Inkjet & Digital Printing

Calveti accelerates expansion of business with Konica Minolta

Tuesday 25. October 2022 - Konica Minoltas print production technology has become a key pillar in Caveltis journey to become a full-service integrated communications provider. Its comprehensive business development support and software also enable the company to further increase its digital print volume.

Fast-changing markets that require flexibility to meet increasing short-run printing and faster turnaround times are among the critical business drivers for family-owned Cavelti.
The innovative media company has invested in Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet KM-1e UV inkjet sheetfed press and AccurioPress C14000, its flagship high-speed toner press, as part of a focus shift towards digital production capabilities at its site in Gossau, St Gallen, Switzerland. Both presses were recently awarded Buyers’ Laboratory International (BLI) following extensive testing.
Live demonstrations with other Konica Minolta customers, the enormous flexibility in substrates, as well as the easy path to finishing solutions and the introduction of new applications were also important factors that triggered a change in business strategy at Cavelti to expand digital production even faster. Another key advantage was the B2+ sheet format of the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1e, which matched the finishing structure already in place.
Other advantages included no wrinkling, no drying time and high quality inkjet production, especially for clear orange and other colours that needed to stand out and could be produced on the AccurioJet KM-1e with the normal four-colour gamut. In addition, no special substrates are required for paper weights from 60 gsm to 600 gsm, with jobs printed consecutively using all the different papers.
Cavelti, which has evolved over the past 140 years from a newspaper publisher and traditional letterpress printer to a full-service integrated communications provider, conducted extensive market assessments before selecting Konica Minolta as its preferred digital printing partner. In doing so, the company pursued the goal of taking Cavelti beyond printing and into the area of cross-media services. The sale and installation were completed through Graphax AG, Konica Minolta’s exclusive service partner in Switzerland.
Konica Minolta’s extensive expertise also led to its second investment in its digital production technology with the AccurioPress C14000. Launched less than three years ago, the toner-based press prints 140 pages per minute, faster than any other Konica Minolta toner-based press. Together with the AccurioPress C12000, a second model in the series with a speed of 120 pages per minute, the award-winning flagship production machines were Konica Minolta’s first foray into the high-volume toner printing segment at the time. The AccurioPress C14000 has also met TÜV Rheinland’s criteria for toy testing.
“Communication is our world,” says Claudio Cavelti, managing director of Cavelti AG. “It is an essential part of the overall business strategy, and we place great emphasis on ensuring that all the communication channels you use for your brand and your business are part of an integrated communication strategy. Our project teams consist of professionals from the fields of consulting, conception, content, digital marketing, creation, publishing and print production.
“Dynamism and flexibility are part of our DNA. The world of communication is changing rapidly – and Konica Minolta is an important partner in helping our customers meet this challenge.”
Before the pandemic, digital printing accounted for about 10% of Cavelti’s total production and is growing steadily. Cavelti says that while it is difficult to make long-term projections for digital printing at his company, he believes that digital will account for between 30% and 40% of total print volume within five years.
Hidetoshi Omo, Head of Center of Competence, KM-1e at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, explains: “The deeper we dived into discussions with Graphax, the more interested Cavelti became in our products. Especially when they saw the enormous range of applications our technology offers. This is especially true for our AccurioJet KM-1e, which is also known as the “Swiss Army Knife of printing” due to its wide range of applications. We are delighted to have become the company’s sole supplier for digital production.”
“We are proud to build long-term and meaningful partnerships with customers like Cavelti as we continue our growth trajectory in the commercial and industrial markets.”
“Both the AccurioJet KM-1e and the AccurioPress C14000 are important pillars in our strategy to help our customers rethink creativity. We want to help them shape and exploit the many new opportunities that digitisation brings and support the trend to move from offset to inkjet printing.”