Offset Ketels in Wees in the state of Schleswig-Holstein is one of the market leaders for the production of high-end labels for spirits, coffee and foods. At 52 printing couples in ultra-modern premises 150 employees produce products for branded goods throughout Europe.

Quality has top priority at Offset Ketels, not only in label printing, the company's original field of expertise, but also in the ventilation and air conditioning of the production areas comprising the print shop, finishing and subsequent processing.

This especially applies to employee protection. The anti-set-off powder that is used every day in print shops often leads to the formation of a microbial film on the surfaces of air outlets, which contaminates the air with microbes. The large air volume - 8,000 m³/h (finishing), 12.000 m³/h (further processing), 18,000 m³/h (print shop) – illustrates the problem of contaminated air in the production areas.

To protect the health of the employees, in the autumn of 2009 the ventilation systems at Offset Ketels were retrofitted with BÄRO UV-C compact lamps IP 65 for surface disinfection of the drop separators of the air washers.

Mr Petersen, the responsible electrical engineer at Offset Ketels, is visibly satisfied: "Since the installation of the UV-C lamps our measurements have shown that there is no more slime formation or microbial growth. We have stopped the chemical cleaning which was harmful to the environment and reduced the maintenance intervals. I think that this is an excellent result for optimised air hygiene and better employee protection."