Gallus56 | and stable and Gallus is frmly located in the packaging business of Heidelberg,’ states Schaum.Gallus is using the extensive resources of the ink testing laboratory at Wiesloch-Walldorf to develop digital inks tuned to the Fuji Dimatix inkjet heads used in both the Gallus Labelfre 340 and Gallus One presses. A second lab optimizes waveform design to drive the inkjet heads. All ink R&D is carried out in house, and manufacturing is then outsourced. Successful in-house ink developments have included a non-cracking UV inkjet ink for folding carton and tube applications and Dario Urbinati, Chief Sales & Service Gallus Dr Frank Schaum, CEO of Gallus Groupa low migration digital ink for the Gallus Labelfre 340 press. “We will continue to be a major player in the ‘Ink and software are key to the success of these presses,’ says Urbinati. ‘Because conventional press market even as we drive the printer has to buy the ink from the same supplier it is an important part of the the industry towards adoption of digital print”entire ecosystem.’The importance of the Heidelberg relationship goes beyond the software and facility in Wiesloch-Walldorf. and 570mm RCS presses. Our sales of ink technology. Urbinati says the St Gallen Experience both platforms remain healthy. At the ‘The importance of workfow has been Center will be ‘an industry-wide push and same time, we also see a way forward greatly underestimated in our industry,’ will include our partners across the label to the tighter integration of digital and says Urbinati. ‘What we are looking to industry – including start-ups which have conventional platforms.’create is an eco-system around the press an interesting new idea, the brand owners Schaum says it is the customer’s which is a central part of delivering the and even our own competitors, because business model, technical requirements and TCO benefts.’ sometimes today’s competitors are the company setting which defnes the choice The Gallus One press fully integrates partners of tomorrow, especially in a of printing technology.with the Prinect + Cloud-based workfow digital ecosystem. Urbinati points out that the digital from Heidelberg, and this has two aspects. ‘As technology leaders in both the digital market is not confned to short runs. For Firstly, it delivers in-depth, real-time insight and conventional worlds, we want to build example, Gallus has Labelfre presses in into all aspects of production status; and a touchpoint to transform labels towards a continuous operation over multiple shifts in in the second step it provides actionable TCO- and customer-focused industry. By the folding carton sector. data to production managers across a bringing the whole industry together we are ‘Run length partly depends on ink secure network, accessible on any smart actively driving ecosystem building. It is a coverage and we have clear indications mobile device. The world of Prinect can necessity that somebody in our industry is that we can compete above 10,000 linear also link presses across multiple sites into a doing that.’ meters run length.’seamless workfow. The Experience Center will focus on This is reinforced by Dr Frank Schaum. In addition, Gallus engineers have remote all aspects of the digital transformation, ‘Some of the traditional printers are access to key machine metrics such as ink including workfow and sustainability. quite conservative and just understand temperature and production velocity – Sustainability is a central plank of Urbinati’s fexo. Our hybrid Gallus Labelfre 340 though not job data, which is stored on the vision for Gallus’ future, with a pledge that incorporates a lot of the elements of customer’s in-house networks. This allows all presses will be certifed carbon neutral our conventional technology, so we can Gallus to offer a predictive maintenance from next year. help customers get over that canyon. In service and remote support. Once the Experience Center is up and order to be able to offer our customers Importantly, the Prinect ecosystem is running by the end of the year Gallus will the entire range of solutions, we are now in preparation to be ready to integrate be looking to hold industry events, both adding pure digital printing machines third party applications through an open in-person and on streaming platforms. to our product range in addition to the API interface – for example MIS/ERP/ conventional and hybrid machines.workfow systems. How important is fexo? Together, Urbinati and Schaum have So does this new emphasis on digital set out on a mission to transform the Experience Center transformation mean Gallus is shifting its internal culture of Gallus as a condition of To promote the vision of a new digital age, weight away from conventional transforming the wider industry. As Urbinati Gallus is building the ‘Gallus Experience press technology? explains: ’It is our responsibility as a 100 Center’ in St Gallen, which will act as ‘Not at all,’ says Urbinati. ‘We will year-old company to reinvent the industry the group’s digital competence center. continue to be a major player in the as we reinvent ourselves.’ All manufacturing of conventional press conventional press market even as we platforms is now concentrated in Langgöns, drive the industry towards adoption Germany, while digital research and of digital print. We are still investing in For more on the background to development and fnal assembly of Gallus the conventional side of the business the Gallus-Heidelberg relationship Labelfre 340 and Gallus One digital presses – for example the development of the see www.labelsandlabeling.com/is carried out at the Heidelberg production new 570mm-wide Labelmaster fexo features/future-galluslabelsandlabeling.com