PADERBORN, Germany—Anilox roll manufacturer Zecher reports that 2017 was a year full of changes as well as major advances. Already in the first half of the year the company reported on a significant growth in orders and was able to continue this trend over the last few months.
Zecher reports that thanks to the continuous growth, they are now able to look back on an increase in order volume of around 6 percent compared to the previous year. The sales manager of Zecher, Thomas Reinking, said: “With increasing internationalization always in view, in 2017 we opened up in new markets worldwide, welcomed partners in more than 12 countries to our sales team and processed our existing markets even more effectively. Our new additions include China and the USA, in particular, with our new partner Daetwyler.”
To meet the increasing order volume as well as the growing demands of their customers, Zecher expanded their production capacities in the area of laser engraving. This included the installation of a new laser with all currently available hardware and software options, as well as upgrading two existing laser engraving systems to the latest technological level.
In addition, the company reports that the specifically developed SteppedHex engraving contributed to their success in 2017, and that after its market launch in 2016, it further established itself as a cost-effective and powerful alternative to conventional hexagonal engraving. Zecher expects a steadily growing interest from various printing industries for this engraving technology and says there have been successful projects with a large number of big companies such as Heidelberger, TRESU and Christiansen Print with the Zecher SteppedHex anilox rollers.
Furthermore, they also presented their Zecher Anilox Cleaner as an extension of the product portfolio for the first time at LabelExpo Europe 2017. “Our own clearly defined range of cleaning products is geared toward different application possibilities, to make the choice easy for the printer. With these product innovations, we are reacting to the requests of many customers who want to set their Zecher anilox rollers up for a long life by using high-quality cleaning products,” says Sales Manager Thomas Reinking.
For 2018, Zecher is striving for another increase in their order volume and will aim to establish themselves in new markets with the aid of their increased sales partner network, as well as win customers in additional countries with their anilox roll solutions.