Investment in gamechanging Delta WT 250 system leads to important deals with global and local brands and retailers for eco-friendly digital production    

Lienz, Austria - The very first commercial user of Durst’s gamechanging Water Technology is Bauernfeind Print + Display which has now secured several deals with a global brand to print corrugated display packaging.

Family company Bauernfeind, an early adopter of digital, will be increasing its € 2 million turnover by 25% a year with the new technology. The growth will come from customers in new target markets such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage – who will all now benefit from eco-friendly printing on the Delta WT 250, the first flatbed system based on the FEFCO Award winning Durst Water Technology for Multi-Pass and Single-Pass announced at Drupa.

The Bauernfeind success story will be told on the Durst booth (Hall B5, Stand 1050) at the CCE International, Corrugated and Carton Exhibition at Munich, Germany, from 21-23 March, 2017 where there will also be live demonstrations of the Durst Water Technology system Delta WT 250. 

Thomas Bauernfeind is Managing Director of Bauernfeind, based in Obergrünburg, Austria, which has been a Durst customer for seven years. Mr. Bauernfeind said: “In the past some markets have not been possible because of the odor in certain packaging and other display products using UV ink. But now a whole new world of opportunities have opened up. As one example, one of the world’s major drinks brands has been so impressed that they have started using display packaging products printed on our Delta WT 250 system. It’s odorless, there’s no migration and produces outstanding results.

“We are extremely confident that this, as a complementary technology, will be central to our 

ambitious growth plans that involve increasing our turnover by 25% a year going forward. And we expect the return on investment to be within two years.” 

Markus Gutmann, Bauernfeind’s Key Account Manager, who has been in the print and packaging industry for 36 years, said: “It’s not even now a question or digital or offset. Even an expert can no longer determine the difference, and often the Durst digital quality is superior anyway to offset. The colours are simply outstanding, particularly for vivid and glossy colours. This is genuinely gamechanging innovative technology.”

Full production started this month [February] and delivery times for customers are now  measured in days, not weeks. Typical run lengths on the new machine are between 100 and 500, but can easily be 1000. The majority of the direct printing is on coated corrugated boards, as well as some carton and other fiber substrate applications like Honeycomb boards. 

Wolfram Verwüster, Durst’s Segment Manager, Corrugated Packaging and Display Printing, said: “Since the launch, we have been taken aback by the overwhelming interest in the Durst Water Technology. We’re in for the long term to develop new business and help companies such as Bauernfeind, which we’re delighted to announce as our first user of the Delta WT 250 system. It’s not just about the outstanding systems we provide, but an all-round customer service offering that is second to none.”

And what of the future? “Durst will be central to that,” said Thomas Bauernfeind. “We are extremely satisfied with an overall outstanding service provided by Durst and are not looking to spread any risk out to other manufacturers. The goal is to increase volumes so that we can invest in Durst’s Delta SPC 130 Single-Pass system based on Water Technology, or at least get an additional Delta WT 250 model.”

Durst Water Technology offers optical and haptic offset printing technology on a range of coated boards for Packaging and Displays. The new Durst Water Technology inks are odorless and require no health and safety registration.