GM celebrates 40 years of innovation in finishing
PRESS RELEASE
Birkerød, Denmark: Leading converting equipment manufacturer Grafisk Maskinfabrik A/S (GM) has reached a major milestone in the history of the company. On 1 May 2021, the Danish manufacturer, which was founded by the Nielsen family in 1981, celebrated its 40th anniversary. The company remains a family-owned business and has experienced particularly rapid growth over the past three to four years.
To support this growth, GM moved into a brand-new 9,000 sqm factory in Birkerød, just north of Copenhagen, last year and in the process more than doubled capacity. Logistics, warehousing, and production have been set up following the principles of lean manufacturing, with a new showroom ready to welcome customers face-to-face or present virtual remote demos.
“It is a great achievement to reach 40 years in business and I’m pleased to say that GM is stronger than ever,” says CEO Uffe Nielsen, who has been leading the company since 2017, when his parents, Erik and Randi Nielsen, retired and handed over the reins to the next generation.
He continues, “We have come a long way since my father started out making electronic systems at home on the kitchen table, but in many ways, our journey still lies ahead of us. Having consolidated our old workshops into a state-of-the-art factory and showroom, we are now ready to embark on the next chapter.”
With more than 6000 machines in operation worldwide, GM has offices in the US, Latin America, and the UK, along with a network of agents and a large team of global engineers to support customers. Advanced engineering, exceptional quality, in-house design, and custom options are some of the main reasons printers and converters choose GM when it comes to their label finishing requirements.
Significant milestones over the four decades include the introduction of a digital label finishing system in the 1990s. Today, GM offers a range of different models for the label and flexible packaging market, from the ever-popular DC Nano and Mini compact systems to the top-of-the-range DC350 premium label converting line, which can be configured with a variety of modules and features high levels of automation.
“With our strong focus on converting machinery for digital label and packaging printing, both for OEMs and under our own GM brand, we are well placed to further build on our success as that market is accelerating,” states Uffe. “We are also expanding on the work we are doing with the scientific community in solar cells – another exciting string to our bow – so the future is looking very bright.”
He concludes, “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our valued business partners for putting their trust in us and in our products, and for sharing this great journey with us. We could not have done this alone.”
The anniversary was marked with traditional Danish celebration cakes.
