Balvi-based printing company AMATI Projekts conquers export markets with digitisation

AMATI Projekts is a printing and custom packaging production company based in Balvi, Latvia which provides full-cycle printing services and design material development. The company specialises in the production of customised, eco-friendly and personalised packaging that meets the requirements of manufacturers of high added value products – companies seeking to delight their customers with high quality and unique packaging.

Photo: AMATI Projekts is a family business run by Elīna Kaļva and Mārtiņš Kaļva. 

AMATI Projekts is a family-owned company that has been successfully operating on the market for about 10 years and can be proud of its steady growth. The company’s regular customers range from online shops and manufacturers to event agencies. Thanks to its flexible working model, the company can offer its customers personalised packaging designs also in small quantities, e.g. for specific marketing activities. Exports account for a significant part of the company’s sales – around one fifth of its products are exported to such countries as Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. 

Last year, a significant breakthrough in export development was achieved thanks to the Latvian Investment and Development Agency’s programme “Support for Digitisation of Processes in Commercial Activities”. As part of the project, the company created a multifunctional website that allows customers to order products online, develop personalised solutions and contact the company.

“This was an important strategic step – digitalisation allows us to operate as efficiently as big companies can, but without the huge staff and resources. The new system allows us to optimise the ordering process, freeing our employees from administrative tasks and allowing them to focus on production,” Mārtiņš Kaļva, co-owner of the company, explains.

The website works on several levels – it not only makes it easier for customers to place orders, but also helps to organise the company’s internal processes. Employees can process orders, quickly check their status – in production, paid, dispatched – and perform other important organisational tasks.

Mr Kļava encourages other businesses to use state aid tools, stressing that the process is simpler than it might seem. “At first we thought the bureaucracy would be too complicated and we gave up. But then we were contacted by the Vidzeme Planning Region, which had heard about our interest and encouraged us to give it a try. We soon realised that “the devil is not as black as they make it out to be”. Everything was clear and went smoothly,” he says.

Thanks to the support tools, the company has also procured unique production equipment: a flatbed UV large-scale printing machine with cutter and software, and a web UV large-scale printing machine with software. “This is a major competitive advantage! As far as we know, there are only eight such flatbed printing machines in Europe; the nearest ones are in Warsaw and Helsinki, and now there is one in Balvi,” the company proudly adds.

This article has been produced with financial support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.