Reclameland describes itself as the fastest-growing online printing company in the Netherlands, but it has turned to direct to garment printing as it looks to keep that growth going.
The company, based in Westerbroek, Groningen, produces all of its applications in-house, guarantees next-day delivery and boasts more than 500,000 registered customers.
But the big news last year was the firm’s decision to invest almost €20 million in a second production hall and state-of-the-art machines, including the Kornit Atlas system for industrial direct-to-garment printing.
The company, which had previously produced flyers, supplies stationery, stickers, business cards and envelopes, was keen to develop its printed textile offering as demand for such products continues to grow.
‘2019 marked the definitive breakthrough of online printing, and we have established ourselves as a total print solutions provider for signage, banners, posters, flags, and other digitally printed textiles,’ explained CEO Wouter Haan. ‘By continuously innovating, we can serve every type of customer. Our investment in Kornit technology has empowered us to imprint more than a thousand garments per day with a single operator, meeting the retail quality, wash and light fastness, and sustainability standards of the world’s largest apparel brands.’
Kornit’s Atlas machine offers a 30% throughput improvement from the Avalanche HD6
Reclameland continues to grow quickly, since 2015 its orders have grown by 164% and last year its workforce grew by 20%. It also opened the new production hall of 25,000sqm, bringing its total business area to 35,000sqm, all of which means it is in a position to comfortable add more than 7500 new customers each month.
Mr Haan attributes the increased demand for printed products, including textiles, to a strong growth in online buying, for both consumers and businesses. ‘E-commerce is the company’s rocket engine,’ he explained. ‘In peak periods, we are sometimes dealing with around 2000 orders per day – a challenging process as we do everything in-house. We still have to print, cut, finish and pack the product before it is shipped.’
Reclameland achieved a turnover of almost €23 million in 2019 and a profit of more than €1 million; the company believes this makes it the second-largest business of its type in the Netherlands. Mr Haan is confident that growth will continue in the coming years, and this belief is reflected in continuous investments in production technologies such as Kornit Digital’s.
Released in 2019, Kornit’s Atlas is a direct to garment printing platform designed for high-volume production of up to 350,000 impressions a year. The Atlas offers a print area of up to 60 x 90cm, prints at resolutions of up to 1200dpi and makes use of six colours – CMYK alongside red, green and white. It has embedded ink recirculation and humidity control systems and is able to print on cotton, polyester, cotton-polyester blends, lycra, viscose, silk, leather, denim, linen and wool.
Mr Haan sees the investment as part of his long-term plans for Reclameland. He anticipates another surge in growth when lockdowns end in both the Netherlands and further afield and demand for events and exhibition work returns, much of it textiles-related. Its new expanded premises allow room for further investment in the future but also ensures that the company can process more large orders in a short time, and continue to expanding its customer base.
‘Reclameland demonstrates the vast opportunities on-demand producers have when they diversify their product offerings and align their operations for a marketplace that increasingly relies on e-commerce,’ commented Chris Govier, Kornit Digital’s managing director for Europe. ‘Kornit technology offers the perfect foundation for making that business model a success, eliminating slow and costly steps between buyers seeing a brilliantly-designed piece virtually and having it in their hands. We are proud to support Reclameland as they grow to fulfil the promise of digital commerce.’
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