Q&A | Translating Pressroom Challenges into Strategic Relationships

Published: June 15, 2026

Kim Barham leads Sun Chemical’s Team Scorpion, and reveals how collaboration turns pressroom issues into efficiency gains, cost savings and growth opportunities.

Listen to the interview on YouTube or the RDG Media Podcast.

As printing methods, materials and technology continue to advance, technical experts at Sun Chemical have identified more than 3 million variables that can impact the printing process. Sun Chemical Business Development Executive Kim Barham reveals how experts from Team Scorpion address the printing and packaging industries' skilled labor shortage, and travel across the country solving pressroom challenges for businesses of all sizes.

Following are interview highlights:

Q: Kim, to start, can you explain why you use a troubleshooting approach, and how you formed Team Scorpion?

Nobody has time for cold calls, but people do have time to discuss their problems with someone willing and able to find solutions. When I became a business development executive at Sun Chemical in 2025, I realized I needed to gather a team of subject matter experts to visit customers, listen to their problems and solve challenges. That's how Team Scorpion came about.

Q: What pressroom challenges do you encounter most often?

There are definitely recurring challenges as we go out across the country and poll our customers. On the technical side, the most common issues are misting at high press speeds, piling, ink and water balance, and batch-to-batch color variation.

However, the number one challenge for printing and packaging businesses right now is finding experienced talent. It's difficult to entice young people into our industry, and experienced operators are retiring. That's exactly why I assembled a team of specialists to travel around the country analyzing and solving customers' biggest challenges — and to develop training programs around real pressroom management challenges.

Q: What does your process look like?

It starts with a 30-minute introductory meeting over Teams to learn about the customer's biggest challenges, followed by a plant assessment — a baseline walkthrough focused on the top three issues. We're press-solving from the very beginning. Our team gets up into the units, talks to press operators, and identifies core problems firsthand.

Q: Can you share an example of an assessment that evolved into a stronger partnership?

One of the most impactful and recurring challenges is misting. As customers invest in newer, high-speed packaging presses running at 18,000+ sheets per hour, existing ink technology struggles to keep pace. After listening to customers and witnessing their problems directly, we developed product lines better suited for higher speeds, and worked with operators on ink-water balance. The dollar savings were easily quantifiable given the high waste misting generates. The team has also resolved piling and batch-to-batch color variation for multiple customers.

Q: What tools and strategies do you use to collaborate with press operators, production managers and procurement teams?

We use action registers managed with Smartsheet to assign issues, set timelines and designate responsible individuals — creating clear accountability so problems don't linger unresolved. Both the Sun Chemical team and customers have admin access for real-time updates. We also conduct quarterly and year-end business reviews focused on measurable accomplishments and documented savings rather than superficial metrics.

Q: Once improvements are made, how do you document results?

Because most Team Scorpion members come from operations management backgrounds, they understand the metrics pressroom operators and managers are held accountable for. That allows us to frame results in terms that resonate. Quantifying the dollar value of solved problems — particularly at high volumes — is both straightforward and impactful, and it becomes the foundation for expanding the partnership.

Q: How do you manage the trial process?

We've invested significantly in our trial protocol, adding dedicated staff to manage each trial with a goal of 100% success. Key elements include proper product selection, on-time and undamaged delivery, having the right people present — and most critically, establishing a clearly defined, mutually agreed-upon definition of success before the trial begins.

Q: What differentiates your approach from traditional ink sales?

Rather than presenting a long product list, Team Scorpion focuses immediately on the customer's top three challenges, building a collaborative partnership and open dialogue from the outset. The approach is working. We're currently managing approximately 30 open opportunities across the country and have significantly raised Sun Chemical's profile in the sheetfed segment. The focused team model also demonstrates to customers of all sizes that Sun Chemical values them as partners, regardless of the size of their business.

Q: Any final insights before we wrap up?

The strategy is straightforward — ask customers what their problems are and solve them. What makes it effective is the combination of a skilled, diverse team, a structured approach, a broad product portfolio, and genuine passion for education and industry stewardship. When our customers have a problem, there’s nothing this team of five people can’t resolve.

You can reach Kim Barham at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and learn more at https://www.sunchemical.com/packaging-graphic-solutions

Listen to the interview on YouTube or the RDG Media Podcast.

This episode of the PFFC Thought Leader Interview series is brought to you by: