EFI Users Conference Features In-plant Panel

Las Vegas was abuzz with EFI customers in January 2016, when the company held its 10th annual Connect users conference. The sold-out event drew 10% more pre-registered customer attendees than the 2015 event. They piled into a ballroom at the lavish Wynn Las Vegas for four days of technical, sales and business management sessions, as well as fascinating keynote sessions by the likes of Las Vegas business legend Steve Wynn, Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts.

At one of the breakout sessions, a panel of four in-plant managers discussed how they have transformed from print shops into communications hubs. Revealing their recent initiatives and future plans were:

• Cathy Skoglund, of Arizona State University;
• Steve Priesman, of Omaha Public Schools;
• Tasha Carter, of YWCA of Los Angeles;
• Paul Sprow, of Arlington County.

They took questions from Xerox's Rob Piersielak as well as from the audience of managers.

During his opening keynote, EFI's former CEO Guy Gecht stressed the need for customers to “bet on changes in the market forces to accelerate.”

During his opening keynote, EFI's former CEO Guy Gecht stressed the need for customers to “bet on changes in the market forces to accelerate.” Successful printing businesses, he added, need to move with the window of opportunity. “You must be willing to take a risk. Doing nothing is a guarantee that you will be unsuccessful.” He and other EFI executives discussed recent technology advances, such as the debut of new Productivity Suites, digital printers and industrial inkjet products.

Gecht unveiled the Imaging of Things exchange (www.ImagingofThings.com), an online customer applications gallery designed to help EFI customers and print buyers grow their network and business relationships. The online exchange is free for EFI customers and  provides a venue for them to post images and videos of their work in a forum targeted to print buyers looking for new, unique and innovative application ideas. The Imaging of Things exchange addresses the network effect online communities have in accelerating adoption of new technologies and applications. And, as a result, EFI customers can better promote their EFI print applications and generate new business leads.

Numerous EFI technologies were on display at the solutions center, such as advanced EFI Fiery digital front end and software technologies for cut-sheet digital printing. There were previews of Fiery Command WorkStation 5.8 and the newest-version Fiery JobFlow digital print workflow automation software, which delivers even more powerful digital print workflow automation features for efficient multi-job submission, extended third-party job processing, workflow sharing and enhanced usability. Also shown in the solutions center were new entry-level and high-end hybrid LED printers with advanced, variable-drop grayscale imaging and white ink. EFI showed roll-to-roll LED printing technology from its recently acquired Matan product line, as well.