EFI-Reggiani Help An-Farb Create A Polish Digital Textile Print Success Story Where The Future Will Be Pigment
Image Courtesy of EFI Reggiani
Lodz, located in central Poland, by population the third largest city (population 700,000) has historically been the center of the Polish textile industry.
After the political transformation in 1989, many textile businesses restructured without the government assistance.
It happened thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Lodz’s citizens, who recreated an industry that is still the driving force of the city’s economy - “innovative and fashionable”
The Damaz Group is a leader on the Polish knitting market and is also a leading supplier in the CEE region. Damaz is a manufacturer of knitted fabrics, primarily cotton and viscose fabrics in various weaves, which are printed in An-Farb and sold as a finished product to sewing shops and local boutique clothing manufacturers.
The years 2012-2019 were a period of dynamic development and investments; the company benefited from EU subsidies to co-finance the development of the machinery in both the dyeing and printing department.
In 2019, four new EFI Reggiani digital printing machines were installed which resulted in a significant increase in printing capabilities as well as an extension of An-Farb’s offering to include cotton, viscose, polyester and linen fabrics.
Almost half of the production is exported - mainly to Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary and Slovakia.
An-Farb dyes and prints knitted and woven fabrics created mainly from cotton, viscose, polyester, linen and blends, as well as niche fibers such as wool, micromodal, bamboo and acetate.
The Future Is Pigment
Thus far, An-Farb has specialised in the production of knitted garments, but now it is also focusing on the development of home textiles, such as bedding, so another investment in digital pigment printing is planned for the near future.
"This technology works better for these types of products than reactive printing, which is due to single production process – and is the most ecological – believes Maciej Nuszkiewicz. It offers unlimited design possibilities, although for the time being it is only available in a limited number of colours. A particular limitation is the lack of having a white colour. We found EFI Reggiani's complex pigment solution, demonstrated at the last ITMA tradeshow in Barcelona, consisting of a printing machine and refined ink set very interesting. We were impressed by the progress made in terms of uninterrupted operation and quality.The environmental benefits are also very important to us!”
An-Farb's development plans are to increase the printing capacity for knitted and woven fabrics by adding new EFI Reggiani direct to textile and transfer printers in the coming years.
