Attendees of the ninth annual conference of
the Graphic Users’ Association of Kodak Solutions (GUA) gathered in Sofia in
the first week of October, where connectivity, workflow and integration were
the topics under discussion at the highly successful three day event.
More than 120 Kodak customers and
GUA community members attended the event, which showcased the release of Kodak Prinergy Workflow 6.1 with the full Kodak Unified Workflow Solutions portfolio.
As part of a twin-track conference agenda led by worldwide and regional
experts, the Prinergy Workflow product roadmap was explored in detail.
Alongside product presentations, customer board members hosted in-depth
sessions with Kodak’s product support teams to share the opportunities afforded
by improved MIS connectivity, increased automation and Prinergy Workflow’s
market leading support of industry standards. A focus on industry relationships
with vendors including EFI, Compris, PrintVis, Arden Software and the recently
announced agreement with PACKZ, further underscores Kodak’s commitment to
customers and the connectivity of their solutions.
Incorporating industry insight,
technology innovations and live demonstrations held at the Innovation
Technology Lab, the programme was structured to help maximise customer return
on investment and provide unrivalled networking and learning opportunities. The
GUA board lead the delivery of a diverse agenda of valuable content, whilst
attendees were also able to participate in live panel discussions for the first
time in the event’s nine-year history. Another first for the event saw the
inclusion of a session by GWG to share the latest thinking on PDF best practice
and standardisation with Peter Claes being on hand to answer customers’
questions for the entire conference and help translate theory into practice.
In addition, the GUA Board took
the opportunity to reveal its new members. Samer Sabri Abdel Qader from Masar
Printing & Publishing and Johan Vanoeteren from Roularta Media Group join
the board alongside the addition of Peter Hulsmans(Kodak’s Regional Marketing
Manager Output Devices & Workflow Systems) and Katleen Verbeeck (Kodak’s
EAMER Marketing Communication Manager UWS, PS and Packaging). Mr Qader, from
the United Arab Emirates, is the first representative on the board from outside
Europe.
Making his debut as president of
the GUA this year, Stephen Lavey, GUA Board President said: “We’ve been
delighted to meet with both new and familiar faces at this year’s conference
and welcome our new board members. We also say farewell toDietrich Mägerlein
(Eukerdruck), Erwin Danis (Roularta Media Group) and Gudrun Alex (Kodak). On
behalf of the board we would like to thank them for their huge commitment and
contribution over the past nine years.”
The GUA conference provides
fantastic opportunities for Kodak and its customers and partners to enter into
a dialogue over product innovations and developments in addition to providing
unrivalled networking that otherwise simply would not be possible.
“We would like to thank everyone
who attended for their contribution to our first ever live panel discussions,
and to the keynote speakers for sharing their insight with us. GUA is now increasingly becoming a forum for
our partners to participate in creating world class workflows for customers and
we would also like to extend our thanks to our packaging vendors and the
partners representing MIS for their contribution to the event. Users were able
to explore how to connect an entire network from web shop to production and
discuss the potential benefits. As we all look for the ultimate workflow, this
technology can facilitate the drive to remove surplus processes, unnecessary
steps and communications; it’s what the industry is calling for.”
Gudrun Alex, Kodak’s EAMER
Marketing Director, added: “This year’s GUA conference was particularly
significant for me, not least with the unveiling of Kodak Prinergy Workflow
6.1, but as I prepare to step down as a member of the board. It has been a
privilege and a pleasure to stand as a board member since the GUA was formed 9
years ago and I look forward to continuing to act as an honorary member in the
future. ”
