PRINTING United Alliance is grateful to serve its members who make such significant impacts on the printing industry. Through our Member Spotlights, we continue to recognize our members, and help our community get to know their peers better, both professionally and personally. The following is a Q&A with Georgette Sawan, executive vice president, Business Development at MHP Technology, headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Can you please provide a brief history / background on your company?
MHP Technology pioneers frame assembly and canvas stretching machines for high quality wall art. Our journey began in 1990 as an art materials factory producing canvas for artists. In 2000, we invented machines to automate our own production. Today, we sell our production equipment worldwide and automate digital print and art supply companies around the world with installations from California to Australia. MHP machines are fast, flexible, and efficient. Our technology produces high-quality product and stretches canvas for perfect, drum-tight quality. We are a family business, made in Berlin since 1990!
As the pioneers of automated canvas stretching and frame assembly, would you recommend more printers incorporate automation into their business?
The demand for wall décor, in particular art prints and personalized photo gifts, has continued to grow since COVID. Nearly all fine art and photo products are print-on-demand, meaning they are produced locally with quick turnaround times. From a production perspective, factories are increasing their efficiencies through automation. Frame assembly and canvas stretching are otherwise very manual processes that are physically tiring. Automated processes are healthier for employees, yield better and consistent quality, and enable significant economic efficiencies.
Can you elaborate on your latest piece of equipment, the MHP ULTRA, a fully automated canvas stretching machine, and how it stands out from the rest of MHP’s inventions?
Our very first machine in 2000 was a fully automated production line yielding 250 units hourly and it truly revolutionized the industry. But production requirements changed with the dawn of digital print-on-demand and we met the need for flexibility with a variety of semi-automatic machines for small and extra-large formats. Our newest product is again a fully automated canvas stretching machine: The MHP ULTRA now capable of producing up to 350 canvases per hour with the flexible format and height changes that are needed for today’s operating environments. The largest model will even stretch formats up to 40x40 inches (100x100 cm).
Are there markets or industries outside of your traditional offerings you are looking to add (or have added)?
Our customer base has recently expanded across several industries with our equipment finding application also for insulation paneling and upholstery furniture. We are also making our extensive knowledge in 3D printing available through our new service in custom key-component additive manufacturing. MHP and particularly machine builders like us, must control and domesticize their own key supply chains better to be independent from global disruptions. And we must be able to customize components quickly and reliably for specialty applications. Additionally, customers often approach us to develop custom automation solutions for their different pain points in the factory. We are highly vertically integrated with in-house engineering, programming, manufacturing, and assembly. If you are looking for custom automation, talk to us!
Why did you decide to join the Alliance? What resources do you plan to or have already utilized through your membership?
We joined the Alliance to be better in touch with our client base in North America. Our very first machine sales were to the U.S. and we have grown that into a large client base. As we are based in Germany, our engagement within the Alliance has been mostly limited to the Expo. The show has turned into an annual pilgrimage for us and we are excited for this year’s edition!
Are you planning on attending PRINTING United Expo this September in Las Vegas? If so, what are you looking forward to the most?
Yes, we will be in Vegas this September. PRINTING United Expo is always a fun and fruitful opportunity to meet new and old contacts, customers, and vendors. To us, the show feels like a little family reunion – and it keeps getting bigger every year!
Please stop by our booth C306 and enjoy some original German Biergarten refreshments while meeting us in person and learning more about our solutions. We are excited to show you an immersive 360° experience of our new MHP ULTRA canvas stretching machine. And you can test our unmatched canvas tension live on our canvas drum kit.
For more information on MHP Technology, visit their site at https://canvas-stretching-machine.de/en/ and check out their YouTube channel for more demonstrations here.