Nordic Printing invests in Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV

Swedish pipe markings specialist Nordisk Rörmärkning has invested in a Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV inkjet press for its factory in Älvängen, to add label production to established product lines.

Nordisk Rörmärkning has invested in a Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV inkjet press for its factory in Älvängen

The family-run company, established in 1984, decided to move from flexo to digital printing to increase its flexibility and productivity. Inkjet was the evident digital technology due to the high durability of the inks, as these types of industrial products are often used in outdoor locations, and therefore subject to the harsh Scandinavian weather conditions. 

The team realized that the Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV was the perfect fit for its needs after the inks passed the rigorous testing regime of the in-house weather simulator, which subjects the print to prolonged exposure to sun, wind and rain.

‘We need highly durable inks because we offer a 10-year guarantee on our long-lasting products,’ said Christian Kjellberg, CEO and owner of Nordisk Rörmärkning. ‘After evaluating the capabilities of the BOBST Mouvent LB701-UV, which prints at 70 m/min, I began to realize that not only was it the best choice for our current portfolio, but the high productivity meant that we would also have spare capacity. That got me thinking.’

With that in mind, the idea for a separate entity focused on label printing began to form and Nordic Printing Production soon became a reality.

The Mouvent LB701-UV has been designed for companies like Nordisk Rörmärkning, wishing to move into full-color digital label production. It prints in a native resolution of 1200 x 1200 DPI and the 70 m/min speed has the potential to return an output of up to 75,000 sqm of labels per month with just one operator running the UV inkjet press. 

The new digital press putting Nordic Printing on the map is part of a 4.5 million SEK (EUR 451,000) investment that also includes a Grafotronic finishing line. 

‘Digital label printing may be a new business area for us, but the technical knowledge we have from making signs, decals, and stickers for many years means that we know all about substrates, inks and converting, plus we also have a lot of experience selling online,’ added Claes Kjellberg, founder of the company. 

The digitally printed labels are sold online and delivered in three to five days. The company has included the decal, sign, sticker and tape categories under Nordic Printing’s remit, meaning customers can order multiple types of products from the same site.

‘We now have the flexibility to produce any run length of labels that our customers need, and the print quality is fantastic. Gone are the days of paying high repro costs, waiting for flexo plates to be made, dealing with long setups, and worrying over unwanted downtime. The possibilities with this high-productivity machine are great and we have only just scratched the surface. With the LB701-UV from Bobst in house, we can easily live up to our motto of “Fast delivery, good service, satisfaction guarantee” and continue to grow the company safe in the knowledge that we have invested in the best-in-class UV inkjet press on the market,’ concluded Christian Kjellberg.