About NetLink Imaging: THE MARKET EXPERT

NetLink Imaging is a large format digital printing expert offering its services to manufacturers of printing equipment, substrates and inks who wish to enter the European Graphic market. We help you develop your products, establish the adequate distribution channel and handle the sales through our wide network of big printers and distributors.

We base our success in our 25 year-experience deep knowledge of the digital technology, understanding the interaction between printing equipment, ink and substrate. Our mission is to find new solutions that ensure the health of the operators, reduce the energy consumption and minimize the impact on the environment, while improving the print quality and increasing the competitiveness of our industry.

Keys for success

A link to real value: the chain in our logo represents the strong link that we build in the market between producers and their distribution network. Such a connection can only be done when adding value to both sides: for the producers we become a fully integrated Sales Office able to give advice on new products development to meet the market demands, and for the distributors network we become a purchase adviser able to give advise on product/application.

Synergies: a Sales Office shared by multiple producers is more efficient and cost effective as it shares market information and divides the structural cost.

Vision: our continuous contact with different fields of our industry such as inks, media and displays and printing equipment, enables us to foresee the future changes of our market. When sharing market trends and innovations with our producers and network, we bring them a unique opportunity to stand out in front of their competitors and set the new market reference for the rest to follow.

History

NetLink Imaging was founded in April 2009 in Barcelona, Spain, with the representation of Chimigraf Inkjet Inks for the European market. Chimigraf was a leading supplier of flexo inks but the sales of their Inkjet inks had only been done under OEM agreements, producing original inks for leading manufacturers of inkjet printers. NetLink became the Market Strategist, New Products Development and Sales Office for Chimigraf Inkjet Division for Europe. In only 2 years NetLink was able to brand and position Chimigraf Inkjet inks in the alternative ink market as a competitive high quality offer, we helped Chimigraf widen their range from 5 to a total of 13 different inkjet inks and we set a solid network of distributors all over Europe. Chimigraf was acquired in 2017 by Kao Corporation (Japan) becoming Kao Chimigraf, and NetLink continued to handle the Graphic market in Europe for them.

In July 2009, Ahlstrom and NetLink reached agreement for the support and representation of their Poster Papers world wide. Ahlstrom was at that time one of the leading suppliers of Poster Papers in the market but had the will to consolidate and expand their market share for all their Poster Papers. NetLink became a Market Strategist and New Products Development world wide, bringing our expertise and support to all Ahlstrom Sales Offices around the world. In just 1 year we were able to double Ahlstrom's sales and consolidate a 60% market share in inkjet sales. In 2012, the Ahlstrom Group decided to dispose of its special paper-products division, and the factory of Osnabrück continued to work independently with the old name of KÄMMERER GmbH. We currently continue to offer our support world wide to KÄMMERER and we are also Oficial Sales Office for the following countries: Spain, France, Portugal, Ireland, Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Lebanon and North America.

In 2012 NetLink made agreement with Shanghai Asia Pacific (sap) to become their Marketing and Sales Office worldwide. sap had been created by Print Solutions, the biggest distributor of media and displays for signage and advertisement in Ireland, with the intention of sharing their expertise in product/application with other distributors Europe wide to achieve higher volumes and lower the production cost. After 1 year NetLink had been achieving a reduction of 10-20% for the production costs by bringing high sales volumes in 10 European countries. In October 2013 NetLink Imaging became shareholder of Shanghai Asia Pacific with 40% ownership and initiated a redefinition of sap business concept which concluded in the creation of the bsmart brand, a value-for-money range of media and displays that would consolidate its position in the market in the following years in Europe and North America. In 2018 NetLink decided to de-invest in sap to focus in the water-based project for billboards.

In 2013 NetLink started a project to find a suitable solution to replace the old solvent/UV TurboJet technology for billboards and citylights. For many years we searched the market for the right partner, working with several equipment manufacturers around Europe, until 2017 when we started our relationship with aleph to adapt their textile printer for the Graphic market with water-based inks. In 2018 we presented our first LaForte Paper prototype in FESPA Berlin and by end of 2019 the equipment was ready to be commercialized. Since then, main printers around Europe have acquired aleph LaForte industrial printers thanks to its reliability and low energy consumption, becoming the market's first-choice equipment for water-based industrial applications.

NetLink is currently working to create a healthier future for the graphic industry by replacing all solvent and UV applications with water-based and PVC-free alternatives. We seek manufacturers that are willing to adapt their substrates to water-based inks in order to achieve a cancer-free environment for the operators and a cleaner world for our children. Our goal is to engage all the graphic industry in the water-based change to make the future present.