ImagesMagUK_October_2020

www.images-magazine.com OCTOBER 2020 images 21 IS BRAND PROFILE those capabilities to other players that maybe cannot tackle those challenges in the best way themselves.” The new acquisition will also, in conjunction with the launch last year of Konnect, Kornit’s own workflow software platform, allow Kornit’s customers to take data- driven business decisions. Flexible solutions Custom Gateway provides cloud-based workflow solutions that cover all parts of an automated production system, from when the customer orders a product right up to it being shipped. Importantly, it also offers modular solutions. “Because it’s very rarely that you go into a greenfield situation where [the customer says], ‘Yeah, I need everything, I don’t have anything here, it’s just an empty room: just fit me with a web-to-print automated workflow for on-demand production.’ It doesn’t work that way,” says Omer. “So it was very important for us that it can work A to Z, but [also that] every different part of it can work independently and we can fit the solution to our customers according to their actual needs.” Custom Gateway is also capable of slotting into existing workflow systems. “Because again, if it’s not a greenfield situation and somebody wants just these two pieces and they have to integrate into an existing workflow ecosystem, then it has to be able to be flexible enough to talk with different systems.” Perfect storm Online shopping has changed the way that people purchase clothes and what they want to purchase, says Omer, and it’s a change that has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many in retail needing to either catch up fast or sink. “If you look at the front end, the front end is undergoing very fast-moving digital transformation, but the back end simply cannot, because it’s completely analogue. Production is completely analogue and the product I n August, printer manufacturer Kornit Digital bought Custom Gateway, a British software firm that offers workflow solutions, for an undisclosed sum. The publication Globes claimed at the time that market sources estimated Kornit Digital had paid around $17 million for the company. Irrespective of the true cost, it’s a significant acquisition for the Israeli company, marking a change of direction from manufacturing capital equipment to managing workflow data and the entire ecosystem of digital print production. “I think that having the best printing technology out there has brought us to where we are right now as a market leader; it provided tremendous growth for us and it hasn’t finished. But we plan to play a much bigger role than the role that we play right now in the lives of our customers and the life of the industry,” confirms Omer Kulka, chief marketing officer at Kornit Digital. “We believe that right now there are needs that are not being addressed. And from a workflow perspective, it’s very easy to know you have the best system out there, but if [you] can’t get in on the action of on-demand manufacturing because [you] can’t hook it up correctly to the flow of impressions and orders that is out there, it’s not enough. “Our most successful customers are customers that understand this and know how to tackle these challenges. What we’re trying to do right now [with this acquisition] is to provide Images talks to Omer Kulka about how Kornit’s acquisition of Custom Gateway will enable its customers to become more successful itself is completely analogue.” Brands and retail companies are increasingly recognising the need to move into the world of on-demand, near-shoring and on-shoring, believes Omer, and improved print quality and lower costs combined with robust workflow solutions make digital a viable solution. “I think that this is a major revolution in the industry and we’re just sitting in at the heart of this perfect storm right now.” Kornit has just established a UK operation for the first time, and while Omer won’t be drawn on whether the company is planning more acquisitions, he does point out that when a company has a vision and mission like Kornit’s, then strategic alliances and leveraging talent and capabilities and core competencies will have to be an integral part of the path forward. “So I can’t commit and I can’t really comment on anything in the next 12 months, but we’re not done. We have a very, very aggressive plan going forward.” www.kornit.com Workflowwizardry Omer Kulka, chief marketing officer, Kornit Digital Custom Gateway provides workflow solutions for print shops