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SCR SpA, based in Cassina Rizzardi, Italy, is one of the first textile printers in Italy to have invested in the EFI (Booth 1501) Reggiani ReNOIR TOP, an industrial textile production printer with 32 print heads. This printer has helped SCR become more successful, giving the company continued momentum in its 70th anniversary.
The TOP printer is the third EFI Reggiani printer at SCR; the company also has a pair of EFI Reggiani ReNOIR PRO machines. The company’s full complement of digital inkjet machines gives SCR the ability to address the medium to high-end segment of the textile market.
The 180-employee company is a third-party textile printing operation specializing in printed textiles for women’s fashion, and fabrics for high-end furniture. The company produces 23 million feet of print per year, serving textile converters who are intermediaries for major fashion brands. SCR has always prioritized investments to advance its service offering and today the company has 30 digital printing machines, as well as rotary and traditional textile printers. The company’s policy toward investment allows SCR to be in a leading position among the 15 textile printing companies operating in the Lombardy region. Over the past three years SCR has invested 5.5 million euros (approximately $6.5 million) in the latest generation of printing technologies, including three EFI Reggiani ReNOIR machines.
Although the company is 70 years old, the family-run, 30 million euro ($35 million USD) business maintains its competitive edge. Founded in 1947 in Como, the company moved to Cassina Rizzardi in 1984, and has used Reggiani printers since 1960. Federico Curti, Chairman of SCR, recalls that, “we began with the first traditional manual machines, with which we worked until the beginning of the 2000s. In 2004, we installed the first Reggiani rotary machine and in 2007 the first digital inkjet machine. Back then digital printing accounted for only a small percentage of our production,” he adds. “Today it represents 75 percent.”
The EFI Reggiani printing machines satisfy SCR’s high standards. “The new ReNOIR machines are among the most modern of all our machines, and work at full capacity for three shifts per day,” says Lino Curti, CEO, and son of Federico. “We are impressed by their stability and consistency. They are capable of adapting to all substrates that we deal with, such as silk, cotton, viscose and polyester, guaranteeing high standards of productivity, quality and reliability.”
The ReNOIR TOP machine prints in eight colors on a 180-cm format, running at 140 linear meters/hour in a 4-pass mode. The company’s EFI Reggiani ReNOIR Plus 1.8m printers print 100 linear meters/hour at in 4-pass mode. The machines use water-based inks in various types of reagents, acids and dispersed dyes, and benefits from reduced power consumption, allowing for a fully eco-compatible printing process. Four-level, variable-drop printing on the printers provide superior quality. Plus their ability to print with smaller drops yield an additional competitive advantage with more precise control, allowing you to reproduce even the finest designs.
Within SCR’s production facility the company also has pre- and post-printing equipment for fabric treatment and fixation, washing and more.
“We are among the few printers that have made post-printing an important offer, and it makes us stand out as business that focuses on certified quality. We respect the more stringent demands fashion brands have with a process that is eco-friendly and free of toxic substances,” states Lino Curti.
This attention to the ecological aspect of textile printing is also evident in other investments at SCR: 12,000 sqm (129,000 sqft) of photovoltaic panels and a cogeneration plant that re-uses steam. Overall, this system allows for an 80 percent re-use rate of SCR’s energy requirements.
And as far as green, sustainable, higher-volume industrial textile printing goes, EFI Reggiani equipment continues driving success at SCR.
“The Reggiani machines gave us a huge push toward digital,” concludes Lino Curti. “We’re very pleased with our newest EFI Reggiani ReNOIR machines. The offering better flexibility, thanks to an increased productivity compared with other inkjet machines. These printers help us to maintain the high level of standards our customers expect.”