Christophe Bulliard
Marketing Director Sensient Technologies
Efficiency and sustainability of the textile printing process will drive the growth
Sensient Technologies is a global manufacturer and marketer of colours, flavour and fragrances, specialised in producing printing and imaging products, computer imaging and industrial colours. Christophe Bulliard, Marketing Director, Sensient Technologies shares his views on their vision to provide all kinds of digital textile printing technologies with well performed inks in the future.
What has been your growth rate in the last five years and what are your future expectations?
We have grown with the rate of 15-20 per cent per year in the past 3-5 years in the digital textile printing. Our main target is to develop the position of providing all kinds of digital textile printing technologies with the most performing inks in the future. We are also working on the development of sustainable solution for textile printing.
What steps should be taken for the guaranteed growth in your niche and which are the core areas to drive them?
Educating the whole chain on the value of digital printing, taking care of full costs and risk analysis (no stock is equal to low risk and better cash flow and less waste) and developing further ink platforms with enhanced efficiency are the phases to look upon for ensuring the growth; while efficiency and sustainability of the textile printing process will drive the growth further.
What have been your top achievements in the past?
We have contributed heavily for making digital sublimation in an industrial technology. Today most sublimation printing is done digitally, thanks to the performance of the inks (high concentration and efficient transfer allowing the use of thin papers) along with the availability of fast and reliable printers. The industry has developed new business models enabled by digital printing: fast fashion and personalised applications. Sensient has also developed ElvaJet Alpha, an ink technology that majorly reduces or eliminates the need for water in polyester printing.
4. What were the challenges you faced in last quarter? What were the difficulties you confronted in the recent years?
Current growth rate has attracted many new players to textile printing, creating high dynamic in the offer. It has been accompanied by strong pressure on the margins, to the point that restructuration and consolidation of the industry has already begun.
What were the major highlights of last year that left an impact for the better future?
ITMA and also the position that digital printing has now reached in this industry. The acceleration of the consolidation is also a highlight that will impact in the coming years.
Published on: 21/09/2016
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
