Durst’s $7.2M Theta Expansion Project
Durst Phototechnik AG this month is putting the finishing touches on a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to produce its popular Theta 76 30-Inch Multi-Format Photo Lab System, which is in use in professional photo labs, larger photo studios and full-service photo retailers worldwide.
The facility, featuring the latest fabricating equipment, clean rooms and automated production systems, is part of a larger $7.2 million (EUR 4.8 million) expansion project to help the company keep pace with its growing worldwide business. It also underscores a long-term commitment to the Theta platform and the photo industry generally, Durst said.
“Demands from the photo industry for greater quality and efficiency continue to increase, but so do the capabilities of technology to satisfy those higher demands,” said Florian Kossler, Sales Manager, Product Segment Photo for Durst at the company’s Brixen, Italy, headquarters. “Our new Theta facility is equipped with the most advanced machinery, systems and workflow processes. We’re able to achieve tighter tolerances, and we have greater control over parts, production, and the general factory environment.
“Our philosophy is that we are not integrators or assemblers; we are manufacturers controlling the whole production process,” Kossler said. “This allows Durst to deliver greater sophistication, quality and efficiency in its imaging products. It’s what makes the Durst Theta 76 the printer of choice among the world’s leading photo professionals.”
Sales of the Theta 76 have been exceptionally strong all this year, according to Durst. In North America, for example, sales estimates for the year were exceeded by the end of June, said Gordon Kane, Durst’s National Sales Manager for photo products. “The Theta helps customers do more for less, and do it better, at a time when that’s precisely what’s needed,” Kane said.
The Theta 76, Durst said, is increasingly viewed by professional photo labs, photography studios and other commercial imagers as one effective response to today’s economic pressures by delivering quality images in a simpler, more efficient workflow that reduces cost of operation while actually enhancing offerings to customers.
The 30-inch-wide Durst Theta 76 prints sharp, color-accurate digital images – from 13-foot panoramics down to 2-up wallets – at standard minilab productivity ratings. It is the right choice for the professional photo lab looking for consistency among package prints of all different sizes, as well as workflow efficiency and reliable “back up” during peak production times.
The Theta 76 also performs like a “large-format minilab” for full-service photo retailers or photography studios that want to offer high-margin photo products such as panoramics, metallic prints and restorations. It comes in several configurations – including High Speed and Black & White. The Theta 76 features an on-board processor, a sophisticated auto-nesting capability, auto-inline cut and sort, and true variable back printing.
A Durst Theta imager at Allied Photographic & Imaging of Grand Rapids, Mich., was used to produce the exacting target file prints that competitors in the 2009 and 2010 DIMA Digital Printer Shoot-Outs were required to recreate to enter. Itself a DIMA Shoot-Out winner, there are more than 1,400 Thetas installed worldwide.
“With this investment and the facility it paid for, Durst has made an industry-standard imaging system even better, and also demonstrated its long-term commitment to both the Theta platform and the photo industry,” said Christopher Howard, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Durst U.S. “The exceptional image quality, versatility and workflow of Durst’s Theta 76 printer is critical now as photo professionals look for ways to get the most out of their operations in this economic downturn. Our ability to come up with effective solutions is causing more labs, studios and retailers to turn to Durst.”
About Durst
Durst Phototechnik AG is a leading manufacturer of professional digital imaging systems. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Brixen, Italy, and Lienz, Austria, and has major offices in the U.S., France, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and Singapore. Durst’s reputation for quality, precision, innovation and reliability spans more than 70 years.
Source : Durst
