I first wrote about MGI as a part of my 2012 drupa series. At that time, I didn’t have a lot of previous experience with them beyond their electrophotographic Meteor digital presses, which supported a greater selection of media than the market competition, such as plastics and synthetics. So, my booth visit was initially focused on their latest JETvarnish launch after the initial introduction at drupa 2008.

Instead, what I found was a very unique company DNA that fully embraces the future direction of printing: building “application-based” printing machines instead of machines that are designed to try to satisfy a “generic” need for printing. At their drupa 2012 booth, in addition to the JETvarnish, they showed a JETcard production plastic credit card factory machine, another press that was designed for producing personalized calendars, and the first “technology concept” appearance of the AlphaJET platform.

A big part of what continues to drive MGI’s innovative track is their belief in partnerships. They have had a very close relationship with Konica Minolta for over 20 years (KM now owns 40% of MGI), which has proven to be of significant value to both companies. Their 2013 acquisition of 3D and printed electronics manufacturer CERADROP enhanced the breadth of skills and tools needed to build their future product strategy for smart packaging and industrial print applications. With the AlphaJET (and perhaps other products going forward), they have integrated the Memjet DuraLink printing modules to begin a new technology collaboration, this time with Memjet.