As part of Dscoop Phoenix, Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager, HP Indigo Digital Press Division, held a fireside chat designed to highlight HP’s past successes, as well as the company’s hopes for the future. Dscoop Phoenix took place on March 1-4 in Phoenix, AZ, USA, and welcomed nearly 2,400 visitors.

HP Indigo, which was founded in 1977, celebrated its 40th anniversary at this year’s Dscoop. That same year, Bar-Shany was fulfilling his commitment to the Israeli army. Along the way, Bar-Shany has tried to apply those life lessons into his business strategy with HP. “Many times, change happens when no one believes it will ever happen,” said Bar-Shany. “There’s great joy in winning when you’re an underdog.”

Bar-Shany maintains several values that have boosted his business with HP Indigo, including teamwork, trust and people. “It’s important to listen to and learn from people with experience,” he said. “You then have to learn how to earn that trust from your people.”

With an emphasis on community, Bar-Shany detailed HP’s successful events over the past year, including drupa 2016 and Dscoop San Antonio. He said that HP unveiled its most significant Indigo LEP technology refresh in 20 years. The company utilized feedback from customers to give it a competitive advantage in developing this new technology.

He added that HP’s ventures come with an emphasis on quality, performance, and infrastructure for the entire printing industry. He explained that the technology utilizes the Cloud to enhance businesses with streamlined workflows.

“Over the last 10 years, Indigo technology has changed dramatically,” Bar-Shany said. “Great presses are not enough for business success, though. In order to be successful in today’s world, you need a lot of other elements. You need the workflow, finishing, you need media, you need the business development aspect, and you need the brands to understand what you’re trying to do. You need community and people, coming together.”

HP experienced a positive drupa, as the event welcomed over 300,000 people in 11 days. HP tried to recreate the Dscoop experience at drupa’s Hall 17. After assessing the show, HP has already started making plans for drupa 2020. “While of course we had a lot of products and technologies, we tried to use a lot of the space to give people the opportunity to see real applications, to have an area where brands could come in and get educated about printing,” Bar-Shany said. “It was an amazing drupa; it was global.”

Even with various digital events and multiple technological developments, Bar-Shany still feels that there is a question regarding the future of digital printing. Dscoop, in an attempt to dispel that notion, allowed customers to come together and see the latest advancements in digital printing, first-hand. “There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, ‘The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, and the second best time is now.’ We’re kind of seeing that with investment in digital printing. It’s very clear that digital is here to stay.”

According to Bar-Shany, HP has delivered on all of its orders that were placed at drupa. In addition, 20 sites are now operating with the HP Indigo 8000 digital label press. The company faces the operational challenge of upgrading all of its presses for 2017, in addition to developing new solutions like inks and materials. HP, however, is up to the challenge.

Bar-Shany, in discussing the new 8000 press, said “labels and packaging have a very bright future.” Bar-Shany recently returned from a trip to visit UK converter Baker Labels. The company installed two HP Indigo WS6800 presses, and plans to explore new printing techniques like sleeves, in-mold labeling, and Mosaic software in the future.

For labels and packaging, Bar-Shany added that Indigo is developing a presence all over the world, as he has also taken trips to Mexico and India to see these presses in action. Not only was it fulfilling to hear converter success stories, he feels that HP can benefit from exchanging information and collaborating with other cultures.

Bar-Shany also added that one of the highlights for 2016 was the ability to add digital embellishment to a label press.

These trends have allowed HP to see “huge traction from brands.” In order to do so, HP regularly meets with customers and advisory boards to collaborate on new ideas. In 2017, HP is also planning to showcase its technology at various global events.

“Dscoop is going to try to do a lot more in the future,” Bar-Shany added.

On Friday, March 3, Dscoop announced that it would be launching Spark, a digital platform designed to connect the Dscoop community all year long. The app is designed to create community and engagement beyond the conference. Members can access the app 365 days a year.