Consistently sustainable

"Everyone has to start with themselves," Carsten Böttcher says. See the equipment that spot display uses to implement its sustainability concept.

spot display GmbH, Osnabrück, Germany. Every week, spot display processes thousands of square metres of corrugated board into packaging, product and presentation displays. A swissQprint flatbed printer takes care of prototyping and short runs, mostly including varnish for finishing and special effects. spot display pays strict attention to sustainability throughout its processes.

Spot Display Digital Fertigung © swissQprint

Anyone who does business with spot display is in professional hands. Industrial designers, media designers, packaging technologists and marketing experts are on hand to look after customers and assist with their display and packaging projects. These generally begin with a design concept, together with the items for display supplied by the customer. According to customer wishes, spot display will help with the design and in particular handle the construction design, including load tests. This project stage tends to be a sticking point for agencies, so the service comes as welcome relief for the customer. What comes back is a basic sample provided free of charge, together with its design data for further development. At times, this includes initial short runs for testing at the POS or presenting at trade shows. spot display does everything possible to work out the optimum solution and eliminate errors right from the start. This way, production and deployment run smoothly at the end.

Offset printing for long runs

spot display determines the most suitable production process in consultation with the customer. The only substrates processed are corrugated board – thousands of square metres per week – and paperboard. Partner print shops produce larger series of up to 4,500 copies and finish them with printing varnish. spot display then applies the prints onto the corrugated board using laminating machines and then punches out the sheets. Product managers at spot display develop the punch dies on a parallel track with the project and send CAD plans for manufacture by the in-house die shop.

Spot Display Regal Display Dosen © swissQprint

Digital printing for short runs

spot display produces prototypes and short runs with several designs or different contours in-house and digitally, using a swissQprint Impala flatbed printer and a Zünd cutter. “Thanks to the rapid technology, we are also very efficient with large formats and higher quantities,” asserts Susanne Paulsen, marketing and design manager at spot display. What she appreciates about Impala, in addition to its efficiency, is the printer's precision. Also, the simple handling and its powerful vacuum that holds flat even the unruliest corrugated board. A major additional benefit is the ability to print varnish – and fast, thanks to two varnish channels. “We no longer need lamination film,” notes Paulsen, “and having fewer process steps is more effective.” Furthermore, results are of high quality and more environmentally friendly as no plastic is involved.

Effect varnish

Digital prints are usually covered with a varnish layer, matt or glossy: that is how they succeed in resembling offset-produced and varnished prints. The ink layer also provides a certain degree of protection against abrasion. A very popular option is spot varnish, in other words partial printing of varnish for visual effects. “All told, with Impala we have achieved an increase in quality and expanded our offering of small print runs and samples,” adds Carsten Böttcher, founder and managing director of spot display.

Fabrication by hand

At the end, it is the humans working in digital production who put short runs into shape: they break out the die-cut parts, slot and glue them together. Usually, however, displays are shipped flat. Merchan­dising and sales staff set them up themselves at the POS. spot display optimises the design with this in mind and provides assembly instructions for each product.

Spot Display Digital Fertigung © swissQprint

spot display produces short runs using a swissQprint flatbed printer. Fabrication is done carefully by hand.

Spot Display Portrait © swissQprint

Carsten Böttcher sets great store by environmental protection in his company.

Sustainability on principle

When it comes to environmental pro­tection and sustainability, spot display is a model company: solar systems on the roofs of their buildings produce twice as much electricity as spot displays con­sumes annually. Inside, there are only LED luminaires. Exhaust air from compressors heats the process water. Two furnaces burn wood waste and keep the premises warm through the winter months. A waste catcher transports cardboard and paper offcuts on an underfloor conveyor to the front of the building that feeds into a bale press. Each time the paper supplier makes a delivery, the waste gets taken away and returned to production. “We recycle 100 percent and without empty trips,” says Carsten Böttcher. He is the driving force behind all these efforts: “Everyone has to start with themselves.”

Impala fits the philosophy

The large format printer is highly energy efficient according to ISO 20690:2018: it draws as little electricity as a couple of electric kettles. Among other things, this is thanks to LED technology. Like the printer itself, it is low maintenance, which reduces service calls to a minimum. The system is ozone-, pollutant- and solvent-free. Besides the ecological aspect, Impala also fits into the concept from a purely economic perspective. “In terms of quality, our digital printing is on a par with offset printing,” confirms Susanne Paulsen. Carsten Böttcher doubles down: “Impala is as reliable as I expect it to be.” Dealing with swissQprint felt good right from the first contact – very professional. Which is just the same as what customers expect from spot display.

spot display © swissQprint
Company
spot display GmbH, Osnabrück, Germany
Segment
Displays & Packaging
Established
1993
Employees
40
Printer
Impala LED
References
Product and presentation displays for:
Health/cosmetics sector (Paco Rabanne etc.)
Fashion labels (Adidas, Timezone etc.)
Pet supplies, food and beverage industry (Adelholzer etc.)
Media/entertainment (Alpine etc.)
Industry/crafts (Bosch, BASF etc.)
Publishing houses (Carlsen etc.)
Financial/consulting institutions (Sparkasse)