A one-day information event on process optimization in the die-cutting and gluing of folding cartons, for existing and potential customers from the Benelux countries, attracted almost 60 visitors.
BOBST invited folding-carton manufacturers from Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands to the BENELUX VOUWKARTONDAG at its Competence Center in Meerbusch on 18 June 2014. Almost 60 participants from more than 20 well-known companies took up the invitation to the one-day event in order to see presentations, machine demonstrations and to gather information about the latest possibilities for optimizing the production processes involved in die-cutting and gluing folding cartons. Both the presentations and the machine demonstrations were given in Dutch. At the same time, the event also offered the participants – including a very large number of machine operators – an ideal forum for exchanging ideas regarding current trends in folding-carton production. Live demonstrations, including job changes, were given on a latest-generation EXPERTCUT 106 PER flat-bed die-cutter with Power Register II, and also on an EXPERTFOLD 110 A-2 CSM folder-gluer. The two machines are installed at the Bobst Competence Center Meerbusch for demonstration and training purposes.
"We were delighted with the enormous response – it even exceeded our expectations," says Dick van Bruggen, Managing Director at Bobst Meerbusch. "It was the right decision to focus the event on the subjects of productivity, quality and innovative services. Our customers are currently devoting special attention to all those topics." He says the great response can certainly also be regarded as evidence that folding-carton producers see BOBST as being particularly innovative, especially as regards these topics. "We're cooperating very intensively with many of our customers on further improving the processes in folding-carton production with the help of intelligent, innovative technologies. The aim is to jointly maintain a leading position on the market. That, too, can probably be seen as one of the reasons for the success of this event."
For example, the innovative OIL CLEANER filter system for flat-bed die-cutters from BOBST aroused great interest among the visitors to the BENELUX VOUWKARTONDAG. This trend-setting solution cleans the oil by filtering out metal particles and degradation products down to a size of 3 µm. Installed parallel to the oil circuit, the OIL CLEANER significantly prolongs the service life of the oil, thus sparing the environment and reducing maintenance costs.
A second highlight was the universal ERGOSA packer from IMPACK Packaging Equipment Design, for which BOBST has exclusive worldwide distribution rights in the framework of an agency agreement, except in the USA, Canada and the UK. In the production of short to medium runs of side-seam and 4/6- corner cartons, it combines high flexibility and performance, thus closing the gap between semi-automatic and fully automatic packers. Consequently, the ERGOSA system is a perfect complement to the BOBST portfolio, which encompasses various manual and automatic packers for folder-gluers.
As a general rule, customers who buy BOBST machines use them for decades on end in multi-shift operation. Accordingly, the visitors to the BENELUX VOUWKARTONDAG also proved to be particularly interested in the innovative services offered by the Services Business Unit. On the one hand, they include preventive services, such as the Maintenance Plus program from BOBST, which is individually adapted to the customer's demands, depending on the strain on their installed machines. This ensures maximum machine availability and performance in the long term. In this context, the event also presented the Platen Conditioning unit for flat-bed die-cutters, offered by the Services Business Unit. This removes any and all oxidation of the platen beams with the help of a patented tool from BOBST and special, NSF-certified cleaning agents.
On the other hand, the 'Boost my BOBST' program of the Services Business Unit offers a wide range of different options for further enhancing the productivity, production quality, reliability, cost-efficiency and eco-balance of machines already installed. This guarantees folding-carton producers that their investments have a safe future, while at the same time offering them possibilities for tapping into new sales potentials.
Four partner companies participated in the BENELUX VOUWKARTONDAG: Baumer hhs, Deutsche Leasing, HESSE Stanzwerkzeuge and PLANATOL. Baumer hhs was directly involved in the program for the event, providing a presentation on the subject of innovative adhesive application systems, along with a live demonstration.
"When we invite both long-standing existing customers and prospective new customers to practice-oriented information events focusing on specific topics in their vicinity, they're only too pleased to accept. We already experienced that last year, when we organized our EXPERT DAYS. And the great response to the BENELUX VOUWKARTONDAG confirmed it once again," says van Bruggen, summing up the two events.
