Cewe acquires a 2^e JET varnish 3D Evo

The German CEWE, European leader in photo books, orders its second JETvarnish 3D Evo from MGI!

In October 2017, Cewe decided to enrich its photo books with UV varnish and hot foil stamping, equipping its Eschbach site (southern Germany) with an MGI digital technology JETvarnish 3D Evo digital finishing press. Seduced by the total integration of this press in its production flow, which has made it possible to finish millions of photo books per year, the German manufacturer has just equipped its plant in Oldenburg (Northern Germany) with a second JETvarnish 3D Evo. An investment intended to consolidate its strategic development in photo book finishing.

Founded in 1961 in Oldenburg, Northern Germany, Cewe has been an innovator in the emerging market of color photo printing since its inception.

This strategy of innovation, reinforced by constant international development, has continued with the printing on objects since 1980, the implementation of a waste recycling policy in 1985, the launch in 1997 of the first in-store photo terminal, and the launch of the photo book in 2005!

Cewe became a reference brand in Germany, like the car manufacturer BMW, before celebrating its 50 millionth photo book one year later, reinforcing its uncontested leadership in the market, the company now employing nearly 3,500 people in 11 countries... Cewe, a differentiation strategy based on UV varnish and hot foil stamping Leader of the photo book on the Internet, Cewe has always differentiated itself by the simplicity of use of its online software and by a very high quality level.

However, this quality level, which distinguishes Cewe photo books, was not enough to strengthen the German company's leadership and create a real breakthrough in the market, as Michael Bühl, Technical Director of the Eschbach site (Freiburg im Breisgau), explains: "To consolidate our position as Europe's number one photo book manufacturer, we had to innovate once again. The working group in charge of this project came to the conclusion that we needed to enrich our books with additional effects and that UV varnish and hot foil stamping were unique differentiating elements on the market. Producing millions of books, all different from each other, in a very short time, at the best price-quality ratio, we understood that the traditional solutions could not apply."

Digital finishing, a response to market expectations

After studying the different solutions available on the market, Cewe quickly chose the JETvarnish technology from the French manufacturer MGI.

"Our specifications were based on 4 essential points", explains Michael Bühl, "First of all, to be able to rely on an industrial solution, truly operational, which has proven itself, both in the application of UV varnish and in that of gilding. Secondly, that this industrial line allows us to process all our products / formats and would be integrated into our production flow, so as not to lose productivity, while offering a high level of quality of the varnish and the gilding. Finally, that the selected manufacturer has an efficient after-sales service and an R&D department that listens to our needs, considering the strategic stake that this investment represented for Cewe. In all these fields, MGI met our expectations, which naturally led us to equip ourselves with the JETvarnish 3D Evo.

Victor Abergel, MGI's Vice President, does not hide his satisfaction: "From the very first contacts with Cewe, the strategic challenge represented by the transition to digital finishing for the leader in internet photo books was a great motivation for MGI's teams. The integration of the JETvarnish 3D Evo in the production flow of the Freiburg site demonstrates the value of our variable data management solutions. This integration automatically allows, through a bar code printed on the sheets to be coated, to parameterize on the fly the coating operations to be carried out, whether it is varnish or foil, even controlling the thickness of the varnish to be deposited, and the oven temperature! This real-time control of the JETvarnish 3D Evo, through variable data, guarantees a very high level of productivity, with the best quality standards.

Extremely easy to implement on a daily basis

Installed in October 2017, MGI's JETvarnish 3D Evo was immediately integrated into the production process at the Eschbach site, where it was one of the key pieces of equipment, winning over operators with its ease of use, as Michael Bühl explains:

"The start-up of the JETvarnish 3D Evo went very smoothly and our operators quickly got to grips with this new press, which is very easy to operate and maintain, and which, for example, only requires one and the same varnish, both for the UV varnish and for the foil attachment. Its integration into our production workflow has proven to be very efficient and has allowed us to differentiate ourselves in the photo book market. The results of our transition to digital finishing are very positive and have encouraged us to imagine new developments, especially in Oldenburg.

This prospect delights Victor Abergel: "We are very proud at MGI to contribute, on a daily basis, through our technologies, to Cewe's success. This success demonstrates the strategic importance of finishing in the graphic industry. It confirms the relevance of our solutions in markets as diverse as commercial printing, packaging, publishing and web to print.