Business - Appointments

FESPA, the global federation of national associations for the screen printing, digital printing and textile printing community, has appointed two new Board Members: Thomas Struckmeier and Christophe Aussenac. The appointments were approved by the General Assembly of FESPA’s 37 member associations in Bangkok, Thailand, this month.

Thomas Struckmeier represents FESPA’s German national association BVDM (BundesVerband Druck & Medien) while Christophe Aussenac is President of FESPA France Association, the autonomous French national association. Struckmeier has also served as a member of the board of Intergraf, the European Federation for Print and Communication, and on the steering committee for drupa 2016.

The usual term of office for FESPA Board Members is three years, after which they may step down, or be proposed for re-election by the General Assembly. The two new Board positions resulted from the retirement of FESPA Board Members Michel Caza and Ricardo Rodriguez Delgado.

Consistent with all other current FESPA Board Members, Christophe Aussenac and Thomas Struckmeier are both active leaders of their own specialist print businesses.

Christophe Aussenac (49) is a founding director of ATC (Autorise Toute Creativité), a specialist in signage and graphics, display and POS, with a strong emphasis on creative indoor and outdoor realisation of campaigns for corporate and agency clients. ATC has branch offices in Lyon, Paris and Annecy and employs 55 members of staff.

Thomas Struckmeier (48) is CEO of Blase GmbH & Co. KG, a leader in printing (screen and digital) and in-mould decoration for industrial, functional and decorative applications. The company’s key markets include automotive and bicycles, white goods and machinery, gaming equipment, and corporate and domestic interiors. Blase Kommunikationstechnik, another group company, is dedicated to the production of printed electronics.

FESPA President Lascelle Barrow comments: “I have had the privilege of working with Michel and Ricardo for many years as fellow FESPA Board Members, and on behalf of the entire FESPA community, thank both of them for their long and energetic contribution to the growth and success of FESPA and its members. We owe a particular debt to Michel, a ‘founding father’ of FESPA without whom we would not be the strong global business support organisation we are today. His passion for print, generosity with knowledge, commercial drive, creative spirit and deep commitment to the environment, all give the FESPA Board an important legacy to drive forward.”

“For his part, Ricardo Rodriguez has made an invaluable contribution to the development of FESPA’s relationships in Latin America, most notably working with the Mexican association and Conlatingraf.”

Lascelle Barrow continues: “I am delighted to welcome two dynamic new Board Members in the shape of Thomas Struckmeier and Christophe Aussenac, each of whom bring fresh insights and perspectives to FESPA, both from their own businesses and from the markets they represent. They have formidable track records as business people and, through their work with their national associations, have already demonstrated a firm commitment to supporting their peers and developing best practice, principles that are at the core of FESPA’s organisational mission.”

The FESPA General Assembly 2014 also confirmed Board Member Yaşar Gűvenen as President Elect, to assume the role from current FESPA President Lascelle Barrow in 2015. Christophe Duyckaerts was voted Vice President Elect.

The FESPA Board is now as follows:

• Lascelle Barrow - President (UK)
• Yaşar Gűvenen - Vice President & President Elect (Turkey)
• Christian Duyckaerts - Vice President Elect (Belgium)
• Enrico Steijn - Treasurer (Netherlands)
• Christophe Aussenac (France)
• Gyorgy Kovacs (Hungary)
• Anders Nilsson (Sweden)
• Thomas Struckmeier (Germany)

[Image shows: Thomas Struckmeier (left) and Christophe Aussenac (right).]

PressOn, the large format digital printing company based in Rochester in Kent, has appointed Nick Lake as Key Project Manager to help with meeting the demands of its rapidly growing customer base and to explore new business opportunities.

The role has been newly created and Nick will be responsible for project management across a number of markets. He will ensure the co-ordination of the most complex multi-faceted projects PressOn works on. In particular, his extensive experience will enable him to advise on design and fabrication solutions for bespoke retail and visual merchandising projects. He has also been tasked with expanding the events and exhibitions sectors of the PressOn portfolio.

“I have taken an entrepreneurial approach to my career to date and it was a meeting of minds with the management team at PressOn. I’m particularly looking forward to offering fabrication and manufacturing expertise in the new role which will help take PressOn into new directions for their business,” said Nick. “I have worked in pre-press for the litho-print industry and ran my own company for 15 years. More recently I have overseen stand design and build at exhibitions and have seen a shift towards experiential installations in recent years. I’m really keen to help PressOn use new materials and to focus on producing ground breaking creative solutions for their clients.”

Andy Wilson, co-founding MD at PressOn adds: “Nick is a really exciting addition to our growing team at PressOn. His skill set is really unique in the industry and his role is essential to achieving our forecast growth and strategic direction for the next 3 to 5 years. Our projects are getting more and more complex and his expertise will be invaluable.”

Graphic Printing Technologies (GPT) has announced the appointment of two new salespeople and the promotion of Gina Caka to Consumables Sales Manager. The appointments highlight the on-going growth and development of GPT and confirm the company’s plans for building market share and continuing to meet its overall business objectives.

Gina Caka has been with GPT for 4 years as consumable salesperson. “Gina is an excellent salesperson and has always been very committed to the company. With the new team of salespeople coming on board, it made perfect sense to promote to Consumables Sales Manager and we have every confidence in her ability to be very successful in this role,” says Shaun Thompson, General Manager of GPT.

The new consumables sales team will be include two new appointments, Stephen Tabor and Collete Eyles who will work together to cover sales and account management across the UK. Thompson concludes, “We have put together a strong and experienced sales team for this very important area of our business. Our consumables sales are not just about our broad range, competitive cost and unrivalled service, we also believe that positive, long-lasting relationships with customers are vitally important.”

[Photo shows (L to R) Gina Caka - Consumables Sales Manager and Collette Eyles and Stephen Tabor on consumables sales.]

Hybrid Services has appointed Colin Lewis as Operations Manager.

Lewis brings over 40 years’ experience in the customer service and technical sectors to the company.  Having worked alongside a number of blue chip, multi-national corporate companies in recent years, Lewis looks on the new role as an ideal opportunity.

“My focus will be on the continued improvement of Hybrid’s technical and customer service functions.  A desire to deliver a world class level of support and customer care sits at the heart of Hybrid and it’s my job to ensure we provide that,” comments Lewis.

Director at Hybrid, Phil Thomas, adds, “Colin’s background in both electronics and customer services made him the ideal candidate for the new position and we’re confident that his appointment will be of significant benefit to Hybrid’s customers and resellers alike.”

Lewis takes responsibility for the service and technical departments within the company, heading up a team of internal and nationally based engineers that support Mimaki installations across the UK and Ireland.

“I am confident that my experience in the high-tech service sector on an international level will benefit Hybrid’s customers significantly,” confirms Lewis. “Delivering quality service sits at the core of what I’ve achieved in the past and my goal is to ensure Hybrid further develops its position as market leader when it comes to service provision.”

CMYUK has appointed Michael Crook as Commercial Director, Consumables Division. In this new role he will concentrate on the company’s growing portfolio of materials across all sectors of digital production, promote customer relations and generate wider understanding of the importance of using the right media and consumables.

The timing of Crook’s appointment is also key to the ongoing investment CMYUK is making in its online procurement system. His in-depth knowledge of supplier relationships and customer requirements will drive the company’s philosophy of offering best-in-class materials at extremely competitive prices.

Crook joins CMYUK from Antalis where he was product manager of its Sign & Display division. His long and valuable experience in the consumables’ sector goes back 17 years, and includes working in direct sales, product support and business development roles. Formerly with Robert Horne, and as a member of the Paperlinx digital solutions’ team, his in-depth knowledge of materials and understanding of customer requirements are instrumental assets for CMYUK whose growth in the supply of materials complements its strong presence as the UK’s authorised distributor of EFI VUTEk wide-format printers and Mimaki UV-curable products.

“Choosing the right materials is key to getting the best results, and this is a principle that applies across all ink formulations. We pride ourselves in helping our customers make the correct selection for the printer and the specific application,” says CMYUK’s Jon Price. “However, the demand for our consumables continues to grow exponentially. By appointing Michael, we can now extend our ability to provide excellent service across our expanding portfolio, and maintain customer relations efficiently and knowledgeably.”

“Joining CMYUK gives me the opportunity of bringing my expertise to a growing company and taking on a new challenge,” adds Crook. “I’m looking forward to playing a strategic role in the company’s continuing growth, and helping to align the right products with the best technology so that end users can produce the optimum results.”

As well as its distribution of EFI VUTEk and Mimaki printers, CMYUK is a specialist distributor for A Berger soft sign and textile fabrics for digital printing, SpiritTEX display profiles for textiles, and Zünd flat-bed cutting tables. The company also offers full colour management consultancy and trouble-shooting plus a range of useful service options.

Hybrid Services Ltd has appointed print industry veteran Stuart Cole to the newly created position of National Sales Manager – Industrial Products. As Mimaki’s already highly successful portfolio of flatbed and roll-to-roll LED UV printers expands apace, Cole’s primary responsibility is to develop this market further.

“As Mimaki’s Industrial Products’ sales continue to grow, Stuart’s significant knowledge and experience will enable us to strengthen our position in this demanding market,” says director, Peter Mitchell. “We are delighted to welcome Stuart to the team and are confident his skills and understanding of the sector will prove invaluable in his new role.”

Mimaki has already added two significant new products to its industrial products line-up in 2014, with the highly acclaimed JFX200 8ft x 4ft LED UV flatbed and production roll-to-roll UJV500 machines launching at Sign & Digital UK. The new machines sit between the UJF range of small format flatbeds and the grand format JFX500 in a roster that delivers solutions across a broad array of markets.

Cole has over 25 years’ experience in the wide format and sign and graphics industry and says, “I’m looking forward to the opportunity of working with Hybrid’s reseller channel and assisting them as we continue to build on an already strong range of UV products with the exciting new launches we’ve seen in recent months.”

As part of Hybrid’s sales management restructure, John de la Roche will become National Sales Manager – Sign and Graphics, with similar responsibilities for Mimaki’s solvent printers, cutting plotters and the new generation of SUV and latex printers. Cole and de la Roche will work alongside each other to develop and strengthen Hybrid’s overall sales efforts and reseller channel.