diePharmadrucker expands digital strategy with SCREEN 520HD Mono
diePharmadrucker, the German specialist servicing the pharmaceutical print market, has extended its digital inkjet print capacity with the installation of a SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD mono. This is a major boost to its strategy to become one of Europe’s first “fully digital” print companies in the pharmaceutical print domain.
diePharmadrucker’s Managing Director, Conrad Fischer, says: “Our goal is to be the print company with the shortest delivery times in Europe. The SCREEN inkjet technology enables us to achieve this objective, alongside our customer-focused and flexible mindset. Delivering highest quality print products faster, is simply what our customers need.”
diePharmadrucker’s installation of the SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD mono comes after the firm had already been operating a SCREEN Truepress Jet520HD+ since June 2020. Fischer says: “The genius of SCREEN’s inkjet technology is that it shortens time-to-market for our customers by eliminating several process steps. We can also significantly reduce chemical usage, paper waste and storage capacity. So, the inkjet technology aligns with our zero waste approach by enabling us to take the next leap in reducing our own ecological footprint, and that of our customers.”
diePharmadrucker has a strong position in the pharmaceutical print market in German-speaking countries and regions, servicing mostly mid-size pharmaceutical companies requiring relatively short print runs. In addition to printing pharmaceutical inserts and instructions for use, it produces catalogues, labels, booklets, and small folding boxes. As most pharmaceutical product inserts are monochrome, diePharmadrucker chose to expand its digital print capacity with the Truepress Jet520HD mono, SCREEN’s commercial black and white printer. diePharmadrucker aims to have completely replaced offset print services by digital printing by the end of 2022. It also plans to extend its client base across Europe.
Good prospects for digital pharmaceutical printing
Fischer foresees excellent prospects for diePharmadrucker in the specialised and highly regulated pharmaceutical print market. Pharmaceuticals will continue to be required to add printed insertions to their products, making this market niche immune to the general shift to online marketing and information provision. Strict requirements apply to printing pharmaceutical product inserts, packaging and leaflets for human-safety reasons. This means only certain types of papers can be used, information must be printed in specific font types and sizes to ensure readability, and inks must meet international standards regarding chemical components.
Patrick Jud, Area Director SCREEN Europe for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, underlines this positive outlook for digital-inkjet printing in the pharmaceutical print market: “Pharmaceutical package-insert production brings complex challenges in terms of a smooth and controlled production chain. It requires a great deal of expert knowledge. That diePharmadrucker, as one of the first printing companies worldwide, has been printing pharmaceutical leaflets on inkjet machinery was game-changing for the pharmaceutical world.”
SCREEN has seen demand for digital print equipment in Germany speed up over the past few years, driven by the need for fast and flexible print technology capable of delivering relatively small print runs fast, and with a high print quality.
“An additional aspect of digital printing is the careful use of raw materials, so it’s a more environmentally friendly option. This helps German companies meet their increasingly ambitious sustainability requirements,” says Jud.