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NAOPA: back with a bang
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NORTH AMERICAN OFFICE PRODUCTS AWARDS 2021 REVIEW
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f all the in-person events missed over the past 20 months or so, award ceremonies have been among the hardest to replicate in any other format. The buzz and anticipation beforehand, and then the industry recognition and standing ovations after a win can simply not be conveyed without a lot of people being physically in the same room. And it was a very full room indeed when the North American Office Products Awards (NAOPA) were announced at Industry Week ’21 in November (see also ‘Together again’, page 60).
After a COVID-induced 2020 absence and a category rejig which factored in the changes that have occurred – or been accelerated – as a result of the pandemic, a total of nine awards were handed out. Six vendor awards acknowledged product innovation and excellence in several segments. The three individual awards, meanwhile, rewarded executives who, in one way or another, have made – and continue to do so – an outstanding contribution to our industry, be it in the early days of their ascending career, at their peak or towards the end of it.
BEST PRODUCT – CORE BUSINESS PRODUCT WINNER: COLOP – E-MARK Core office products remain a fundamental, but ever-evolving part of our industry – and of the NAOPA. And the winner has done exactly that – inject new and exciting life as well as growth into a traditional and mature segment. It’s COLOP’s e-mark. The e-mark is a portable printing device that is battery-operated and based on inkjet technology. It works in combination with an app which comprises an automatic date, time and numbering function, plus a barcode and QR code generator. This product is currently available in three editions – e-mark, e-mark create and e-mark secure. Winning the NAOPA in the Core Business Product category is a milestone in the history of COLOP, commented Christoph Skopek, Managing Director of COLOP Digital, and Head of Sales & Marketing Franz Ratzenberger (pictured, left to right), especially given the tough competition from other nominations. They said: “This unique award is a reward for our entire team. We are more than proud and it gives us a lot of motivation for the future. It shows that COLOP’s decision to invest in the digital marking sector was absolutely right and forward-looking.”
BEST PRODUCT – TECHNOLOGY WINNER: ONESCREEN – ONESCREEN GOSAFE Away from the traditional, Technology has become a wide open category which encompasses many different products serving many different purposes. The company taking home the trophy was perhaps not well known to many OPI readers – or indeed Industry Week delegates. It is now, in our COVID-dominated new world where employee safety has moved to the top of the agenda. OneScreen’s GoSafe is an entryway management device that uses biometric technology for scanning and recognition to help firms keep staff and visitors healthy and safe. GoSafe adapts to a company’s access control needs with features including hands-free rapid and secure temperature scanning, mask detection, and 99% accurate facial recognition without a mask. The NAOPA judges were particularly impressed with how fast GoSafe progressed from concept to customer installation. Says Zee Munir, OneScreen VP Global Business Development (pictured right, with OPI’s Janet Bell): “We knew we had to come up with a high-quality solution quickly that would not only address health needs, but also revive and re-energise activity in schools and in all types of organisations.”
