Page 16 - Print21 Jan-Feb 2020

Cover Story
EFI delivering
growth into future
Veteran print industry leader Jeff Jacobson has taken the helm at EFI, and has a clear vision for the company, and the industry. Print21 editor Wayne Robinson asks him what print businesses can expect in 2020, and for his priorities in the Asia Pacific.
Jeff Jacobson is one of the most well-known names in the global print industry, having led several high- profile technology suppliers,
and is now CEO of EFI, stepping into the hot seat as the company begins a new phase in its dynamic existence.
EFI is one of the most influential businesses in print around the world, and here in Australia and New Zealand. Its Fiery digital front ends are found on the majority of digital print engines, its wide format solutions portfolio is one of the biggest in the industry, its software solutions encompass a huge range of applications from MIS and workflow through to web-to-print. It is also pioneering pathways into digital corrugated printing, and digital textile printing, both of which offer potentially huge opportunities.
EFI last year went back into private ownership, with Siris Capital now owning the business. Jacobson was already working with Siris as an advisor, so when the former CEO decided to step down for family reasons it was clear that Jacobson was tailor-made for the role, and the role for him. He says, “I have known EFI, its leaders and its technology for decades; it is the only company in the industry I could have imagined joining as a CEO.”
EFI has been a pioneering business in the industry ever
since it was founded by legendary innovator Efi Arazi, and today
is at the core of print. Jacobson describes it as being, “in a very good spot”. He says, “I think it is central to the Siris Capital decision to acquire EFI. They saw that the company has a strong recurring revenue across a broad base of print customers, along with some rapidly accelerating new areas that will start to define where digital printing is going for the future.
“The technologies we have, like Fiery and our workflow suites, are central to what printing companies need to do to be successful. So, as a company we cherish and really protect that core of essential, business- critical solutions, and then on top
of that we have so many solutions that let our customers expand into new growth areas, like textile or corrugated. Some of our strength is
in having a portfolio that spans the opportunities for your business today, and what you are going to be doing tomorrow as digital transforms even more of the print industry.
In his keynote at Connect, the annual EFI user conference, Jacobson mapped out how important it is for print business owners and managers to examine their businesses through four pillars - Be Present, Continually Test the Status Quo, Become an Expert Generalist, and Make Life Simple.
“Some of our strength is in having a portfolio that spans the opportunities for your business today”
– Jeff Jacobson, CEO, EFI
He is applying these same pillars to his own business. He says, “So you will see EFI do things in the near future that are designed, for example, to ensure we can be more of the expert generalist – the solution provider
that has powerful tools that are general enough in the core, functional advantage they offer that they can be applied effectively and efficiently in several different vertical markets.
“And of course, we want to be the vendor that you can come to Make
Life Simple as well. No one ever asks for more complex answers to their problems. We are already making headway on that, with an enhanced emphasis on service taking place at EFI. It is important for us, whether it is
an installation, or a fix for a machine that is down, that the solution we deliver is timely and simple for our customer. That’s easier said than done, and it is something I had experience with working with very large service organisations at Xerox and Kodak.
2020
Jacobson and his team are excited about what has happened with
EFI and its customers in terms of technology. He says, “We introduced new products in the display graphics space that have had huge demand, and then 2020 will be phenomenal in textile as well, not only with our roll- out of single pass, but also with our inks, and all of our Reggiani lines.
“We also see solutions like Nozomi starting to redefine the market, so more people are getting into digital corrugated, oftentimes business that would not have considered it in the past.
“This is all part of our successful overall ecosystem strategy, starting with Fiery, progressing with industry leading software, and then the broadest industrial inkjet portfolio.”
This will be his first full year at EFI so the year will be shaped by change in some way or another.
EFI starts the year with some new leadership, its new CTO Doug Edwards for instance, and there are new initiatives that will start to influence how it operates.
Print is a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry, Jacobson says, “It
is evolving along with other areas of technology, with AI and Big Data, there is a growing expectation and need for technology that helps you make the right decisions and execute quickly.
“Integration is a big part of
that – having different parts of the production workflow working together as seamlessly as possible. We have a lot of experience with
Above
We listen,
we react:
Jeff Jacobson, CEO, EFI
16 Print21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020