- Market and technology trends shaping the industry
- The drive for greater sustainability in the digital print for packaging value chain
Sean Smyth | Consultant, Smithers
Sean Smyth has spent over 25 years in the industry in senior technology positions for a variety of print businesses across the supply chain, in hands on and consultancy roles. He helps companies make money through the appropriate use of technology.
Sean has a deep knowledge of the global print market, and a key member of the team providing quantitative market data and forecasts for the printing, paper and packaging industry. He authors off-the-shelf market studies and provides strategic consultancy services to a range of clients across the value chain.
Sean has a strong background in appropriate application of technology to print, implementing digital print systems, MIS and workflows to take time and cost out of the print supply chain. In 1994 he became Technical Director of Rexam, where the first colour digital presses in the UK were installed and he has extensive experience of digital printing. He has written many books and market studies on the future, print technology and digital print, including Smithers' flagship title "The Print & Production Manual" and the "Future of Global Print Markets".
I’m a passionate innovator who loves to build transformational digital capabilities for marketing services.
I’ve worked for Kellogg’s since 2014, providing expert brand design operations leadership, including setting the strategic direction of marketing processes across the companies European packaging and point of sale design and artwork production.
My previous roles prior to Kellogg’s were in agency artwork creation and production management to give me more than three decades of industry experience.
Windell McGill is a 25 year veteran of the packaging industry. The last 10 years of that has been focused on Digitally Printed Flexible Packaging.
Windell joined BW Converting Solution’s PCMC Business Unit to launch/commercialize their new ION Hybrid Digital Press for Flexible Packaging and Folding Carton’s in April of 2023.
Prior to BW Converting Solutions, Windell started and served as the Managing Partner of ePac Atlanta Flexibles. ePac is the first all digitally printed Flexible Packaging converter now operating 22 plants around the world. His group held a 49% equity interest in Atlanta, which they sold in February of 2023.
Prior to opening ePac Atlanta Flexibles he was the N. American Flexible Packaging Business Segment Manager for HP Indigo. His team was responsible for sales of the HP Indigo 20000 digital press.
Previous to HP, he was President Americas, AVT Inc., an Israeli based Print Quality Inspection company servicing the Flexible Packaging, Labels and Web Fed Folding Carton market.
Stefan is a senior creative, innovative marketing and packaging specialist with over 20 years’ Global experience. He is Global Design to Deliver Lead at Nestle responsible for the strategic development of future design and innovation across the Global Nestle category portfolio
For over 25 years Matt has developed innovative digital media solutions for blue chip multi-national clients. From original idea generation through to design, brand management, digital print, interactive and immersive media. Originally trained as a graphic designer and reprographic artist Matt has been working with digital artworks since the early 90s. Recently, Matt has joined the board of OH Yes! Net Zero, an initiative setup to decarbonise the UK’s largest emitter of carbon emissions.
Cameron founded SharpEnd in 2014 as the world’s first IoT agency with a mission to transform the real world into a connected platform using experience-led innovation across in-store, on-product and at-home. With offices in the UK and US, SharpEnd is now the world’s leading IoT solutions partner for the globe’s biggest brands spanning drinks, beauty, fashion and CPG.
SharpEnd's SaaS platform, io.tt, connects billions of products and intelligently handles data points at scale to finally surface how, where and why consumers are interacting on-product and in-store.
Ian has used Digital Printing extensively and is known for his massive love for Packaging and Printing. He runs his own consultancy and enjoys non exec board roles providing various services from digital print, packaging development and leads on best practise packaging sustainability. Ian is a Fellow of the Packaging Society as part of the institute of Mining, Minerals and Materials and now lectures to two Universities to pass on his knowledge.
Dan Abramowicz is Crown’s Chief Technology Officer with global responsibility for innovation and technology development across Crown’s broad business platforms, including a diverse range of metal packaging for food, beverages and consumer products as well as other packaging inventions. These efforts include new product developments, product and process improvements, lightweighting, material developments and technical support activities. Before joining Crown, Dr. Abramowicz was a Technical Director in GE’s Global Research Center. Dr. Abramowicz received his B.S. degree in Chemistry and his B.A. degree in Mathematics from St. Francis University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from Princeton University. Dr. Abramowicz is an active volunteer for non-profit organizations and he is currently serving in several leadership roles with such organizations, including Salus University, Princeton University, The Franklin Institute, St. Francis University and Conwell-Egan Catholic High School.
Dr. Abramowicz has received several alumni honors, including election to the Wall-of Fame of Conwell-Egan Catholic High School, recognition as a Distinguished Alumnus in Science from St. Francis University, and membership in the Andrew Fleming West Society and Maclean Society of Princeton University.
Gregory has worked in the packaging industry for over 23 years in a range of roles and companies from design to engineering and converters to FMCG.
Since starting his career at Huhtamaki in 1998, Gregory has had a special interest and passion for the world of print, from its history to new technologies which will shape its future. Gregory was the global technical lead for the Share a Coke digital print campaign, nearly a decade ago, designing, testing and implementing the supply chain and technologies to enable the campaign to be delivered.
He has also managed several key packaging projects, including, Coke’s bow label, the all-new Fanta spiral bottle, Panini stickers applied to roll fed labels plus many others, more recently with a heavy focus on sustainable and circular packaging solutions.
A passionate advocate of sustainable and innovative packaging, sharing his passion through his Instagram packaging blog @passionforpack.
Gregory joined Suntory in 2022 as Packaging Director for Suntory Beverage and Food Europe where he leads the packaging teams across the regions, maintaining, developing, and enhancing the range of beverage brands including Schweppes, Lucozade, Ribena, Oasis and many more.
Lauri is an experienced Technical Marketing Manager with more than 30 years of demonstrated history working for technical services in the paperboard industry. As a member of Metsä Board’s global Technical Service Team Lauri coordinates technical training services, creates and maintains technical documentation and follows the latest technology and trends in digital printing.
Juan is an accomplished and highly experienced leader in the flexible packaging industry, with a proven track record in business development, product marketing and accelerated sales growth of innovative packaging and printing equipment. Juan Cano has recently been appointed as Director Business Development to lead Screen’s newly created flexible packaging inkjet printing division.
Screen’s inkjet digital printing technology builds on over 75 years’ experience in engineering of innovative printing solutions for the packaging industry. The new Truepress PAC 830F responds to the growing demand for technology that allows cost-effective printing of short runs at lower production cost than conventional analogue printing systems (Flexo, Gravure or Offset) and a faster time-to-market.
With more than 20 years’ experience in delivering sales growth globally, Juan Cano worked in several Senior positions at Bobst before joining SCREEN. Previously, he has held several other sales & marketing roles helping to shape and develop the global markets for state-of-the-art capital equipment manufacturers.
He graduated in Chemistry at the University of Granada and holds an MBA from the Oxford Brookes University.
Mike Rottenborn has been CEO of Hybrid Software Group (formerly Global Graphics PLC) since 2020. He has spent 34 years working in the graphic arts industry and began his career as a hardware engineer with DuPont Printing & Publishing. After DuPont, he joined PCC Artwork Systems to focus on prepress workflow software for labels and packaging before founding Hybrid Software Inc. in 2007. Mr. Rottenborn received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and his Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Villanova University.
Dr. Charles Weiss is currently a Professor in the Department of Graphic Communications, at Clemson University. He has more than 20 years of teaching experience and has instructed a variety of courses that include screen printing, graphic design, offset lithography, inkjet, variable data printing, digital printing, augmented reality, photography, contemporary trends and issues, and the commercial aspects of printing. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate level students, and his students graduate with a hands-on, will-do mentality.