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The company also has offices in Portugal and China – the latter an emerging power in the digital printing industry. The Spanish firm also plans to extend its representative office network into the USA and Brazil.
Kerajet’s market share continues to be one of the highest in the industry at 70%, ahead of competitors such as Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology.
The Spanish company has two proprietary patents and a wide range of products. It has also registered its corporate image, logo and name in order to protect them as well as other trademarks such as Colorjet, SystemJet and RotoJet.
Kerajet has not only managed to sidestep the current crisis enveloping the Spanish construction sector by selling its technology, but the company is also growing at a consistent rate of 25%. Its sales have tripled since 2006, exceeding €17 million in Spain. The company’s management predicts that by 2014, once planned investments have been completed, it will reach a growth rate of 40%, with a significant increase in profit thanks to a reduction in costs. “The critical situation in the ceramics industry resulting from the decline in business activity in the construction sector can be offset, by competing through continuous innovation and the internationalization of our products and services”, says Querol.
SIMILARITIES WITH AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING
Kerajet’s production process is similar to automobile manufacturing, in which different mechanical, hydraulic and electronic components are pre-assembled in modules to be subsequently incorporated into the chassis of the machine. The process ends by starting it up, performing quality control and packaging the product, which can then be distributed.
Nevertheless, the design of components that are manufactured by third parties is also part of the Kerajet production process. These are electronic, mechanical, hydraulic and electrical components that are assembled in Kerajet’s production center so that they can be verified by its own quality control department before being sent out. This differentiating element sets Kerajet apart from its competitors, since it designs and uses its own electronic, mechanical and software control systems without any external involvement.
Another important advantage for Kerajet is its strong capacity to research and produce consumable products, which makes it unique among its competitors, and even in other segments of the ceramics industry.
KeraJet is involved in the whole of the injection process, from the technology linked to the cartridges, microelectronics and software, through to the electronics, hydraulics and fluid control. Furthermore, it records all the image file management for engraving materials. Since it was created, the firm has designed, manufactured and marketed its K-700 model digital printers in different versions for large production runs, and the P-200 Plotter for smaller batches.
“The widespread adoption of printers in the market has made them an indispensable tool for ceramic decoration in the future. Industrial decoration of products is digital and InKJet technology has a high number of orders in progress that will be handled on a customized basis”, confirms Querol.
Research is the foundation on which Kerajet bases all its activities and growth. It has a workforce of 800 employees and global revenues of €290 million.
Photo: Kerajet
Article published in January 2012
Arantxa Noriega
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