By Sunil Gupta, Chairman & CEO of Memjet
There are many significant dates in December each year, but the winter solstice on December 21st stands out. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice marks the shortest day of the year – when darkness dominates the environment. Yet, on that same day, we celebrate the rebirth of the sun and light returning to the world. This 2020 has been a time of sadness, uncertainty and numerous challenges for many of us. But, just like the solstice – believed to be a time for regeneration, renewal and self-reflection in the midst of darkness – we are starting to see glimmers of hope amongst the despair. The impact of the pandemic on the printing industry, while challenging, has been varied. Global orders for commercial printing fell sharply when the pandemic hit, while others, like labels and packaging, have remained consistent and in some markets have grown. What is clear is that the industry will not be left unchanged by this crisis. In his keynote presentation for the Commercial: Digital Inkjet day of the PRINTING United Digital Experience, Marco Boer, Vice President of IT Strategies, observed how Covid accelerated trends in play before the pandemic like the shift away from offset to digital.
Moving Forward with Hope
The recently published NAPCO COVID-19 Print Business Indicators Research shows the index of leading indicators signaled that business activity is beginning to rise. These indicators – including quote activity, work-on-hand, production payroll hours, and business confidence – are trending upward, signaling a more positive future. While there is still plenty of uncertainty, these indicators demonstrate higher confidence in the market.nnMemjet is preparing for this nascent recovery and the expected rise in demand for digital printing. We analyzed the pandemic’s impact on print markets throughout this crisis and prepared our global operations to adapt to these changes and provide our OEM partners with the technology they need to meet the new demands of the label, packaging, mailing, and commercial printing markets. As we approach this holiday season and end of year, I am happy to report that in the midst of this pandemic, Memjet has worked to enable several of our OEM Partners to complete product developments successfully and launched a number of digital printing systems 100% remotely. Some include:
- The AlphaJET Print Factory 4.0 from MGI
- The Ophrys Iricolor in-line envelope printer from Varioprinting
- The ArrowJet Aqua 330R from Arrow Systems and Colordyne
- The m680c color & m440 mono publishing printing solutions from Shield
- The iCueLabel 420 from Coaso
We appreciate our partners very much for these product launches and remain excited for the others coming soon in 2021. There are still challenges to be faced, but we make our way forward with enthusiasm and excitement for what comes next. We are grateful for the OEM partners, employees, and investors who have helped us shape this journey. On behalf of the Memjet community, I wish you and your family a safe holiday and a new year full of possibilities.
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