Imagink, Andrea Cappello’s compelling entrepreneurial vision,
is focused on the OneTex 5200

"I have a vision: to become the preferred company in soft signage. My business strategy is simple: to have the best technology and use it to collaborate with companies and people who want to be on this growth path together."
Andrea Cappello
AD di Imagink

 

Imagink

Vision

Imagink wants to elevate their offerings to attract exclusive customers with larger budgets, across regional (and even national) borders. They want to offer high-end fabric visual communication offerings that are integrated, offer technical precision, and increase profitability for their company.

Operational obstacle

Imagink has more than a decade of experience in sublimation printing: they have grown their sublimation business with a 3.3 meter ATPColor OneTex 3300. But for the investment of the “five meters” to be viable, it is necessary to evolve and grow in every sense: business organization, technical skills, marketing, and sales.

Solution

Consolidate its business model and focus on the long-term customer relationships that offer the best return on investment. This allows them to be focused on and employ only the best staff and technology. Their loyalty and faith in ATPColor have allowed them to continue their partnership and they chose to invest in a OneTex 5200.
Angelo Modica

Why Imagink chose ATPColor OneTex 5200

  • Very few printing companies have a 5.2 meter sublimation printer so Imagink is able to offer unique projects without competition
  • ATPColor is not only a technology manufacturer but a partner with which to plan a long-term growth strategy
  • The range of soft signage applications that can be created is almost infinite in application and size
  • This technology offers excellent creative possibilities with relatively low investment, such as dynamic displays
  • Fabric significantly reduces shipping costs and complications, so there are no limits to working with customers around the world


Now, I really have the company I’ve always dreamed of having, Andrea Cappello says, while smiling not just with his mouth but also with his eyes, and those who have known him for a while know that this has not always been the case. Of course, there is still a veil of concern, especially in a period of uncertainty such as this post COVID-19 period. But he is not alone in continuing on with the vision for Imagink: he knows it, and can breathe it in, in the splendid location in Bolzano. A jewel company with cutting-edge equipment and machinery and above all a group of well- trained, enthusiastic, and proud employees. We are finally a real team, he comments. I have chosen what I consider the best in every field: people, suppliers, partners, and of course, technology. And I worked to build relationships based on shared values.

Thanks to a progressive and informed business strategy, Imagink has become the company that others look to as experts in soft signage in South Tyrol, where their focus on eco-sustainable products has preceded a trend that is now global. The fabric projects made throughout Italy are increasingly vast and essential, including the challenging Milanese stage. Today, Imagink has served over a thousand customers, many of them related to the sports world: Oberalp, Salewa, Dynafit, Speedo, Fischer, Under Armor, Miele and Sportler, to name just a few.

With the five meter width, it was a leap into the unknown, but it opened a world made up of new markets and projects that were previously unattainable

The acquisition at the beginning of 2019 of the ATPColor OneTex 5200 with 5.2 meter width is also part of Imagink’s growth strategy. It is not our first ATPColor, explains Cappello. The collaboration began in 2011 with a 3.3 meter OneTex 3300, which arrived four years after we entered the world of soft signage.

The decision to upgrade the technology came after eight years of partnership. We know all the merits of ATPColor machines: ease of use, reliability over time, and density and vibrancy of color that offers unparalleled quality. I know that “five meters” is the tool that will allow us to grow in a remarkable way, even if it has been a risky step, says Cappello. But this is the role of entrepreneurs: to dare when others do not have the courage to do and to fight to achieve their vision.

Finally, my company vision is being carried out: I have a team of very good people and the best technology

 

In recent years Imagink has grown, made significant investments, and above all has refined its business offerings. They carefully selected the partners they wanted to grow with, from customers to suppliers. They have also carefully discontinued some of their offerings, choosing to specialize. We want to become the most prominent fabric visual communication company, explains Cappello. All our recent investments are made around this vision: for example, the cutting table that we recently purchased has a conveyor belt and a laser specifically for fabric.

Thanks to the OneTex 5200, the cutting table and the operator, Imagink continued to work during COVID-19. And with that complete equipment setup for superwide format, it has made itself known by creating a decidedly small product: the so-called 'community masks' that are washable, reusable fabric, essential for the containment of viral spread, even if they are not medical grade personal protective equipment (PPE). On this occasion, Imagink’s reputation has traversed regional boundaries thanks to creativity (the masks are printed with funny or trendy images), generosity (they have been sold at cost) and a timely communication strategy.
But we are well aware that the masks are a temporary offering: our goal is to continue working in grand format, states Cappello.

Now with the five meter technology we can realize projects that were unthinkable before, in terms of quality and speed of size. And it shows in some of the latest projects: single and double-sided reusable aluminium frames with a strip of silicone sewn into the edges of the fabric graphic which are inserted into the frame. These SEG or keder frames offer endless options in shapes and very wide dimensions.

The most innovative and striking projects so far are those they created for the company Dresswall: dynamic displays that combine printed images and lighting effects. Much cheaper than LED screens and less susceptible to vandalism, they achieve the same purpose: to attract customer attention even in the busiest environments such as train stations, airports and shopping centers.

I believe that printing technology has reached a summit, concludes Cappello. The next frontiers are the materials, the creative ideas and the technical ability to realize them.

 

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