SGIA President & CEO Ford Bowers met with representatives of Durst North America, EFI, Fujifilm North America, HP, and Inca Digital this month to discuss the need for a space in the industry to present to the packaging community the new and transformative digital printing technologies coming to market.
“Just as SGIA served as a key resource and catalyst for the wide-format screen print conversion to digital, it stands ready to do the same with packaging,” said Bowers.
SGIA encompasses several market segments, including wide-format graphics, textile and industrial printing, that have adopted digital printing technologies, and the SGIA Expo is the largest trade show representing the widest range of digital technology in North America.
“While there are very strong trade associations serving corrugated, folding carton and flexible packaging companies, there is also a clear need to showcase the range of digital printing technologies that have the potential to transform how these providers serve their clients,” said Bowers. “SGIA and the SGIA Expo are long-time champions of digital technologies and techniques; it’s only natural that we’d share our understanding with other industry segments early in their adoption cycle.”
Many print service providers are working in multiple segments and purchasing a wide array of printing technologies, Bowers noted. For example, commercial, display graphics, industrial and garment printers, and packaging converters are all seeking to expand their product offerings—offering more to current customers and exploring new markets adjacent to their traditional customer base.
“The packaging market is firmly moving down the path of digital adoption. A single presence that encompasses a range of technologies and venues for exchanging information will be a strong benefit to them. It will also address the fragmentation in the marketplace, making it easier for newcomers to explore a multitude of options,” Bowers said.
He also acknowledged that SGIA is entering a new marketplace, and with that entry will come challenges. “We’re reaching out to a community that is not yet fully aware of SGIA. However, the benefits this strategy presents are so compelling that I believe there will be an enthusiastic response from the packaging community. No other association or trade show is in a better position to deliver this unified strategy to a broad community of technology providers, suppliers, printers and converters,” Bowers said.
For more information, visit www.sgia.org.
