kick-off meeting
The kick-off meeting of Printodeco project was hold on Thursdays 17th of march at 10:00. The four companies met at Leader´s facilities in Santiago de Compostela. At the meeting both administrative and technical issues were…
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Overview
Current situation and opportunity
The manufacturing of melamine boards is a large industry; in 2013 the melamine board production reached 12 billion m2 only in Europe.
Traditionally the melamine paper imitates real wood, however clients increasingly demand customised designs with new colours, motifs, textures and patterns.
The combination of already available technologies converts Digital Printing in an emerging alternative for imprinting the decorative papier of melamine decorative boards.
Digital printing makes possible:
- Shorter time-to-market, the versatility of the imprinting and the intercommunication of the stakeholders will make possible to shorten delivery time
- Shorter run length, which makes possible to meet customers demand and to improve the profitability of the average order.
- Reduction of stocks, which is currently oversized despite of the continuous renew of designs and the increasingly smaller orders.
- Smaller run batches, 50% of the orders are under 1,000 m2, while the standard paper roll is over 6,000 m2. The self-printing will allow producing paper rolls containing the exact amount of patterns demanded by customers.
- Full design customization in terms of colour, pattern and introduction of final commercial logos or trademarks. Digital production will make possible new opportunities such as: (i) The direct customization of products by the customer; (ii) The offer of exclusive designs, and; (iii) The production of decorative patterns with no repetition.
- Innovative products, such as patterns with no repetitions, unique patterns, variable data printing, etc.
- Water consumption and waste reduction: achieved throughout the substitution of traditional rotogravure printing technology for digital printing, and thanks to on demand production.
Having this target in mind, the main objective of the Printodeco project is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.
Project
Customised melamine paper for decorative boards
Printodeco project main objective is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.
The use of digital printing for melamine paper represents a change of paradigm in the business of decorative boards, since not only will affect to the manufacturing of the paper, but also will change the whole value chain.
As a first benefit, digital printing will provide flexibility and design personalisation to the boards. More interestingly, it will make possible that SME focussed in design or printing can get into the decorative board market and the interaction among all stakeholders with special emphasis in the final user.
Having this target in mind, the general objective of the Printodeco project is to assess the market-uptake of digital printing solutions to make a customised melamine paper for decorative boards.
Therefore, Printodeco brings together into the consortium project 4 major stakeholders that complete the chain value. They will assess the viability of the digital transformation in an operational environment:
- A graphic communication SME (Tórculo)
- A SME focused on product development (Seistag),
- An melamine board manufacturer (Losán) and
- A furniture manufacturer (Logisiete) that also activates a world-wide market place for final-customers (cocinas.com)
Excellence
Main challenges to be addressed by Printodeco project
Validate the economic and financial feasibility of the business model based on the innovative commercial exploitation of the digital printing of melamine decorative paper.
Define a procedure that enables, in one side, the selection of a wide range of designs to the costumers, and in the other side, render product manufacturing more flexible and versatile.
Validate new business models that will reinforce the dynamization and diversification of design-based Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
Create new decorative products that can be personalized by the inclusion of new motifs, colours, textures and patterns.
Create new design and customisation services driven by final costumers or manufacturers.
Undertake a market and trends study.
Study IPR issues and protection of results in order to carry out market replication.
Work Packages
description
Work Package 1. Project Management
The main objective of WP1 is to manage the coordination of effort among all the partners to ensure the effective operation of the project, timely delivery of the results and adequate commercialization and communication of results. Specific objectives are:
- To define internal management procedures into a project management handbook.
- To perform both technical and administrative management at all stages in the project.
- To organize meetings several times a year to hold technical and management board coordination meetings.
Work Package 2. Design of Digital Printing Service
WP2 aims to establish the digital framework needed to manage data file and driving the data to the printer as well as the development of interactive tools to help customers in their choice.
- Regarding the Generation of digital images:
- Set up a robust protocol for generation of image data files.
- Create a database of images with different colours, textures and shapes that can be easily handled.
- Make compatible file formats to be used in interactive tools.
- Regarding the Personalisation tools for costumers:
- Implement a tool for the view of decorative boards with tailored colour.
- Implement a tool for boards tagged by the costumer.
- Implement a tool for costumer self-design.
- Regarding the Management of products and services:
- Define attributes of the order.
- Define a control quality protocol.
- Create an interactive catalogue.
Work Package 3. Market Uptake
In order to commercialise the resultant products of the project, WP3 pursuits to analyse markets trends of the different sectors for the digital printing at European level and to validate the digital printing service:
- To identify market trends for developing attractive image printed design and to get to know the most appropriate commercialization formats.
- To validate digital printing service in a real environment. The real environment that has already been selected for the validation of the digital printing service is a set of kitchen furniture including kitchen worktops and cabinets
- To identify the main markets where the developed solution can be replicated at European level and to implement the corresponding adaptation actions to carry out this replicability.
Work Package 4. Dissemination and Exploitation
The WP4 provides the means for dissemination and exploitation of the project results. The WP comprises two blocks of activities: Dissemination and Exploitation.
Consortium
four major stakeholders that complete the chain value
The consortium is formed by four major stakeholders that complete the chain value. Three partners are SME being the fourth company a world-wide Industrial Group. By means of Printodeco project, they will assess the viability of the digital transformation in an operational environment.
A graphic communication SME with own capabilities in the field of design, customization and large format printing.
A SME focused on product development and product internationalisation with experience and know-how related to wood industry.
A board International Group that produces agglomerated boards, melamine and veneered boards and also components for furniture industry.
which is a SME, a furniture manufacturer that also activates a final-customer market place with more than 100 shops in five different countries (cocinas.com)
Deliverables
of PRINTODECO
| Code | Deliverable Title | WP | Dissemination | Dead line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1.1 | Project management handbook | WP1 | Confidential | May 2016 |
| D1.2 | First technical management report | WP1 | Confidential | Dec 2016 |
| D1.3 | Second technical management report | WP1 | Confidential | Apr 2018 |
| D2.1 | Catalogue of ready-to- print images | WP2 | Public | Mar 2017 |
| D2.2 | Catalogue of on- demand customisation image service | WP2 | Public | Jun 2017 |
| D2.3 | Website for self- production of images | WP2 | Public | Sep 2017 |
| D2.4 | Website for singular orders | WP2 | Public | Sep 2017 |
| D3.1 | Report about market trends | WP3 | Public | Dec 2017 |
| D3.2 | Validation of digital printing service in a real environment | WP3 | Confidential | Jun 2018 |
| D3.3 | Replication analysis report | WP3 | Confidential | Sep 2018 |
| D4.1 | Exploitation Plan | WP4 | Confidential | Sep 2018 |
| D4.2 | Dissemination Plan | WP4 | Public | Jul 2016 |
| D4.3 | Project Website | WP4 | Public | Jul 2016 |