Prolaser invests in automation and shares growth plans
November 16, 2022
In order to enhance its commitment to sustainable development and the circular economy throughout Europe, Prolaser has just invested €1 million ($1.04 million) in a new automated production line and created a dedicated team, as well as state-of-the-art services, to serve the European market.
Founded in 1999 and based in La Boissière-des-Landes (85), the Prolaser Group specialises in the production, collection and recycling of ink cartridges. In the space of 23 years, it has become one of the European leaders in alternative consumables and printing services.
With 200 employees and a turnover of €60 million ($62.22 million), Prolaser collects more than 10 million empty cartridges per year in France and Europe. In the highly competitive ink cartridge market, the Vendée-based group is focusing on remanufacturing and “Made in France”.
Prolaser is one of the largest collectors of printhead cartridges in Europe, with a collection network that extends from the retail sector to specialist shops. Each year, the company said it collects 10 million empty ink cartridges. In view of this large volume, Prolaser has equipped itself with a new machine to increase the production rate of refilled cartridges and thus enable it to penetrate the European market. This machine required a year of in-house R&D and was manufactured and commissioned at the beginning of the year.
“The vast majority of the cartridges we collect for recycling are small capacity cartridges. However, for obvious profitability reasons, we only reintroduce large capacity (XL) recycled cartridges into our shops. Externally, the large and small capacity cartridges are the same. On the other hand, on the inside, manufacturers insert partitions preventing us, as recyclers, from easily transforming small cartridges into XL”, explained Jean-Marc Aubineau, CEO and Founder of Prolaser.
At the same time, since the crisis linked to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Prolaser explained it has observed a reorientation of the market in its sector of activity combined with the rise in transport costs.
“90% of printing products are manufactured in Asia. However, the shutdown of many factories during the pandemic is still causing very long delivery times. At Prolaser, we developed a state-of-the-art logistics tool well before the crisis to deliver to all our French customers in less than 24 hours. From now on, all European countries can also benefit from these very good delivery conditions, as we are committed to ensuring that they receive their order within 48 to 72 hours. In total, we ship 150,000 parcels per year,” said Aubineau.
Prolaser is looking to share its expertise further within Europe and said that its sales team of ten people are able to speak seven different languages, which will enable the company to reach further a field.
Prolaser also shared that the news that there are plans to expand its factory site in 2023.
Categories : World Focus
Tags : Automation Business Expansion Growth Investment Prolaser Sales
