IVO Textiles Preserves Six Decades of Textile Craftsmanship with Kornit Digital
UK-based family-owned textile specialist adopts Kornit Presto MAX S to combine traditional screen-print quality with digital production speed, colour capability and fabric flexibility.
Kornit Digital (NASDAQ: KRNT), a global leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, has highlighted the recent investment by family-owned UK textile manufacturer IVO Textiles in the Kornit Presto MAX S roll-to-roll digital textile printing system.
The London-based company specialises in premium printed fabrics. The new system is intended to help IVO Textiles reproduce the quality associated with traditional screen printing while increasing production speed, broadening fabric compatibility and providing a wider colour gamut for premium interior textile customers.
Six decades of textile manufacturing
Founded in the early 1960s, IVO Textiles built its reputation during London's fashion era, producing fabrics for designers including Celia Birtwell, Ossie Clark and Zandra Rhodes, as well as the fashion retailer Biba.
As manufacturing trends changed, the family-owned business moved from fashion textiles into premium furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and interior décor while retaining its focus on craftsmanship and quality.
Selecting a digital printing platform
The company evaluated several leading digital textile printing technologies when replacing its previous digital textile printer. IVO Textiles tested identical fabrics and production files across multiple platforms to assess how closely each system could reproduce the appearance and quality of traditional screen printing.
According to the company, the Kornit Presto MAX S produced the closest match and also performed better than competing systems in colour accuracy, durability and fastness testing.
Further demonstrations at Kornit's Customer Experience Center in Düsseldorf provided additional evaluation of the system's production capabilities and reliability.
Michael Haas, CEO, IVO Textiles, said: "IVO Textiles has always built its reputation on craftsmanship, quality and innovation. When we evaluated the market, we weren't simply looking for another digital printer. We were looking for a platform capable of matching the quality of traditional screen printing while giving us the flexibility to meet today's customer expectations. Kornit delivered exactly that and gives us the confidence to continue growing our business."
Faster production and wider fabric compatibility
IVO Textiles said the Kornit Presto MAX S has already contributed to improvements in productivity and production efficiency.
The company identified the system's expanded colour gamut, broader fabric compatibility and intelligent self-centering technology among its key advantages. The availability of white ink and XDi capabilities also provides additional options for premium interior textile applications as customer demand develops.
Production speed has been one of the most immediate changes. A typical 200-metre order, which previously took approximately a day and a half to print, followed by baking in a separate finishing department, can now be completed in under two hours, including printing and curing.
The shorter production cycle increases manufacturing capacity and allows the company to respond more quickly to customer requirements.
"The colour gamut and the range of fabrics we can now print on are tremendous advantages for our business. But the biggest benefit is the speed. We're now able to respond to our customers much faster while maintaining the quality they've always expected from IVO Textiles,” added Michael Haas.
Customer support and future production
IVO Textiles also cited Kornit's customer support during installation and commissioning as a factor in the partnership, highlighting the responsiveness of the company's engineering and service teams.
"IVO Textiles demonstrates that heritage manufacturers don't have to choose between craftsmanship and digital innovation,” said Guy Yaniv, President, Kornit Digital Europe. "By combining traditional screen-printing expertise with Kornit's digital technology, IVO Textiles has preserved the quality that built its reputation while achieving the speed, flexibility and efficiency required to compete in today's premium textile market."
The Kornit Presto MAX S is now in production at IVO Textiles. The company plans to use the system to build on its existing premium interior textile operations, expand into new applications and support changing customer requirements.