Gallus has used the opening of its new customer experience centre in St Gallen, Switzerland to update its digital printing offer.
This has included the launch of Gallus One with converting. The core Gallus One inkjet digital label press was launched last year with has a print width of 340mm, an achievable resolution of 1200 x 1200dpi and the ability to print CMYK at up to 70m/min. White can also be printed at 70m/min with 85% opacity. By combining this with inline converting options – flexo, semi-rotary die-cutting and vision inspection – Gallus has claimed to, ‘further increase its total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage for label production.’
Also new is the option to upgrade an existing Gallus ECS 340 flexo press with a digital printing unit (DPU), transforming it into a Gallus Labelfire 340 hybrid press but without the additional platform investment. ‘This means that customers are now able to access all the flexibility and versatility of digital printing, with the reliability and precision of conventional printing and further processing technology,’ the company stated.
Gallus Group CEO Dario Urbinati commented, ‘We are committed to being in touch with the market and forecasting, and then responding to, likely trends that could impact our customers and brands. As a result, Gallus and Heidelberg are committed to leading the new digital transformation – driving ‘smart, connected printing’ to unlock revolutionary levels of production automation and manufacturing efficiencies. Key to solving the labour issues of today, this will enable customers to reduce costs and increase both profitability and sustainability. What’s more, utilising our new Gallus Experience Centre, we have a team devoted to exploring new technologies/processes – such as artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 – that could be integrated into labels and packaging to better inspire and engage future generations.’
Gallus is now firmly back in Heidelberg’s plans for the future after the failure to conclude a sale in 2020/2021. The German printing equipment manufacturer recently stated its intent to increase its position in the markets of packaging and digital printing, as the German printing equipment manufacturer reported a positive result for the 2022/2023 financial year despite ‘a difficult economic environment’. Gallus, meanwhile, has recently marked its centenary.
To further drive digital transformation in labels and packaging and tackle current labour shortages and increases in costs, the Heidelberg Customer Portal (HCP) has been introduced to automate almost every customer touchpoint. Future iterations of the system are expected to provide predictive capabilities utilising artificial intelligence (AI) for recommendations to increase productivity, reduce maintenance and boost profitability. HCP is expected to save customers, on average, up to 35% in both time and money, according to the company’s calculations.
Heidelberg CEO Dr Ludwin Monz said, ‘With labels and packaging now representing 50% of the group’s total sales, the new digital and automated solutions we see introduced by Gallus today play an important role in the future of Heidelberg.. As a result, Gallus is an important pillar within the company’s growth strategy, and we’re more committed than ever to its long-term future.’
Mr Urbinati continued, ‘We’re excited to look beyond the graphic arts toward other industries – learning from how they’ve leveraged new technologies to welcome in the new digital age and cater to the next generation – so that we can modernise the labels and packaging industry and further increase our future success.’
