Paul Anson, LumeJet chief executive officer, has already helped turn British firm Inca Digital into a global success. He is about to repeat the trick with LumeJet, and talks to Best of British about British innovation, Inca Digital and the LumeJet S200 printer.
Best of British:The two organisations you’ve worked for in the last eight years, Inca Digital Printing and LumeJet, both describe themselves as innovators. Innovation means lots of different things to lots of different people – what does it mean to you?
Paul Anson: Successful innovation consists of three things, I think – first, a product idea that addresses a real need; second, a business model that works as well for your customers and partners as you; and thirdly a great team (and let’s be honest – some good luck).
BoB: So tell me about innovation at Inca Digital?
PA: Inca Digital was founded around a brilliant idea – a dedicated flatbed printer. By using a vacuum table you can print direct onto boards, panels, glass; anything flat and rigid. Ideal for point of sale, promotional materials (even flipflops, I’ve heard recently), lots of things that would otherwise require screen printing or lamination. The Inca Eagle 44 was the first high-volume UV flatbed, and created a completely new market.We knew it would be good because it was our customers that gave us the idea. Inca had intended to target pharmaceutical printing; it was potential customers who told us how well the technology would work for point of sale.
BoB: What was your role at Inca?
PA: I was a co-founder and operations director. My main responsibilities were manufacturing and service and I worked very closely with the distributors to make sure our values were delivered i n Tokyo and Seattle, just the same as in London.
BoB: What happened next?
PA: Inca was very successful and grew phenomenally quickly. We started with seven people in 2001 and grew to become a multi-million pound turnover company with business in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and China, employing more than 180 people in about five years. Inca was eleventh in the 2004 ‘Sunday Times Tech Track 100’ fastest growing UK tech companies survey and won two Queen’s Awards.
BoB: What did you learn from Inca?
PA: Great operational and commercial experience, taking a niche product and creating a new worldwide market. I learned that success comes from delighting customers with the product and the service, being a good listener, never standing still in development and being honest and true to your word – however uncomfortable and expensive that may be occasionally. Your easiest sale is the second machine to a happy customer that trusts you. The next one is to their mates.
BoB So what did you do next?
PA: Inca gave me the opportunity to enhance my skill as an entrepreneur, which I applied to working with other startups, shaping business plans and teams, developing commercial advan t age, bringing new products to market.
BoB: You’re an Angel Investor too…..
PA: Yes, I’m a member of Cambridge Angels, a founder of Qi3 Accelerator, an Entrepreneur in Residence at University of Cambridge Judge Business School, and used to teach and mentor entrepreneurs in raising finance on behalf of EEDA before devoting my time to Lume- Jet. I’ve invested in some startups and help on the board as a non-executive director in several.
BoB: How did you join LumeJet?
PA: I was introduced to Lume- Jet by one of its investors, MidVen, and joined the board as Investor Director, representing Shareholder interests. Then, after LumeJet had completed its initial prototype, I was appointed CEO with a mandate to finance the business and take a product to market.
Paul Anson
BoB: Has your experience from Inca been beneficial?
PA: Yes, Inca gives me credibility in the print industry. And I gained valuable transferable skills.
BoB: What are your biggest strengths?
PA: My biggest strengths are in taking an idea and understanding how to commercialise it, listening to real customers (rather than ‘experts’), building a team and leading them to deliver what customers want. I sometimes joke that the secret of my success is to surround myself with people that are better than me. What I really mean is that it is the right team that brings the strengths; my job is to coach and guide the team and remember that in their area of specialism, they know more than I do and I must listen.
BoB: Tell us about LumeJet’s new print technology…
PA: LumeJet’s revolutionary Digital Print Head is the brainchild of Trevor Elworthy, founder and Innovation Director. It’s a completely new way of doing ultra-high resolution printing – in many respects rather like inkjet but printing with light, not ink. It produces tiny dots on photosensitive media with amazing precision, 400 dpi edge-to-edge across a page size of 305 x 1000 mm, which is big. All the benefits of a photograph – true contone images and outstanding colours – combined with smooth, fine line drawings and pin-sharp text; on the same page at the same time. We believe this is the best print quality ever.
BoB: What are the next steps for the company?
PA: I’m fortunate to work with people with brilliant ideas, like Trevor Elworthy. Since joining LumeJet in 2011, we’ve made huge strides with the technology, going from a prototype in the lab to preparing a factory and our first sale – the first LumeJet S200 printer is going to Alta Image in July 2013. And that’s thanks to the team of people we’ve put together in technical and engineering, and our new commercial department.
BoB: What about British innovation?
PA: Britain has a long tradition of invention and innovation, and I’m proud to be part of it, pushing the envelope of what’s possible. I believe in a technology-led manufacturing economy and that’s part of what drives me.
