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Of the 86 Gold, Silver, Bronze and Highly Commended awards available at the prestigious event, a staggering 44 percent were won by customers of Esko, while the leading developer of integrated software and hardware solutions for the global packaging and print industries, also scooped a Bronze Award for its innovative Share & Approve tool.“The 2020 EFIA Awards was a terrific night for our customers,” said James Mason, Esko Regional Business Director, EMEA North. “Ten of them, as well as one customer of a leading trade shop that we supply, were among the gold and main winners on the evening. One of those went on to win the top ‘Best in Show’ gold award, another was named both Supplier of the Year and Repro Company of the Year, while we ourselves won in the Technical Innovation - Supplier category for Share & Approve, our new and unique approval tool.
“This meant that Esko customers won almost half of the awards, which is fantastic,” said James. “We work closely with all of our customers, developing collaborative relationships to ensure that every Esko hardware or software installation delivers the best results for the business. This exceptional haul at the EFIA Awards this year is testament to the successful collaborations our engineers, developers and technicians have worked on this year and of course, we could not be prouder of each of our EFIA Award-winning customers.”
Supplier of the Year, voted for by the print members of EFIA, was handed to Bredbury based Contact Originators, with the company also collecting the Repro Company of the Year award. This was a particularly outstanding result having experienced a serious fire at its site in Stockport earlier in 2020.
“We have invested in an ecosystem of Esko technologies over the years,” explained Nick Mitchell, General Manager at Contact Originators, which is renowned for its innovative approach to packaging origination, graphics management and flexographic plate production.
“From WebCenter to Automation Engine, from Print Control Wizard to the Crystal range of plate imaging and exposure solutions, we have a long-held view that integrated Esko hardware and software enables the most flexible, accurate and efficient prepress operation possible,” explained Nick. “For example, after we began using Esko Print Control Wizard as a pre-release partner, we had feedback from brands that they were perceiving a clear improvement in graphics quality and impact.
“We are delighted to be showcasing the innovation that both our companies can bring to the market, and it was fantastic to be among so many Esko customers to receive EFIA Awards this year.”
Bringing together the best and most innovative companies from across the flexographic industry, the annual EFIA Print Awards highlight print quality, efficiency, innovation, sustainability and technical development. BBC Breakfast’s Charlie Stayt hosted this year’s event on Thursday 17th September, which due to Covid-19 restrictions was live streamed from Sterling Studio in Manchester to much accolade from the industry.