Page 39 - Print21 Magazine May-June 2022

Cover story
New look for Currie Group at PacPrint: Rob Mesaros, CEO
or doing it organically, which
is purchasing the right capital equipment, partnering up with the right integrated solution provider like Currie Group.”
Mesaros is known as the modernising man within the industry, but with all the changes there are still constants. Service and customer first ethos chief among them. Mesaros says, “We've got industry-leading engineering coverage spread across the two countries. In fact, we're investing more in service. It's not only our core value proposition to our customers, it's core to our technology partnerships.”
Getting involved with EFI has meant additional service staff, and going forward Mesaros can see a day in the very near future where 3D vision googles will mean a local print operator can connect straight in with the manufacturer, in say Israel, and have the service technician direct them in live service, repair and maintenance.
Mesaros took over as CEO of Currie Group in the middle of the pandemic. He says, “We are making investments, which the industry will see at PacPrint, because we believe fundamentally that once we come out of this, and whatever the new normal looks like, the strong, as it always
is the case, tend to get stronger.
The last couple of years have been about modernising Currie Group. That is looking at tools, systems and processes, and streamlining, with a heavy focus on automation.
starting to see volumes that were previously being internationally outsourced, being locally produced, so that in itself is a real tailwind for the industry. Then there
are specialty substrates, new applications that require multi-layer printing. This is driving the market to new technologies, and is an obvious play for commercial printers, as we all are trying to do more for our customers. It’s about leveraging the fabric of trust that already exists between a print business and the customer.”
Labels and Packaging
Visitors to the Currie Group stand will see labels and packaging opportunities front and centre.
For Currie Group itself the sector has become a strong performer, reflecting it says, the opportunities that exist for print businesses
that have come from a commercial
background, as it itself has done,
to leverage their skills into the growth sector. Mesaros says, “Labels is the most buoyant segment of
the market. But if you have a look underneath the headlines, the area we're seeing some real big growth
is in the self-adhesive labels, that's probably the biggest opportunity. Quite frankly, in-mould labels, or shrink sleeves, tend to be dominated by a handful of players, whereas self-adhesive labels is certainly an emerging opportunity. In FMCG, supermarkets it resonates strongly as the value proposition intersects nicely with sustainability goals.
“Then you have a look at all the emergence of all these craft food brands, beverage businesses. You start to realise there's a proliferation of SKUs, driving short run printing, it’s a massive opportunity. Mesaros says, “Commercial printers are becoming more adventurous. It's either through small acquisitions
“It's a mature marketplace, but we shouldn't be fearful. We should all embrace the many opportunities in front of us.” – Rob Mesaros, CEO, Currie Group
“The other piece in the equation, which is critical, is looking at what it is that we sell, and who we represent in the marketplace, underpinned by continual investment in our service capability. I'm confident that the investments that we're making are considered and market relevant.”
Another constant remains Horizon finishing equipment, Mesaros says, “Japanese precision engineering on Horizon delivers what our customers want – reliability, productivity and innovation.”
As the industry evolves, forward looking businesses evolve with
it. Mesaros says, “It's a mature marketplace, but we shouldn't be fearful. We should all embrace the many opportunities in front of us.” 21
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