European photobook leader CeWe orders its second MGI JETvarnish 3D Evo

In October 2017, CeWe decided to enrich its photobook offer with Spot UV Varnish and Hot Foil by equipping its site of Eschbach (South of Germany) with a digital finishing press: the JETvarnish 3D Evo from MGI Digital Technology.

Seduced by the full integration of this solution in its production flow, which enables the VDP embellishment of millions photobooks per year, the German manufacturer has just equipped his factory in Oldenburg (North of Germany) with a second JETvarnish 3D Evo. An investment intended to establish its strategic development in the embellishment of photobooks.

Founded in 1961 in Oldenburg in the North of Germany, Cewe innovated since its creation by positioning itself in the emerging market of colour photography printing. This Innovation Strategy, reinforced by a constant international development, was subsequently continued with printing onto objects since 1980, the implementation of a waste recycling policy in 1985, the launch in 1997 of the first worldwide photo booth in store, and the launch of the first photobooks in 2005!

Cewe has become a reference brand in Germany, like the car manufacturer BMW, before celebrating one year later its 50 millionth photobook, reinforcing its undisputed leadership in the market. The company now employs nearly 3,500 employees in 11 countries…

Cewe, a differentiation strategy based on Spot UV coating & Hot Foiling

Photobook leader on the Internet, Cewe has always differentiated itself by the ease of use of its online software and a very high level of quality.

The high quality of Cewe’s photobooks was not enough to strengthen the German company leadership and create a break on the market, as the technical director of the Eschbach site (Freiburg im Breisgau) Michael Bühl says: “Maintain our competitive position as number one on the European photobook market required from us to innovate once again.

The working group in charge of this project concluded that we needed to enrich our books with additional effects such as Spot UV varnish and hot foil. These effects are a disruptive and a unique way to make the difference on the market. CeWe produces millions of photobooks – each one different from the other – in tight deadlines and for the best value for money. Therefore, we understand that traditional technologies could not fit our development strategy.

Digital Embellishment responds to market expectations

After studying the various solutions available on the market, CeWe’s choice quickly turned to JETvarnish technology from the global market leader MGI.

“Our specifications were based around four essential points.” adds Michael Bühl. “First of all, to be able to rely on an industrial solution, truly operational and a proven technology, both in Spot UV varnishing & Hot Foiling. Then, we were looking for a versatile technology able to support all our substrates/products with a perfect integration in our production flow and a high quality of varnish and foil. Finally, we wanted a manufacturer with an effective customer support and a R&D department able to listen to our needs because this investment was a strategic challenge for our company. In all these fields, MGI fulfilled our expectations and we naturally chose the MGI JETvarnish 3D Evo technology to equip our sites.”

Victor Abergel, Vice President of MGI does not hide his satisfaction: “Since our first contact with CeWe, we are very proud at MGI to work with Cewe and equip their machine fleet with our digital embellishment press. The JETvarnish 3D Evo integration into the production flow of Freiburg site proves the value of the variable data management of our solutions. This integration allows, thanks to a barcode printed on each sheet to personalize, to set automatically the embellishment operations on the fly, the varnish and the foil as well as the varnish thickness and the curing settings! The real-time variable data management of the JETvarnish 3D Evo allows a fully automated process, which delivers high level of productivity and the best quality on the market.

Daily user-friendly operation

Installed in October 2017, the integration of MGI JETvarnish 3D Evo into the production flow of Eschbach site was a success. The solution immediately convinced and seduced operators by its simplicity of use, making of the JETvarnish 3D Evo the flagship of the site, as explains Michael Bühl: “The JETvarnish 3D Evo start of production was without a hitch and our operators quickly learned to use the new press. Easy to operate and to clean and maintain, the JETvarnish 3D Evo requires only one sort of varnish for the Spot UV coating as well as the hot foiling embellishment. The efficiency of its integration into our production flow allows us to differentiate ourselves on the photobook market. The integration of embellishment equipment in our production strategy was a great success and leads us to invest in this press in Oldenburg site too”.

This is a great perspective for Victor Abergel: “We are very proud at MGI to contribute to the daily success of Cewe through our technologies. This success proves that the finishing and embellishment are a true strategic challenge for the Graphic Arts industry. We believe in the value and the relevance of our embellishment solutions on commercial printing market as well as packaging, labels, edition and web-to- print.”

About MGI Group

Founded in 1982, the MGI Group is a public company with offices around the world and is registered on the Euronext/Alternext stock exchange (ALMDG). The MGI Group is a global digital printing technology leader composed of MGI Digital Technology, headquartered in Paris (Fresnes), France and KÖRA-PACKMAT, located in Villingendorf, Germany and CERADROP, located in Limoges, France.

About CeWe

The CEWE PHOTOBOOK is one of our top-sellers, has been repeatedly designated as a Test Winner and is Europe’s most popular photo book. The photo books come with countless covers and paper qualities in addition to 9 different formats. We offer our ordering software to download free for your personalised design. Design on the go? No problem with our free CEWE Photoworld app.