Blue Tomato accelerates agile retail apparel production with Kornit Digital
Kornit Digital is highlighting how Blue Tomato, a leading board sports retailer, is using two Kornit Atlas Max Plus systems to support a more agile approach to in-house apparel production. The systems are helping the company respond faster to changing consumer trends, produce high quality apparel for its network of 86 retail stores across Europe and reduce inventory by printing only what the market demands.
Following a comprehensive market evaluation, Blue Tomato selected Kornit to support its retail production strategy. The two Kornit Atlas Max Plus systems enable the company to respond faster to changing consumer trends, produce high quality apparel for its network of 86 retail stores across Europe and reduce inventory by printing only what the market demands. The systems support direct to garment (DTG) printing across a broad range of fabrics, rather than being limited to cotton applications.
For more than 30 years, Blue Tomato has served the snowboard, skate and surf communities across Europe. As retail evolved from two seasonal collections to multiple product drops throughout the year, the company recognised the need for a more agile production model. Rather than committing to large production runs months in advance, Blue Tomato can now introduce smaller batches into stores, monitor customer demand and quickly replenish successful designs, reducing storage requirements while avoiding unnecessary inventory.
‘Retail has changed dramatically. Today it is all about reacting to trends as they happen. By bringing production in-house with Kornit, we have gained much greater control over our supply chain. We can test new products quickly, replenish successful designs and avoid investing in large inventories before we know what our customers really want,’ said Karl Brandl, team manager, DTG and business to business platform department, Blue Tomato.
Blue Tomato selected the Atlas Max platform after comparing multiple technologies, citing Kornit's ease of production, service support and overall performance as key differentiators. Since implementing the Atlas Max Plus upgrade, the company has achieved machine availability of more than 90%, significantly reducing downtime while improving print quality for complex, high colour designs. The increased reliability has enabled Blue Tomato to expand production capacity and confidently introduce a wider variety of products.
‘The Atlas Max Plus upgrade has made a real difference to our operation. Our machines are now running at more than 90% availability, giving us the confidence to increase capacity while maintaining the quality our customers expect,’ added Karl.
Sustainability was another important factor in Blue Tomato's investment decision. The retailer highlighted Kornit's water based ink technology alongside its agile production model, which enables apparel to be produced as demand develops rather than committing to large inventory volumes. The company also produces garments for customers with stringent sustainability requirements, including B Corp certified brands, using the Kornit platform.
Looking ahead, Blue Tomato can further expand the capabilities of its existing Kornit Atlas Max Plus systems through the Atlas Matrix upgrade, enabling production on polyester and other synthetic fabrics directly at its Graz facility. This creates new opportunities in performance apparel and athleisure while supporting the company's continued growth.
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