Screenbolaget invests in a Vanguard flatbed printer

Buys a new VK300D-HS series high-production LED UV flatbed printer

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Screenbolaget
Oscar Lagerstedt of Screenbolaget with new VK300D-HS series. Photo Screenbolaget

Screenbolaget AB, one of Sweden’s major suppliers of profile advertising and action marketing products, has become the first European customer to invest in a new VK300D-HS series high-production LED UV flatbed printer with 10 printheads from Vanguard Europe. Changing market requirements and a need for fast job turnarounds with high-volume digital production were crucial in Screenbolaget’s decision to invest in the system.

Screenbolaget, a €12 million-turnover company organically growing by around 7% a year, employs 42 staff in Stockholm. The Vanguard is the fifth machine it has purchased through distributor Marabu. “Until this summer, around 90% of our work was roll-to-roll and 10% was flatbed,” said Patrick Nermark, CEO of Screenbolaget. “But flatbed volumes quadrupled going into the Swedish elections in September, and these are still more than at least double since then.

We could not have taken on all this extra work without investing in a Vanguard machine – our fifth through our partner Marabu, with whom we have a very long and strong relationship. Vanguard produces state-of-the-art machines and heads with a huge volume capacity. The VK300D series is a rigid, stable machine and has been a revolution. It is at least five times faster than our old machine. Now we have a lot more business opportunities.”

Yiannis Apostolidis, Business Development director of Vanguard Europe, said: “Vanguard’s printing systems have achieved significant global growth, which we are now delighted to be mirroring within countries such as Sweden and across Europe. We are looking forward to continuing to develop our working relationship with Screenbolaget, one of our growing number of customers who are benefiting from our state-of-the-art systems that open new doors for business growth. We provide comprehensive service and support as part of the package.”

Formed in late 2021, Vanguard Europe is the European subsidiary of Vanguard Digital Printing Systems Corporation, which has its global headquarters in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The company has its European base in Brixen, Italy, near the parent company Durst Group’s global headquarters.

The VK300D-HS UV flatbed machines covering mid-and high-end-range performance spectrums were launched at Fespa in May. Built on the multi-award-winning VK300D series, this fully featured flatbed incorporates a high-speed electromagnetic drive system that propels the carriage at speeds of up to 1.8m per second for 60 boards an hour.

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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