Inkjet & Digital Printing

Digital label production with Konica Minolta: seizing opportunities through flexibility in uncertain times

Monday 14. September 2020 - The past few months have posed particular challenges for commercial printers and print providers offering label printing, while at the same time creating opportunities for them. After all, the soaring demand in the healthcare and food sectors meant that large volumes of packaging and thus labels and tags were needed quickly. Three examples illustrate how print providers have risen to this challenge and are using times of crisis to expand their business flexibly and prepare for the future.

The rapid rise in demand for products triggered by the corona pandemic has created challenges for print providers. Those using digital label printing systems have been able to cope with a doubling or tripling of their production thanks to minimal makeready times. The ease of use, reliability and flexibility of an AccurioLabel label printing system helps print providers to respond quickly and creatively, and to generate growth from unplanned demand. This growth is illustrated by Konica Minolta figures: the volume produced on Konica Minolta AccurioLabel printing systems rose by 150 per cent across Europe in March 2020 alone, compared to the previous month. Konica Minolta has a label customer base of more than 500 AccurioPress installations worldwide, 200 of which are located in Europe.
Düssel-Druck & Verlag GmbH has doubled its production
During the crisis, the family-run business Düssel-Druck & Verlag GmbH was confronted with a massive increase in demand for label printing – especially for chemicals, cleaning agents and similar products from the chemical and health sectors. Within a very short space of time the Düsseldorf-based company built a second production line for printing and finishing and reallocated internal resources from the copy shop and small print shop. With the help of a second AccurioLabel 230, production more than doubled. “The advantage of the Konica Minolta systems is that they can be set up very quickly compared to the competition. This means we can also produce short runs in a very short time,” says managing director Axel Meyer. “The installation by Konica Minolta went quickly and smoothly, and the operation is quick and easy for our printers”. This also benefits the customers of the online shop Etiketten-Meister.de In May, Düssel-Druck & Verlag GmbH recorded a 40 per cent increase in turnover. Without digital printing, the company would not have been able to react so quickly – and is also equipped for new developments in the future.
Soabar triples output of digitally printed labels
At Soabar, demand for digitally printed labels has increased significantly since the beginning of the COVID 19 crisis – output has more than tripled to over 70,000 metres per month. The label printer, which is based in Leicester in the UK, saw a significant shift: while demand from the textile sector declined, there was also a massive increase in demand from customers there who manufacture hand sanitisers, disinfectants, chlorine tablets and other hygiene products for the healthcare sector. This also meant a significant difference in the utilisation of production lines and their share of sales. Most of the orders for healthcare manufacturers were handled by two AccurioLabel 190 digital label printing systems, and Soabar was also able to increase the running speed of the systems, reaching the capacity of three machines. “The reliability of our two AccurioLabel printing systems has been thoroughly tested over the past two months,” says Phil Achurch, Soabar’s managing director. “We have seen the demand for digital labels go through the roof, and if it weren’t for the Konica Minolta systems, we would have had a hard time supporting our customers in these difficult times. Although we expanded our digital department last year, the crisis has accelerated this process, and we have grown very quickly from 16 to 17 per cent of sales to nearly 50 per cent of current sales. It has been a worrying time for everyone, but I sleep better at night because I know we have made the right investment and that the future of our print production with Konica Minolta is assured”.
HBO Nova grows and opens up new markets in the field of labels
HBO Nova also saw growth in label orders. As a result, the Norwegian company postponed an investment in digital printing and finishing systems in the middle of the crisis when the pandemic began. With the AccurioLabel 230 digital label printing system and Konica Minolta’s management consultancy, HBO Nova is now able to offer customers digitally printed self-adhesive labels for every conceivable purpose in short and medium runs and in the highest possible quality. HBO Nova labels beers from micro breweries, but also from other national and international customers, for example in the food sector, who use self-adhesive labels for niche markets. “I would like to reiterate our sincere appreciation to Konica Minolta for the care and expertise the company has helped us get to where we are now. The employees have listened and advised us on digital processes and commercial aspects to create a platform on which significant new revenue streams can be developed,” said Orjan Risanger, Managing Director of HBO Nova. “It was exciting and educational for all involved, and we look forward to a continued successful partnership”.