November 3, 2003 -- PrintCity’s Commercial Printing Activity Group came under new leadership from 1st September with Colin McMichael of Agfa UK replacing the outgoing Frank Schelfaut. Schelfaut has himself just left Agfa but continues his PrintCity responsibilities as manager of the drupa 2004 Print Factories through his own private company ERM (External Resources Management). He has worked with the strategic alliance of best-in-class suppliers since its inception. McMichael’s new position brings a host of challenges, as well as elevation to PrintCity’s decision-making Advisory Board. He must continue the work begun by Schelfaut in defining and shaping innovative printing jobs for production at the drupa Print Factory. These jobs aim to be a continuation of the Activity Group’s general activities in supporting printing companies with information on trends and technologies in every stage of the printing process. One major manifestation of this philosophy was the first “Studientag”, held in Stuttgart in November 2002. This event, in which Frank Schelfaut was a major influence, brought together suppliers, printers, academics and print students to discuss industry issues and ideas for adding value to printed products. A further Studientag is planned for after drupa, and this will be a significant project for McMichael to drive forward. Schelfaut has no doubts that his replacement is the right man for the job. He says: “Colin has been involved with the drupa project from Day One, and made a great contribution to PrintCity at IPEX 2002. His background is very practical and he understands the whole printing process. That combination makes him the ideal person to take over as Chairman of the Commercial Activity Group. He is also very well respected amongst the other members.” “There are some good challenges ahead, and the main one is obviously drupa,” adds McMichael, who is currently Product Manager for Electronic Prepress at Agfa UK. “Frank Schelfaut will be a hard act to follow, but I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the position, and rising to the challenges it poses.” And Rainer Kuhn, Managing Director of PrintCity, added his voice to welcome McMichael, saying: “It’s a tremendous indication of the depth of talent at our disposal that, as Frank Schelfaut steps aside to dedicate his time to the Print Factory, we have someone of the calibre of Colin McMichael to take over the Commercial Activity Group. “I give my sincere thanks to Frank for his work with PrintCity so far, and I welcome Colin to the Advisory Board, where his experience and skills will be invaluable.”