Interview with Tomer Artzi

The biggest challenges in the sustainable textile printing industry stem largely from unpredictable demand, overproduction, and resource-heavy processes. To avoid delays in time-to-market, excess production often becomes the default, resulting in significant waste across the entire supply chain. This includes wasted final products, excessive energy and water consumption, and higher emissions. Addressing these issues requires a shift towards advanced on-demand production technologies, connecting production closer to the demand, eliminating over production, minimising the use of water and energy—all aimed at enhancing efficiency while minimising environmental impact.

Digital is the key. The fashion and textile industries are experiencing a revolution driven by advancements in AI-driven design, selling, analytics, and forecasting technologies. These innovations are transforming front-end operations. Digitalisation enables brands to be smarter and faster in creating attractive designs according to consumers’ preferences. 

However, the production back-end also requires equally intelligent technologies. A smarter and automated production mechanism is needed that can quickly turn designs into samples and seamlessly switch between short-run and long-run production. As technology continues to evolve, the time required to transform virtual designs (digital twins) into actual products will be significantly reduced. These factors will be the driving forces behind the further revolutionisation of sustainable textile printing and the whole manufacturing sector in the coming years.

Brands must recognise that simply pressing for cost reductions from their manufacturing partners would not necessarily boost sales. Today’s consumers seek uniqueness, self-expression, and the ‘wow!’ factor that drives instant engagement. To effectively meet these demands, the entire business model must focus on delivering unique value. The supply chain needs to be flexible enough to respond to sales without compromising quality, whether for short-run or long-run production. This is the only way to maximise sales and revenue. 

From a manufacturing perspective, manufacturers need to find smart ways to maintain profitability, regardless of whether they are producing large quantities or smaller batches. They require technology that matches the quality of traditional methods while providing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness needed for short-run production. 

Kornit established our leadership in sustainable on-demand textile production by staying true to three core pillars: 

With Kornit’s retail-quality, automation, innovation, and sustainable solutions as a strong foundation, we enable our customers to innovate their production models and develop new service models. Our unique, patent-based singlestep solution eliminates the need for pre- or post-treatment, allowing manufacturers to integrate fabric production with printing and garment manufacturing in a single factory, or fabric production with printing services, without environmental concerns. This flexibility supports quick-response short-run production alongside traditional operations, making manufacturers one-stop service providers and enhancing customer loyalty. 

Our innovations also include advanced capabilities like printing white on dyed fabrics and creating 3D-like effects on garments, reinforcing our industry differentiation. By offering solutions that make products stand out at higher selling prices, manufacturers can differentiate their services and enjoy better margins. 

Our latest system, the Apollo, revolutionises DTG production by producing 400 shirts per hour with a single operator. This level of automation accelerates digital transformation for large-scale screen printers, ensuring unparalleled efficiency and flexibility, and enabling regionalisation of DTG operations. This is crucial for garment manufacturers and brands looking to produce prints closer to major markets. 

In short, what sets Kornit apart is our robust and versatile industrial solutions that empower brands and manufacturers to stay agile, creative, and ahead of market trends with impactful, trend-responsive solutions. 

Based on the strength of our technology, we enable brands and manufacturers to innovate their production models. For example, a regional brand in Korea adopted a ‘lean and rapid’ model with Kornit, testing 1-2 pieces per design before going live and ordering in small batches from hundreds to thousands. This approach has helped the brand grow rapidly, now valued at over $400 million. 

In the US, a retail brand partnered with a local Kornit customer to print and deliver based on orders, using a quick response model. This method allows them to defer printing until later, maximising revenue while reducing financial risk on inventory. By printing and delivering to retail points based on orders, they avoid unsold inventory and out-of-stock products. 

Recently, a European customer successfully launched a new collection in partnership with renowned global brands. This collaboration showcases that creativity, sustainability, and profitability can co-exist when moving beyond traditional production models. Kornit’s state-of-the-art technology empowers profitable change.

Absolutely. As I mentioned, sustainability stands at the core of our impact strategy, embedded in every step of our innovation and development process. We meticulously evaluate industry standards across categories, aiming to exceed them and set new benchmarks for environmentally responsible production. A key example of this commitment is our decision to pursue and achieve Blue Sign certification, a strategic initiative that underscores our leadership in sustainable practices. Additionally, through our comprehensive Impact Report, we transparently share our progress, initiatives, and the KPIs we use to hold ourselves accountable in reducing environmental harm. This report reflects our dedication to measurable, meaningful outcomes that drive sustainability forward, ensuring that each solution we deliver aligns with a greener, more responsible future for the fashion and textile industry.

Kornit’s commitment to innovation ensures that we constantly adapt and evolve to address the unique needs of our customers and partners, particularly in dynamic regions like Asia Pacific. While we cannot disclose all details of our future roadmap, our strategy remains focused on close collaboration with brands and manufacturers to understand what they need to transform, scale, and deliver exceptional value to their customers. For instance, one common request has been for a black pigment ink to complement the reactive solution, without compromising on the core values of quality, sustainability, and efficiency. To address this, we have heavily invested in developing a new pigment ink set for our Roll-to-Roll (R2R) line, a solution that will soon be released, featuring a true, natural deep black ink and delivering vivid results that compete with—and often surpass— reactive solutions on dark tones. This eagerly anticipated advancement has been shaped by direct input from our partners and is particularly significant for the Asia Pacific market, home to some of the world’s largest textile manufacturers. These innovations offer them the tools to differentiate and deliver unique value to their own customer base. Another area of innovation is footwear, where Kornit has closely collaborated with the industry to pioneer a comprehensive digital pigment solution. This groundbreaking technology dramatically eliminates multiple production steps, while unlocking unparalleled creative freedom for designers. By streamlining processes, it significantly enhances operational efficiency and empowers manufacturers to deliver unique, customised products at extraordinary speed. We are thrilled about what is on the horizon and remain dedicated to creating solutions that redefine what is possible. Stay tuned for more breakthroughs designed to reshape the industry and empower our partners globally.