On 12 October, the Middle East joined the annual calendar of Esko’s international user forums with a series of seminars at Dubai’s Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates.
Presentations covered Esko Suite 14 – launched in July – and the company’s new Kongsberg V product line as well as CGI, the challenges of digital printing, and achieving flat-top dots with HD and Full HD Flexo technology.
Johan Bastiaen, Esko’s sales account manager for the Middle East, told Packaging MEA that the company would aim to repeat the forum with more input from customers.
“The customers were satisfied overall, yet because this is a local market and it was our first time, I think we can improve,” he said.
“I personally feel we should involve the customers more. Some of our ‘Esko world’ customers talk during the event but most of them don’t do it the first time.”
Imad Shaban, managing director of iTM, Esko’s Middle East distributor, said the goal was to present new and upcoming products.
“The main aim of EskoWorld Dubai was to provide clients in the Middle East an insight into future developments in flexible packaging and digital finishing,” he said.
“We believe that the focus should be on what is to come further down the line, rather than to dwell on what is already existing in the market.”
Power of 14
After a welcoming speech from Bastiaen, the event got under way with a presentation on the future of packaging prepress with a focus on the company’s new Esko Suite 14.
Geert De Proost, Esko’s director of software engines, told the audience of almost 100 regional packagers that Esko Suite 14 is “an essential resource for successful packaging and prepress professionals”.
The new suite aims to address five key trends: Increasing importance of workflow automation; the use of smart templates to handle package variations; quality as the most important driver; a more task-focused software user interface to drive increased efficiency; integration of the supply chain and data-sharing via the Cloud.
De Proost highlighted how the WebCenter 14 64-bit app reduces turnaround time and errors by enhancing connectivity with third-party solutions and among Esko products.
Connect software also standardises how third-party solutions are integrated with Esko components, driving end-to-end automation. Connect allows for easy integration with solutions such as MIS, shipping systems, web applications such as Google Maps and other web portals.
The Automation Engine also covers a series of colour tasks and converts brand colours to a fixed ink setting using Equinox profiles.
With an updated ArtiosCAD editor, Esko promised “more creativity, less clicking”. Enhancements include more accurate BOMs in less time, according to the company.
ArtiosCAD users also get more realistic 3D visualisations when folding corrugated and paper board along with improvements for die-making, such as single-click options for filling a line or path with nicks.
De Proost also spoke on Esko’s partnership with Chili Publish on an in-browser editor for packaging design. With this solution artwork creators can let anyone in the supply chain modify packaging content within established constraints.
In visual inspection the new system eases digital communication of critical parameters, eliminating setup time. Meanwhile, ArtPro+ provides quality control of artwork and prepress files and Imaging Engine 14 brings users into “the next generation of CTP production”.
Suite 14 also features FlexProof, with a new interface to facilitate meeting colour accuracy expectations, and i-cut Layout+, with a streamlined interface for editing layouts.
Finishing well
The event continued with an update on Esko CAD, which was followed by presentation on Esko’s new Kongsberg finishing product line from Tom Naess, Esko senior product manager CAM.
Kongsberg V – available both for packaging and for sign and display – joins an existing family that includes the Kongsberg C and Kongsberg X series.
The C series covers large-format tables with high productivity, while Kongsberg X is a more comprehensive range of digital finishing platform. The X line includes the Kongsberg XE, suited for folding carton samples, and the XN platform, for heavy-duty finishing. Kongsberg XP is designed for continuous production.
Kongsberg V arrives as an entry-level digital cutting solution with standard configurations for packaging to deliver high-quality finishing with a wide range of materials.
Rob Marinissen, executive manager of X60, a company set up by Esko customer NDigitec contributed a presentation on the growing role of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in packaging structural design.
Pascal Thomas, Esko business development manager for digital flexo, spoke on current trends in digital flexo platemaking and how to achieve flat-top dots through HD and Full HD flexo screening and digital platemaking technology.
Bastiaen told Packaging MEA that the region has contributed to a good year for Esko.
“Europe is rather flat, still growing though it’s a small growth,” he said.
“The MEART [Middle East, Africa, Russia and Turkey] region is the growing market with a lot of potential… I think 2014 for us was a very successful year. Though the year is not ended yet we still can say it was a successful year. We have already completed our targets and aim for higher.”
He also sees an eagerness among customers to explore new sectors, he added.
“What I see is that everybody within a sector is trying to get out of it and is looking around at other sectors,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s folding cartons, labels, flexible, trade shops… Everybody is looking to expand their possibilities and their markets. Each has their need and is changing. For example, corrugated packaging is about saving, labelling is about productivity and optimising the presses… More things are happening outside of their comfort zone.”