The appointment coincides with the announcement by KPGraphics that it is entering the flexographic plate market with its own Flexcel plate.
Gat brings to KPGraphics over 25 years of broad international experience in packaging graphics, printing and publishing, primarily in electronic prepress technologies, including litho and flexo CTP, digital proofing, digital workflow optimisation, and printing optimisation technologies.
Prior to joining KPGraphics, Gat held a national marketing and logistics manager position with The Connection group. He assumed responsibility for national sales in July 2002, and under his leadership the group thrived and more than doubled its business as a leading flexographic repro house in Australia.
Gat began his career in printing and publishing as a service engineer with Scitex. He spent four years in Milan, Italy, before returning to Israel to join the R&D team in the development of new imaging and prepress technologies. In 1983 he was appointed applications manager for Scitex America, where he spent five years contributing to the growth and expansion of the use of the technology, and liaising with corporate R&D.
In 1988 Gat joined DuPont’s Electronic Imaging division as industry marketing manager, and was part of the division’s efforts in developing a new generation of electronic prepress systems in collaboration with Japanese prepress products supplier, Fuji Photo Films. This effort led to the acquisition of Crosfield Electronics in 1990, following which he spent five years leading the US corporate accounts sales support.
In 1996 Gat transferred to Tokyo, Japan to work with a DuPont-Mitsubishi Paper Mills joint venture to establish and implement digital equipment sales in Japan.
Upon the sale of DuPont’s Printing and Publishing division to Agfa in 1997, Gat was appointed digital applications manager, Cyrel and Digital Proofing Asia Pacific and spentthree years developing the flexo CTP market throughout the region. His efforts established Digital Cyrel technology as the de-facto standard, and led to the continuously growing and strong position it enjoys today, with installations in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Gat relocated to Melbourne, Australia in July 2000, and for the last four years served on the annual print awards judging panel of the Australian Flexo Technical Association (AFTA). He was a speaker In the 2000 conference on the prepress panel discussing the Economics of Using Digital Plate Technology and in the 2002 conference he discussed the use of Press Finger Printing to achieve high quality and profitable printing. At present, he is part of a team of speakers running AFTA workshops around Australia where he discussed Digital Plate Technology and Press Finger Printing. Gat was a guest speaker at the AIP Christmas dinner in Sydney, where he discussed the application of color management to close the colour control loop in the Flexographic printing process.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter