Screen Printing - April/May 2018 - 16
advertisement Meeting the needs of 'Just-in-tiMe' Frank and Marilyn Sliney, founders of Franmar Michael Maxwell Senior Manager at MiMaki USa What concerns seem to be front of mind with your customers today? the way business is conducted today is just-in-time and in many cases handsoff. Leveraging the internet, many PSPs have started offering same-day turnaround for products. These businesses need solutions that are reliable, costeffective, and quality driven. Mimaki is developing products with these needs in mind. Since we develop the printer, ink, software, and media, we are able to produce products that deliver the results our customers need to be successful. Mimaki is promoting five-layer printing capabilities with the uCJV line of cut-and-print devices. What are some of the advantages of this feature? Layered technology in general opens up a wide range of possibilities, but also solves production bottlenecks that are relevant in aging print methods. The five-layer technology, for example, enables our customers to deliver a true double-sided print that shows a different image depending on the viewpoint. This technique has historically been used in screen printing practices, which are labor- and time-intensive. By creating a digital approach, the PSP can simply tell the software what the intended outcome is, and the printer does the rest. This expands the capabilities of their businesses with applications such as welcome/thank you signage on clear media for applying on windows. Combined with LED cure technologies that generate low heat, five-layer workflows expand offerings even further on difficult media like static clings. This opens up a world of possibilities for directional signage and retail advertisements. We're hearing that brand owners are scrutinizing their vendors more carefully now on the sustainability of their business practices. how are your customers dealing with the challenge? It is not only important to have a good product, but it's also equally important to have relationships that align with sustainable business practices. As a market leader, our customers expect us to have ethical, economical, and ecological practices. We strive to develop products that align with these principles and deliver. Would you agree that in just about every market segment, printers are experiencing increased pressure on turnaround times? Absolutely. Today's consumer wants to make a quick decision and have the product delivered in a short amount of time. This pressure cannot only be on the PSP. Manufacturers have a responsibility to make products that are more in line with the needs of the market to ensure positive growth and success. By developing smarter and more compact printers, Mimaki is leading this need with our customers in mind. We make every attempt to deliver products with the best mix of reliability and deliverability with features that address everyday concerns in a cost-effective way. in most shops, the bottleneck has moved downstream to post-print finishing processes. how is Mimaki addressing this issue in its technology development? Mimaki is constantly evolving. We are delivering products with inks that are more durable and cure quicker, so that PSPs can have more control over the post-printing process. For customers that need an additional step like cutting, we have integrated cutting technologies, such as cJV or UcJV Series printers to improve these print-cut workflows. Our products are also easily scalable and cross functional. For example, any of our cutting devices can receive a print from any of our printers. We have also introduced matched companion products to address these needs like our la-160w laminator and Mimaki Vision laminates. We believe that by providing a comprehensive and well-developed solution, we can empower our customers to make the choice of how to deliver efficiently and just-in-time.