Graphic Arts Magazine April 2019 | Page 10

Print industry news Matik appoints Albrecht Sales Manager of Label Products Ricoh and Cisco form strategic partnership Matik (West Hartford, CT), a North American distributor of leading European print and packaging technologies, has appointed Kregg Albrecht as Sales Manager, Label Products. In this role, he’ll represent Matik label products throughout Canada and the eastern half of the US. Albrecht has had a very accomplished business career in printing and packaging, with sales, marketing and engineering experience. Most recently, he was at Essentra and had a 20-year tenure at Nosco, a full-service packaging solutions provider. Albrecht has also held technical management, research engineering, processing engineering and product development roles at Avery Dennison, Fasson North America and Mobil Films Design Products. Albrecht earned his BS, Industrial Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology, and has received a number US patents and industry print awards. He’s been involved with a variety of innovative projects – including security packaging solutions, integrating anti-counterfeit- ing technologies across label and folding cartons, and launching specialty packaging solutions, including RFID- enabled labels and cartons, booklet labels and low-odour/low-migration Kregg Albrecht packaging. PIA opens submissions for its 2019 InterTech Technology Awards The Printing Industries of America (Pittsburgh, PA) is currently seeking cutting-edge print and graphic arts technologies for its 2019 InterTech Technology Awards. The annual competition hosted by the PIA honours truly innovative technologies set to shape the future of print and graphic communications. Manufacturers and suppliers of equipment and software are encouraged to enter by Friday, May 31, 2019. Full details can be found at http://www.printing.org/intertech. “For 70 years the awarded technologies have been a harbinger of the trends altering the future of our industry,” said Jim Workman, Vice President, Center for Technology and Research at Printing Industries of America. Since 1978, the InterTech Technology Awards have honoured technologies predicted to have a major impact on graphic communications and related industries. Past hon- ourees have introduced entirely new products and services that have revolution- ized ways of working and enabled printers to operate more efficiently. For more information please email [email protected]. Jim Workman 10 | April 2019 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE Ricoh and Cisco Systems have announced a global strategic partnership aimed at providing cloud solutions to empower digital workplaces that will deliver increased productivity in a more secure environment. The two companies will jointly develop solutions that deliver simpler and more secure environ- ments in three layers – cloud, network and devices – to promote digital transformation and improve productivity. In a joint statement, the companies said that firms today are faced with the significant challenge of improving productivity by using the latest in digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT). While many companies are promoting new ways of working, they need to address increasingly diverse workstyles that aren’t restricted by place or time, while using cloud and mobile computing. At the same time, security threats such as unauthorized access and information leakage are becoming increasingly sophisticated. To address the advance of cyber attacks entails expertise and huge costs for companies, said the companies. “Small and medium-sized businesses that can’t afford to have dedicated IT administrators, as well as larger enterprises spread across multiple locations, need a solution to maintain and manage a secure environment more simply at a low cost.” By combining Ricoh Smart Integration and Cisco cloud security solutions under this partnership, Cisco and Ricoh will connect (using Cisco Meraki, the Ricoh IM C Series of next- generation multi-functional printers, and other office devices) seamlessly and securely with multiple cloud services. This solution should reduce the time required for implementation, operation and management. Access becomes a GMG reseller in Canada GMG Americas (Hingham, MA) has signed an agreement allowing Access, headquartered in Toronto, to become a dealer of GMG products throughout Canada. The company’s efforts will be focused on GMG’s wide array of colour management solutions as well as its PrintFactory workflow. Access is an operating business unit of the Access Group that’s been providing IT solutions to small and medium sized businesses for over 25 years. It’s also developed extensive experience in serving large-format digital printers, commercial printers, screen printers, quick copy shops, sign shops, fine-art reproduction bureaus, reprographic houses and large-format print franchises across Canada. The company’s factory-trained specialists recommend equipment and supplies that allow its customers to produce the highest quality, most cost-effective output possible. Its specialists also maximize equipment performance to increase profitability. graphicartsmag.com