One family, two businesses, six swissQprint machines – and 7500 square metres of output each week!

Regler GmbH ships around 7500 square metres of printed media every week. Regler achieves this impressive output with the help of an 80-strong workforce and an extensive machinery pool, including five flatbed printers and one roll to roll printer from swissQprint. "swissQprint has made us more flexible," says Anita Regler. She has been CEO of Regler GmbH since January 2021. Anita is carrying on her parents' lifetime work with an approach based on clear visions combined with careful forethought. Her brother Yul, who specialises in direct printing on glass, manages the Regler-Glasdruck enterprise.

From energy producers to energy savers

Their parents Maria and Erich Regler, the company's founders, were always among the industry's pioneers – in terms of technology as well as business management. Regler GmbH has used heat and power cogeneration to produce its own energy since 1984. A photovoltaic system was added later on. Maria and Erich's daughter Anita stands by the principles of conserving energy and resources, and making use of environmentally friendly solutions: " This is what our customers increasingly require."

Sustainable media and equipment

Re-board® is well on the way to replacing PVC panels. Regler GmbH uses this material for POS displays and area signage for chain stores – and even 3D designs such as chairs and occasional tables for trade fairs. In the textiles segment, some of the fabrics used by the company are made out of recycled plastics taken from the sea. PVC-free films are currently in the test phase.

Sustainability is also a key criterion when it comes to purchasing new equipment. "Low power consumption and minimal maintenance are two compelling arguments in favour of swissQprint UV printers," Anita Regler notes. Yul Regler adds: "Thanks to the LED systems, there's no longer any hazardous waste – and what's more, LED lamps have very long lifetimes."

Reliable, economical and versatile

Reliability is what counts most for Production Manager Tobias Baumgärtl: "The swissQprint machines simply keep on running." And it only takes ten minutes to get them ready to operate in the morning. swissQprint ensures a high level of system availability. Preventive maintenance is only needed once per year, so the costs involved are kept very low and the ecological footprint is tiny. As well as these benefits, Baumgärtl loves the versatility of the swissQprint systems: " It is absolutely amazing what we can do with them."

Specialities and innovations

Anita Regler echoes his opinion: "swissQprint covers the entire range of parts and materials." The flatbed printers handle small series and precut formats, and they also cope with challenges such as printing on acrylic glass or backlit media. Anita Regler appreciates the enormous flexibility that these systems offer. The company also intends to make use of special applications for the Karibu roll to roll printer installed in 2021 – especially those that include white printing. "Our initial experiences have been convincing – the colours are brilliant," Anita Regler is delighted to report. As a champion of new developments, she shows her trust in her employees' innovative abilities by giving them free rein. "Our people are very creative."

Haftfabric

One of the many media that swissQprint systems can print is Haftfabric, a textile for advertising and decorative applications coated with an adhesive developed by Erich Regler, Anita's father. Haftfabric is very easy to apply, without any bubbles. Sales staff can easily apply it themselves. After use, Haftfabric can gently be pulled off the surface and repositioned many times over. All formats are possible, ranging from display window stickers printed on both sides to posters and even entire wall areas.

A fascination with glass

Yul Regler worked at Regler GmbH until the end of 2018, when he went on to set up his own business specialising in his favourite medium: glass. "Glass is a building material that exerts a fascination – but it's also very challenging," he comments. Colour management is complicated, and glass printing requires plenty of experience and an acute awareness of quality. "The prints must have no streaks whatsoever," he explains.

LED technology plays into his hands here. swissQprint LED lamps can be controlled segment by segment to ensure targeted curing. They deliver consistent quality without banding or loss of power. And swissQprint registration pins that ensure high-precision registration are worth their weight in gold. "Especially for layered relief printing," Yul Regler emphasises. The powerful vacuum also provides a very helpful air cushion function: operators can even position very heavy panels of glass precisely on the print bed, with no need to apply force.

Effective glass printing

Regler-Glasdruck mostly supplies customers in the construction sector: classic lines include kitchen or shower backsplashes portraying natural subjects as well as individually printed glass doors and partitions, often featuring a frosted glass effect achieved with varnish printing. More exclusive products have integrated lighting – front panels for vending machines are an example of this – or textured printing. Regler-Glasdruck sometimes reproduces glass panels with a wooden structure, or church windows – including mock leaded frames – created as layered reliefs.

Printed glass interior trims for lifts are gaining popularity because they are scratch-resistant, aesthetically appealing and hygienic. The same arguments favour glass wall coverings in operating theatres or sanitary facilities. In the immediate future, Yul Regler and his team intend to focus more on outdoor applications such as claddings for balconies and façade elements. "With printing under laminated safety glass and a varnish seal, outdoor applications last for ten years," Yul Regler points out.

Everything from one single source – throughout Europe

Regler GmbH's great strength is its holistic approach to the range of services it offers. From graphic design and production through to commissioning, packing (including crating), shipping and final installation, customers get everything they need from one single source. Retailers with extensive branch networks are especially appreciative of this. They can rest assured that the right equipment, promotional media, POS displays and more will be in the right place at the right time. All of this is handled by a well-coordinated pan-European network.

Intrinsic value is in demand

Anita Regler is convinced that consumer behaviour will continue to change – even more so because of the pandemic. "People want experiences. Consumption as such takes second place," she believes – and this is the trend she wants to address by offering high-calibre, individual shop fittings that are anything but standard. "Lasered wooden panels combined with printing are just one example," she notes. Whenever glass comes into the picture, she can count on her brother's support. And their customers, in turn, can count on consistently high standards of performance and service.