Insignis installs first Gallus Labelfire in Eastern Europe

Vienna-based printer Insignis has invested in a Gallus Labelfire 340, as it reorganizes its business to meet future label printing requirements.

The official unveiling of the Gallus Labelfire 340 at Insignis-Etiketten in Vienna

Insignis has recently restructured and reorganized its operations through the establishment of two independent business units: Insignis-Etiketten and Insignis Digital.

The Austrian company has now invested in a Gallus Labelfire 340, the first in the country as well as Eastern Europe, with a full suite of extras. The Gallus equipment was delivered and installed in February 2018. This was preceded by an intensive test phase with special print jobs printed by Gallus in Switzerland. These tests were very successful and provided the incentive for the decision to purchase. A production facility, specifically orientated for the company’s restructuring, was adapted shortly before Christmas. This is the home of the new Gallus Labelfire 340 and also the place where other new products will be developed.

Ferdinand Hager, CEO, managing partner and engineer at Insignis, commented: ‘In this way, we aim to give a clear indication of our new commitment to digital printing.’

The Gallus Labelfire investment is described as the ‘perfect addition’ to the plant, establishing additional printing capacity.

Insignis managing director Erwin Pudek added: ‘With this machine, we are becoming extremely flexible whilst obtaining top quality. The expanded color gamut with seven printing inks (CMYK + GOV) and digital white enables us to cover 96 percent of the Pantone color space and, with a physical resolution of 1200 dpi, we achieve offset quality, sometimes even beyond. That is absolute top class.’

Combining digital printing with optimized in-line finishing procedures specifically for digital printing, labels on the Gallus Labelfire can also be varnished, finished and processed in-line. This has been augmented with the addition of rotary screen printing, which can be positioned upstream or downstream of the print engine.

For Gallus, this is the first machine of its type in Austria and also the first Labelfire in what Gallus identifies as the Eastern European market. ‘This is a huge step towards the company’s digital future,’ said Roland Spatt from Heidelberg Austria, which represents Gallus in the country Austria and is responsible for providing support and service.

Insignis and Gallus/Heidelberg are cooperating very closely with each other on this project. This ensures development potential, as sees Insignis functioning as an expert partner and the new printing center serving as a showcase for Gallus.

Pudek concluded: ‘We don’t want to go with the flow anymore; we want to swim against the tide instead and add value through differentiation, which this investment enables us to achieve.

‘It is important for us in future to not just be part of a market; we want to develop a new market for ourselves.’

This also involves trying to find another avenue to customers this year, with the Labelfire 340 set to serve as a catalyst. New field staff recruits will be added to its sales team addressing the agency and creative sector to inform these areas about new digital opportunities.