At the SGIA 08 Conference and Expo in Atlanta, James Gandy, president of Mississauga, Ontario-based Gandinnovations, was presented with the 2008 DPI Innovator Award.

Gandy started the company in 2001 in partnership with his brother Hary, designing and manufacturing grand-format digital inkjet printers, first roll-to-roll solvent then flatbed UV machines. When I first met James Gandy, in the summer of 2005, his enthusiasm for digital wide format was matched only by his deep knowledge of the inkjet market, past present and future.
Gandy started manufacturing printers back in 1989 in an effort to sell more of the vinyl substrate he was making. Since then he has remained deeply involved in the industry, starting up and selling progressive businesses, keeping up with technology and maintaining his contacts.

Gandy projects an easy-going confidence, and his ability to stay on the pulse of this rapidly changing market and develop products to meet its needs has served him well. In 2005 Gandinnovations was shipping between 15 and 18 machines a month worldwide with sales predicted to reach around $45 million. In an interview last year, at the company's new 280,000 sq. ft. facility redesigned for manufacturing flexibility and efficiency, Gandy noted that his company had been growing at 50% year over year. With the new location he anticipated the company would boost capacity from 40 to as many as 100 machines per month.

Gandinnovations has a portfolio of made in Canada products that rival its much larger competitors in the digital wide format market. While keeping its hand in display graphics, Gandy is now also turning his eye towards the multi-billion dollar textiles market opportunity.

Proudly manufacturing in Canada, congratulations to James Gandy for this industry recognition and demonstration of home grown innovation.