This year, Konica Minolta is celebrating its 20th year in the production printing sector. Over the past two decades, the world of printing has undergone a radical transformation, marked by new technologies, growing demands, and increasingly complex production challenges. Although this journey hasn't always been easy, it has been particularly rewarding, comprising a history of challenges overcome and shared successes. At the core of this commitment, meeting customer needs has always been our priority.
An Evolving Industry
Production printing is a dynamic industry, constantly evolving. Here are some key developments and milestones that have punctuated the last 20 years.
Early 2000s
With the turn of the millennium, the industry began a crucial shift, notably transitioning from traditional offset printing to digital printing. Thanks to innovative technology, printing professionals were able to handle short print runs while offering reduced turnaround times. Thus, digital presses rapidly gained popularity, bringing flexibility and efficiency.
Early to Mid-2010s
The 2010s were marked by an increased adoption of print-on-demand, allowing for reduced storage costs and promoting just-in-time production, especially for marketing materials and direct mail. This evolution enabled print service providers to implement automated workflows, minimizing tedious manual inputs. At the same time, software solutions emerged, simplifying task management and boosting production speed.
2015-2019
Sustainability quickly became a major priority. To meet these new expectations, printers felt an urgent need for energy-efficient machines and more sustainable production materials.
Developed since 1990, Konica Minolta made a major breakthrough with its Simitri polymerized toner. This polymerized toner was chemically synthesized to produce fine and uniform particles, thereby avoiding intense heat as it melted at a lower temperature than pulverized toner.
2020
The global pandemic disrupted the sector, accelerating the demand for remote printing solutions. It highlighted the growing importance of automation. The integration of cloud services enabled providers to submit jobs remotely, thus expanding their operational capacity while offering more flexibility to customers.
2024
AI-based solutions and data analytics have become essential for optimizing print flows and improving customer targeting. Further automation has continued to reduce manual interventions.
2025
The future looks promising. Today, print providers have more opportunities than ever to innovate and grow.
With a reliable partner like Konica Minolta, we remain committed to listening to our customers, anticipating their needs, and continuing to innovate to shape the future of production printing. As we celebrate these 20 years of shared history, we are confident that our success will continue, and that increasingly sustainable printing will allow graphic creations to shine across Luxembourg.