Esko praises work of retiring tutor and pledges to continue 20-year relationship with graphic design school

Esko has pledged to continue its close relationship with leading Swedish graphic design school Brobygrafiska, after bidding a fond farewell to the retiring tutor who has taught 1,000 students to use the company’s ArtiosCAD structural design software.

Constructional Design Tutor Mats Olsson will be leaving the Sunne-based school in August this year, after spending more than two decades teaching future packaging industry workers from across the region and training them on the most current and cutting edge technology from Esko.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Mats has taught about a thousand students how to use ArtiosCAD,” said Tommy Bonté, Technical Manager and Prepress Educator with Brobygrafiska. “Throughout his time here he has taken them from their first step in using the structural design software through to a career in packaging, and to this day he still teaches them when it´s time for a knowledge update, even though they have long since graduated.”

For more than twenty years, Esko, the global developer of leading integrated software and hardware solutions for the packaging industry has enjoyed a close association with the graphic design school, which has its roots in printing but is focused on the future with digital innovation. “When Mats first joined the college in 2000, the school was just using ArtiosCAD version 3.24,” said Tommy. “Mats had a great connection with the Esko Nordics sales manager at the time, and between them they managed to get a CDI plate imager installed at the school. That was where the relationship began and everything else – from ArtiosCAD licenses for our students through to Kongsberg finishing tables - just came from there.

“Mats would never settle for outdated or ageing tech for his students, and so he made sure everything was constantly updated at the school,” explained Tommy. “He worked closely with Esko over the years and we now have all Esko software, including latest versions of Automation Engine and WebCenter, as well as our CDI platemaker and digital finishing tables. It’s a great relationship and our access to the latest solutions means we can not only teach the next generation of packaging designers on the software they will use in their careers, but also the importance of gathering information and keeping track of it. They understand how to make files available to everyone in an organization across locations – something that has been particularly relevant in the midst of the pandemic, where remote access to files and information has been crucial.”

Tommy said that the school works closely with employers in locations across Sweden, particularly companies like IKEA and Smurfit Kappa, to secure students placements and employment upon graduation. “There are so many companies using Esko ArtiosCAD that they reach out to us when they’re looking for new packaging designers,” he said. “I think about three quarters of the packaging segment at IKEA consists of students that Mats has taught, and he is still in touch and keeping them up to speed whenever there are new updates!”

As a higher vocational education institute, the school takes around 32 students each year on its graphic design technician and packaging design course. “In their second year, our students deliver a big project, using all their skills and competences to make some fantastically innovative products,” said Tommy. “For example, some of our students were working with a major sports brand and developed sport bags and backpacks made from braided paper. They are truly embracing creativity and the source of this is Mats.”

Ishu Khurana, Esko Territory Sales Manager for the Nordics region, said that Mats’ contribution to the industry is cause for celebration. “The high regard in which Mats is held is a testament to the impact he has had both on the lives of his hundreds of successful students, and also his friends and colleagues at Brobygrafiska and across the industry,” he said. “At Esko, we are honored to work with schools and educational institutions around the globe to help ensure that future generations of packaging workers have access to the technology they will ultimately be using in the ‘real world’.

“Mats spent more than 20 years teaching and training students at the college, but he also built a relationship with Esko that we are proud of and look forward to continuing,” said Ishu. “Everyone at Esko wishes Mats well for his retirement, and we want to assure him that together with Tommy, and the team at Brobygrafiska, we will continue supporting the development of the packaging designers of the future.”

For more on the Brobygrafiska school, visit brobygrafiska.se