I started off last month’s News Digest by noting that everything had changed, which was bad. But for this month, nothing has changed, which is even worse. Throughout March, it’s been a case of Situation normal, all fouled up.
The main lesson from March has been that although the US military possesses awesome firepower, it is short on maps and did not realize that the Iranian coastline lends itself to exactly the kind of shipping blockade of the Persian Gulf that has filled newspaper headlines throughout March. There is very limited room for any kind of military solution, and every likelihood that the Iranians will demand some kind of toll for safe passage of ships in any ceasefire negotiations.
Previous US presidents understood that real power lies in the mere suggestion of almost unlimited capability. By demonstrating exactly what America can do, the American president, Donald Trump, has inadvertently revealed the limits of that power and what he can’t do. America’s military allies have declined to get involved in a war they weren’t consulted on and can’t win quickly, while Trump has already upended America’s trading alliances.
Instead, new alliances are being formed. Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have come together to mediate between Iran and the US. This group is also trying to draw China in as a guarantor in case Trump makes good on his promise to walk away and leave Iran to own the mess that the US has made. Ukraine has signed defence deals with a number of Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine will share its expertise in countering missiles and drones. And North Korea has agreed a friendship treaty with Belarus, with the two countries agreeing to co-operate more closely and resist pressure from the West.
Most countries in the world are now facing a double economic blow: first there is the ongoing fall-out from the tariffs and trade wars that Trump started last year; and now there is the increased costs from disruption in the supply chain for oil, gas, helium, fertiliser and many other products, which will be followed by crop shortages later in the year and rising inflation. Many poorer countries, from India to Africa, will struggle to rebound quickly from these issues.
The Europeans have a third problem: how to fund the massive rearmament drive now needed to rebuild their own defences since Trump’s repeated threats have rendered NATO obsolete. For every country, these costs come on top of the huge debts they incurred in fighting the pandemic. For the British, there is the added cost of Brexit, which knocked around four percent of growth out of the economy.
Against all of this, the planet is still overheating and our climate is still changing, which carries with it the potential for further crop losses, food shortages and higher inflation. It should be obvious by now that the argument for switching to renewable energy is as much about reducing reliance on the volatile supply chain around fossil fuels as it is about reducing the overheating of the planet. Yet Trump has taken the opposite approach, cutting funding for renewable energy sources and using federal mandates to force conventional power plants to continue operating. This has left the US far more reliant on fossil fuels and, therefore, more at the mercy of Iran’s strategy of disrupting those supplies. That’s already translated into higher prices for Americans and lower poll ratings for Trump in the lead-up to the mid-term elections later this year.
You can find a much longer analysis of the main geo-economic trends from March here, and of the geopolitical trends here. Meanwhile, the rest of us, who won’t get to vote in the US elections, will have to cope with the higher costs that Trump has gifted us.
That’s already starting to have an impact, with Sun Chemical having announced price increases and surcharges across all its product portfolio, citing the “ongoing geopolitical developments in the Middle East, notably the situation involving Iran, which are significantly impacting global energy markets, logistics routes, and chemical feedstock availability.”
Agfa has agreed on a plan with its social partners on staffing measures to cut costs in its traditional film activities. This affects some 145 employees in Belgium, including blue-collar, white-collar, and management staff, with Agfa hoping to avoid forced redundancies as much as possible by using the natural outflow of staff (pre-retirement schemes), by encouraging job mutations, and by a voluntary leave program.
Pascal Juéry, CEO of the Agfa Gevaert Group, commented, “I am pleased that we have reached a negotiated agreement with our social partners. I would like to thank everyone involved for their constructive attitude. As 2025 progressed, it became clear that our initial restructuring plan would not be sufficient to offset the impact of the rapidly declining film markets. We will continue to monitor market developments closely and will take the necessary actions to ensure the successful transformation of our company.”
Durst has celebrated its 90th anniversary by announcing a new AI-powered production system called Kyveris for both printing and additive manufacturing that’s said to be a step towards lights-out production. Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group, explains, “Durst has never been a manager of the status quo. We have always been a creator of the next standard. After 90 years of precision engineering, we are taking the next logical step: production intelligence for digital printing and additive manufacturing. We no longer think of production as a machine or a workflow, but as an intelligent, continuously learning system. With Kyveris, we are defining the next evolutionary stage of digital production technology.”
Roland DG is now offering its D EA2 eco-solvent inks for use in the TrueVIS XP 640 wide-format printer. This inkset, which includes CMYK + Red, Orange, Green and Light Black, was originally developed for the DGxpress printer range that Roland DG sells into emerging markets. The company says that this inkset should deliver up to 40% savings compared to the TrueVIS TH inks currently supplied for the XP-640. Ryugo Nimura, executive officer from the Global Sales and marketing division of Roland DG, commented, “This upgrade delivers the wider colour gamut and reliability customers expect from TrueVIS, while dramatically reducing running costs. It’s the perfect time for print providers to step up in quality, capability, and confidence.”
Office.EU has launched as a European alternative to platforms such as Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. It includes email, document management and collaboration tools. It’s partly based on the Nextcloud European open source platform and runs entirely on European infrastructure and values. Its key advantage is that it has been designed to fully comply with European laws and regulations and is therefore safe from legislative non-European control.
Maarten Roelfs, CEO of Office.EU commented, ”For many years, Europe has relied on American software and therefore created a certain risk of dependency, but we have also given away control over our own data. Office.EU proves that we now have a strong European alternative, with sovereignty, privacy, and transparency at its core.”
He added, “Office.EU is 100 percent European-owned and runs entirely on European data centres. The data and the apps stay exactly where they belong and are safe from non-European control. The Office Suite is very intuitive and easy to use, enabling a seamless switch from American software to office.eu. We also help customers to migrate very conveniently from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. It is currently rolling out across Europe by invitation for selected clients who have requested access. Pricing is comparable to existing market alternatives, and tools are available to ensure smooth data migration.”
Installations
HP Indigo has signed a major strategic agreement with the American e-commerce company Shutterfly that includes the installation of 35 HP Indigo 120K digital presses over several years as the company updates its B2 portfolio. The agreement also covers consumables, services and software, including HP PrintOS, workflow automation, and data-driven production tools designed to optimize end-to-end performance.
Dwayne Black, Shutterfly Chief Operations Officer, commented: “For 25 years, HP Indigo has been a trusted collaborator as we scaled personalisation and innovation across our operations. Upgrading our entire fleet will drive meaningful efficiencies and quality in our peak season, and more broadly reflects our confidence in the technology, the collaboration, and the long-term opportunities ahead as digital production continues to evolve.”
Basic Prints, a clothing manufacturer based in the UK, recently invested in a second Kornit Apollo automated direct-to-garment system to move from screen printing to digital production. The company, which was established over 30 years ago, offers manufacturing and garment decoration to high street retailers, licensed music programs, and private label fashion brands.
Kieran Hickey, founder of Basic Prints, commented, “Digital production is no longer an add-on to our business. It is now the backbone of how we operate. With two Apollo systems in place, we can deliver industrial scale with the flexibility modern retail demands. It simplifies our operations, increases speed-to-market, and allows us to support our customers with greater responsiveness than ever before.
Appointments
Durst has promoted Wolfgang Knotz to chief technology officer. He joined the company in 2013 and has held a number of roles, including becoming Head of Development in 2016 and, most recently, as Managing Director of Durst Austria.
As CTO, Knotz will be responsible for the Group-wide technology agenda, with a strong focus on integrating software, data, automation, and new business models. The goal is to further strengthen Durst Group’s innovative capabilities and provide customers worldwide with even more comprehensive, integrated solutions.
Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group, said the company looked at 600 applicants as part of a global search, adding, “In the end, it became clear that the right person for the role was already within our organization. Wolfgang combines technological expertise, strategic vision, and deep knowledge of our company like few others.”
Personally, I’m surprised that Durst bothered looking so hard – Knotz should have been the obvious person right from the start, especially given Durst’s stated goal to transform itself from a machine manufacturer to a technology-driven solutions provider.
Kornit Digital has appointed Nick Beighton, former chief executive officer of ASOS, as a strategic advisor to the Company and its Board of Directors. His experience spans global fashion and apparel dynamics. During his 12 years with ASOS he helped build it into a multi-billion-dollar global platform. His appointment reflects Kornit’s continued focus on strengthening its connection to global brands, retailers, and digital commerce platforms.
Beighton commented, “Kornit sits at the centre of one of the most important shifts happening in fashion today. The industry is moving from inventory-heavy supply chains toward more agile, demand-driven production models. The convergence of retail, manufacturing, and on-demand fulfillment is accelerating, and Kornit is uniquely positioned to enable this transformation.”
Callas Software has handed Natacha De Kegel the role of Customer Success Manager for North America. She will be based in Florida and operate as the primary point of contact for customers, channel partners, and OEMs throughout North America. David van Driessche, Chief Evangelist at Callas Software, says that North America is an important market, noting, “Until now, it was supported by the team in Germany. As our presence in the region grew through OEM relationships and channel partners, the next logical step was to establish a dedicated local resource to support them.”
De Kegel previously worked for DistributorX, one of Callas’ most important distribution and integration partners in North America. She commented, “Having a local Callas presence in North America will make communication faster and collaboration easier. Being present at local trade shows and events — and bringing initiatives such as pdfCamp to North America — will make it easier for professionals to engage directly with the technology and explore practical solutions to their production challenges.”
Channeled Resources Group, which manufactures release liners, thermal labels, and pressure-sensitive roll label stock as well as papers and films, has appointed Mike Hefelfinger as strategic business development manager for Release Liners. He previously spent nearly 30 years working for Technicote, later Beontag. Ginnie Gandy, General Manager of Release Liners at CRG, commented: “As demand for custom-engineered and domestically sourced release liners continues to grow, his industry knowledge will be a valuable asset to our team.”
Upcoming events
There are a number of worthwhile events in April, including the manufacturing show, Mach Exhibition in the UK, Techtextile in Frankfurt and Glasstec in Düsseldorf, both in Germany. You can find further details on the Events page.
(First published in the Print and Manufacturing journal. Republished with permission)
