Esko Kongsberg looks forward to next 50 years

In the early years, Kongsberg manufactured the first drafting tables used to produce test parts and verify cutting programs for ship building. Soon the portfolio was expanded to include equipment to engrave print clichés for map printing and then full size designs for cars and trucks. In the 1980s, the traditional Kongsberg drafting tables were used in both the sign and packaging markets.

Today, Esko Kongsberg serves three primary markets, packaging, displays and signage, and is a manufacturer of digital finishing systems with many thousands of installations around the globe. The current Kongsberg product portfolio ranges from the XE series of small format table featuring accuracy and speed, to the XN series for more versatility and robustness, and the XP series for productivity.

The latest additions to the Kongsberg family are the V series of tables for entry-level sign and sample making, and C series for very wide format productivity.

Esko president Udo Panenka said: ‘Digital finishing is a vital part of Esko’s strategy, and Esko Kongsberg is key to our future success and that of our customers. Five decades of constant innovation have provided us with a strong reputation and foundation. We have excellent technology and skills to help our customers take full advantage of the opportunities digital finishing offers in mainly the signage, display and packaging markets.

‘We increasingly see our digital finishing equipment being used for true production of finished products instead of just prototyping or sample making. As a result, we are directing much of our research and development effort toward increasing productivity and industrialization with more automation, tighter linkage to software solutions, more industrial infrastructure (such as material handling) and integration with other machinery.’

Esko Kongsberg is currently renovating its site and developing an Innovation Center to enable lean product development methodologies and processes driven by Danaher Business Systems. These developments are intended to deliver customer-driven product designs that delivering the highest quality and performance by targeting their specific needs. As such, the new prototype center will allow Esko Kongsberg to utilize benchmark product development processes and methodologies, as well as deliver rapid prototyping and enhanced testing.

‘These are exciting times for the company and for our customers, and we are confidently looking forward to the next 50 years of Kongsberg innovation,’ Panenka concluded.