Finishing & Screen Printing
2015 – A year of growth and expansion for Highcon
Monday 08. February 2016 - From design creativity all the way to enhanced production processes, Highcon experienced a year of growth and development during 2015.
To reflect the growth and changes in the company, Highcon chose the beginning of 2016, a drupa year, to launch a new company vision, accompanied by a new logo and a new website.
Highcon’s new vision statement “To bridge the gap between design creativity and production capability with innovative digital technology that unleashes the power of paper” reflects not only Highcon’s strategic vision but also the practical experience of its customers worldwide.
Aviv Ratzman, Co-founder and CEO said: “Miki – my co-founder – and I started out with a clear vision of bringing the digital revolution to post-print in the packaging sector in particular. Since we started in 2009 we have realized that the benefits of our technology are much more far-reaching. We have seen what our customers have been able to achieve and how they have expanded their businesses into new markets. So our new vision and logo reflect those changes – as does our updated website which presents all the different markets, applications and solutions enabled by our technology.”
During 2015 the company’s digital cutting and creasing technology was showcased at numerous events across the globe. Highcon appeared for the first time at Hunkeler Innovation days, DSCOOP EMEA in Dublin, Print China, IGAS/Dscoop Asia in Tokyo and also attended Graph Expo 2015 where the Highcon Axis 2D to 3D platform was launched. This solution is now at beta sites in the US and the UK.
New installs of the award-winning* HighconTM Euclid II machines were made in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, including three repeat orders by existing customers.
The company’s management team grew worldwide. Vic Stalam and Jens-Henrik Osmundsen joined the Highcon team as President, Highcon Inc. and Vice President Sales EMEA respectively, and Eshchar Ben-Shitrit joined the company as Vice President of Marketing. The company also recruited four new account managers in North America and Europe.
Peter Dahmen, designer and paper artist, joined the Highcon Advisory Board and created spectacular designs that were produced by customers to showcase the capabilities of Highcon’s digital finishing solution. This popup on the Graph Expo booth demonstrates how Peter’s excitement about the technology translates into intricate, creative applications that captivated show visitors. His own words are: “As a designer I now have no more limits.”
Among different business development activities, the company ran competitions at Shenkar Design School and SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) asking design students to come up with the best, most marketable products that would show off the system abilities – the results were truly remarkable. The winners are listed here: http://www.highcon.net/designers/. Some of these lucky winners have already been contacted by Highcon customers with a view to producing their designs. Highcon works closely with customers to support collaboration with brand owners and designers in order to generate new business.
At the beginning of 2016, Highcon, along with all the key industry players, is gearing up for a really exciting drupa show in Duesseldorf May 31-June 10 where visitors can expect to see the company take paper products to a whole new dimension.
*Awards – InterTech Technology Award, 2015 and Best of Category in the Graph Expo MustSee’Ems, Postpress and In-line Finishing Category.