Godbold queried why so much packaging remained wedded to single-use plastics, and said brands should be doing more to switch to paper and board-based alternatives.
He also urged the industry to tap into young talent, and said: “Coffee shops and call centres are full of clever people with university degrees that haven’t considered print as an option.
“We need to bring young, hungry, clever staff into our businesses.”
Invited guests included partners, current customers and potential customers with firms including Linney, Smurfit Westrock, Easibind, Trenton Box and Go Inspire taking time out to hear what the Manroland Sheetfed team had to offer.
Langley Holdings chairman Tony Langley was on hand along with his two sons: Bernard Langley who is chairman of the supervisory board of Manroland Sheetfed, and William Langley who runs one of the group’s non-print businesses and also sits on the group board.
Godbold highlighted what he considers Manroland’s USPs, including its approach to training and service.
“We offer free training for life. Parts are delivered to your door the next morning, along with an engineer to get you up and running – your downtime is our priority,” he stated.
He also cited the quality of German engineering at the heart of the press.
“Manroland has machines in the field that are 30-plus years old and still running at maximum speed with low running costs.
“Now take that build quality, move it on 30 years’ worth of technology, then you have a low maintenance press that will make ready in minutes with incredible uptime and colour control systems to ensure your clients receive the highest print quality to represent their brand.”
Many of the printers at the event remarked about how smooth and quiet Potts Print’s two Manroland 700 Evolution presses were when running, a testament to the “finest German engineering” know-how hailed by Godbold.
He added: “Manroland presses are an all and anything press – commercial and packaging.”
Manroland Sheetfed CEO Mirko Kern was also on hand along with other senior executives and product experts, who spoke about the 700’s flexibility in substrate handling from lightweight 32gsm up to 1mm thickness, and the group’s other sheetfed presses including the 6B3 format 900 Evolution and 900 XXL VLF models.
The team also highlighted options such as inline cold foiling with an array of samples showing what was possible using the technique.
Specialists from merchant EBB were also on hand, with samples during the showcase produced on Sappi’s Magno paper.
Langley Holdings chairman Tony Langley told Printweek he expected Manroland Sheetfed to be back in the black next year.
Langley has owned Manroland Sheetfed since 2012.
And with 50 years of owning and growing his diverse €1.2bn (£998m) engineering group under his belt, Langley also pronounced himself impressed with the engineering build quality and smooth running of the presses.
“We do some pretty clever stuff in all our businesses, but this always blows me away,” he said, while watching the two Potts Print Manroland 700 Evolution presses running.
“I would say it’s a Rolls-Royce product, but actually it’s more like an S-Class Mercedes!”
The event was also excellent timing for Potts Print, which celebrates 150 years in business this year.
Managing director Michael Johnson said he was proud and delighted to host the event and paid testament to the commitment of the Potts Print team, who will be at the heart of celebrations to mark the anniversary.
