John Kelley Joins Kento North America As Managing Director
As Managing Director, John’s priorities are clear: “I’m building a North American sales plan that aligns with the needs of converters ready to take their printing capability to the next level. My approach is consultative — I come from the floor, and I understand the challenges our cus- tomers face.” CEO Javier Quesada said that North America is one of Kento’s most strategic markets. “Demand for high-quali- ty printing continues to grow while production batch siz- es shrink,” he said. “The US has more single-pass digital printers than any other country. Converters here are very open to innovation and they’re ready for the hybrid trans- formation.” Javier says Kento already has two machines installed in the US and two more in production, including models featuring the newly developed 66-inch rotary die cutter, designed for the North American standard. “But adoption isn’t just about technology,” he said. “It’s about understanding. That’s why appointing an experi- enced, respected leader like John Kelley is so important. John knows the market, the trends, and, most importantly, the people. “John has not only deep industry knowledge, but also strong values and a global mindset. He understands what’s happening in Europe and how it connects to North Ameri- can trends. That makes him the ideal person to represent Kento and help us grow.” Visit kentodigitalprinting.com .
Kento Hybrid, headquartered in Valencia, Spain, has wel- comed industry veteran John Kelley as its new Managing Director in North America. With more than 45 years of ex- perience in corrugated packaging and a lifelong passion for high-graphics printing and converting, John brings
both strategic insight and deep op- erational knowledge to support its customers, the company said. “I’ve been involved in the cor- rugated industry for ove 45 years,” said John. “I was fortunate to par- ticipate in major innovations like the first chambered doctor blade system and the first vacuum trans- fer system in rotary die cutting de-
John Kelley
cades ago. Since then, I’ve been fully committed to ad- vancing the science of putting ink on corrugated board.” John recalls printing a process image of a Florida or- ange directly on corrugated for the gift fruit industry some 35 years ago. “Even then, I saw high-graphics packaging as a differentiator,” he said. “What attracted me to Kento is the genius of combining the best of analog and digital into one press. This is going to be one of the greatest innova- tions we’ve seen in our industry.”
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July 21, 2025
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