Durst Group has begun construction of a new €20 million facility in Como, Italy, as part of its ongoing investment in digital textile printing.
Planting a tree to commemorate the groundbreaking
The site, now known as Durst Como following the integration of textile printer manufacturer, Aleph, into the Durst Group. It will serve as a new base for the company’s digital textile printing activities in Lombardy, one of the world’s most significant textile manufacturing regions.
Announcing the project on LinkedIn, Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of Durst Group, said the investment reflects the company’s long-term commitment to the textile sector and its confidence in European manufacturing.
“Como has been shaping the world’s textiles for generations, and we are joining that lineage, not interrupting it,” he said.
According to Mr Gamper, the new development follows more than €50 million invested by the company in digital textile printing and process technology over the past decade. The Como project represents a further €20 million commitment, with the aim of strengthening Durst’s position in the market and expanding its presence in the region.
The Durst team announces the plans for the new facility in Como, Italy
“We invest from a position of strength, with group revenue this year above €430 million,” he added.
The project will involve the redevelopment of an existing building rather than the construction of a new facility on undeveloped land. Sustainability measures planned for the site include the use of heat pumps instead of gas heating and the installation of a 600 kWp photovoltaic system. A bee colony will also be established at the facility, joining similar initiatives at other Durst locations.
Mr Gamper said the project demonstrates the company’s approach to industrial development. “Industrial progress does not need to come at the expense of the place it stands in,” he said.
Reflecting on the decision to proceed with the investment despite wider economic uncertainty, Mr Gamper referenced a phrase used by his father’s generation: “Wir sind Unternehmer, nicht Unterlasser. We are entrepreneurs, not abstainers. At a time when many in Europe are waiting, we have chosen to invest.”
Durst is approaching its 90th anniversary and expects the Como facility to play a key role in the next phase of its textile printing business.
