From Field Test to Fleet: How Arian Reshaped Its Production with Durst

The Starting Point: A Field Test That Built Trust

The story begins with a prototype: the P5 SMP™ (Super Multi Pass), the hybrid printer for high-volume production. As part of the field test project, Arian was one of the first companies to put the new machine to work in its own operation.

“We were, and still are today, very satisfied with the ambition Durst brings to its development,” says Stephan Kollegger, CEO of Arian GmbH.

Looking back on how the beta partnership began, Robert Posch, CPO of Arian GmbH recalls: “Durst approached us with a concept we found very exciting, and in conversations with the team, we realized we wanted to be the beta site.”

Arian’s satisfaction with the P5 SMP™ during the test phase became the decisive impulse for everything that followed. The machine impressed with high print volumes combined with great flexibility, most recently with a record of 680 print runs in 24 hours, more than 28 jobs per hour in continuous operation. “That really shows both the technical capability of the machine and the skill of the Arian team in pushing these jobs through,” Posch adds.

From Test to Fleet: Automation as the Next Step

What started as a single test machine soon grew into an entire fleet. As a first expansion, Arian added a Durst P5 350 HSi, the hybrid UV printer for industrial production. The machine provided additional capacity and redundancy. After a few months in operation, Arian decided to automate the machine together with Durst as well, in order to noticeably relieve the workload on staff. For Arian, one thing is clear: automation always adds to the capacity and power available to its own customers.

A large share of Arian’s jobs are double-sided applications. The DSA (Digital Substrate Alignment) scans every single sheet and positions the image on-the-fly to ensure exact registration. This reduces setup times and saves Arian from ongoing manual quality checks.

Committed to Roll-to-Roll

To further improve speed-to-market for its customers, Arian decided to print as much as possible from the roll. For this, two Durst P5 350 HSR systems were installed, which rank as the most productive roll-to-roll UV printers on the market. They guarantee a stable material flow, and colors and color spaces also match well together.

The setup is complemented by two Heavy Duty Unwinders, each capable of loading two 500-kilogram rolls at the same time, and thanks to the stable material flow, the operator can also leave the machine unattended. This creates additional capacity for short project turnaround times.

The Advantage of a Fleet from a Single Source

For Posch, one of the biggest advantages of a fleet from a single source is obvious: machines, printheads and inks are consistently matched to one another. For Arian’s customers, this means a reliable constant across the entire product portfolio, whether a campaign or POS advertising materials: color, shade, look and surface remain the same or nearly identical across a wide range of materials and products.

“That’s exactly what makes a campaign successful: being able to present your own brand color the same way across different materials,” says Posch. “We’re very proud that we’ve found a partner in Durst that lets us deliver on that reliably.”

What Comes Next

For Kollegger, this development is far from over: “I believe the future will change significantly, especially in automation and robotics. Our ambition is clear: fewer machines, but faster ones, with a higher degree of automation. And of course, software will also play a huge role, especially in AI development, where a lot is still bound to change.”