Page 36 - Packaging News Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

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PACK AND LABEL PRINTING
Exploiting the digital age
Packaging solutions developer Esko is set on connecting all aspects of the packaging production business. PKN’s Wayne Robinson travelled to Belgium to find out what it means from Esko’s director of corporate marketing Jef Stoffels and
director of solutions marketing Geert De Proost.
MAIN: Connected: Geerd De Proost (left) and Jef Stoffels at Esko HQ in Belgium.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Innovative packaging design software from Esko.
AVISIT to the global headquarters of Esko just outside Ghent, Bel- gium, is to enter a world of
clean lines, sleek workflow and confident direction.
Since making the strategic decision at the turn of the millennium to exit commercial print and focus on packaging, Esko has become a crucial part of the ma- jority of packaging produced around the world. The company estimates that no less than 90 per cent of all packaging has had at least some Esko input in its creation and pro- duction, a remarkable achievement, with the likes of Esko ArtiosCAD becoming the de facto standards in their fields (see PKN November-
December 2018, page 28).
An idea of the scale of Esko
comes from the fact that some 300 million packaging jobs were pro- cessed through Esko workflows in the 12 months to September last year, its highest number ever for a 12 month period.
Esko has achieved this not by just making great products, but by taking a holistic approach to the market. Jef Stoffels, director of corporate mar- keting at Esko says, “Esko under- stands the packaging chain. Our mission, and why we have achieved such success, is to help enable our customers meet the needs of the market in the most efficient way. For instance, we use VSM (value stream mapping) with our customers, which helps everyone see where business processes can be improved.”
Those who have visited Esko at re- cent trade shows will have noticed that the company’s theme has moved from Packaging Simplified to Packaging Connected. Stoffels says, “We are not only automating all the steps in the packaging pro- duction process, but now integrat- ing everything such as MIS and ERP as well. Everything is connected, with just one location for every- thing, including colour and content, in the entire supply chain.”
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