Volume 4 Issue 4 Fall 2022
Going green
What agencies need
Label & packaging trends
IN THIS ISSUE
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Fall 2022 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4
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The Multiplier Effect A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
The best use of time is investing in something that will continue to grow. So, when you add positive stimulation to another person’s day, it carries forward in all of their interactions. Even if you don’t see the results directly, investing in the growth of others has a multiplier effect that increases the well-being of an entire community. We all have a limited number of days to make a difference and, at Fujifilm, we take the mission of the greater good very seriously. We believe that we can invest in the kind of business activities that can lead to a sustainable society. In other words, our commitment to relentless innovation does not end with the types of solutions or the robust service posture we provide. Creating environmentally sound products is a part of our endeavor to resolve social issues through our business activities. Making a difference is born from a deep motivation to serve. And while our platform continues to support the people and companies that print, we will always focus on impacting the community overall. Our feeling is that we all can embrace the idea of making a difference and infusing a lot of good into this world. In turn, we all can choose how to invest our time and spend our money. At Fujifilm, we choose you and those who are important to you.
PRESS Komori GL 840 PLATES Fujifilm SUPERIA LH-PL thermal plates SCREENING Fujifilm 175 line Co-Res Screening
As our spotlight on sustainable packaging demonstrates, we are eager to reduce our environmental impacts and contribute to a healthy society overall. It is these types of efforts, along with the investment in each interaction we have, that give meaning to our work. In turn, we want to multiply our efforts in a way that supports your ability to make a difference in your respective markets.
“Creating environmentally sound products is part of our endeavor to resolve social issues through our business activities.” Our cover feature, “Limitless,” underscores the idea of making an impact through creativity. Most executives don’t see their companies as creative, yet that is what fuels big ideas and opens the door to new business opportunities. In our second feature, “The Cause,” we discuss how your agency clients are defining themselves differently these days. Printers must understand how they can help this target client group achieve their goals and multiply their value to them. Enjoy the issue and all the best, Mark Friedman Vice President of Marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division
INKS/COATING Outside cover prints 4/c process HUV ink plus overall Gloss Aqueous Coating. Inside cover and body prints 4/c process HUV ink plus overall Satin Aqueous Coating.
IN THIS ISSUE
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THE MULTIPLIER EFFECT A letter from the publisher
GOING FOR GREEN
How Fujifilm’s sustainability journey continues to make a difference
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LIMITLESS
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INK SPOTS
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Removing the barriers to creativity
Tactics, stats, and trends that matter
THE CAUSE
What agencies need from you
DIVING IN
Fujifilm Embraces Packaging & Label Trends
HAIL TO THE MAESTROS How an evolving partnership with Fujifilm is helping Laklé redefine its game
print illustrated is published quarterly by FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division Copyright 2022 All rights reserved Managing Editor Gregory Pas, FUJIFILM Creative and Editorial Direction Conduit, Inc. conduit-inc.com
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GOING FOR GREEN
HOW THE J PRESS 750HS, J PRESS FP790 AND SUPERIA ZX PROCESS-LESS PLATES ARE TRANSFORMING FUJIFILM’S SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY The J Press 750HS. The J Press FP790. Superia ZX Process-less Plates. Sitting at the heart of Fujifilm’s sustainability efforts, these products are poised to be at the forefront of the environmental future of Fujifilm’s sustainability efforts. In a time when the print industry—and the world—is focusing on the importance of sustainability, Fujifilm is helping take the lead on the educational front. At the core of Fujifilm’s sustainability efforts is its commitment to use leading edge, proprietary technologies to provide top quality products and services—striving to resolve social issues through its business activities and contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. “Our approach to corporate social responsibility is to contribute to the sustainable development of society by putting our corporate philosophy into practice through sincere and fair business activities,” says Girish Menon, Sr. Director, EHS, at Fujifilm. “We continue to work on understanding and solving social issues through our business activities, which will create new value for society, keep us sustainable in the future, and reduce our environmental and social impact from our business activities.” Fujifilm’s basic tenet is to develop new products and services that will not only be valuable to society, but
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also help reduce the impact on the environment and society (see sidebar, “The Fujifilm Way”). The manufacturer’s quest for sustainability started in 2017 with the unveiling of its Sustainable Value Plan 2030, known as SVP2030. Based on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Fujifilm established 15 priority issues and targets set in the four areas: the environment, health, daily life, and work style. Since launching SVP2030, Fujifilm has made big strides in building a sustainable practice that matters. The company continues to reduce its burden on the environment with a new goal to reduce Fujifilm Group’s CO2 emissions (by 65% (compared to FY2013 levels). “We aim to fully operate on carbon-free energy and achieve net zero CO2 emissions by FY2040 across our global operations,” Menon says. “However, we are
Our approach to corporate social responsibility is to contribute to the sustainable development of society by putting our corporate philosophy into practice through sincere and fair business activities.” – Girish Menon, Sr. Director, EHS, Fujifilm
striving hard to achieve carbon neutrality in regions (Americas), where it is feasible to achieve it more rapidly.” In 2018, Fujifilm rolled out its “Green Value Products” certification program to existing internal environmental regulations on design, clarifying products’ environmental values, and extending certification to products incorporating outstanding environmental considerations. A perfect example of this is the J Press 750HS digital press, which offers reduced environmental impact.
Compared to offset presses, the J Press helps reduce paper waste and is better designed for chemical use. In addition, the inkjet press’ quality is equivalent or better than offset printing. The combination of printheads, precision control of ink discharge rate, and new drying mechanism, enables high-speed output of 5,400 prints per hour (1.9 times the speed of the 720S). Even the installation area was reduced by about 15% which further decrease the environmental burden. The new Superia ZX Process-less Plates are another wonderful example of Fujifilm’s environmental commitment. The benefit of a process-less plate is the elimination of prepress chemicals associated with plate processing. While saving water usage, and electricity, this remarkable solution also reduces the footprint and labor allocated to maintain the equipment. The overall downtime risk from the processor is erased, making the Super ZX both financially and environmentally impactful. .
The Green Way Forward
Another key area on the sustainability front is packaging, which Menon says will be necessary from many angles, including the need to protect ancient forests and nonrenewable resources.
THE FUJIFILM WAY The Fujifilm sustainability effort is pretty straightforward: Lead by example. That starts with producing the types of products aimed at creating a green future for everyone.
fine tuned for optimum use with Illumina on virtually all common narrow web flexo substrates. The ink system offers the ability to cure under either traditional UV or LED systems with the same ink.
Take the Illumina ® COLDCURE LED System, which features the industry’s only curing technology that eliminates heat from the narrow web flexo printing process. This makes it ideal for reduction of energy consumed in the pressroom, as well as substantial reduction of heat on press, which is ideal for running shrink and extensible films.
The 300 Series inks offer superb dot reproduction, maintain crisp print definition, sharp copy, high color density, lightfast colors available for outdoor applications, and clean reverses without the gain typical of water or solvent-based flexo inks.
Illumina has the smallest footprint of any cure or drying system, featuring a system that can be retrofitted onto any traditional narrow web flexo press with UV or water-based systems. Making it happen typically takes a day or less. In addition, Fujifilm’s 300 Series Hybrid UV-LED Flexo Inks are
“We need to be able to reuse and recycle packaging, especially with the new circular economy concepts,” Menon says. “Current infrastructure in North America is lacking. We need to design packaging to be able to be reused and/or put back into society. We need to eliminate some chemicals in the inks and paper that harm the environment and/or human health.”
He recommends starting small with a win-win project that will snowball into bigger things. If you are already on the journey, think outside the box for opportunities.
For print companies that have not taken the sustainability step forward, Menon says the time is now.
“There is a real opportunity to make a difference financially, socially and environmentally,” he says. “If you are a
The Flenex Water Wash flexographic plate system provides environmentally superior flexo plates in format sizes from 25 x 30 to 42 x 60, offering the highest quality and productivity while significantly lowering the cost-in-use compared to thermal, solvent or other water-wash plate technologies. A key benefit includes total platemaking time under 40 minutes, allowing for more output per shift for class-leading productivity.
climate change believer or not, I do not think we can take the risk of not doing anything, especially for our children, grandchildren and future generations.”
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The
most creative people at NextPage are always thinking at least two to four steps ahead. A typical creative discussion will include an “If-this-thenthat-or-else” line of thinking. The key is to never settle for just one answer. Take small steps to test your ideas before diving all in. Read. Listen. Ask open-ended questions.
Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”
If you want to know where Gina Danner, owner and CEO of the Kansas City direct marketing and variable data printing company, stands on all of this—she loves it. For Danner, the first step in creativity is awareness. She makes it a point to read and listen to a variety of information, including podcasts, books and news sources that cover industry specific areas, and political, international, science and social topics.
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Next, she thinks about the what ifs. “My daddy always said, ‘God gave you two ears and one mouth. That should tell you something,’” she says. “You never learn by talking.” Danner believes that creativity is about connecting the dots from disparate knowledge and experiences. For example, during the crux of the pandemic in 2020, she spent a lot of time thinking about the supply chain, following the paper industry carefully. She saw that the pendulums always keep swinging. That awareness allowed NextPage to get in front of the challenges of paper inventory—always staying one step ahead of the curve by keeping a consistent supply on hand.
By thinking creatively, you can envision and plan your own destiny. You can embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it.” – Gary Laney, Founder/CEO, Success Masters “This has allowed us to better manage our business for success,” Danner says. “Phrases like, ‘That’s how we’ve always done it,’ are like nails on a chalkboard. The phrase is what can lead to the death of a company. We must always be questioning why we do things the way we do. The only way to overcome that phrase is to ask the question, ‘Why do we do it that way?’ and then pretend it was outlawed. If you don’t, how else are you going to achieve the same or better result?” While print service providers typically think of their businesses in the realm of craftsmanship, it takes a huge amount of creative thinking to be suc6
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cessful today. At NextPage, its team exercises creativity in how they design equipment and production workflows, how they think about staffing and how they interact with customers. Ask Danner and she will tell you that being around since 1988 in an industry with its share of momentous ups and downs and still standing strong means it has had to do creative things to thrive. “We have to be creative in all sorts of ways that are different than it was two or three years ago,” Danner says. “The supply chain requires us to think creatively about space, cash flow, pricing and client relationships. We have had to change recruiting efforts, and continuously try new and different avenues for finding staff. Identifying and engaging prospects has required tenacity and creativity at every turn. When people are no longer located in a known office, it makes it difficult to connect. From voicemails and emails, and direct mail design, everything must grab and engage. Then, once you get the meeting, you have to be truly unique in your offering.” And while many leaders are natural problem-solvers, true leaders of a creative vibe allow their staff to be a part of the process. Jumping in and fixing everything does not build a sustainable team. Danner says that can be a death knell for a company today. “As a leader, I have to put my needs for warm fuzzies on the back burner and let those feelings go to the staff. I may see all the mistakes they will make, and I may see it costing extra money, but if a decision isn’t going to negatively impact a customer or a staff member, I am often better off letting the team run with their ideas.” Getting everyone involved in the creative process While on a tour of Johnson Wax during his time at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business, Gary Laney
remembered seeing something that changed everything he thought about business leadership. The tour took place in the 1980s, back when companies would send documents building to building via vacuum tubes.
Phrases like, ‘That’s how we’ve always done it,’ are like nails on a chalkboard. The phrase is what can lead to the death of a company. We must always be questioning why we do things the way we do.” – Gina Danner, Founder/CEO, NextPage Laney and his colleagues soon discovered that the once clever channel of communication was fraught with challenges—expensive ones. Unfortunately, the documents would get stuck in the tubing from time to time, sometimes shutting down the operation and resulting in costly repairs. Enter employee creativity. Recommending that the company use a tennis ball or super ball to knock the capsules loose, one of the Johnson Wax employees received a $100,000 bonus reward for the idea. Laney, now founder and CEO of Success Masters, found that the incentive to get employees involved was ingenious— creating loyalty, rewards and synergy that is invaluable.
the corporate high-tech and commercial publishing spaces before starting his own company. “Creative thinking is our ability to look at a problem and find new alternatives that solve it. This skillset is important because it helps you look at situations from a fresh perspective.” In a commercial print industry that is constantly evolving, being creative is a way to develop novel or innovative solutions that do not depend on past or current solutions. It offers the ability to clear your mind and find thoughts and ideas that can transcend the limitations of a problem. Creativity, Laney says, is linked to an ability to envision the future. “By thinking creatively, you can envision and plan your own destiny. You can embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it. It makes you more willing—even eager—to navigate uncharted waters and take visionary risks.” Laney says his leadership development years taught him that whenever there is a problem, there is an equal opportunity. “I now ask myself when a problem presents itself, ‘What is the opportunity here?’ Problems force us to get off our high horses, roll up our sleeves and be creative again.” In the race to build engagements, communities, and products and services that make a difference, freeing your mind enables uncoupling from the same old, same old and creates incentives of collaborative yore.
“In my opinion and experience, leadership and management should encourage and even reward creativity in the workplace,” says Laney, who has had 25 years as an executive in Fall 2022
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INK SPOTS
Tactics, stats and trends that matter
SHIFTING GEARS
FORRESTER SURVEY OF 950 RESPONDENTS SHOWS B2B BUYER BEHAVIOR HAS CHANGED
The past couple of years have created new challenges for remote working, selling and purchasing. Forrester’s B2B Buying Study in 2021 revealed how buyers respond to the new norm of being mostly virtual while seeking information about providers and their offerings before making a purchase. There were three main takeaways:
The Number Of Buying Interactions Jumped By 10 The number of buying interactions during the pandemic jumped from 17 to 27! The number of buying interactions reflects one individual’s buying journey to obtain information about competing offerings or providers.
The Word “Buyers” Now Means A Buying Group 63% of purchases have more than four people involved — vs. just 47% in 2017 — and they can include different roles from multiple departments.
Buyers Go Everywhere For Information With the sprawl of the internet and the plethora of content from providers and industry gurus, buyers can find information about B2B products and services almost anywhere.
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B2B MARKETERS ARE STILL TRYING TO MEASURE ROI According to research from FINUTE and 93x, the perpetual challenge for marketers is measuring the impact of marketing on revenue. The top 3 issues for B2B Marketers are... » 48% working on marketing impact measurement » Taking on Brand Building » Sales/Marketing Alignment Note: 74% of B2B tech organizations will increase their brand marketing spend
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IT MATTERS The Capgemini Research Institute (www.capgemini.com) surveyed 7,500 consumers globally to understand their preferences, behaviors and expectations on sustainability. The Institute also surveyed 750 senior executives in various sub-sectors of CPR to gain more insights on maturity, priorities and outlook of sustainability.
79%
of consumers are changing their purchase preferences based on social responsibility, inclusiveness, or environmental impact.
64%
53%
say that buying sustainable products makes them feel happy about their purchases (this reaches 72% in the 25-35 age group).
of consumers overall and 57% in the 18-24 age group have switched to lesser-known brands because they were sustainable.
52%
More than half of consumers (52%) say that they share an emotional connection with products or organizations that they perceive as sustainable.
67%
of consumers said that they will be more cautious about the scarcity of natural resources due to the COVID-19 crisis, and 65% said that they will be more mindful about the impact of their overall consumption in the “new normal.”
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The Cause What agencies need from you
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hese are interesting days for today’s creative agencies. Ask Billy Mitchell and he’ll tell you that his agency isn’t necessarily doing more for its clients than it did two years or so ago, it’s just that the mix of what it does is very different. Not that long ago, everyone, everywhere was touting the power and promise of the digital landscape. So, as an agency, your value proposition had to key in on how you could get a potential client to the digital nirvana it so wanted. What changed? Mitchell, founding partner of Atlanta-based B2B marketing agency MLT Creative, says print changed—or the newfound love of what it means to today’s marketing value proposition. Today, when he sits down with his clients, the conversations include more of the print factor, which means MLT Creative’s value proposition has refocused. “It’s different because so much about the marketing eco-
system is evolving. We have deep experience in both digital and print media, and our strategies and successful implementations reflect that.” Meeting in the middle to meld the value in those creative pursuits is where today’s agencies shine. Being able to effectively and succinctly translate what a client wants and needs is where the real talent takes place.
Above all else, an agency must be who they are and show why that matters. That means developing a strategy and messaging map before anything else. Areas include creating buyer personas for target audiences and refining messaging to make messaging more personal and relevant. And then, you have to deliver this value proposition throughout everything your client has: website, digital and print marketing materials, etc.
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“It must be within every proposal,” Mitchell says. “I can’t imagine a communication strategy for marketing purposes without at least one value proposition. Don’t be generic. Make it mean something to your prospects and current customers.” On its end, the MLT Creative team welcomes relevant research from anywhere they can get it, especially when it comes from their strategic partners. For example, data on the various industries the MLT Creative clients market with its value. Things like lists, trends, competitive intelligence, account-based marketing intelligence on specific targets, etc. And last, but certainly not least, referrals. By fine-tuning your agency’s value proposition, Alaina Chiappone believes you are helping your prospective and existing customers see the same light you see. Think about their needs and pain points and problems— what inhibits them from resolving those needs? “Consider what they would expect of a product or service designed to help them resolve their needs,” says Chiappone, publicist for Otter PR, a leading results-driven agency in Orlando, Florida. “You should create a profile of your product or service. Consider who it is designed to help, how it alleviates some of their pain points, and how it adds value to them.”
I can’t imagine a communication strategy for marketing purposes without at least one value proposition. Don’t be generic. Make it mean something to your prospects and current customers.” – Billy Mitchell, Founding Partner, MLT Creative 12
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Chiappone says your value proposition will help you get to the core of your overall messaging. If you cannot communicate why your potential customers need your product or service, they will not be able to identify why they would need it, either. More importantly, your messaging must be continually evaluated. “As consumer values evolve, it’s important to re-examine your value proposition,” Chiappone says. “Today’s consumers want more options that are good for their health and for the environment at an affordable price. These changing values may
shift the problems your customers face, and therefore the solutions you will provide. You can repurpose the main points of your value proposition to fit different channels of communication like your social media, blogs, testimonials or ads.”
Follow the trends
Supply chain. Staffing. Sustainability. Each of these trends today impact the core of what your agency offers. Areas like the supply chain and staffing issues are indirectly related to your value proposition. So, while they may be more pressing issues for your clients’ frustration or result in
Today, the MLT Creative team still is working remotely and may shift to a more hybrid model at some point down the road. “As our client contacts are either moving back to the office, working a hybrid model or continuing remotely, we haven’t missed a beat on personal engagement and prompt response.” Another trend that has grabbed headlines over the past few years is sustainability. And while it is vital to many agency clients, some still view sustainability as a “nice-to-have” and not a driving purchasing factor. Chiappone recommends clarifying this in your ideal targeted customer to determine if it should be included in your value proposition or used in supplemental messaging.
You should create a profile of your product or service. Consider who it is designed to help, how it alleviates some of their pain points, and how it adds value to them.” – Alaina Chiappone, Publicist, Otter PR higher costs, they often are not issues that directly affect how your agency’s product or service solves a problem for your clients.
most challenges as opportunities,” Mitchell says. “If the pie is shrinking, we help them get a bigger piece of the smaller pie.”
“Unless you offer industry-changing solutions to supply chain or staffing issues, leave them out of the value proposition and address them in other forms of messaging,” Chiappone says.
As for staffing, MLT Creative has been around long enough to have survived recessions and other challenges. Several years before COVID hit, it had down-sized its team, which helped it become more efficient and successful. “Prior to COVID, we had made an exception for one key employee to work remotely, although I had serious reservations,” Mitchell says. “I was proved wrong, which helped us adapt to the whole team working remotely.”
While global and local supply chain issues slowed business for some of MLT Creative’s clients, the agency saw too many cutbacks in their marketing efforts. “We are nimble enough that we can help our clients respond to
“Sustainability may be a different case,” she says. “If your product or service offers a cutting-edge sustainable solution and your targeted customer places an emphasis on sustainability, it would be worthwhile to include in your value proposition.” Today, as designers and agencies continue to define themselves differently, the key is to stay in step with what your prospective and existing clients want to say. To get—and keep—a seat at the table, you must be ready to ingrain yourself in the key points, trends and challenges impacting their messaging strategies. Fall 2022
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
DIVING IN FUJIFILM EMBRACES PACKAGING & LABEL TRENDS The Packaging and Label team at Fujifilm North America Corporation Graphic Systems Division is a senior level team that has directed high growth over the past several years. They have developed a product roadmap and global go-to market strategy for packaging with a focus on digital solutions. print illustrated asked them to share their perspective on the emerging markets and trends.
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PAC K AG I N G
Can you give a snapshot of today’s packaging and label market and the impactful trends? The label and flexible packaging markets continue to show steady, promising growth into the future, with CAGR around 2%- 6%, depending on market segment. And those market segments are diverse, including areas such as food and beverages, broken down to confectionary, snack foods, meats and cheese, poultry, produce, coffee and tea, dry foods like cereals, nutrition, as well as pet foods, health and beauty, cosmetics, cannabis, and other high-value markets. They are all looking for creative solutions to help them gain market share and shelf space. When we refer to high value, we mean products that brands want to show well cosmetically (lots of color) for marketing purposes. Low-value markets include heavy, industrial, durable bags that only have one or two colors and are used for functionality, not marketing or shelf appeal.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities in digital packaging? Digital technology is mainstream today and must be a vital part of your equipment portfolio. The digital portion of these markets is growing in double digits. Digital technology is more efficient than analog for the ever-growing short-run market. In turn, digital offers faster lead times, more customized messaging, and an eco-friendlier process.
As a provider to the graphic arts market, Fujifilm wants to participate in these fast-growing sectors, as well as sectors like folding carton and corrugated. Because of our success and knowledge of the commercial print space, we continue to leverage our expertise into these new markets, especially as more consumer-packaged goods companies specify digital print. They want to take advantage of the marketing opportunities to boost sales and improve shelf space.
The digital portion of these markets are growing in double digits, as digital technology is more efficient than analog for the ever-growing short-run market.” Is flexible packaging a ripe market for digital? Digital makes up less than 1% of all flexible packaging print, which means there is great opportunity. When our technology launches later this year, we will offer more than twice the production of any other digital device on the market–giving us yet another major competitive advantage.
flexible packaging industry–especially the food and beverage sectors, which make up for over 80% of all flexible packages printed. Today, the flexo and gravure print processes use solvent-based inks for the most part, which are not as earth and eco-friendly as water-based. CPGs and consumers want more sustainable processes, whereby inks are food safe and can be composted and recycled safely. In addition, as digital production speeds and efficiencies go up, run lengths are becoming shorter, so there is almost a perfect storm of opportunity as the two converge.
Digital label production is new, but can you share your thoughts on its growth spurt? As the markets move to shorter runs, there are more advantages in digital label production than analog. There is a real move towards personalization and customizable messaging, as well as custom QR codes, sequential numbering, and serialization. With the commitment Fujifilm puts into everything it does, the potential to grow quickly in the digital packaging and labeling space is robust.
As for the other opportunities in the digital packaging and labeling space, there are many. For example, there are growth opportunities for digital in shorter run folding cartons. Water-based digital print technology is another perfect process for the
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HAIL TO THE MAESTROS HOW AN EVOLVING PARTNERSHIP WITH FUJIFILM IS HELPING LAKLÉ REDEFINE ITS GAME
that would make the transition bearable from a risk management perspective. “It was a complete business shift for the company,” Mario says. “We were looking to bring our print production in-house and we didn’t want to invest in an offset printer.” The process did not come without an intense set of hard decisions, including evaluating a number of solutions that were dependent on innovation subsidies. And to make things more interesting, the process happened during the pandemic lockdowns. When the smoke cleared on the decision-making process, Laklé broke the process into three distinct and critical phases: technical qualifications, which would take roughly one year; building out the business model, another eight to 12 months; and then entering the printing market, which they surmised was equivalent to losing legacy clients in the service-to-printers market.
The management team at Laklé was eyeing a change. The revered Quebec-based company— known as the “Maître Boitier,” or Master Box Maker, in the Canadian province—had long established itself as one of the country’s premium cardboard box manufacturers. Lauded by its peers, customers and suppliers for its creative and innovative side, Laklé is equally cited for the quality of its products. Founded in 1990 by Mario Vachon and his wife, Johanne Bouchard, the family-owned business boasts more than 30 years of experience in high-end custom packaging and complementary services. In the beginning, Laklé mainly targeted complementary services to printers. Following the evolution of the packaging market, customer demand for high-end products and a higher level of complexities transitioned it to becoming a leader in the manufacture of highend personalized cardboard packaging in small and medium quantities. 16
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In its gradual progression of growth, Laklé shifted from a service-centric business (die-cutting and stamping products sent by printers) to a product-centric business (manufacturing boxes). And with a second generation of leadership in the wings, led by Audrey Bouchard-Vachon poised to step in, Laklé was ready for the next iteration of greatness. As the company peered into the future, it wanted to find a print vendor, a partner, that could help it get into the printing game by creating a structure
“It was a totally new venture into the printing world,” Mario recalls. “The business prospects included a wide spectrum of manufacturers and service businesses that were looking for high-end packaging.” Making a connection that matters Heading into a new phase of the print world meant taking a deep dive into a slate of manufacturers in which each offered its own set of equipment, service and knowledge. As the research and evaluation process ensued, the Laklé team started reviewing what was out there, including products from Agfa, Canon, and Konica Minolta. “None of them were able to really help us address the bulk of our needs while being able to seamlessly integrate into our current workflow process,” Mario says. The Laklé team knew what they wanted. It was more than just a piece of equipment, but also a relationship—
one that they could depend on during everything from installation, workflow and customer support. “We needed a great depth in support,” says Laklé Director of Operations David Levesque. “We needed a partner.” When Laklé executives sat down with the Fujifilm team, there was a synergy that stood out. Laklé ended up installing one of Fujifilm’s versatile B1 format inkjet printers with full automation, which was capable of printing in excess of 15,500 ft²/hour (283 beds/hour). Featuring three CMYK ink channels, plus the choice of white or orange, the B1 printer uses Fujifilm Dimatix drop-ondemand printheads, which are ideal for the production of high volume, quality images onto a wide variety of media including sign and display, commercial and packaging. Fujifilm had everything Laklé needed on the equipment side, including the integration of key inkjet solutions components, quality, speed and the print format solution. But getting into the game and hitting the ground running meant finding more than the right equipment. As Mario and David say, Laklé wanted a partner. It wanted a mutual confidence between parties that could not only do business together, but also share risks.
There is a lot of mutual trust in our relationship.” When Laklé executives met with Fujifilm, everything clicked. Fujifilm was able to provide proof of great depth in the support team—tech, sales and customer service, direct touch points with management, color specialists, etc. It provided a payment schedule that could help optimize their cash flow. It provided a service package that completely mitigated all the assets related to risks.
says. “The total impact of the print division is hard to quantify, but record revenue levels are obtained every few months and our business is soaring.” An eco-friendly company, Laklé also is constantly seeking new packaging solutions to preserve the planet’s ecosystems. “We have been working for more than 10 years to develop new techniques for finishing and manufacturing corrugated cardboard packaging. This new partnership with Fujifilm will allow us to move further in this direction. Indeed, it allows the control of the entire value chain, from design to distribution—digital printing in 28x40 format on various materials, including 100% recyclable materials or made from recycled materials.”
One of the drawbacks of Laklé outsourcing its printing was that the leadtimes were two to three weeks. With the new Fujifilm B1 printer, turnarounds could be as efficient as three to five days. In addition, the Laklé team could produce run lengths under 1,000—a price point that opened vast new market opportunities.
All in all, the partnership continues to pay off. Working with Fujifilm continues to help Laklé see the benefit and market traction. “There is a lot of mutual trust in our relationship,” Mario says. “We really believe in their process, and what they are bringing to the market. And we trust in their ability to support us.”
Laklé was enthusiastic about the new possibilities. “Printing brings more revenue to stamping, die-cutting, manual handling, media margin [etc.],” David
Today, thanks to the partnership it has forged with Fujifilm, one of Quebec’s largest packaging manufacturers is also an occasional local printer. Fall 2022
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