The recent participation in Labelexpo Americas was an opportunity for Grafikontrol to verify its position in the US market. Having already operated in the market for 35 years through OEMs and agents, in 2015 Grafikontrol opened an office in the US to handle sales and technical support. Sales have focused primarily on the converting sector and are increasing: today, the US is the second biggest market for Grafikontrol, accounting for around 20% of its turnover.

Grafikontrol sales director and partner Paolo De Grandis identifies the success factors that have led to a 10% year-on-year increase over the past two years: “Following the launch of the new TQC-360° product line, we concentrated on ensuring the continuous training of our technical support personnel, particularly by using a remote connection system and setting up a warehouse with a permanent stock of spare parts to ensure prompt service in case of emergency. This was a crucial factor that was highly appreciated by customers. The direct commercial presence was also an important factor as it conveyed the company’s dynamism and guaranteed its involvement in many industry events, including FTA and GAA (Gravure Association of the Americas), of which Grafikontrol is a member.”

The TQC-360° total quality concept, which combines high performance products with excellent support, has been fully implemented in the US as well, receiving highly positive feedback from the market. The series of TQC-360° products includes ProCheck, a system that allows printing and lamination waste/defects to be traced throughout the reel production process all the way to the packaging stage. ProCheck, for which a patent application has been filed, is an advanced and exclusive solution for removing waste and it completes the Grafikontrol package, joining the Matrix, Lynex and ChromaLab inspection systems.

“This total quality concept has allowed Grafikontrol to achieve important results among the main global players in the industry, who have recognized Grafikontrol as the ideal partner with whom to entrust total production control.”

In 2016, Grafikontrol invested in a print simulator dedicated to the US market, used at shows like Labelexpo Americas, Graph Expo and other Open House events. These demonstrations have allowed customers to gain first-hand experience of the system’s functions, assessing the ergonomics of the new graphic interfaces with HD multi-touch monitors.

Paolo De Grandis is delighted to announce that next year’s plans include the creation of a demo center at the York, PA office, to which US customers can be invited to watch demonstrations of Grafikontrol control systems on the print simulator.