By Erwin Busselot, Business Innovations & Solutions Director, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Europe
Understanding the challenges European printing operations are facing, and how they will shape the business outlook over the next three to five years, was a central theme of discussions at the latest Ricoh Customer Council, which took place near Brussels earlier this month.
Topics included the increasing need to manage more jobs with lower run lengths. Important, too, was how their business could be improved via greater integration with digital communication and increased workflow automation. The pursuit of greater efficiency in terms of energy use was naturally also a key issue.
Another challenge was a shortage of skilled employees, particularly those with inkjet expertise.
The dedicated setting promoted a free exchange of ideas and in-depth, open, discussions that evaluated how operations could respond.
One identified way forward was the ability to switch offset print production to digital inkjet without clients noticing any difference in time, quality, or cost. Few solutions can achieve this but the Ricoh Pro™ VC70000 continuous feed digital inkjet press was identified as a system that can deliver offset quality, flexible media support, high productivity, and a better than expected break even versus offset.
Challenges outside the immediate control of the attendees were among the concerns raised at the first face to face version of the event since November 2019. They included worries about any new waves of the Coronavirus and the impact of the war in Ukraine.
The rich and insightful input from the diverse cross-section of our clients who joined us will be used by Ricoh to improve our understanding of where to focus both product development and support. So, the spirit of co-creation was alive and well in Belgium.
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