• Free Telephone Helpdesk
  • UK & Ireland Engineering Support
  • Dedicated Customer Service Team
Contact us
Phone
01962 761761
Email
[email protected]
Home Insights Who are Koenig & Bauer Coding?
Andy Stovold

Who are Koenig & Bauer Coding?

Koenig & Bauer Coding is a well-established manufacturer of industrial coding and marking systems. They’re part of the larger Koenig & Bauer Group, which has been around for over 200 years and is best known as one of the world’s oldest and most respected printing press manufacturers. While the main group focuses on large-scale printing systems (like those used for newspapers or banknotes), the Coding Division specialises in compact printers used to mark products and packaging during manufacturing.

If you’ve ever seen a best-before date, batch number, barcode, or serial number printed directly onto a product, that may well have been printed by a Koenig & Bauer Coding system. Their machines are used across industries – from food and beverage to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and industrial goods.

The company produces several types of coding technologies, including:

  • Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) printers – like the alphaJET range, which are built for high-speed, inline printing on production lines. These printers are known for their reliability, low operating costs, and ability to handle a wide range of surfaces and ink types.
  • Thermal Inkjet (TIJ) printers – which are used for high-resolution coding on boxes, sleeves, and cartons. These systems are often used in combination with offline feeders, like the udaFORMAXX, for flat packaging.
  • Laser coders – for permanent, high-contrast marks on plastics, glass, and metal.
  • Thermal transfer printers (TTO) – used to print on flexible packaging films, often in snack, dairy, or frozen food packaging.

One thing that makes Koenig & Bauer Coding stand out is their focus on making coding easy and dependable for manufacturers. Their machines are designed with production in mind: easy to integrate, quick to set up, and built to run with minimal fuss. Their interfaces are user-friendly, and they offer tools for remote monitoring and integration with factory systems (like OPC UA or Ethernet/IP).

They also put a lot of emphasis on sustainability and efficiency. Many of their systems are designed to reduce solvent use, minimise downtime, and support long service intervals – helping businesses save time, reduce waste, and keep production flowing smoothly.

Koenig & Bauer Coding is based in Germany, but their equipment is used all over the world, including here in the UK. They work through a network of local partners – like PrintSafe Ltd – who supply, install, and support their printers for customers in the UK and Ireland. 

In short, Koenig & Bauer Coding brings over a century of printing expertise to the modern world of product marking, offering smart, practical solutions to keep products clearly coded, traceable, and compliant.