This week FuturePrint is attending #SeikoOpenWeek2023, which is taking place in Frankfurt at their European HQ. FuturePrint is hosting some of the sessions at the event, and interviewing thought leaders for FuturePrint TV.

Below are some impressions from the talks at the event, including thoughts and feedback. It has been a great experience so far!

Since the first edition in 2021, Seiko Instruments GmbH has hosted the Seiko Open Week in June and it has blossomed into an event which pulls in people from across Europe and as far away as Brazil!

I talked with Ali Eranpurwala, Head of Department (Inkjet Printheads) at Seiko Instruments GmbH and he explained how this event came about, “This event was initially designed to help us to launch our European HQ as we moved from Paris to Frankfurt. For our first event we attracted 80 people, then last year 120, and this year we have 170 registrations. While it is a lot of work, the opportunity to help people learn and understand the opportunity of inkjet is important and powerful and we will continue to invest in our partner community in the future.”

A Winning Formula

The format of the event comprises talks, a live production area where people can observe the technology in action as well as their collaborative work with tech partners from multiple industry sectors across Europe. In addition, this event offers a relaxed opportunity for Seiko Instruments GmbH partners, customers and potential new customers to see the technology in action in real life, in a far less pressured environment than that of a trade show!!

FuturePrint’s Editor at Large, Karis Copp, hosted the textile panel featuring Fabio Tallarico from Seiko, Josef Guggenberger from Zimmer, and David Barreda from Itaca inks. The session included a progress update for inkjet in textile printing. Overall, the panel agreed that despite the challenging economic climate, they have an optimistic and confident vision of the future. The panel made the point that while many consider that progress (for inkjet in textile) has been more gradual (The panel estimated the total digital print market share at 10%) compared to ceramics (at nearly 100%!), both the technical and cultural challenges for the textile industry are clearly more complex.

That said, with the right technology, the right pigment inks, and recirculating inkjet heads, (and mindset) there is an opportunity to meet a growing demand for digital textile printing, and one that has sustainability at its core.

The Right Tech and the Right People

Lastly, what has shone through in all the discussions and interviews we have conducted at #SeikoOpenWeek2023 is that the characteristics of Seiko’s inkjet technology meet the demands of many industries and that this, allied with a positive and collaborative culture, results in a climate for success. Clearly, as a business, Seiko is committed to helping the industry move forward, by using the right type of inkjet head technology for a variety of applications. The fact they are also achieving growth is a positive by-product of the way they do business, by helping partners and customers to unlock new potential and also grow their businesses together in partnership.

This just goes to show if we are able to re-focus, collaborate and help people solve their problems, then success is never far away, whatever the economic climate.

Congratulations to the Seiko Team and their partners! And thanks for your hospitality.

More news, films and insights from #SeikoOpenWeek2023 will follow!