As the first members of the Inkjet Insight team began to shelter in place due to COVID-19, I asked them to share their personal stories. In our series “Profiles in Quarantine” we try to connect with, and provide s help to, others struggling to work at home, deal with not being able to work, or facing challenges with whether their operations could/should remain open. Some of the technology leaders we work with also reached out to share their stories to underscore the message that we are all in this together.
First up is Kevin Shimamoto, Chief Marketing Officer with Memjet Technology. Being in quarantine is a big change for Kevin who has responsibility for driving global company and OEM partner marketing strategies across product development, marketing communications and strategic planning for the company. I imagine there is no shortage of strategic planning going on right now.
Kevin, what can you tell us about this photo?
This is me in full personal protective gear visiting my uncle who ended up in the intensive care unit at the end of March. Since that time, many hospitals have barred visitors completely.
Where is home?
San Diego, CA.
How much do work from home when there’s not a pandemic?
None, I love going into the office to collaborate with my team and all of the other functions in our headquarters.
Days at home since march 1?
Since march 20 – over 20 long days now.
What are you doing to keep spirits up?
Focusing on strategy, process and planning with a mix of working out, cooking and cleaning. Staying focused, fit and fun. Our backyard just got a little smaller as san diego just closed all beaches! Online workout videos have been my savior.
What are your favorite stories of people/companies helping others during the pandemic?
While memjet is a global company and we are used to working across locations and time zones internally and with our OEM partners, it has been amazing to see how effective, productive and motivated the entire company remains on the business, their families and communities. The amount of collaboration, colleagues taking care of one another and dedication to our oems has been inspiring.
What are your top tips for printing companies in managing through the pandemic?
Take the time to strategize and plan listening to the needs of the market and your customers. This situation will change the way we print in the future. Look at your products and services to see how you can modify, customize and optimize your solutions to better fit our changing landscape. The need for new products and applications with variable content in short runs with the fastest turnaround will be even more important in the future.
What do you think OEMs can/should do to help their customers?
It is clear that as we recover, print providers will, more than ever, need to access affordable printing solutions to expand and recover their business and revenue. OEMs will need to continue to innovate and develop new solutions to meet these needs listening to their customers. Memjet is here to help these OEMs to be flexible and tailor their solutions to the changing marketplace with the lowest development time and costs.