Guandong presents its new company claim and - to be even more in step with the times - chooses a hashtag: #theSpecialitieSpecialist. A clear and direct marketing message that the company wants to convey: Guandong's mission is to be the specialties specialist.
But what does this mean? The new CEO Daniele Faoro explains it to us: “#theSpecialitieSpecialist is not a label we gave ourselves. It arose spontaneously from the market, after years of investing both in the research and development of materials with exclusive and guaranteed performance, and in making a practice of broadening the boundaries of digital printing.” For over 10 years, Guandong has continuously presented completely innovative products developed with the aim of broadening the basis of the reference market. At the same time, it organises trade fairs, events and open houses throughout Europe, attended by the technical sales team, with the aim of meeting end users and professionals who are not specifically specialised in visual communication, such as architects and designers. Now more than ever, these figures need digital technology to propose projects that are in step with the times. But often they are not aware of either the potential of digital printing, or of the media supports that companies like Guandong have specifically formulated for applications in the fields of Interior and In-Store Decoration. “It is very clear to us that the market is no longer only made up of stickers and banners. Those are products to which today it is only possible to apply the price policy”, adds Faoro. “We offer value-added solutions for specific applications, with guaranteed performance in terms of printability, durability and resistance. Our proposals broaden the boundaries of digital printing, creating new, viable paths, many of which have not yet been marked out, some of which are yet to be travelled, and others that we are already exploring.”
Such a market approach is expressed in the innovations that Guandong has recently presented: from the Mr. Bordon multifunctional boards, to customisable magnets; from the Mr. Magnus media supports designed for the world of retail, using compact desktop laser printing systems, to the new OWV-polyester, a third-generation micro-perforated film that opens up an almost unlimited range of new applications. Made with partially recycled raw materials, OWV is fully recyclable and similar to urban solid waste. And respecting the environment is something that Guandong cares a great deal about. "We consider it a very serious topic and not a trend to respond to with green-washing demagogies based on supplementary features", continues Faoro. “Environmental awareness is a concept, a lifestyle: we are committed in our work to guaranteeing a high quality product made with the lowest energy cost, at the same time taking into great consideration the scrupulous recycling of production waste, which must not exceed 30%.”
According to Guandong, it is important to find the right balance between the type of recycling, product quality and energy consumption. For example, if the energy cost for recycling a given type of resin is higher than the cost of the basic raw material, then serious questions need to be asked. This is the policy that the company applies in the development of its constantly evolving catalogue. “It is certainly important to offer products that are able to respond to market trends, and if today’s market is inundated with green products, so much the better. We have been on this path for a long time and are therefore ready with a multitude of proposals, selected with respect for our professional ethics”, concludes Faoro.
