The corrugated sector is undergoing its most significant technological shift in decades. As digital inkjet systems from HP PageWide, Barberan, and EFI Nozomi become mainstream, the demand for leaders who can bridge traditional corrugated expertise with digital-native thinking has never been greater.
The Technology Is No Longer the Barrier
Single-pass inkjet has reached a point of commercial maturity where it is genuinely competitive with flexo for short-run, personalised, and promotional corrugated work. Print speeds exceeding 200m/min at commercial quality have removed the last technical barrier to widespread adoption. What remains is the leadership gap.
The Talent Challenge
Businesses investing in digital corrugated capability face a dual hiring challenge:
- Technical operators familiar with piezo inkjet chemistry, colour management, and digital prepress workflow
- Commercial leaders who can articulate and sell the short-run, variable data, and personalised packaging opportunities that digital enables
Digital Print Directors who authentically bridge corrugated heritage and digital-native thinking are commanding 20–30% salary premiums over comparably seniored flexo-only profiles. Colour scientists with food-contact inkjet knowledge are arguably the most scarce individual profile in European packaging right now.
What Our Data Shows
Based on CHI placement data across 34 digital corrugated projects since 2020, businesses that invest in dedicated digital corrugated leadership before or concurrent with equipment installation achieve 3–4× faster technology ROI compared to those who defer leadership appointments until post-installation. The quality of human leadership is the primary determinant of technology project success — not the equipment specification itself.
We’ve seen businesses spend €8m on a Nozomi and then try to run it with a team whose entire career has been in flexo. The machine is brilliant. The business case never materialises. — Senior Partner, CHI Digital Print Practice