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L’Artegrafica’s investment in Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet KM-1 inkjet B2+ sheetfed UV colour inkjet digital press – the first in Italy – has enabled the family-owned printing house to move into packaging, as well as develop canvas and plastics applications.Live production started in January for the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 that will replace four machines in the company’s digital division.
The agreement will enable L’Artegrafica to develop applications such as customer loyalty cards for local markets by providing UV printing on standard media as well as special substrates up to 600gr. As for the loyalty cards for example, previously the work would have had to be completed in two stages, first on 400gr litho paper and then laminated. But the two-stage process was expensive, time-consuming and did not meet quality requirements.
Another benefit is the development of an augmented reality (AR) project to open up new markets such as label printing and embellishment. Part of Konica Minolta’s wide-ranging support to the Treviso-based company will include providing membership of Konica Minolta Marketing Services supplier network, as well as commercial and operator training.
The Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1’s in-built software manages L’Artegrafica’s incoming jobs more efficiently and cost-effectively, particularly in the competitive 50 x 70 sheet size order market. Increasing amounts of work will continue to transfer from litho to digital production, thanks to Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 features such as new B2+ size production, the ability to print on a wider range of substrates and no pre-coating requirements.
The Zaia family, who founded L’Artegrafica in 1989, said: “Rapidly-changing and new markets are increasingly geared to high quality, short-run, personalised printing. This investment in the AccurioJet KM-1 gives us the ability to print on more substrates than ever before. It is a key part of our digital strategy and enables us to expand business services to our customers, while reducing costs. We certainly see UV inkjet as the future for digital production as we continue to transfer more jobs from litho production.”
The Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1, which is known as the “Swiss Army Knife" of printing because it has so many uses, also provides customers with unique Dot Freeze Technology™. This patented process overcomes one of the fundamental challenges of inkjet printing – uncontrolled ink dot movement that reduces print quality and workable materials. FOGRA53 certification - awarded to Konica Minolta last year - recognises the AccurioJet KM-1’s outstanding stability, versatility and colour accuracy.
About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. Konica Minolta enables its clients to champion the digital era: with its unique imaging expertise and data processing capabilities, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers and solves issues faced by society. As a provider of comprehensive IT services, Konica Minolta delivers consultancy and services to optimise business processes with workflow automation. The company further offers its customers solutions and managed services in the field of IT infrastructure and IT security as well as cloud environments. With regard to its office printing solutions, ‘IDC MarketScape: Western Europe Smart Multifunctional Peripheral 2018 Vendor Assessment’ stated that Konica Minolta is ‘recognised globally as a leading smart MFP provider of note’. As a strong partner for the professional printing market, Konica Minolta offers business consulting, state-of-the-art technology and software and has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa (InfoSource). In the healthcare sector, Konica Minolta drives digitalisation of clinical workflows and offers a broad range of next-level diagnostic solutions. Its Business Innovation Centre in London and four R & D laboratories in Europe enable Konica Minolta to bring innovation forward by collaborating with its customers as well as academic, industrial and entrepreneurial partners. For its solutions that combine ‘smart service with smart technology’, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab PaceSetter Award for Outstanding Serviceability 2018/2019’ from Keypoint Intelligence. Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With almost 10,300 employees (as of April 2019), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.39 billion in financial year 2018/19.
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