Customisation, personalisation, versioning and regionalisation will continue to be big drivers for digital print, with reshoring likely to benefit from the technology’s continued growth, according to EFI chairman and CEO Jeff Jacobson.
Mr Jacobson made the comments during the opening keynote of EFI Engage, the company’s first virtual users’ conference. Engage replaces this year’s in-person Connect event, which was cancelled as a consequence of Covid-19.
‘We will continue to launch new solutions across our portfolio to meet our customers’ growing and varying needs,’ he opined. ‘It is more important than ever to adapt, as the agility and technological foresight of this industry has enabled us to remain essential and relevant.’
Whilst the print industry will regain some sense of normality, Mr Jacobson was at pains to note that things won’t be, ‘exactly the same.
‘This creates new opportunities. We view it as incumbent upon our team at EFI to help you prepare for what is needed and what is ahead for your business.
‘Digital has always meant print does not have to be a one-size-fits-all proposition. We can pursue customisation, personalisation, versioning and regionalisation, in ways that help our customers achieve targeted growth.
‘Digital print is more and more about giving the customer what they want, and when they want it; a product custom made for you, personalised and delivered to your taste. It is what we have all seen with e-commerce and the ‘Amazon Effect’, and it will only continue. We can now take plain brown corrugated boxes and transform them into personalised media.
‘Digital can also mean creating products closer to the point of need. As different areas of the world invest in and realise the opportunity this creates, we could see the realisation of pent-up opportunity for reshoring.’
He noted that EFI is already seeing movement in this area, particularly through digital textile and garment printing, which is a topic covered in more detail by sister magazine Digital Printer.
EFI Connect is scheduled to return as an in-person event in January 2022.
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