KM hits digital milestones

Konica Minolta has continued to see its presence in digital labels and packaging advance at a rapid rate, with the 1000^th AccurioLabel installation coming as the company hits a 10% global market share in B2 inkjet systems.

France’s Etiq’Lyon has invested in the 1000^th AccurioLabel, with a 230 model installed at its facility in Caluire, near Lyon. Bertrand Genin, Etiq’Lyon owner, said, ‘As we continue to invest in digital technology, which we see as the future, we are extremely proud to have become the 1000^th customer of the AccurioLabel toner press. This investment will enable us to offer many other new business solutions for our customers spread across all industrial trades, thanks to the support we receive, very good colour stability of the machine and fast production speeds.’

AccurioLabel technology was introduced less than seven years ago, with the confirmation of the 1000^th installation shipment coming less than two years after the 500^th. Konica Minolta has stated a 28% brand market share in Europe in 2021.

Carsten Bamberg, business development manager, Professional Printing Group within Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, commented, ‘The market-leading brand in Europe for digital label printing recognition and 1000^th shipment of the AccurioLabel presses announcement are important milestones as we continue to accelerate our labels business. We are constantly rethinking possibilities and have serious plans to grow our labels business further with another game-changing announcement on the horizon.’

Similar success is being strived for and achieved with inkjet digital printing. Within three years, Konica Minolta’s global market share of B2 inkjet system has tripled and now stands at 10%. Numbers are expected to continue upwards as inkjet breaks new ground as, ‘a real growth engine for digital printing.’

The Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 B2 UV inkjet sheet-fed press enables high productivity inkjet printing to address a wider set of application needs. There are close to 30 installations in Europe alone. Following the original KM-1 press, the series now includes KM-1e, with enhanced capabilities to further the user’s capacity and production, and KM-1e HD, which was introduced to take this further by incorporating HD technology to improve the quality of production off the press.

Manuel Elder, vice president of packaging at customer Hama Germany, commented, ‘The opportunities for AccurioJet KM-1e lie in the expansion of the packaging assortment, the production of further high-quality packaging as well as the acquisition of further assortments, such as folding boxes for the packaging sector. The ability to print on many different materials, for example stone paper and plastic, also offers possibilities for the future.’

Hidetoshi Omo, head of the KM-1 competence centre at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, stated, ‘Opportunity is everywhere. Working closely in partnership, we are helping customers to ignite print possibilities in a sustainable way through injecting new-found creativity in their continued digital transformation. Our own customer experience is that inkjet is very much a growth market in which printers want to invest.

‘However, for us it is not just about machine sales – we accompany our customers on their digital transformation journey and are always there when they need us. Thinking of service engineers as just one example, we are proud to have 45 dedicated KM-1 and KM-1e service engineers across 17 countries in Europe.’

Mr Gemin of Etiq’Lyon concluded, ‘The technology, extremely competitive total cost of ownership and professional support and responsiveness from their expert staff were major factors behind our decision. Konica Minolta has been extremely good at listening to us and working together in partnership to deliver on our exacting requirements.’