Ok this guy is a piece of work!

Well I only spent 18 years in the Chemical Industry, and 4years in development production robotics and up to a point I agree with your comment. But only if  we were talking producing as much ink as say hydrocarbons or their derivatives. I believe in more cases automation is an Industrial Relations Tool, and as such takes a lot of fight out of sharing, 'cos there is non! However, sadly that bitter satire in my post was missed.

Fat profits and lavish Marketing is Smart Business, Free Enterprise at work (more satire), as opposed to Free Workers at Work,  earning money to spend on the costly things that OTHER workers (also in work) produce elsewhere!!, consuming and keeping the world going around for all in an equitable way, no third world, no sweat shops. In my opinion people in work is NOT, and will NEVER be uncompetitive.

Only savage GREED makes it appear that way if you are not 'in the loop' and unable to see and work your own way through the fog of misleading spin from these Companies.

So! I am very happy that the Brand ink producers rip us off, that way we get folks like Cone who get off their butts and start grass roots product development partnerships and bring us great products.

Reminds me of the Plastics industry, in the 80's the major Manufacturers awoke and suddenly DISCOVERED that hundreds of tiny companies were producing plastics that industry and consumers wanted and used,  and THEY no longer had the technology to themselves, AND has been passed by.

Its happening today in printing......thank goodness!!!

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Andrew G