Digital printing manufacturer Durst and press giant Koenig & Bauer have joined forces in a 50/50 joint venture to develop a new water-based, single-pass inkjet printer for the folding carton and cartonboard corrugated industry.
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| "Opens up new prospects": Christoph Gamper, CEO of Durst Phototechnik |
“Durst is a technology leader in the field of inkjet printing and has already contributed to the digital transformation of production processes in various branches,” said Christoph Gamper, CEO of Durst Phototechnik. “The partnership with Koenig & Bauer now opens up new prospects, as Koenig & Bauer commands not only engineering expertise, but also very good access to the market. By combining our know-how, we are in an ideal position to develop and offer fully automatic production lines and will thus also be able to contribute to digital transformation in the folding carton and corrugated industry.”
Koenig & Bauer CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann said: "We look forward to the joint innovations and further development of future-oriented digital printing solutions for folding carton and corrugated board printing, which offer our customers added value. For folding carton printing, the modular concept of the VariJET enables the combination of digital inkjet printing with offset printing and inline finishing options.
“With its wealth of existing know-how, extensive inkjet experience and high-quality solutions, Durst Phototechnik is the ideal partner with whom to pursue the defined objectives. As digital printing pioneers, the company has been developing inkjet applications for 25 years and is very successful in digital printing on ceramics, textiles and corrugated board.”
The new joint venture company will be based in Germany and will also manage the service and ink business in cooperation with the global networks of both companies.
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| 'The modular concept of the VariJET (pictured) enables the combination of digital inkjet printing with offset printing and inline finishing options.' |
“Durst and Koenig & Bauer is really a perfect match because combining our strengths will drive digitalization in the packaging industry," said Gamper. "Both companies are similar in their culture and strategic direction, and both are technology leaders in their fields. With the partnership, we are even more strongly positioning ourselves as a high-end systems supplier to the industry."
Durst, a world-leading manufacturer of digital printing and production technologies, is a family company with an 80-year history.
Koenig & Bauer has an annual revenue of €1.2bn and 5,700 employees.
