Barcelona-based Germark has detailed its success with a Bobst Mouvent LB702-UV digital inkjet press, installed to improve production and offer faster delivery times.
The seven-colour LB702-UV inkjet press prints in CMYK+OVW at up to 100m/min (45m/min with digital white for 70% opacity) with low set-up times.
Quality has also been boosted with Bobst’s proprietary inkjet technology, which delivers a resolution of 1200 x 1200dpi to create sharp images, vibrant colours, fine lines, and smooth gradients.
Germark managing director Iban Cid, who took over from his father nearly 25 years ago, said, ‘We started our partnership with Bobst with an LB702-UV inkjet press, which we saw as the next step in our digital evolution, and it has been extremely successful.
‘The main advantage of the new inkjet machine was moving from our existing 600 x 600dpi capability to a higher level as it helps us meet the extremely high quality-demands from cosmetics brands. Being able to print at 1200 x 1200dpi at a cost-efficient level also eradicates the difference between inkjet and toner.
‘Add to that the high-speed digital white and the low waste and you have a real game-changer. In fact, the LB702-UV, another first for Spain, is the most profitable press on our production floor.’
It can also print on clear and metallised materials used for label production for the cosmetics industry without the need for a digital primer.
Germark was among the first label converters in Spain to adopt digital printing technology more than 20 years ago, having been instrumental in pioneering premium self-adhesive label production when it installed an early model toner press. More digital technology has been implemented over the years, including the first foray into inkjet in 2019.
Labels account for 70% of the business, founded in 1858, but the remaining 30% focuses on the design and development of its own brand of labelling systems.
The family-owned company, which has a range of clients in the health and beauty, pharma, and industrial sectors, has a turnover of almost €14 million (£12 million) across its labels and systems divisions.
The company has representatives in 20 countries around the world, with 27% of production going to export. It currently runs nine printing presses and four finishing lines at its 7,000sqm facility in Cornellà de Llobregat.
The company is the only label converter in Spain to comply with the AuditOne Packaging Standard, which allows it to work with the biggest cosmetics brand owners in the world, including P&G, Unilever, L’Oréal, and Johnson & Johnson.
