The engineering team at Mark Andy is robust and innovative. Helping to spearhead this work is Scott Warhover, Vice President of Engineering. During our interview, Warhover discusses working with a team on development projects and the excitement of seeing new designs work for the first time. He brings crucial knowledge and experience to the Mark Andy engineering department that takes printing technology to the next level.

Carolyn Kroupa: How long have you worked at Mark Andy, and what is your experience in the print industry?

Scott Warhover: I have been with Mark Andy a little over 7 years, since April 2014. This represents the entirety of my experience with print, but my career has always been in design and development engineering. I like this balance because in addition to my background from other industries, I have the benefit of being surrounded with great people at Mark Andy who have decades of experience in print.

CK: What does your typical workday look like?

SW: I’m lucky enough to not really have a typical workday. We have a lot of development projects, so one of my objectives is to monitor these projects and provide input. Another activity I highly value is sitting in design reviews for new products. Essentially, a group of engineers will review a proposed design and brainstorm to further optimize the design, looking for even the smallest opportunity to improve performance before it is released.

Equally as important, I get to be involved in the process of developing our strategy for what technologies, products or features we will develop next. This can involve discussions with our customers, suppliers, and internally at Mark Andy. Of course, there is an administrative side to my job as well, but nobody really wants to hear about that.

CK: What is your favorite thing about your job/working at Mark Andy?

SW: Without a doubt, it is seeing a new product, technology or solution working for the first time. Engineering teams can spend countless hours dedicated to the development of a new design, but nothing beats getting to see it work. Of course, none of this would be possible without the great, innovative engineering team I get to work with every day.

CK: Where do you see the industry going? What’s an upcoming printing technology/innovation that excites you?

SW: As for where the industry is going, I think it’s safe to say there is a long future for both flexography and digital printing. Each of these technologies continue to provide unique benefits to their market space to prevent the other from dominating. This is great since the market can clearly support both. Furthermore, this provides an incredible opportunity for our flexo and digital hybrid products, due to the overlap of these markets. The end result is more choices for our customers, which is always good.

As for what technology/innovation excites me, we are working on that now, so you will have to wait and see!

CK: Any advice you would give to engineers and those in the printing and manufacturing industry?

SW: Engineering really comes down to innovation and problem solving. This includes solving a problem better than it’s been done before, which often means stepping outside of your comfort zone. So, when big challenges show up, don’t get discouraged, this is the time to get excited! And don’t be afraid to try something new, just make sure you do your homework first.