Long-established pipe markings specialist Nordisk Rörmärkning AB, which is based in Sweden, has added label printing to its competences with the help of a Bobst UV inkjet label press. The Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV has opened new opportunities, enabling the company to offer fast delivery of high-quality labels in addition to its established product lines.

Nordisk Rörmärkning initially chose the Mouvent LB701-UV inkjet press with six colors (CMYKOV) and white from Bobst to optimize the production of pipe markings, decals, stickers and tapes at its factory in Älvängen, just north of Gothenburg.

The Swedish family-run company, which has been in operation since 1984, decided last year to move from flexo to digital printing to increase flexibility and productivity. Inkjet was the obvious digital technology, the company says, due to the high durability of the inks, as these types of industrial products are often used in outdoor locations, and therefore subject to the harsh Scandinavian weather conditions. 

“We need highly durable inks because we offer a 10-year guarantee on our long-lasting products,” says CEO and owner Christian Kjellberg, who is the son of founder Claes Kjellberg. “After evaluating the capabilities of the Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV, which prints at 70 m/m, I began to realize that not only was it the best choice for our current portfolio, but the high productivity meant that we would also have spare capacity. That got me thinking.”

With that in mind, the idea for a separate entity focused on label printing began to form and Nordic Printing Production AB soon became a reality. The growing label market continues to attract more companies looking to expand their reach. 

As part of the Bobst oneLABEL portfolio, the Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV has been optimized for companies, such as Nordisk Rörmärkning, wishing to move into full color digital label production. It prints in a native resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi and the 70 m/m speed has the potential to return an output of up to 75,000 square meters of labels per month with just one operator running the UV inkjet press. Designed for fast setups and changeovers, it has a small footprint due to the compactness of Bobst’s wholly owned printheads powered by Mouvent Technology.

The new digital press putting Nordic Printing on the map is part of a 4.5 million SEK (451,000 Euro) investment that also includes a finishing line from fellow Swedish manufacturer Grafotronic. 

“Digital label printing may be a new business area for us, but the technical knowledge we have from making signs, decals, and stickers for many years means that we know all about substrates, inks and converting, plus we also have a lot of experience selling online,” Kjellberg says.

The digitally printed labels are sold via a new website where customers can design their own labels, specify the substrate (paper, PE or PP), size, and type of lamination. The labels are delivered on rolls or sheets ready for use in only three to five days. The company has included the decal, sign, sticker and tape categories under Nordic Printing’s remit, meaning customers can order multiple types of products from the same site.

For Kjellberg and his team, the transition to digital has been smooth. They bought the press through the Bobst agent in Sweden, Tec AB, and have already seen the benefits of reduced running costs and faster turnaround. Not only has the machine taken over flexo work, jobs that were previously screen-printed have also successfully been moved to the Bobst Mouvent LB701-UV inkjet press.

“We now have the flexibility to produce any run length of labels that our customers need, and the print quality is fantastic. Gone are the days of paying high repro costs, waiting for flexo plates to be made, dealing with long set ups, and worrying over unwanted downtime,” he says.

“The possibilities with this high-productivity machine are great and we have only just scratched the surface. With the LB701-UV from Bobst in-house, we can easily live up to our motto of ‘Fast delivery, good service, satisfaction guarantee’ and continue to grow the company safe in the knowledge that we have invested in the best-in-class UV inkjet press on the market.”