In order to offer customers value-adding capabilities, Bobst is introducing a number of new innovations in the folding carton and corrugated sectors. These range from improvements on established platforms to the company’s first foray into digital print for post-print. And with the purchase of Gidue, the Swiss giant is now present in all packaging markets. By Neel Madsen.
During its Competence 15 customer event, held at its Mex headquarters near Lausanne, Bobst presented its wide product range for the folding carton and corrugated converting sectors. The company’s drive to push innovation in these markets means that it has not only made a number of significant developments to further its existing portfolio, but also shows its willingness to venture into new arenas.
Entitled ‘Inspiring Business Solutions’, the event not only saw 300 attendees witness machine premieres and innovations from Bobst, but also it featured a parallel conference programme offering perspectives on a number of business topics, ranging from increasing business performance to the latest trends, opportunities and challenges facing different sectors of the packaging industry.
Philippe Milliet, head of business unit sheet-fed, said, ‘Competence 15 was carefully designed to be different to a typical launch event. The idea of the ‘Inspiring Business Solutions’ theme was to showcase not only the latest Bobst developments, which are designed to help solve specific problems our customers face, but also to present them with ideas and perspectives that will help them tackle the challenges that will affect them over the coming years.’
Debuts
Framed by the modern facilities of the dedicated Competence Center, the event was held on 23 to 25 June. Here the company presented Foil Unwinder+, a new foiling solution available on the Masterfoil 106 PR hot-foil stamping press. Offering up to 50% savings in foil use, this allows the press to run with a gap down to 2 mm between impressions on the foil, regardless of speed, reel size and reel width. The foil rolls come in up to 1060 mm in width and 400 mm in diameter (equal to 6 km of foil) and the presents a faster and simpler set up process.
Also on show was the Visioncut 106 LER, a new blank separating die-cutter, with cam driven platen and dynamic optical lateral register control for accuracy and production consistency. It comes with a fully automatic Smart Feeder and has a top speed of 8000 sheets per hour.
The event further included the European debut of Novacut 106 ER, a blank separating die-cutter, which had its world première last summer at ExpoPrint Brazil and recently won gold at the Embanews Brazilian Packaging Awards. This entry-level machine features a new simplified feeder head, faster makeready, smoother sheet feeding and micro adjustments for additional precision settings.
Also launched was Expertcode, a new digital serialisation machine addressing the increasing needs of packaging makers worldwide for coding and customisation. This is the first full market launch from Bobst’s digital printing initiative which also enables anti-counterfeiting and traceability as well as versioning of packs. Packaging manufacturers can print individual codes, text or graphics, offline onto blanks or onto already folded and glued cartons, at high resolution and speed.
In parallel
The conference programme included a talk by Charlotte D’Aulnois of coaching and consultancy company SAPHIR-DNS, on how to boost business performance using neuroscience and sports coaching. A review of upcoming requirements impacting pharmaceutical packaging was given by Patrik Merckell of Novartis; while a look at the food safety challenges facing digitally printed packaging was presented by Steven Klump of Nestlé. Further session topics debated the secondary packaging challenges facing pharma, a review of packaging trends in the cosmetics industry, and opportunities offered to the packaging industry by developments in digital printing.
Further added value for visitors came in the form of a number of new product and finance solutions from partners, including Deutsche Leasing, Hunkeler, HB Fuller, Marbach GmbH, Henkel, Kurz, Hinderer+Mühlich GmbH, Lasertec, Baumerhhs, SGM and UEI Group.
