New EFI-REGGIANI Innovation Centre is completed and markes a new chapter for digital textile develop

Debbie McKeegan speaks to EFI REGGIANI regarding the completion of new 20,000 square metre in Bergamo, Italy. This new site hosts the full suite of EFI Reggiani digital textile printing machinery.

One Year on and the new EFI-REGGIANI Innovation Centre is Completed and Marks a New Chapter for Digital Textile Development 

In July 2022 EFI™ Reggiani, the industrial textile printing business of printing technology company Electronics For Imaging Inc. (EFI), announced their plans to build a new textile campus to accommodate ongoing growth.

Exactly on-year-on in July 2023 the new 20,000-square-meter campus in Comun Nuovo, Bergamo, Italy was completed, marking a new chapter for the company and its employees.

In November 2023, we were invited to visit the new site, where machines are built, tested and demonstrated in a state-of-the-art building (twice the size of the previous demo centre) that hosts the full suite of EFI Reggiani digital textile printing machinery, where the Vogue, Power, Blade, Colors, Hyper, ecoTERRA and the new Bolt XS machinery are all on display, side by side, in a vast, 3,000-square-metre demonstration centre. Sales, marketing, application specialists, VIP guests and customers mingled for a day to network and celebrate the launch and to experience the full scope and the development of their textile printing technology.


Credit: FESPA / EFI REGGIANI
Caption: “A recent addition to the portfolio, the EFI Reggiani ecoTERRA machine continues to disrupt analogue production. Environmental efficiency is at its core.”.

Sustainability and efficiency is at the core of all EFI development projects, as reflected in the new buildings design, which mirrors the R&D and continued innovation of EFI Reggiani textile printing systems.

“The building is powered by 400 kilowatts of solar panels supplying 60 percent of the facility’s total energy requirements and benefits from superior thermal insulation that ensures a reduction in heating and cooling costs. Numerous skylights in the facility provide better natural lighting and a reduction in artificial lighting usage.” Green space on the campus was a priority in the design process, covering an estimated 20 percent of the total area. For a more welcoming work environment, the campus also features a canteen and gymnasium for employee use.

Environmental Innovation, Research and Development

“Since the launch of its first analogue printer, to its newest digital solutions, EFI Reggiani has at its core a heritage and expertise that have contributed to the transformation of the textile industry worldwide. With its total commitment to providing “Innovation in Green,” EFI Reggiani’s leadership is the result of extensive research targeted at improving productivity, quality and sustainability in its customers’ operations. Building on Reggiani’s 75+ year legacy, the company is focused on optimising the textile manufacturing process — and reducing energy use, water consumption and overall environmental impact — to ensure customers’ business growth and profitability”. The Innovation centre and the machinery on-site is a testament to this statement.


Credit: FESPA / EFI REGGIANI
Caption: “Sustainability and efficiency is at the core of all EFI development projects, as reflected in the new buildings design, which mirrors the R&D and continued innovation of EFI Reggiani textile printing systems”.

A recent addition to the portfolio, the EFI Reggiani ecoTERRA machine continues to disrupt analogue production. Environmental efficiency is at its core. With a small footprint this machine delivers an extremely efficient solution for industrial scale production supported by high-tech design, on-board workflow, environmental efficiency, alongside analytics and data capture. Supported by a suite of ink options, the ecoTERRA offers (and highlights) the redesign of textile production.

Speaking of the ecoTerra MicolGamba commented “The EFI Reggiani ecoTERRA is the all-in-one solution for pigment printing that requires no ancillary equipment for pre- and post-treatment. The solution gives customers competitive advantages by dramatically cutting energy and water consumption of the overall process for a more sustainable direct-to-fabric printing experience. Eco-friendly design, and water-based ink delivers excellent wet and dry fastness properties, remarkable sharpness in detail and extraordinarily high durability while also yielding longer printhead life with reduced maintenance costs. Thanks to our enhanced polymerisation and finishing unit, EFI Reggiani ecoTERRA also provides the fabric softer hand feel.”

Alongside high-quality output, efficiency and environmental print process - capturing and providing analytical print data is also an important function of print as companies not only strive to improve environmental efficiency, but also increasingly must provide this data as part of governmental legislation over the years ahead. EFI continue to invest and develop this attribute of their technology.

Over the years, EFI Reggiani’s product portfolio has continued to expand, ranging from rotary and flatbed printing machines to scanning/multi-pass digital printers, to the world’s fastest digital textile printer — the award-winning EFI Reggiani BOLT single-pass inkjet printer that operates at 90 meters per minute. The redesign of this machine, the much-anticipated BOLT XS, will be available for purchase in 2024, with a reduced footprint and improved efficiency. Once again, this machine signposts the simplification and the reduced scale of a new generation of high-speed machinery, built for a new era of environmental production. Also worthy of note and equally leading-edge, is the EFI Reggiani HYPER, a model that can output up to 20 linear metres per minute at peak speed.


Credit: FESPA / EFI REGGIANI
Caption: “Alongside high-quality output, efficiency and environmental print process - capturing and providing analytical print data is also an important function of print as companies strive to improve environmental efficiency and data capture for auditing.”

The visit also included a customer site visit. Cotonificio Zambaiti a manufacturer of printed Bedlinen, Homewares and Apparel. Now running two state-of-the-art wide width (3m) EFI Reggiani printing machines for homeware (one using pigment inks and the other reactive) alongside analogue production. The company was founded in 1948 and they have a long legacy, a wealth of experience within vertical textile production and a highly regarded reputation. Their first step into digital technology began in 2004. Digital technologies and the environmental efficiency they deliver continue to be integral to the future development of the business.

Speaking at the event, Micol Gamba, Senior Manager of Product Marketing commented on the importance of bringing the print community together “The visit offers a window of opportunity for both EFI Reggiani and our customers - who can together - share knowledge and insights whilst networking with fellow peers in a focussed environment. It’s a forum for innovation and expertise and an important experience for all that participate”.

Discover the latest innovations in Textile Printing at FESPA Global Print Expo 2023 from 19th - 22nd March 2024 at RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands. Register here to visit and use promo code FESJ401 and save €55 on your entry ticket before 19th January 2024.