Images_Digital_Edition_January_2019

KB INDUSTRY ISSUES www.images-magazine.com 28 images JANUARY 2019 least in the interim to find the additional resources they need.“ It‘s a difficult period, he reports, with the volatility in the currency markets having an impact on the sector. “Prices have slowly and surely been creeping up and in an industry where everyone wants things ever cheaper, it‘s a difficult cost to account for. Eventually it will lead to price increases in the industry as a whole as companies struggle under the weight of the increased cost of supplies as well as ever increasing employee wages.“ Despite concerns over what the final deal will look like and what effect it will have, he is still upbeat. “There are also many opportunities for growth, expansion and increased revenues. Our substantial use of DTG enables us to I t‘s inevitable when talking to anyone in business at the moment that the conversation will eventually come round to Brexit, so it‘s little surprise that the uncertainty over the UK‘s future role in the EU dominated people‘s outlook and predictions for 2019. Other hot topics were the rise in demand for sustainable goods and improvements in the DTG sector. The best wish for 2019, however, has to be from Kerri Jamieson of Warrah Workshop in the Falkland Islands: “Better roads. Any road.“ Increasing prices and growth Brexit looms large in Shabbir Maimoon‘s thoughts for 2019. A director at Peterborough-based Snuggle, which bought two Kornit Avalanche HD6 DTG printers in 2018, he believes Brexit will bring a multitude of advantages and disadvantages to the industry. “Many print shops, warehouses and fulfilment partners, including ourselves, have great teams of people who work for and with us, and a large majority of them are from Europe,“ he says. “Since the announcement of Brexit, that workpool for the time being has narrowed down quite significantly, which makes it tough for companies at Images talks to six decorators about their hopes and expectations for the coming year weather these changes easily, to adapt and be flexible to market needs and changes, and also to be quick to respond to market seasonality and trends.“ He reveals that Snuggle has a new location on the horizon, as well as additional investment in equipment planned for 2019, and hopes for “another exciting year of growth, not only for all of us here at Snuggle, but also hopefully for you all.“ Fast fashion and traceability Kerry Flanagan, co-founder of Tshirtify, reports that the company has had a big focus on waste reduction and efficiency in production over the past 12 months, which she says has resulted “in full predictability of print runs – especially for peak season“. She adds: “Armed with this knowledge, we should be able to start 2019 with better efficiency of ink, better quality prints and be able to really test DTG to the limit!“ According to Kerry, the threat of Brexit and an unstable economy has led the team to expect the creation of even more start-ups in 2019. “Print-on-demand will play a big part in this as the viable option for those wanting to keep in control of their brand and costs,“ she notes. There’s an expectation from the consumer to know exactly where garments come from Industry forecast Shabbir Maimoon, director of Snuggle Kerri Jamieson, owner of Warrah Workshop Rod Sessions, sales manager at Hampshire Flags