Company founder Henning Kongstad in front of cleaning systems for press parts (left) and screen printing cylinders (right) (Source: Flexo Wash)
2021 marks the 30-year anniversary of the creation of Flexo Wash by Henning Kongstad. The story of the company actually begins in 1989 with the invention of the first cleaning machine.
But to understand the complete story we need to go back to 1977, when Henning Kongstad started a label printing business and bought his first printing machine the next year. Back then, printing equipment usually was washed by hand, which was fine with the types of inks used at the time. However, in the late 1980s the business changed to water-based inks due to environmental concerns.
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The huge cleaning efforts required for these inks inspired an employee to build the first cleaning machine prototype from a regular dishwasher. Of course, it was not perfect, but the journey had begun and the second prototype for a cleaning machine was built at the local blacksmith.
Flexo Wash now employs 50 cleaning experts at their Denmark headquarters in Skoedstrup. With 30 years of developing high-quality cleaning solutions for the flexo and converting industries, Flexo Wash covers all types of cleaning machines and solvent and non-solvent cleaning liquids that can be re-circulated in the units. Until 2021, Flexo Wash have sold more than 5,000 machines in 70 countries. Also, they are still a family-run business, with Kongstad’s sons at the helm.
