What do you feel were the main trends and key industry developments in 2023?
Sustainable and energy efficient machinery and work practices have become key questions when printers are looking at suppliers for equipment or consumables. Companies have taken on sustainability officers to help them navigate through the development of these practices. The market has also seen many mergers and acquisitions as companies join forces to reduce fixed costs.

How have the continuing economic and market specific challenges you and your customers during 2023 – have you had to do anything differently to adapt/react?
Energy costs still remain a problem but other costs are stabilising, or even going down in some cases. With interest rates moving upwards, we initially saw some reluctance to invest in new equipment. I think this was because people initially felt it may be a temporary situation, but are now reluctantly accepting that the higher rates appear to be here to stay for some time.

What do you expect to be the main trends, key industry developments, and biggest opportunities for printers in 2024?
Analogue processes are increasingly transforming to digital, particularly in the packaging space where the market is still growing and there is a thirst for new technology.

What are your hopes and expectations for Drupa 2024?
I hope (and expect) that it is a really well attended show because we will see new and more sustainable products and services that will inspire and re-energise print businesses looking for an extra edge.

AI (artificial intelligence) has been one of the hot topics of 2023 – what opportunities and threats do you think it poses for print in 2024 and beyond?
We already use AI in some colour management scenarios and have done for some time. I see it a complimentary technology for making quick decisions in time-limited situations. While we have all heard some scare stories about it, I think that like many key developments in technology, there will be positives and negatives, but I expect there to be more positives.

How can suppliers better help printers navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in 2024?
We have to keep innovating and bringing new technologies and products to market that tick all the boxes in terms of speed, reliability, quality, and sustainability. Fortunately for myself, my team, and our customers, Fujifilm has a long history of doing just that.

Note: This prediction is taken from a special Briefing article in the new issue of Printweek featuring insights from industry suppliers, hence it does not follow the same question template as the other predictions.