The Managing Director of Abbot Print, and Chair of the IPIA, Alasdair Browne was honoured to join a select group of industry leaders at Canon’s world-class production facility in Venlo for a special event dedicated to technology and automation in print.
Attendees were given exclusive insight into Canon’s cutting-edge inkjet press innovations, a wide spectrum of sheet fed print systems offering B3 and B2 capabilities – plus wide-format, and an energising customer perspective from Canon user Simon Smogur of ESP.
“If you ever get the chance to visit Venlo and see what Canon is doing – take it. The scale of their investment in the future of print is inspiring," says Alasdair, who adds: "What struck me most was their genuine hunger for customer feedback – it’s being woven directly into their next-generation technology."
The Venlo site itself is an impressive example of Canon’s investment in the long-term sustainability of print. Built within an existing structure, the facility focuses on producing water-based CMYK inks for Canon’s high-volume inkjet presses. It has been designed to be highly automated, which helps reduce waste and maintain consistent quality — an increasingly important factor as demand for sustainable, efficient production grows.
Alasdair continues: “Above all, it was the people that made the biggest impression. From research and development to the event team, Canon is powered by some of the brightest and best minds in our industry. The kit is fantastic – but the people made me believe more than ever that print has a great future.”
Alasdair highlighted that of particular interest is that the manufacturing setup sits right alongside Canon’s research and development teams. This close relationship makes it easier to test, improve, and scale ink formulations in direct response to user needs.
More than 1,700 people work on site, combining technical expertise with hands-on production know-how. The visit gave a strong sense that Canon is focused not only on what their technology can do today, but how it will evolve through collaboration and continuous learning.
