ImagesMagUK_April_2021

IS BRAND PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 48 images APRIL 2021 T he final quarter of 2020 was a record one for Kornit Digital, with its revenue growing 49% year-over-year to $72.3 million. The last year was, says CEO Ronen Samuel, a transformative one “in which the textile industry hit an inflection point. The massive leap in ecommerce and the exposed inefficiency of the traditional textile supply chain is accelerating the digital transformation that Kornit is leading.” Also in the Nasdaq-listed company’s Q4 results in February was the announcement that the company is introducing “a groundbreaking proprietary 3D textile application that will bring to the market unique embroidery, high-density printing, and vinyl heat transfer effects and significantly expand our addressable market”. While information on this new application is limited at the moment – expect more details at some point this month – its potential to decorators chimes with a word that Phil Oakley, Kornit’s UK and Ireland country The importance of differentiation Phil Oakley, Kornit’s UK and Ireland country manager, talks to Rachael Glazier about the company’s ’groundbreaking’ 3D textile application and the new opportunities now available to ambitious decorators manager, uses repeatedly throughout our interview: differentiation. Adding an embroidery feel Kornit may have been known initially for producing machines that print T-shirts, says Phil, but there’s now so much more to it. The Poly Pro, the DTG printer capable of printing on polyester, was launched two years ago, extending the range of DTG print beyond cotton. The new 3D textile application appears to offer decorators even further potential to expand their offering. “If you’re a fulfiller, you want to be able to differentiate yourself,” says Phil. “If you’re a consumer, you want a personalised finish. Therefore, you want to differentiate yourself. That’s what we’re experimenting with.” Consider, Phil suggests, a construction company that has a full-colour logo and wants to use it on its PPE. Kornit has carried out tests using the Avalanche to produce full-colour prints on hi- vis – and it works extremely well, he reports. “Then think about the mixing of technologies, whether it’s embroidery or 3D feel. It’s the ability that a workwear provider will have in the future.” It’s not clear yet whether this new application will only be available on new machines, but other launches by the company, such as its HD ink Workflow is where Kornit is changing the game, says Phil Oakley