Interview
3D PRINTING WILL TRANSFORM SIGNAGE INDUSTRY Exclusive: One on One with Ronald van den Broek, Mimaki’s General Sales Manager
MEPrinter September - October 2020
Home textiles and technical textiles are experiencing extensive growth and are expected to further increase in the near future
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Drupa is not the only big graphic arts show that has been postponed. Other trade events including Fespa had to follow suit due to ongoing pandemic. Fespa will take place in fall, but many vendors including Mimaki couldn’t wait that long. So the company held its own Virtual Press Festival, from March 24 until May 1. Mimaki is also focusing on 3D printing big time. The company recently introduced a new large format 3D printer, Mimaki 3DGD-1800 (with GD standing for Gel Dispensing). The machine can produce hollow objects up to 1.8 meters in height in about seven hours. In light of these new developments ME Printer talked to Ronald van den Broek, Mimaki’s General Sales Manager to find out more about company’s plan for the future and post Covid strategy. What concrete steps Mimaki is taking to protect environment? At Mimaki, we make sure that we follow safety guidelines and that our products are certified according to local standards and regulations. Our sublimation inks, for example, are certified with ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX, which proves that there is no harmful effect to humans or the environment in which the textiles are treated using the inks. Recently, we also introduced new eco-cartridge for our 600ml SS21 inks, which can be reused to reduce plastic waste. Furthermore, we work with our partners and other manufacturers to provide environmentally conscious solutions for our customers. Our distributor in the UK, for instance, runs a solvent cartridge recycling scheme. In April, we announced our upcoming collaboration with BOFA to design
Ronald van den Broek, General Sales Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe
a custom air purifier unit for one of our wide-format solvent machines to promote an even safer work environment. What was and is Mimaki’s contribution to the fight against coronavirus? Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we at Mimaki have been working hard to ensure we maintain communications with our customers and support them through this difficult time. Under normal circumstances, we would be interacting with our customers face-to-face at events, instead we have set up a series of virtual events to help keep the industry connected and thriving. In fact, our virtual Mimaki Live events have been exploring ways in which printers, whether they specialize in textiles, large format, 3D or signage, can keep their business going and even be reinvigorated during these trying months. In addition, in the aftermath of COVID many of our customers, such as Italian printer Energiapura, are utilizing Mimaki’s printers to quickly produce face masks to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. We are at their side, determined to support and help them overcome
this challenging time. You are offering a wide range of printers in different format and for different applications including 3D printing, which areas of applications have a better prospect and a faster growing rate: textile, decor, 3D printing……? Based on the evolution of the market, as well as on the direct feedback from our customers during our virtual live events, we would say that home textiles and technical textiles are experiencing extensive growth and are expected to further increase in the near future. The same applies to the soft signage and retail signage spaces, as they retail units begin to re-open. We also see 3D printing experiencing a lot of growth over next few years, with its ability to produce stand-out, interactive signage and models quickly and easily. We believe that 3D printers such as Mimaki’s 3DGD-1800 have great potential in transforming the signage industry. Wide format and signage are playing important role during ongoing Covid pandemic. They are even classified as “essential”, do you see more opportunity for
