AGFA: Behind the Menagerie
A company with an inkjet portfolio suitable for various applications across the print and signage industries, we learn more about Agfa and its 150-year history
With a digital inkjet portfolio boasting environmental benefits and a new model to be launched at drupa, we take a look at Kyocera’s 65-year history and the company's success today
Founded 65 years ago in April, Kyocera’s history began as the Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corporation) in Kyoto, Japan. The company was founded by Dr Kazuo Inamori as a company specialising in fine ceramics.
Today, Kyocera manufactures and develops a large portfolio of eco-conscious and secure printing hardware and inkjet production print technology and is a global company comprising 298 group companies and 81,209 employees worldwide.
Starting out with a single product, the U-shaped Kelcima, an insulating component used in the cathode-ray tubes of early TV sets, meant that Kyocera was well placed to go on to offer high-performance inkjet heads using its in-house piezo actuator.
As a result, Kyocera has been in the inkjet business for over two decades and many OEM systems can be found to include its inkjet printheads.
The KJ4B inkjet head series has been specifically designed for high-speed printing of water-based inks which is ideal for transaction, document, and textile printing.
On the TASKalfa Pro devices, the large printheads enable fast, single-pass printing up to SRA3 whilst working with Kyocera’s water pigment inks to ensure consistent output density. The inks also reduce emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles (UFPs) which contributes to improved workplace emissions in commercial printing environments.
For the year ending March 2023, Kyocera Corporation achieved a consolidated revenue of over $15.114m (£12.12m) with the document solutions business unit contributing 21.5% to sales revenue – more than any other segment that year.
“As a managed service provider, we deliver a comprehensive portfolio of document solutions, professional consulting, infrastructure, collaboration, and content services, and specialise in cybersecurity,” the company says.
“Kyocera’s superfast inkjet production printers offer a cost-efficient alternative to conventional printing in transactional, trans-promotional, and direct mail applications. Built for speed and reliability, they feature our innovative proprietary printhead and ink technologies.”
At drupa this year, Kyocera will be launching its new digital inkjet press, the TASKalfa Pro 55000c which targets the graphic arts space as a low-cost entry to printing on direct-to-offset-coated media with no pre-coat. The small-footprinted machine promises 1,200 x 1,200dpi on 52 to 400gsm media and achieves 150ipm with a duty cycle of 5 million pages per month.
“Kyocera expects the TASKalfa Pro 55000c to be a game changer by lowering the total cost of ownership in the commercial printing market and driving demand in the field of graphic arts,” says the company.
The company will also be showing its ‘water-free concept’ inkjet textile printer, FOREARTH, which is said to complete Kyocera's commercial portfolio. Described as “yet another example of the application of fine ceramics in a new market”, FOREARTH will be on show at drupa in Düsseldorf from May 28th to June 7th.
Boasting a portfolio of printing products that are eco-conscious, Kyocera’s philosophy of sustainability and the message ‘to do what is right as a human being’, speaks to the growing demand from customers and channel partners for environmentally friendly and energy efficient hardware.
Kyocera Group UK is also a carbon neutral business and Hansen estimates it is also the only company to offer every print product as carbon neutral, including its cut-sheet inkjet production printers which are sold as carbon neutral as standard.
Kyocera also partners with MyClimate which invests in projects certified by Gold Standard as meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The company explains: “Through MyClimate, Kyocera carbon offsets every device sold and the original consumables we use over the printer’s standard rated lifetime of five years.
“This covers all elements of production, packaging, and transportation. Customers can also register for a certificate of authenticity from Kyocera UK to demonstrate their commitment to climate protection.”
In addition to this, Kyocera will reforest every page printed on a TASKalfa Pro Series through its partnership with PrintReleaf. This means that for every 8,333 sheets of print, PrintReleaf will plant one tree. To date, over 126 million pages or 15,170 trees have been reforested and the project in Antrim, UK is certified by SGS and meets ‘Life on Land’ and ‘Climate Action’ SDGs.
This is something James Hansen, production print manager of Kyocera Group UK, which is headquartered in Reading, is most proud of. “I’m really proud to join a company that is serious about its green credentials,” he says.
Reflecting on the day-to-day operations of the company, Hansen says: “Currently, we are going to market directly and through a select range of channel partners who specialise in the production print market.
“These activities are critical to our success and it is my job to support both by visiting clients, whether in person or over Teams, as well as spreading the word that there is an alternative for the future.”
According to Kyocera, its end-customers are particularly impressed with its green credentials as a carbon neutral business and the ‘Reforest, Reduce, and Rethink’ values the TASKalfa Pro 15000 series offers.
For security print and direct mail fulfilment solutions company, Zunoma, Kyocera’s inkjet technology enables it to boost its own green credentials due to there being no need for the high temperatures associated with fusing with inkjet.
Because the technology uses water-based inks and runs from three-pin plugs on a 13-amp circuit, considerable energy savings are achieved. As a result, the TASKalfa Pro 15000c is estimated to use 70% less power than comparable toner and legacy equipment.
Dinah Ouzman, director of strategy and product development at Zunoma, comments: “We chose the Kyocera because it ticked all the boxes. Output speed and reliability played a big part, but just as important was Kyocera’s track record in terms of sustainability.”
Data, print, and mailing solutions company Document Despatch opted for the TASKalfa Pro 15000 series when looking to increase its variable data printing volumes. “One of our key aims was to broaden our offering and drive growth in the direct mail and fulfilment areas of the business,” explains Leigh Foster, managing director of the company.
“Also crucial was to find a solution that provided a reliable, cost-effective alternative to outsourcing that would help us generate more revenue, while maintaining our focus on sustainability,” Foster adds.
In addition to offering sustainability benefits, Kyocera says its customers have reported that the TASKalfa Pro Series enables them to rethink workflow efficiency and opportunities.
The company says: “Our inkjet technology has helped them deliver greater capacity for full-colour print jobs and offer more output options from a single device, as well as opening up the possibility of expansion into new markets by tackling different types of work, such as highlight colour mailers, trans promo, or printing on window or business return envelopes of NCR paper.”
Kyocera also expects that the introduction of the new cut-sheet TASKalfa Pro 55000c will enable a new set of customers to rethink targeting their offset press work with high-quality printing onto a wide range of weighted stocks and coated media.
“For the first time, printers in the graphic arts or book printing market will have the opportunity to move from traditional presses to a lower cost digital inkjet press,” the company says.
As a company that operates in a very well-established market, Hansen says a challenge can be to ensure that Kyocera’s technology continues to help its customers evolve, as well as reaching customers that don’t already use Kyocera products.
“Our aim is to disrupt the market and make sure we target customers that have not yet shifted to inkjet as we truly believe the benefits inkjet brings will help them stay ahead of the competition,” Hansen says.
“Talk to me. Kyocera is offering an environmentally positive alternative to what is currently out there. Our green credentials, energy-efficient technology, and very low running costs compared to traditional printers mean we are making massive steps into the production printing market space.”
Looking to the future and it’s all about the launch of the TASKalfa Pro 55000c in the coming months. “I joined the Kyocera UK team to promote and sell the very latest in production inkjet technology,” Hansen says. “My big focus at the moment is the TASKalfa Pro 55000c which possesses outstanding production speeds of 150 images per minute at 1,200dpi.
“The TASKalfa Pro 55000c also produces unmatched print quality on matte and gloss as well as on coated and uncoated stocks.”
Kyocera will be showcasing all its inkjet production printers including the launch of the TASKalfa Pro 55000c at drupa 2024.
“I am busy building a drupa diary for customers who have already expressed a need for change and are concerned about the planet. If you’re interested in a chat about what we offer, feel free to visit me at Hall 8A, Booth C20 or sign up for a guided tour at www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.co.uk/drupa2024.”
Statistics
1959 – Kyocera was founded as the Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd by Dr Kazuo Inamori
298 – group companies make up Kyocera today
81,209 – employees at Kyocera Corporation worldwide
126 million pages – have been reforested through Kyocera’s partnership with PrintReleaf
