Koenig & Bauer honours High Performance Metal Decorator of the Year
Image: Koenig & Bauer
At this year’s Metpack trade fair, Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint honoured the Chinese Beiqi Group with the High Performance Metal Decorator of the Year award for its pioneering role in high-performance metal decoration. The focus of the tribute is a forward-looking major project: the commissioning of the world’s first ten-colour MetalStar 4 as a complete UV line.
The year 2026 thus marks a significant chapter in the long-standing partnership between Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint and the Beiqi Group. With this investment, the Qingdao-based company sets a new global benchmark for complexity and efficiency. This high-end configuration allows for the production of highly sophisticated designs in a single pass, significantly reducing lead times while maximising output.
“With the expanded colour gamut and the ability to integrate multiple spot colours, we are providing our customers with an essential defence against product counterfeiting,” said the management of Beiqi Group. “In the sensitive area of baby milk powder, security and quality are our highest priorities.”
The award presented at Metpack 2026 highlights a decade of continuous technological evolution. Since its founding in 1998, Beiqi has consistently relied on Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint technology to scale its operations, with the examples:
- 2014: Entry into high-performance printing with a six-colour MetalStar 2;
- 2017: Expansion of production capacities with a Mailänder 280;
- 2021: Commissioning of the world’s only ten-colour MetalStar 3;
- 2026: Invest in the world premiere of a ten-colour MetalStar 4 as a complete UV-line.
