French printer Nord Technique Etiquetage (NTE) has become the country’s first company to install a Bobst digital label press after it invested in a Mouvent LB702-UV.

NTE is a family-owned company based near Lille, with 35 years of experience in the manufacture of labels. Whilst France’s first Mouvent press, the LB702-UV is NTE’s second investment in Bobst printing hardware following the purchase of an M4 inline flexo press in 2016. A year after that, NTE made its first investment into digital printing, with the 2021 investment in new digital printing technology a direct response to increased demand for shorter to medium length runs that NTE has experienced.

NTE general manager Thibault Duponchel said, ‘We’re using flexo for the very long runs and the Mouvent digital press for the rest. It’s clear that with an ultra-quick and productive machine like this, digital is not only for short runs anymore. It’s the perfect tool for short to medium runs, and I am now shifting all jobs of several thousand linear meters to digital.’

He added, ‘Since owning the Mouvent LB702-UV, I’m proud to say I now have a fully optimised production floor, by being able to offer the very best technology for all print jobs.’

The high productivity of the press, compared to other digital presses, was of particular interest to Mr Duponchel, who said, ‘The need to produce labels fast and cost effectively is driving the label sector. To meet these challenges, we actually purchased our first digital printing press back in 2017. However, it wasn’t adequate for us to respond quickly and effectively to our customers’ demands. We needed a digital label press that would not only meet the demands of now, but the future too. Having a strong relationship with Bobst already, we turned to it for the answer, and that’s when we were introduced to the Mouvent LB702-UV. Being able to offer high printing speeds and the full colour gamut with lower costs is exactly what we need.’

Mr Duponchel stated, ‘Digital printing will have an ever-increasing role to play in label printing, and as the industry continues to evolve, digital printing will enable us to change with it. We have found that partnering with Bobst has set NTE on course for a bright future in label production. We feel like a bigger company because of it.’