The phrase “started in a garage” takes on a literal meaning when it comes to the Grafiti Becker printing house. Back in 1995, Mr. Igor Tomljanovic, the owner, started a screen printing business in one section of a garage in his family’s backyard. Since then, they have seen continuous, successive growth, which was interrupted only during the Covid period. However, 2023 and 2024 marked a new upswing and a continuation of their growth curve.
The past decade reached a major milestone in 2015 when they moved into a new 1,400m2 production facility. This year will definitely be defined by the launch of their largest equipment investment cycle to date, valued at one million euros, which was the catalyst for our visit to Grafiti Becker.
What strategic goals are you targeting with this investment?
Our primary goal is to maintain the market positions we have built over the years, while also making a leap toward higher-quality, more stable clients. Technologically speaking, we are equipping all segments of the printing house with state-of-the-art technology, which brings both top-tier quality and the automation of certain processes.
The next step is to upgrade our sales channels and maximize the capacity we have invested in. This means collaborating with larger, more stable corporate systems, and building stronger connections with marketing agencies and strategic clients.
Are you planning a more aggressive push toward digital sales channels?
Absolutely. Digital channels should take over smaller orders and personal, customized production. That sales segment consumes a lot of resources while generating a smaller portion of revenue, but it cannot be neglected. It needs to be properly covered, and that is where I see the crucial role of web sales. Today’s customers often don’t look for a supplier based on location; instead, they order wherever Google presents the best showcase and the simplest interface. We see a massive opportunity there. It is a channel that can stabilize business and reduce our dependency on large systems.
Over the years, you have covered a wide array of printing technologies. Is this breadth an advantage or a challenge?
It is simply the reality of operating in a smaller market. To satisfy market demand, we had to adopt several different technologies. We might not be extremely specialized in a single branch, but we have built a “service print shop” model that can cover a wide spectrum of needs, from promotional materials to highly complex graphic solutions.
You have invested a large portion of funds into commercial printing. A new Ricoh Pro C9500 production press, a Duplo die cutter, a Rigo binder, and a Matrix laminator have arrived on the production floor. What do these technologies bring you?
We are introducing a second Ricoh production printer to our lineup. The key benefits are print quality, which we are now bringing close to offset quality, combined with the flexibility of digital print. The cost per print is also more competitive for larger print runs, and we now have the ability to do auto-duplex printing in banner formats. Price-wise, we will compete with offset much more easily, opening doors for larger print runs that were previously out of reach.The other finishing technologies entering our commercial print segment will raise the quality bar and speed up production.
With this investment, we will secure our print shop’s competitive edge in the production of books, brochures, catalogs, and flyers.
How complex was it to plan an investment of this scale?
Extremely complex. The planning phase lasted between six and nine months. We brought in mechanical engineers and energy efficiency experts. We analyzed safety, power consumption, environmental aspects, and long-term ROI. Four people from within the company were actively involved in the project. We had nearly 15 new machines arriving in a single cycle, which required serious organization.
