Polish Printing Professionals Visit SCREEN GA’s Manufacturing Facility in Kyoto, Japan
A group of leading Polish printing businesses travelled to Japan for a nine-day hosted visit to SCREEN Graphic Arts. The programme included factory tours, product presentations, and a guided cultural itinerary across Kyoto and Tokyo.
The Polish printing industry is growing and increasingly investing in digital technology. Printers are looking for solutions that allow them to produce shorter runs, reduce waste, and respond faster to customer demand. SCREEN Graphic Arts responded to this momentum with a direct invitation to visit the facility in Kumiyama, Kyoto and see how SCREEN inkjet presses are designed and built.
The visit was organised by Daria Obloj, SCREEN’s Regional Sales Manager for Eastern Europe, together with local dealer Reprograf. The delegation included customers, technology partners, and senior representatives from some of Poland’s most respected printing companies. Over nine days, they toured the Kumiyama factory, attended detailed product presentations at SCREEN’s Kyoto headquarters, and took part in a curated programme of Japanese cultural experiences.
A Thorough Introduction to SCREEN
The visit began with a full introduction to SCREEN as a company. Guests learned that SCREEN Holdings, the parent organisation of SCREEN Graphic Arts, has more than 155 years of history rooted in Kyoto. From these origins, the company has grown into a global technology group operating across sectors from semiconductor manufacturing to graphic communications, with over hundreds digital inkjet presses now installed worldwide.
Delegates were introduced to the three principles that guide SCREEN’s work: continuous innovation in inkjet technology, a commitment to more sustainable production by reducing waste and energy use, and a belief that digital print opens new opportunities for printers who are ready to invest in the right technology. Understanding these values framed everything they would see in the coming days between in-depth presentations, technology demonstrations, and inter-cultural experiences.
Factory Tour: Manufacturing and Quality at Kumiyama
The factory tour at Kumiyama was the central experience of the technical programme. Guests were taken through the full process by which a SCREEN inkjet press is designed, assembled, and tested — from individual components through to a finished machine ready for customer delivery. The level of care at each stage of production was clear to see, reflecting the Japanese manufacturing approach of precision, consistency, and continuous quality control.
For the Polish visitors, this was an important shift in perspective. Seeing the build quality and testing process directly showed why a SCREEN press is built to run reliably over many years with minimal downtime, a critical factor that directly affects the total cost of ownership and the ability to take on more work and expand their business with confidence.
Product Presentations: Commercial Print, Labels, and Flexible Packaging
SCREEN’s engineers and product specialists presented the full digital inkjet portfolio across commercial, label, and packaging printing.
For commercial print, the Truepress JET series allows printers to produce shorter, more varied runs without the cost of plates or lengthy setup. This makes it practical to print direct mail, books, transactional documents, pharmaceutical leaflets, and security printing work that previously was not economically viable with analogue printing processes
In label production, the Truepress LABEL series makes it fast and cost-effective to switch between jobs, with no flexo cylinders to be produced and disposed of and minimal setup waste. This gives label converters the flexibility to serve customers in food, beverage, beauty, pharmaceutical, and household markets with shorter lead times and more versioning options. For flexible packaging, the Truepress PAC range supports digital production of pouches, food packaging, and paper-based formats, where digital is becoming an important part of production strategies as regulatory pressure and consumer demand is looking for new packaging formats.
SCREEN’s workflow management software was also presented as an important part of the overall solution. By automating job flow from pre-press through to logistical management, reducing the need for manual steps and allows print businesses to increase capacity without increasing staffing proportionally.
Polish Printing & New Knowledge & New Partnerships
SCREEN organised a full cultural programme alongside the technical visits. The delegation explored historic temples in Kyoto, visited Tokyo, and took part in a hands-on traditional weaving experience using antique hand looms that have been practised in Japan for generations. The connection between this kind of craft tradition and the care seen on the Kumiyama factory floor made more explicit, in addition to a wide variety of traditional Japanese dining, reinforcing the professional and cultural exchange through shared experiences.
The visit produced invaluable results for all those involved. SCREEN’s engineering and product teams used the time to gather direct feedback from experienced Polish printing professionals to learn which applications matter most in this market and the nuances of supplying them in a real production environment, where current workflow challenges remain, and what new developments would be most useful to accelerate production efficiency in the region, all market insights invaluable in shaping future research and development.
The Polish delegation returned with a clearer understanding of what SCREEN’s inkjet presses can do, the business cases for digital investment, and how existing workflows can be improved. Many left with a specific sense of which technology fits their operation and the confidence that comes from having seen the quality of manufacturing behind it.
The organisation and hospitality from Daria Obloj and the entire local SCREEN Graphic Arts team ensured the programme ran smoothly and left a lasting impression on the delegation, best summarised saying,
“We came expecting to learn about technology. We left with a new appreciation of what quality means in manufacturing, in the art of printing, and in what is possible for our industry. We’re returning with a wide variety of new initiatives on how to utilise SCREEN digital printing to accelerate the growth of Polish printing throughout the European and global markets.”
— Member of the Polish Delegation
