In this insightful interview, Jon Bailey, COO of Precision Proco, shares his journey into the print industry, leadership philosophy, and how embracing change and innovation has shaped his success.
Discover practical lessons on building a resilient business, nurturing talent, and leveraging AI for future growth.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Leadership Flourishes in Authenticity and Integrity
True influence comes from honesty, clarity, and consistent integrity, not niceness or softness. Leaders who communicate purpose and standards openly foster loyalty and inspire followership.The Human Edge Is the Only Sustainable Competitive Advantage
In a future where AI levels the playing field technologically, the differentiator becomes the quality of people-more committed, happier, more accountable. Investing in human relationships and culture is paramount because it’s the only element AI can’t replicate.Long-Term Success Is Rooted in Continuous Transformation
Evolving a business over decades requires relentless innovation and “thinking outside the box,” rather than rigid adherence to a static business model. Businesses that embed continuous reinvention into their culture can sustain relevance and growth despite rapid technological shifts.Opportunity Lies in Early Adoption and Digital Mindset
Early embracing digital and innovative workflows creates first-mover advantage, especially when competition is slow to adapt. Shifting your team's mindset from traditional to digital-first unlocks new margins and keeps pace with industry transformation.The Greatest Lesson Is the Power of People and Mentorship
Mentorship and integrity are foundational pillars for leadership; aligning with core values and giving clarity to teams create genuine followership. Success hinges less on technical skill and more on relational integrity, trust, and leading by example.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to John Bailey and Precision Proco
05:56 Mentorship and Learning from Experience
12:04 Innovative Business Practices and Culture
18:00 Sustainability and Ethical Business Practices
23:59 Creativity vs. Process: Finding the Balance
32:05 Lessons Learned: The Value of People and Integrity
In this episode, host Debbie McKeegan is joined by textile designers, educators and researchers Rebecca Hoyes and Jo Pierce co-authors of Reimagining Printed Textiles. Together, they explore how colour, pattern and materials can be rethought as the textile industry faces growing environmental challenges.
The conversation looks at emerging natural and bio-based colour sources, including microbial fermentation and dyes made from waste streams. Rebecca and Joe also discuss how patterns can tell stories about a material’s origins, how digital tools can complement craft, and how designers can reduce waste through practical choices such as reworking printed fabrics and using less ink.
Looking ahead, they consider what it will take to build a more nature-positive future for textiles - from scaling promising innovations to sharing knowledge across design, science and industry.
Their message to professionals, designers and students is to stay curious, question established practices and see the whole life-cycle of the materials they create with.
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In this episode, Debbie McKeegan is joined by Frank Maeder of NedGraphics and Optitex to explore how digital tools are reshaping textile and apparel workflows. They discuss the industry’s push to move faster, reduce waste, and connect teams across design and production—wherever they are in the world.
Frank shares highlights from NedGraphics’ latest release, including OptiNet Cloud, a platform for managing and sharing digital assets and collaborating across teams. The conversation also covers enhancements to rotary printing, tufting simulation, and pattern resizing, as well as an integration that brings more detailed digital yarns into the design workflow.
The episode looks ahead at a more connected creative ecosystem, where cloud collaboration and shared development across NedGraphics and Optitex can help reduce friction between ideas and production. Debbie and Frank also discuss how AI is supporting product development internally—and how continuous improvements can give designers more time to focus on their work.
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Join host Debbie McKeegan for an inspiring conversation with Danit Peleg, founder of 3D Fashion Lab and a trailblazer in 3D-printed fashion.
Danit reflects on her journey from experimenting with desktop printers to creating soft, wearable textiles—and explores how AI is helping designers turn ideas into garments more quickly. Discover how bio-based materials, custom-fit designs, and on-demand local production could reshape the way fashion is made and consumed, while reducing waste and opening up new creative possibilities for designers and customers alike.
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In this podcast episode, James Watson, Managing Director of Surface Print, discussed the evolution of his fourth-generation family business in Lancashire.
Surface Print combines traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation- investing £2 million in a hybrid rotary screen Gravure machine and £600,000 in new HP digital printers.
The company achieved ISO 14001 accreditation, introduced solar panels, and plans to install a new boiler and water recirculation system. Watson emphasised the importance of balancing traditional techniques with modern technologies to maintain quality and sustainability. The company also leverages AI for efficiency and marketing, while maintaining a family-oriented work culture.
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From Dongles to Digital: Future‑Proof Licensing for Global Creative Teams
Host Debbie McKeegan talks with NedGraphics President Frank Maeder and 10Duke CEO Neil Fenton about the shift from hardware dongles to secure, user‑centric cloud licensing.
They discuss how this transition reduces friction for designers, supports hybrid and global workflows, strengthens security and resilience, and even contributes to sustainability by eliminating physical keys and their shipping footprint.
If you’re in fashion, design, CAD/CAM, or any creative production environment and want to future‑proof your software delivery, this discussion is packed with insight and real‑world examples.
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There's a persistent myth in parts of the industry that sustainability compliance is something that happens upstream - a supplier issue, a sourcing issue, a problem for someone else's department.
The webinar dismantled that assumption convincingly. Marketing teams sit squarely in the firing line.
Every claim on a hangtag, website, product name or Instagram caption now falls under regulatory scrutiny. A brand name suggesting an "eco collection," a product description claiming "sustainable materials," a carousel post about carbon neutrality - all of it counts as a communication subject to the same rules as formal labelling. This is a cross-functional compliance challenge that touches data teams, supplier relationships, legal counsel and brand communications simultaneously.
The Ecommerce Leadership Summit North brought together retail and ecommerce leaders in Manchester to discuss the challenges, opportunities and commercial decisions shaping the industry.
Across the day's sessions, speakers explored the future of retail profitability, the growing importance of verifiable product data in AI-driven commerce, the realities of building and scaling brands, and how businesses can protect their margins without compromising customer value. From the discussions on stage to the experiences shared by founders, here are the key insights from this year's summit.
The State of Retail 2027: What Will Separate the Winners from Everyone Else?
This is not simply a matter of faster machines.
It is a question of whether your production model - technology stack, workflow discipline, and quality control - is genuinely built for the realities of club and event merchandise.
Those realities are unforgiving: brand-perfect colour, flawless personalisation, licensing compliance, and turnaround measured in hours rather than weeks.
Colour Separation: The Craft Digital Textile Design Shouldn’t Forget
Textile designer Stephan Alker draws on more than 40 years in the industry, going back to his start at Transfertex in 1980, to trace how colour separation moved from drum scanners, hand-retouched films and engraved gravure cylinders to fully digital workflows.
He argues that this production knowledge still matters in the age of digital printing, because properly separated designs give brands far more freedom.
The Path Foward: Connect Every Link:
Design, colour, workflow, production, data. Each link now depends on the one before it, and the printers who will lead the market are those who strengthen the whole chain, not just the machinery at its centre.
So, this autumn, ask the bigger question on your own shop floor.
Not "Which printer?" but "How well does my business connect demand, design and production?"
Dorking – UK – November 2026 – FESPA has announced that entries are now open for the Young Star category of the FESPA Awards, inviting students, apprentices and junior professionals aged 16 to 25 to showcase their work to the global print and signage community. Entry is free, with submissions accepted until 2 December 2026.
The Young Star category recognises emerging talent working or studying in a print-related discipline, whether through independent projects or contributions to joint or team work. Entrants are encouraged to put forward work that challenged them, an idea they brought to life, or a finished result they are proud of, giving
Toronto, Canada – November 2026 – Fiery today announced that its CEO, Micah Kornberg, has been named Emerging Leader of the Year at the 20th annual Canadian Printing Awards, presented by PrintAction at the Palais Royale in Toronto. The award recognises outstanding leadership within Canada's print industry and marks a significant milestone in Kornberg's career with the company.
Exclusive Mimaki distributor, Hybrid Services will host two Mimaki Technology Taster Days at its Crewe showroom this November, giving businesses the opportunity to explore their next printing investment, diversification or upgrade in a relaxed, informal setting.
Taking place on Thursday 12th and 19th November, from 10am - 4pm, the events are designed for companies at any stage of their research, including those still considering which direction to take. Visitors can explore the Mimaki range, see printed applications and discuss their ideas with Hybrid’s product specialists.
Oswestry, UK – November 2026 – China Print Supplies UK Ltd has announced the launch of its new Dlican DLI-3325 printer and GK-3225 cutting table bundle, a solution designed to meet the rising demands of industrial print, large format, and high-volume production environments. The bundle is available now, with pricing starting from £121,490+VAT or finance options from £531.16 per week.
Lancashire, UK – 11 November 2024 – Pincroft Dyeing and Printing has today paused to honour the men and women who served and sacrificed during times of conflict, joining communities across the nation in a moment of remembrance.
As part of its Remembrance Day observance, the company reflected on the courage and sacrifice of those who gave so much for the freedoms enjoyed by future generations. Staff across the business took time to acknowledge the contribution of armed forces personnel, past and present, whose service continues to shape the values the company holds today