New Inca Digital CEO sets sights on packaging

Rob Fletcher speaks to Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson who has recently been appointed Global Chief Executive at Inca Digital about his plans to focus on growth within the packaging market.

Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson, who was recently appointed global chief executive of Inca Digital, has set out his vision for the inkjet print technology business, with plans to focus on growth within the packaging market.
 
Tunnicliffe-Wilson has been with Inca Digital since its foundation 19 years ago, most recently serving as chief technology officer. He will continue in this role in addition to taking on the responsibilities of CEO from Akira Hayakawa, who has overseen the business for the past six months.
 
As reported by FESPA.com, Hayakawa took on the role on a temporary basis following the departure of John Mills in September of last year. Read more here. 
 
Speaking to FESPA.com after his appointment was confirmed earlier this month, Tunnicliffe-Wilson has acknowledged that the print industry is in a time of great change and all businesses working within the market should adapt in order to remain competitive.
 
“Inca is changing; we will use our 20 years of experience in graphics to address new markets such as packaging,” Tunnicliffe-Wilson said. “We will also look after our existing customers in graphics to ensure these products stay competitive.
 
“We remain committed to providing industrial inkjet products with quality and performance to match analog equipment, and to be the preferred supplier to high-end graphics and packaging customers.”
 
Tunnicliffe-Wilson has also said that one of the main focus areas for Inca Digital is to ensure that customers across different markets have access to the types of solutions they need to succeed.
 
“Graphics customers increasingly expect higher print quality and up time, while packaging customers demand industrial performance and compliance with regulatory standards,” he said.
 
“The inherent flexibility and scalability of our inkjet architecture means we also have a fast-growing presence in an expanding range of packaging and industrial applications.
 
“Inca will continue to provide its market-leading products to meet both their needs.”
 
Tunnicliffe-Wilson went on to say that Inca Digital will be rolling out a number of new solutions to the market this year, but stopped short of saying exactly what these will be. However, he did reveal that the new products will be of interest to customers across both graphics and packaging.
 
“All I can say is that we will be delivering impressive new solutions for both the graphics and packaging markets,” he said.
 
Takanori Kakita, chief executive of SCREEN Graphic Solutions, parent company of Inca Digital, also spoke about the impact Tunnicliffe-Wilson will have on the business as a whole.
 
In a statement, Kakita said: “Stephen’s appointment gives Inca Digital real clarity and confidence in terms of its future direction and places it on a firm footing to take on the opportunities and challenges the market will present over the coming years.
 
“We all welcome Stephen to his new role and look forward to his successful tenure as CEO.”