Brixen, Italy – 06/02/14 – Durst, the specialist for industrial inkjet applications, has opened up a new growth market for its digital ceramic printer range in Poland. Since 2012, Durst cooperates successfully with the Polish ceramic supplier POLINDEX and together with the POLINDEX CEO Pawe? Koz?owski, Durst has built up a local sales and service infrastructure for their ceramic printers in W?oc?awek. Despite Durst's relative closeness to the Polish market, it was important to the printing machine manufacturer to be represented with local contact partners and technicians to be able to offer 24/7 service and support in the Polish language. Poland has a long history of ceramic production. Designs and decorated wares like Bunzlauer ceramics are known the world over. With the opening up of Poland in 1989 and the economic transition that came along with it, the country was flooded by foreign tile manufacturer with more than 60 % market share. "Made in Poland" ceramics had yet to find their position on the global market. Since entering the European Union, Poland has risen to become the third-largest ceramic producer exporter in Europe after Italy and Spain. This came along with a return of Polish consumers and manufacturers to their history of quality and the value perception of their ceramic goods that had resulted in an almost total exclusion of foreign tiles from the local market. By investing in Durst inkjet technology, Polish ceramic manufacturers are now continuing along this path and at the same time are tapping into more efficient production processes and new global market opportunities.

"We have been following the exciting development of the Polish ceramic sector for a long time and decided to enter the market as part of this new orientation toward quality," said Christian Harder, Global Sales Manager for Ceramic Printing at Durst Phototechnik AG. "Together with our partner POLINDEX, we have already been able to impress some leading manufacturers with our Gamma ceramic printers. Take the leading ceramic producer Ceramika Paradyz, for instance, which is already running four Gamma 75 HD-R units and one Pictocer at its various production facilities. But the service provided by our printing machines isn't the only thing manufacturers are looking for. They would also like local Durst presence, 24/7."

Besides the Gamma 75 HD-R, the fastest digital ceramic printer on the market with linear print speeds up to 90 m/min with high-quality printing, Polish ceramic manufacturers are also asking for the Pictocer HD. This digital flat-bed printer was specially created for design development, small batches and one-off production and is especially suitable for third-firing applications with pigmented ceramic ink and firing temperatures up to 1,250 °C. Pictocer HDs have already been installed by Ceramika Pilch, Ceramika Creative and Cerart. In Cerart's case, it's actually the second printing machine they've invested in, after producing more than 40.000 sqm within one year.

"With the Gamma printing systems, our Polish customers are using the same technology as the top manufacturers in the world and are able to score big points with their "Made in Poland" design and low production costs," explained Christian Harder with regard to increasing demand. "This enables them to open up new market potential, both inside and outside Poland."

With over 400 ceramic printer installations around the world – more than 120 of them in Italy alone (18 of which are Gamma systems first introduced in 2013). – Durst is the leading manufacturer of digital printing systems for the ceramic industry. Durst is already working on new technological innovations to sustain continual worldwide expansion. Our new patented systems and components will enable "Synchronized Digital Glazing" and forever change ceramic manufacturing. For an initial preview, visit the following link: