Episode 327 - Fast and smart single-pass digital print solutions. A conversation with Ruud Oderkerken and Sven Bongartz, Bergstein
Single-pass inkjet is no longer just “printing faster”, it is changing how manufacturers mark, identify and customise products on the line. We sit down with Ruud Oderkerken and Sven Bongartz from Bergstein in the Netherlands to unpack what’s driving the shift to direct-to-object digital printing as production runs fragment, labour costs rise and sustainability targets tighten.
We get specific about where industrial inkjet delivers real value: replacing labels with durable printing onto parts, adding variable data like QR codes and barcodes for traceability, and keeping output stable even when jobs change constantly. Ruud explains how a modern single-pass platform combines surface treatment, primers, colour capability and optional vision systems to protect adhesion and print quality across different substrates, while staying modular so customers can add capabilities as their needs grow.
Software becomes the through-line of the conversation. We explore why Bergstein builds key tools in-house and what its Print Manager means for the factory floor, from connecting ERP to the printer to managing workflow, multi-printer control and remote servicing. We also talk ROI with a concrete business case and preview the Digi1, a compact tabletop-style system aimed at making the jump from pad printing to digital far easier, backed by an expanding partner network across Europe and the Americas.
If you want more on industrial inkjet, single-pass digital printing and direct-to-object manufacturing workflows, subscribe, share the show with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question about going digital.
Listen on:
Apple Podcast
Google Podcast
Spotify
What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 20,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events.
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint Packaging, Labels & DTS, 29-30 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Leaders Summit, 29 September '26, Valencia, Spain
FuturePrint Industrial Print, 14-15 April '27, Munich, Germany