Business - Appointments

Peter Morris, CEO of Friedheim UK, has been appointed Chairman of Picon, the UK association of print industry manufacturers and suppliers. Peter was voted in to the two-year post at the Picon AGM on Friday July 1st.

Taking over the Chairmanship from Brian Filler, MD of Screen UK, Peter emphasised the need for manufacturers and suppliers to continue the fight to lobby banks and government to support the UK print industry, and to improve skills within it. “Picon’s members span the full spectrum of industry supplier from large household names to many small to medium specialists. Not only does this give Picon a persuasive collective voice and influence, but it also enables us to take strong and positive practical action to support and develop the industry. It’s important for everyone involved in print to keep up the pressure to improve investment, training, and above all, confidence,” he said. “I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and introducing several Picon initiatives which will benefit both manufacturers and printers.”

“Peter’s tremendous experience, passion and energy for the industry will make him a very effective Chairman of Picon over the next two years,” says Brian Filler. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure with my personal highlights being the formation of the active Picon Digital Focus Group, reflecting the industry’s accelerating transition to digital, and a rejuvenated Ipex last year which brought a level of renewed confidence.”

Peter has been part of the print industry since 1962 when he was an apprentice in the mechanical bindery of a Birmingham printer. Following a period as a paper salesman he joined Oscar Friedheim as an area salesman in 1971. Apart from a two-year break in the mid-seventies setting up two separate trade finishing companies, Peter has worked at Friedheim, progressing through the company to become MD of Friedheim International in 1999. Following a management buyout by Peter and Mark Bristow in 2005, Peter became CEO of the company.

The Picon Council comprises Peter as Chairman, plus: Bob Usher, Apex Digital; Tim Klemz, Compact Engineering; George Clark, Heidelberg; Ron Chambers, Kadant; Christian Knapp, KBA; Robert Flather, Kolbus; Neil Sutton, Komori; Quen Baum, Morgana; Andreas Schillinger, Muller Martini; Brian Filler, Screen UK; Gerry Mulvaney, The Danwood Group.

Blink Giant Media Ltd announces the appointment of Adriane Bof as its new quality assurance & project development manager. Bof will work closely with the directors to develop and deliver Blink’s simple but innovative media solutions and its super wide format graphics, as well as maintaining the company’s high quality customer service through promotion of a quality assurance culture within the company.

Bof has spent the last ten years working at the Ministry of Justice developing educational and cultural partnership projects, and she received a Butler Trust award in 2010 for her work at HMP Bristol, promoting positive relationships between offenders and their families, which involved government, voluntary sector and private enterprise. In 2009 she received an award for an Outstanding Contribution to Reducing Re-offending from the Avon & Somerset Local Criminal Justice Board.

Blink director Steve Wilkinson commented: “Adriane’s experience in the public sector and in developing partnerships, and her extensive skills in project management, fit perfectly within Blink's flexible approach to creative projects. She will be looking into the potential of creative and commercial projects that can be developed in partnership with the private and public sector, and will help us take Blink to a whole new level.”

Chris Heric has joined the international Enfocus team as Automation Solutions Architect. Heric will report to Elli Cloots, Enfocus Product Management Director.
 
Heric, an industry veteran and digital pioneer, will concentrate on further developing Enfocus core technologies - particularly Switch - for use in newly identified high-growth segments, including graphic arts.
 
Heric has consulted to Enfocus engineering in the past, and has long been an outspoken proponent of the Enfocus PitStop and Switch product families.
 
"Chris Heric is a dynamic, quick-thinking professional with an intuitive gift for development across numerous market segments," says Prudhomme. "Given his 22 years of print production experience and expertise, combined with deep technical knowledge of Enfocus products, IT systems, and imaging and prepress; we are fortunate to have him help us find, and develop, applications that can be better served with Enfocus technology."
 
Prudhomme says that company research is uncovering a surprising absence of affordable, quick-ROI automation solutions in numerous vertical segments. "Even industries with some history and experience in automation are lacking options," Prudhomme says. "Enfocus' fast, easy approach runs counter to the quarter-million dollar, eight-month plus implementation solutions that are more commonly utilised in other markets, but doesn't compromise functionality at its lower price point."
 
Prior to joining the Enfocus team, Heric was an independent consultant for 18 years. His clients ranged from magazines and periodicals to software developers, and prepress and print facilities worldwide.
 
Currently the Chairman of the CIP4/JDF Content Creation sub-working group, and an active member of the CIP4 Technical Steering Committee, Heric is also a frequent speaker, author and inventor. Other key accolades include his tenure as a key speaker and architect of the Seybold PDF Conference and involvement as an early member of the SWOP review committee.

Enfocus' increasingly popular Switch automation platform continues to evolve. The newest Switch 10 version, which recently became available, offers printers and publishers more robust automation, greater depths of data security, and the ability to extract more value from existing information sources and third-party tools.

Screen Europe has appointed Manlio Orioli as Country Manager for Italy.  His responsibilities include all operations in the Italian market, including day-to-day management of Screen’s PlateRite CTP and Truepress Print on Demand (POD) sales channels.

Screen has a long and successful track record in Italy and Manlio’s appointment marks a new and dedicated focus, building on the company’s position as the world’s leading CTP vendor. He will also be responsible for growing Screen’s presence in the increasingly important digital POD market.

Manlio Orioli brings to Screen a wealth of senior level experience in the graphic arts and printing industry. He has held executive positions in 3M and Kodak where he served as country Managing Director for Italy.

“His deep insight, a large professional network and impressive experience at senior customer levels makes Manlio the ideal person to boost our sales efforts in Italy,” said Kees Mulder, Screen’s President of European Operations.

Commenting on his appointment Manlio Orioli said: “I am very pleased and proud to join Screen’s European team. There are a lot of opportunities for Screen’s expert POD, Web to Print and intuitive workflow solutions, and I look forward to maximizing Screen’s penetration into the market.”

Mutoh, an industry leader in wide-format printers, has appointed David Conrad as Mutoh America Inc.'s marketing manager. Conrad's experience with marketing and sales in the wide-format industry makes him perfect fit for his new position with Mutoh.
 
Working under the guidance of the director of marketing, Hiroaki Futsukaichi, Conrad's main responsibilities will be: implementing and managing marketing and reseller programs, sales and reseller support, and creating advertisements.
 
Prior to his position with Mutoh, Conrad was the senior product manager for SEAL-Neschen. His responsibilities included product development, corporate marketing and branding and training. He provided support for all equipment, film laminates, adhesive and liquid products. Conrad is looking forward to working in a new section of the wide-format industry and plans to use his experience to grow the Mutoh brand name.
 
"I'm excited to work for the premier printer manufacturer in the sign market," shares Conrad. "With my marketing and business development experience in the wide-format industry, I plan to help Mutoh maintain and build upon their already strong brand name through creative marketing campaigns and programs. I hope to facilitate development and establish new partnerships that promote the Mutoh brand and help keep Mutoh at the top of the sign and graphics marketplace."
 
Conrad has worked in the wide-format world for over 18 years. His career has lead him through numerous job functions including marketing, product management, business development and sales.

Mutoh, an industry leader in wide-format printers, has appointed Tom Testa as Mutoh America Inc.'s Southeastern regional sales manager. Testa's background in the wide-format industry makes him a perfect fit for his new position with Mutoh.
 
Working under the guidance of the Director of Sales, Gary Rudnick, Testa will be responsible for creating and managing sales in the Southeastern United States. He will maintain relationships with Mutoh dealers and customers, while increasing brand awareness in the Southeast.
 
Testa has been appointed as the first Southeastern regional sales manager in the new Atlanta-area based office. He is looking forward to using the office to host events and create networking opportunities.
 
Prior to his position with Mutoh, Testa's career has taken him throughout the wide-format world. He has held previous marketing and sales positions with companies such as Xerox and Kodak. Testa has even owned and operated his own sign shop. His experience in the manufacturing world and as an end user inspires him to drive sales.
 
"It is exciting to work on the manufacturing side of the wide-format world once again," shares Testa. "I know what it takes to run a successful sign business and am looking forward to relating with our customers on the print shop level."