Domino’s new N730i digital colour label press, which is based on its latest state-of-the-art Generation 7 Technology platform, is the product of more than 40 years of inkjet innovation. But who are the people at Domino involved in its development, and what has driven them to deliver this next-generation solution?
Naturally, whenever such a ground-breaking solution is launched, the focus tends to point towards the functionality and capabilities of the technology itself. How it works, what it does, and how it can deliver in terms of production benefits and operational efficiencies. But, what about all the talent behind this technology? It’s easy to forget about the people involved, not to mention the wide range of skills and expertise it has taken to bring such a complex and advanced piece of engineering together into a highly valued, top-performing solution.
Domino’s founding principles and key values including collaboration, listening, expertise, ambition, and responsibility, are ingrained throughout the organisation and its workforce. These values have provided the perfect framework to inspire, equip, and support Domino’s team of highly skilled engineers, chemists, and research and design specialists to deliver one of the most advanced, high-performance digital label printing solutions designed to meet the needs of the label market today, and into the future.
- Collaboration – ‘Collaboration broadens perspectives, allowing us to challenge conventional wisdom, and achieve a better outcome’
By combining Domino’s in-house technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities with that of its external suppliers and development partners, Domino had access to the best resources and formed a world-class development team capable of designing and building a new digital label printer from the ground up.
The partnership with its colleagues at Brother Industries, for example, has given Domino accessibility to the completely new BITSTAR™ 1,200dpi print head. This state-of-the-art printhead technology, primed with unique technical features, stretches the possibilities of digital inkjet output to deliver precision print quality at an optimal speed of 70m/min.
"The class was incredible. I was thrilled to learn about our BITSTAR™ inkjet heads developed in-house which produce fine text and 1,200dpi quality. The speed of the press while running was incredible to watch – it is a well built and highly functional machine and I’m thankful to be part of this journey."
- Julie Krueger, Demo Room Technician at Domino, USA
2. Listening – ‘By listening to our customers and our people and learning from experience, we will continually develop the insight to do better’
Knowing the challenges and understanding the demands of end customers was an essential first stage of Domino’s design and development strategy. Customer feedback enabled the development team to focus on delivering three key requirements: consistent and exceptional print quality, ease of use, and flexibility.
To provide exceptional print quality, for example, the revolutionary new BITSTAR™ 1,200dpi print heads have been incorporated into the solution. By expanding its easy-to-use and flexible i-Tech efficiency-enhancing features, the N730i delivers consistent quality output at high production speeds. The option of retrofitting a flexo priming station has further delivered the flexibility required of the label press for optimising print quality on more challenging media types.
"It has been quite a journey, but seeing the N730i in action is an incredible achievement for my team and me. The collaboration and sharing of expertise across the Technical Team has been nothing short of remarkable, and I'm proud of the resilience shown to achieve the very best print quality for our customers."
- Julie Cross, Digital printing Technical Director at Domino, UK
3. Expertise – ‘We commit to continual learning and development, to provide ever better solutions.’
Domino has an in-house team of skilled engineers, chemists, and technical specialists at its many research laboratories and manufacturing and testing sites around the world.
It has the added benefit of calling on additional support from its colleagues at Brother Industries to boost its ability to deliver world-class solutions. This collaborative team of expert chemists designed, developed, and specifically tested the UV91 ink set in its research laboratories to ensure optimum performance in the N730i. Providing exceptional print output and excellent resistance to heat, cold, sunlight, chemical, and saline attacks, as well as abrasion, this specialist ink set maintains exceptional print quality throughout the life of the final product.
"I am proud to be part of an organisation that invests in research and development. This includes the ink for our N730i 1,200dpi digital label press, offering the ability to print high opacity white at up to 70m/min."
- Jessica Godleman, Senior Chemist at Domino, UK (right) with Penny Streatfeild - Chemist at Domino, UK (left)
4. Ambition – ‘We want to be a recognised leader in all our markets and the preferred partner for our customers worldwide’
Domino’s ambition to deliver value to every business was also the driving force behind the introduction of its Digital Solutions Programme, with its expert training and bespoke consultancy services helping customers unlock new business potential.
Indeed, it is just this ambitious approach that has kept Domino at the forefront of technology over the years and on which it has built its reputation for proven, reliable digital printing solutions and unrivalled customer support.
"All Domino inks, including the N730i UV91 ink set, were developed in-house enabling less downtime and higher quality output. Using our expertise, we set out with an ambition to deliver optimum 1,200dpi print performance for our customers, and our ink set was thoroughly tested to achieve nothing less than this."
- Natasha Jeremic, Digital printing Ink Development Manager, Domino, UK
5. Responsibility – ‘We deliver on our commitments to our customer, communities and the environment’
In line with its corporate environmental responsibilities, Domino’s new N730i is designed to minimise the consumption of natural resources and energy and limit waste. When it comes to efficiencies and operating costs, the press requires no plates, and no associated materials for wash down. In addition, compared to a flexo press, it requires fewer curing lamps – resulting in less energy usage.
Our customers' responsibilities are also a key priority at Domino, with an extensive network of support available in over 120 countries and our TotalCare support, maintenance, and warranty packages for added peace of mind.
John Abbott, President of Abbott Label is full of praise for Domino’s commitment and responsibility to its customers. When his company needed support, Domino proved a ‘game changer’ in helping him take his label manufacturing business to the next level.
Abbott says: “Domino is family. Just great people. Great people that stand behind what they say."
“We were able to get twice as fast through Domino as we were through the HP – and the print quality is excellent.”
A successful product is so much more than the sum of its parts. The capabilities and functionality that the technology delivers are essential, but so too is the expertise behind the technology. For a product to be successful it should be backed up by the ability to deliver proven, production-enhancing technology from a trusted global brand and access to a worldwide service, training, and support network.
Robert Pulford, CEO at Domino, takes pride in his team and their ongoing motivation to deliver the very best for their customers. “Our reputation for expertise, combined with the dedication of our engineers to continuous improvement, means that Domino continues to offer world-class services to support some of the world’s leading brands,” says Pulford. That, in essence, is what gives Domino its competitive edge and lies at the heart of what makes the N730i different – The Domino Difference.
If you want to learn more about our new Generation 7 technology N730i digital label printer, and arrange a visit to one of our showrooms, please get in touch with us.