Landa expands with new facility

Digital nano press developer Landa is expanding its production facilities, and is building a new 4000sqm building in Israel as it prepares for its post-drupa sales push.

The company says it is investing in the new building to “meet customer demand” as it gears up for series production of its innovative technology. Naama Konor Gal, plant manager said, “Landa Digital Printing has expanded significantly over the last four years and we are planning for even more rapid growth in press installations and print volume. As a result, we are excited to be expanding our production facilities.

“We have a fantastic team leading this expansion who together have decades of experience and knowledge in production management.”

The company says after a decade of development it is now positioned to ramp up production. It says that it expects six Landa presses to be in Australia by 2022: two sheetfed B1 S10s, two sheetfed perfecting B1 S10s, and two webfed W10s. Companies that signed at drupa 2012 included Blue Star and trade printers CMYKhub and Heroprint.

Over the last couple of years Landa has installed several beta site nano presses in the field, with four print business hosting them, located in Israel, Germany, the UK and the US.

Company chairman and digital pioneer Benny Landa launched nano technology at drupa 2012, with the promise of offset quality at offset speeds on offset stock, but with the digital benefits of no plates, no makeready, variable data on demand printing. His compelling presentation led to 400 printers signing up for the press, each handing over US$10,000 for a place in the queue.

However, since then progress has been slower than expected, as Landa attempts to put the theory of firing tiny droplets of water-based ink onto a transfer blanket at high speed into practice. Landa is funding the humongous development costs through the cash he received from the sale of Indigo to HP, and a US $300m investment by German industrialist Sussan Klatten.