Connectivity and growth in print: Key takeaways from Hunkeler Innovation Days 2025

As you’re on the GelatoConnect blog, you almost certainly don’t need an introduction to the Hunkeler Innovationdays (HID), but just so we’re all on the same page: HID, held in Lucerne, Switzerland is a major event where thousands of leaders in print meet to talk about developments in the print and finishing solutions space.

GelatoConnect was proud to be part of HID, showcasing how our solution transforms print production for modern businesses. Our stand attracted hundreds of visitors, giving us the chance to engage directly with industry leaders, creators, and decision-makers.

Read on to discover what was top of mind for this year's attendees at HID and how GelatoConnect can drive innovation, connection, and growth for your print business. 

Industry Insights and Key Takeaways

Throughout the event, we saw a few clear themes emerging:

• Diversification in print services: Printers are no longer specializing in just one type of print (e.g., digital, offset, commercial); instead, they are expanding their offerings to stay competitive.

• The shift from offset to digital: There is a growing realization that digital printing is no longer a niche, and a shift to digital is necessary. One visitor to the stand told us: “We smelled the coffee and realized we need to adapt to the new trends.”

• Reducing the number of tools: Many printers want to consolidate their technology stack into a single system to improve efficiency and lower costs.

However, the main theme of the event was connectivity. What was clear is that hardware connectivity is well-established, with inline press and finishing equipment reducing labor requirements. 

A quick sidenote while we’re on hardware: According to the HID25 Daily Magazine, Inkjet printing continues to dominate, with new solutions such as Fujifilm’s JetPress 1160CFG and Kodak’s PROSPER 7000 Turbo Press promising higher quality, faster speeds, and lower costs for high-volume printing.

Where connectivity is lacking is in software. 

And what’s clear is that the industry is responding to this need. We saw a number of exhibitors showcasing ‘end-to-end’ solutions that unify different parts of the print process, and big players including FUJIFILM and Kodak, highlighted the shift from digital transformation to digital disruption, where new technologies redefine workflows and business models. 

But what’s clear is there are a number of pain points the industry is feeling due to a lack of investment in software. 

From talking directly to printers and reading the daily magazine shared with HID participants, we saw a few key needs and pain points emerging:

Workflow issues

• Many printers are struggling with outdated or inefficient software, leading to slow and error-prone impositioning. 

• Companies are looking for ways to streamline and automate processes (i.e. reducing manual steps between order intake and print setup).

• There is still a dependence on inefficient tools like emails and WhatsApp for order scheduling and tracking. 

Logistics

• Lots of printers are finding job distribution and multi-site production to be a challenge.

• Many of the attendees talked about experiencing high shipping costs and inefficiencies in routing orders.

• There is a pressing need for real-time logistics tracking

Labor & skill shortages

• The industry is facing a retirement wave, leading to gaps in expertise for workflow automation and process standardization.

• AI-driven automation is emerging as a solution to reduce labor dependency and streamline operations.

E-commerce growth & micro-order complexity

• Everywhere we looked, we saw the shift toward smaller, high-frequency orders from online sellers being highlighted.

• It’s clear traditional print workflows are not optimized for e-commerce-driven print-on-demand, creating bottlenecks.

• Printers need automated storefront integrations and real-time order processing capabilities.

As a company that literally has “Connect” in its name, this year’s theme aligns pretty closely with the problem we are trying to solve for the industry, and the pain points line up with the way we’re tackling it. As you can probably imagine, this led to a lot of really exciting conversations at HID. 

The things that resonated most deeply with attendees were:

• Growth: Printers are looking for ways that they can grow their business, and have identified that using GelatoConnect to tap into the world of recurring digital orders is a promising way to do so. 

• Unification: Because GelatoConnect is machine agnostic and contains modules that cover everything from inventory procurement to shipping, it can act as a unifying system for the entire plant. 

• Streamlining: By introducing automation and reducing the number of separate systems, it can help printers operate more efficiently. 

• Transition: Many printers are trying to navigate the industry shift from offset to digital, and GelatoConnect is ideally placed to help with this. 

HID 2025 was a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry leaders and gain insights into the future of print production. As we continue to refine and expand GelatoConnect, we’re excited to keep the conversation going and help businesses navigate the changing landscape.

If you missed us at HID, get in touch to learn how GelatoConnect can help you scale production, reduce inefficiencies, and create a more sustainable future.