Printing Industry Commentary & Analysis

Articles by Kevin Karstedt

Karstedt Partners, LLC offers a variety of consulting services to participants all through the packaging and consumer product supply chain. Their clients include Brand Owners, Packaging Converters who are looking at process improvements in their packaging operations and OEMs and Service Providers who are looking to develop products and services for Brand Owners and Packaging Converters. For more in-depth analysis and research visit http://www.karstedt.com or contact Kevin Karstedt at [email protected] or Jeff Wettersten at [email protected].

Displaying 26-51 of 29 articles

Moving from Density to Spectral Displays in Color Management

Published December 6, 2013

Dr. Danny Rich, Senior Color Physicist at Sun Chemical, speaks with Kevin Karstedt about how the X-Rite eXact Portable Spectrophotometer.

The Technical Details of X-Rite's eXact Product

Published November 22, 2013

Dr. Danny Rich of Sun Chemical talks to Kevin Karstedt about the technical details of the X-Rite eXact product.

The Technology of the New X-Rite eXact System

Published November 18, 2013

WhatTheyThink's Labels & Packaging's Kevin Karstedt talks to Dr. Danny Rich, Senior Color Physicist at Sun Chemical, about the X-Rite eXact system.

Digital Package Printing – The Value Proposition for the Brand Owner

Published November 15, 2013

With all the news chatter around digital printing for packaging coming out of Print 13 and Label Expo this fall I thought it appropriate to bring the readership some insights we have on the topic.

Sun Chemical: More Than Just Ink!

Published November 15, 2013

Tony Bean, Field Marketing Manager with Sun Chemical, talks to Kevin Karstedt about some of the innovative coatings they offer to brand managers to enhance the "curb appeal" of their products.

Interview with Benny Landa about the Announcement of Komori as a Strategic Partner

Published November 4, 2013

Last Friday, Landa announced a strategic relationship with Komori for the manufacture of the transport systems for all of Landa’s sheetfed systems, the first being the S10FC. Kevin spoke with Benny to get a bit more information on this topic.

Where is Digital headed for Folding Cartons?

Published November 1, 2013

Eighteen months is a long time in the world of politics, consumer electronics, the growth of an infant and the gain or decline of a 401K but in the development of digital printing solutions for folding cartons that time is not so long at all.

Update from Benny Landa on Digital Press for Folding Cartons

Published September 26, 2013

Print 13 started out very nicely for me as my first official meeting was a breakfast meeting on Sunday morning with Benny Landa and three of my “packaging” colleagues.

The Label Sector; excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published August 6, 2013

In past articles we have brought forward excerpts from a 2012 PRIMIR study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications. This study was unique to many industry studies in that it looked at the force being placed on Brand Owners, the originator of packaging orders.

Schawk's Bruce Miller on Trends in Digital Print for Packaging

Published August 2, 2013

Bruce Miller, Director of Technology at Schawk!, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the trends he's seeing in the packaging area of digital printing.

Jim Goldman On the Evolution of Packaging Supply Chains

Published July 26, 2013

Jim Goldman of Global Innovation Professionals, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the evolution of packaging supply chains.

Rick Ferreira of Action Packaging on Getting Into Digital for Flexo

Published July 19, 2013

Rick Ferreira of Action Packaging talks to Kevin Karstedt about their business and how they got into the digital label printing.

Tony Swenson of General Mills on Digital Print for Packaging 2013

Published July 9, 2013

Tony Swenson, Packaging Development Manager for General Mills, talks to Kevin Karstedt about the reasons for attending the Digital Print for Packaging Conference in Atlanta recently.

Thoughts from the Smithers Pira Digital Print for Packaging Conference

Published June 21, 2013

I had the privilege last week of attending the Smithers Pira Conference in Atlanta on the topic of Digital Printing for Packaging. Having been on the advisory board for the conference it was rewarding to see the fruits of our labor being so well received by those in attendance.

Bob Scherer and Kevin Karstedt from Smithers/PIRA Digital Print for Packaging Event

Published June 6, 2013

Bob Scherer, VP and Partner with Scherer Sales Solutions, talks to Kevin Karstedt at the Smithers/PIRA Digital Print for Packaging Event in Atlanta.

Interview with JoAnn Hines, The Packaging Diva

Published May 16, 2013

JoAnn is a syndicated packaging writer who is arguably the most prolific “packaging person” on social media. I have been following her for years and thought it extremely appropriate to have her featured here for the WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging audience. Following are the highlights from an interview with “The Packaging Diva”.

The Flexible Packaging Sector, excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published April 30, 2013

To help us introduce the various packaging sectors to the growing WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging readership we asked PRIMIR if we could pull excerpts from their 2012 study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications.

Interview with Ben Markens, President of Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC)

Published April 19, 2013

For the past 84 years, the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has been the leading industry association serving suppliers and converters of all forms of paperboard packaging. We spoke with Ben Markens, President of PPC, about the current state of the folding carton industry and the opportunities and challenges faced by its members.

Interview with Jay Willie of the Independent Carton Group

Published April 11, 2013

I caught up with Jay Willie, Executive Director of the Independent Carton Group (ICG) just before he struck out for one of the groups quarterly meetings. The ICG has an interesting business model and long history.

The Folding Carton Sector, excerpts from 2012 PRIMIR Research

Published March 26, 2013

To help us introduce the various packaging sectors we asked PRIMIR if we could pull excerpts from their 2012 study that Karstedt Partners was commissioned to write titled Packaging: Evaluation of Vertical Markets & Key Applications.

Interview with Steve Young of AICC

Published March 19, 2013

We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Steve Young, President of AICC, and asked him to share his thoughts around the mission of AICC, the role of AICC, and the opportunities and challenges facing their members.

Interview with Kristi Ledbetter of TAPPI

Published March 14, 2013

We recently had the opportunity to catch-up with Kristi Ledbetter, the Converting Division Manager for Tappi, and had the opportunity to get an update on what is happening at Tappi.

The Corrugated Packaging Sector, excerpts from PRIMIR Research

Published March 8, 2013

For the next few weeks we will be looking at the corrugated sector of packaging, which accounts for approximately $85 Billion in shipments globally and $24 Billion in North America.

What is coming in WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging

Published February 28, 2013

With the launch of the Labels & Packaging section of WhatTheyThink now behind us, we wanted to give you a preview of upcoming topics and what to expect.

WhatTheyThink Kicks Off Special Labels & Packaging Section

Published February 18, 2013

Welcome to the inaugural post for WhatTheyThink’s Labels & Packaging website. The folks at WTT and I have been speaking for quite some time on the need a version of WTT that focused on the needs of those in the packaging supply chain. I am honored to be the Managing Editor of this new endeavor and will strive to bring meaningful and timely content to those in the packaging supply chain who are looking for information and intelligence in order to do their jobs better.

WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging: An Interview with Randy Davidson

Published February 11, 2013

I thought it appropriate for the first post to WhatTheyThink Labels & Packaging to be an interview with the founder of WhatTheyThink.com, Randy Davidson to get his thoughts on the new venture. So on a snowy Saturday morning with a fresh cup of coffee in front of me, Randy and I had a chat.