Continuing our new series featuring the voices of ERA members

Member Spotlight: Delfort Group

Welcome back to our ‘Member Spotlight’ series, where we continue to explore the diverse perspectives that shape our industry and contribute to our collective understanding of the gravure printing sector and its evolution.

In this edition, we’re pleased to feature Björn Kammertöns, Head of Print Applications at Delfort Group, a key player in the paper industry. Here, Björn shares his insights on industry challenges and technological innovation, while offering thoughtful perspectives on topics such as workplace flexibility and talent development.

Industry trends and challenges

ERA: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the gravure print segment today?

Björn: Time-to-market continues to play a pivotal role for brand owners. They are intensely focused on the timeframe between design approval and delivery of packaging materials, with the choice of printing method often being determined by which option offers the fastest turnaround.

“The choice of printing method 
is often being determined by which option 
offers the fastest turnaround”

From my perspective, many traditional unique selling propositions are becoming less relevant. Brand owners are moving away from metallic inks, tactile effects, and special colours due to both cost considerations and sustainability concerns. Even in areas where gravure printing has traditionally held advantages, such as technical lacquers like heatseal, the market environment has evolved. Most newer CI-flexo presses now come equipped with a downstream gravure unit to meet market demands.

In a nutshell, some of gravure’s technical advantages are becoming less distinctive, creating a new competitive landscape in the industry.

Technology and innovation

How do you see automation influencing your business in the next five years?

Achieving the highest possible degree of automation plays a crucial role in our operations, especially in Europe. This is partly driven by cost pressures, but it’s also important as we face the challenge of losing skilled workers to retirement over the next few years.

Business development and growth

How has the shift towards remote work affected your business operations and client relationships?

Our experience with remote work has been positive, though we’ve primarily adopted a hybrid workplace model where employees spend one to three days per week in the office. When it comes to customer relationships, we’ve found that combining face-to-face meetings with virtual Teams calls provides the ideal balance.

At Delfort, we take the challenge of attracting and retaining skilled talent very seriously. Our internal teams are actively developing solutions and employment packages designed to attract young, talented professionals from around the globe.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

What steps has your company taken to reduce its environmental impact?

Sustainability is one of our major priorities at Delfort Group and our CSR report provides a detailed overview of our environmental initiatives. Within our printing division, we take a thorough approach to sustainability, starting from scratch and conducting extensive research across all printing processes. We’re actively addressing various environmental challenges, including the reduction of solvent emissions, as part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Networking and Community

How valuable is your membership in the ERA for networking and professional development?

ERA plays an important role for the gravure industry. Through its events, the association creates valuable networking opportunities across the entire gravure printing supply chain. ERA effectively acts as a voice for the industry, bringing together our collective needs and demands while helping to shape a common vision for the future of gravure printing. Initiatives such as the EGD report and the ProGravure event demonstrate ERA’s most valuable contributions to the industry.

“ERA effectively acts as a voice 
for the industry, helping to shape 
a common vision for the future of 
gravure printing.”

However, I believe we must be mindful of developments in other printing processes and stay attuned to market demands from brand owners and retailers. In essence, our industry needs to maintain a self-critical perspective and have the courage to address these important considerations openly.

Future Outlook

What is your outlook for the print industry over the next 5-10 years?

Looking ahead, I think several key trends will shape the print industry’s future: packaging-on-demand, web-to-pack solutions, and the integration of digital technologies. We’ll see continued development of intelligent workflows and workspaces, which will help address the skilled labour shortage. Additionally, digitization and automation will continue to advance, while new players will emerge in the packaging print industry.

Thank you, Björn, for taking the time to answer our questions! If you would like to be featured in our Member Spotlight series, get in touch with Allan Bendall at members@era-eu.org

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