Balancing Production Efficiency with Expressive Power.
The Behind-the-Scenes Success of GOCCOPRO × VOLT in Achieving Ultra-Short Lead Times for Professional Sports.
MIZMAKOBO Co., Ltd. implemented the GOCCOPRO digital screen platemaker and the VOLT all-electric automatic screen printing press to further strengthen their silk-screen printing business. We sat down with four key leaders driving this transformation: Director Nobuhiro, who steers the corporate strategy; General Manager Ito, who established new sales methodologies; Department Manager Miyamoto, who fuses digital convenience with artisan intuition on the factory floor; and Department Manager Nakama, who relentlessly pursues the “pinnacle of expression” in the creative division.
We delved into the behind the scenes story from the initial implementation to the trial and error process on site, and the astonishing speed that transforms emotional sporting moments into tangible products.
Interviewees:
(Top Left) Toru Nobuhiro, Director
(Top Right) Michisuke Ito, General Manager of Sales
(Bottom Left) Eiji Miyamoto, Product Department Manager
(Bottom Right) Daisuke Nakama, Creative Department Manager
Breaking Through Productivity Limits to Deliver “Expressive Power” as Value-Add
— What was the catalyst for the implementation?
Director Nobuhiro: It started around the summer of 2022. While revising our business plan, we set a policy to strengthen our existing silk-screen printing business. At the time, we relied primarily on manual “hand-printing,” but we were hitting a ceiling in terms of production capacity. To increase order volume and streamline operations, I searched for automated solutions and came across RISO.
What attracted me most to GOCCOPRO was its expressive power. Conventional hand-printing limited the number of colors and made gradations extremely difficult. GOCCOPRO opened up a wide range of possibilities within the medium of silk-screen. When I first met the RISO representative at the Tsukuba showroom, I felt a strong connection because they understood both my business chalenges and the sensibilities of our creators. That gave me the confidence to take the leap.
Currently, the GOCCOPRO × VOLT system is fully utilized for commemorative T-shirts for professional sports. We design items based on memorial events that happen during a game. These products must be produced and delivered while the excitement is still “hot.” Our production window is just one week. Leveraging the speed and precision of the VOLT within such a tight schedule gives us a tremendous competitive advantage.
Defying Screen Printing Conventions to Deliver “Awe” to Customers
— How has the customer response changed since implementing GOCCOPRO and VOLT?
General Manager Ito: Previously, our prints were consisted mainly of simple illustrations. Since implementing this system, the image quality has changed dramatically. Customers who truly understand the characteristics of silk-screen printing are often the most surprised, frequently asking, “Can silk-screen really achieve this level of detail?”
In the past, photographic expression was associated with heat transfers or inkjet printing methods where the unit price does not decrease even as production volume increases. With the VOLT, hoever, we can now propose: “If you are producing in volume, we can offer a more cost-effective solution through silk-screen printing.” This is a huge benefit for the customer. Our sales team has evolved from learning the technicalities to making concrete proposals, such as reproducing the realistic texture of potatoes for a food manufacturer’s campaign or high-end merchandise for museums. We are truly overturning the common sense of silk-screen printing.
The “Artisan’s Intuition” Within Digital Tech and Constant Challenges on the Floor
— How has work efficiency changed, and what are the keys to maintaining high quality?
Product Dept. Manager Miyamoto: It has been over a year since implementation, and because the screenmaking process has been largely automated, speed has increased and the physical workload is lighter. However, the real challenge was how to make the VOLT replicate the “sensory feel” of an artisan’s hand. I believe you need someone who understands manual printing to truly master the VOLT. Ultimately, the artisan’s intuition is still essential.
In terms of GOCCOPRO’s output, the range of gradation possible with a single color has expanded dramatically. We can create a full-color effect using only two or three colors. Consequently, our designers and our customers have higher expectations every day. It’s a challenge to keep pushing those boundaries. From a management perspective, once the VOLT is set up, anyone can handle the printing. Production schedules are predictable, which makes oversight much easier. RISO KAGAKU is highly committed to supporting us. I feel they are a reliable partner with whom we can collaborate on research and continuously improve the accuracy and quality of our work through their proposals and suggestions.
All Electric Automatic Screen Printer VOLT (manufactured by ANATOL)
Capturing Extreme Detail with Separation Studio and Photoshop
— Since implementing Separation Studio, how has your design expression evolved, and what are your core creative priorities?
Creative Dept. Manager Nakama: To be honest, it hasn’t necessarily made the work “easier” (laughs). For us as creatives, the priority has always enhancing our expressive capabilities. While we use Separation Studio for data preparation, the key lies in how we integrate it with Photoshop. It’s all about how we render facial features deciding which areas to soften and where to add emphasis. The quality we can achieve now far surpasses flat, two-dimensional expression of the past.
In particular, when creating merchandise for professional sports teams, we process images to emphasize the wrinkles in the jerseys pop, capturing the athlete’s dynamism. White jerseys especially tend to look flat, so we meticulously adjust shadows and highlights in the source data to create a greater bsense of movement. Skin tones are also incredibly challenging; there was one instance where I redid the process three times because I wasn’t satisfied with the result. after realizing that a certain pinkish tone would not reproduce properly, I deliberately adjusted the settings using brownish hues to achieve the desired outcome.
The biggest advantage now is having total control over “halftone dots.” Previously, we relied heavily on solid colors, but by utilizing halftones, we can create gray gradations and even leverage the fabric color itself as part of the expression. I believe the combination of Separation Studio and GOCCOPRO opens up possibilities for even more creative proposals, even for small lot production. That said, it would be perfect if we could get more detailed halftone previews within Separation Studio (laughs).
High-definition halftone prints made possible by GOCCOPRO
Future Outlook
Director Nobuhiro: We are deeply grateful to RISO KAGAKU for their dedicated and comprehensive support, from the initial implementation to the present day. However, we are not satisfied with the status quo. Through our daily operations, we feel that this system still has “room for research”—in other words, significant potential for further evolution.
What I look forward to in the future is greater automation through the integration of cutting-edge AI technology. For instance, we
envision optional features where AI monitors the production process via camera and automatically analyzes and controls variables such as ink coverage or environmental changes in humidity. If this kind of “AI-driven control” becomes a reality, the possibilities for VOLT will expand even further.
I trust RISO KAGAKU as a manufacturer that truly listens to its users and never stops pursuing greater precision through continuous research and improvement Rather than a simple “seller and buyer” relationship, I hope they will remain a partner with whom we can co-create new value, walking hand-in-hand toward the future.
We will continue to improve our systems to make them even more user-friendly. Thank you very much for sharing your valuable insights with us today!
※The details provided are based on information available at the time of the interview.