year for the first time, for a company which had a ’near death experience’ 15 years ago when it faced the prospect of losing almost all its customers.
Since then through technological innovation and in the last six or seven years combined with aggressive acquisition the company has gone from strength to strength. The company has achieved double digit growth every year since the GFC in 2008.
He claims that a huge 15-20 per cent of EFI’s burgeoning revenue is being ploughed into R+D, with 40 per cent of its global workforce in its R+D department.
He says, “We seek the brightest and the best, and we if find the right person we will find the budget.”
The company has ink development as its primary focus, and next year will launch its AquaEndure, its proprietary ink, that Gecht says marries the ability of UV to adhere to virtually any substrate and stay there with the environmental and cost benefits of water based inks.
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