Survival of the fittest

“Carton printers have to work very hard to become a cost leader. They have to get the volume, they have to look at makeready, speed, efficient logistics and workflow,” vice president product management, packaging at Heidelberg Kilian Renschler told Converting Today. The sheet-fed specialist company certainly recognizes the importance of cartons in its product offering, having devoted a quarter of its huge IPEX stand to packaging presses, diecutters and folder gluers.

“Now we are starting to see digital workflow in carton converting.” An example is Friedrich Freund, Krefeld, Germany where the cutting and creasing and folding gluing operations were integrated into a JDF based production workflow in March, this year. The integration concept is based on the Heidelberg Prinect Data Control production and information system and Boxsoft, the industry specific management information system. A Heidelberg Dymatrix 106 CSB diecutter and a Diana Pro 74 folder gluer are now integrated with the two six colour Speedmaster CD 102 presses in one complete JDF workflow.

“The complete integration of press and postpress offers huge potential for increasing productivity in packaging printing and in other sectors,” emphasized Jörg Bauer, head of product management Prinect. “By introducing a JDF workflow based on Prinect Data Control, we were able to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of production in the Freund print shop. The increased transparency of production was equally as important for Freund, since this has just as positive an impact on customer loyalty as error reduction and analysis of the production processes.”

The process of integrating the converting operations began last year with the purchase of the second Speedmaster CD 102. Heidelberg worked with Freund to develop a concept for integrating the postpress in the workflow too. “We were highly impressed by the role of Data Control in shortening our press makeready times and also wanted to introduce the advantages to our postpress machines,” explained production manager Michael Raschke.

Every repeat job is stored separately in the Data Control database. “We follow the same procedure in die cutting and gluing as we do in printing - the optimal machine settings from a particular job are stored centrally as reference values and can be called up any time regardless of the operator,” he added. “This means we can immediately finish follow-on jobs in the quickest time possible.”

Kilian Renschler is also clear about the need for carton converters to look to higher value products. “I see a need for metallic effects and high gloss. Even in the discount stores value is being added to cartons.”

He added: “This is where Western Europe is ahead of the East – not only in machine configurations, but also in a knowledge of the market. In-line foiling will not obviate the need for the hot foil process, for example, but it will give new opportunities. For example you could foil a discount toothbrush carton, which from a cost position would not be suitable for hot foil.”

He also sees the ability to add security features as a big plus. Heidelberg’s partnership with Saueressig Security International (SSI) provides concealed icon technology (CIT) (go to www.convertingtoday.co.uk archive SSI). Before undergoing the usual prepress procedure, customers’ original files are processed with special software. The icons are inserted while manipulating the pixels and line segments to make the information invisible to the naked eye: they can only be seen through a decoding lens. The technology is said to be ideal for foiling counterfeiters of branded goods.

Manufacturer of the Foiltone cold foil application system OFT Technology has sold a B2-1 to Windles, of Long Crendon, UK. The units are to be fitted to the first two print units of the new six colour Heidelberg SM102/CD102 press being installed this month. “This will allow the Foiltone adhesive to be printed on the first unit with cold foil being applied on the second,” explained sales director of OFT John Hopkinson. The other units will allow full CMYK overprinting of the foil so that any colour of foil can be chosen by process rather than materials. “This will reduce cost by allowing only silver foil to be used, which is always available ex stock. So there is no extra delivery time and no special prices for special colours. The process is purely lithographic and so tooling costs amount to the cost of one litho plate. Makeready time is simply the time to change it,” he added.

The running speed depends on the job, says the company, but is in general the line speed of the press for the particular job and substrate.

This is the second Foiltone unit to be installed at Windles, which was a beta site for the development of the system. The first unit is on a two colour SM102. In addition to the machine and process development for the process it has enabled the company to develop its Liqui-Foil brand for cartons and greetings cards. “The new machinery will further enable Windles to exploit both these markets and brand new ones such as the printing of cold foil antenna for RFID systems on large format sheets,” reported John Hopkinson.

MAN Roland had a good Ipex selling almost 400 sheet-fed print units. CEO Gerd Finkbeiner said: “Three important topics for the printing industry today are quality, productivity, and costs. Therefore our development work focuses on business models that enable our customers to be profitable, with innovative applications tailored to meet the needs of their customers.”

Markus Rall, member of the executive board and responsible for the sheet-fed press business area, said: “Our five equipment packages QuickChange, Inline, Plus formats, Smart and Seccomatic ensure that our sheet-fed press customers produce with lower costs, less manpower, little start-up waste and more consistent print quality. Shorter job turnaround times and faster makereadies enhance the economic flexibility of the printing system.” QuickChange is claimed to increase production efficiency and reduce makeready times by up to 50 per cent. The in-line options - foiler, inspector, sorter, UV, coater, observer, perfector, reverse printer, embosser and sheeter - integrate value adding applications and provide extensive quality control, he added. “This enables MAN Roland customers to expand their product portfolios and differentiate themselves even further from their competitors.” The Plus format package with sheet sizes able to be increased by a few, but decisive centimetres – 0B plus, 3B plus and 7B plus - provides up to 50 per cent more multiple-up images on a sheet without the customer needing to move up to a larger press class, claims the company. At Ipex an Australian customer ordered the first new 7B plus press.

Large format is a trend likely to continue. Here KBA is well established and Heidelberg has announced the development of its VLF press with a drupa launch clearly in mind.

A KBA Rapida 205 jumbo five colour sheet-fed press with aqueous coater and UV facility is to be installed at SP Group’s Redditch, UK, site. The Rapida 205 has a maximum sheet size of 1,510 x 2,050mm. SP Group joint ceo Simon Ward says the company will make use of the substrate flexibility, printing on a wide variety of papers, boards and plastics. St Ives acquired SP Group in September, 2004, substantially increasing the scale of its point of sale printing activities.

Marek Przybylski, owner of Polish print enterprise Graf Poz, in Poznan, signed up for a Rapida 105 at Ipex. The 15-unit press will sport a corona static eliminator followed by a coater, two inter-unit dryers, seven printing units and a second coater, two more inter-unit dryers, a third coater and a triple delivery extension. Coming on stream in September, it will print board packaging as well as plastics. Graf Poz is targeting vigorous growth in the packaging market, and the press will substantially increase capacity to support this aim, it says.

Ipex saw the first joint stand for BHS and Gallus, following Gallus‘ recent acquisition of 30 per cent of the BHS equity. Visitors were able to see the companies’ joint offering for one pass “cost effective” production of high value added carton packaging, in mid and wide web formats.

The BHS Flexline Intro press is said to set a benchmark for paperboard and folding carton production, as well as printing flexible packaging. Suited to the entry level into the mid web range, the press configuration is designed for printing from reel to reel, reel to cut blank, or reel to sheet. It can use all of the most common inking systems, including water or solvent based formulations, and UV inks. Cassette and sleeve systems are said to keep makeready times to a minimum. BHS’ proven individual servodrive for the print cylinder, anilox roll and impression cylinder provide flexibility. In-line finishing techniques including gravure and screen printing modules, and varnishing, laminating, and hot or cold foil units are available for integration.

For carton converters looking for in-line production on a narrow web press, the Gallus KM 410/510 S system is claimed to open up “an entirely new dimension in high quality, value added carton production” (go to www.convertingtoday.co.uk archive Gallus). Designed to offer all the flexible production benefits of a modular system, the series provides for printing, processing and finishing of complex small format carton jobs in a single pass.

Italian carton converter Palladio Industrie Grafiche Cartotecniche, has installed an Omet Varyflex web-fed press fitted with Martin Automatic unwind equipment. The installation is designed to allow non stop production of high quality cartons for customers in the pharmaceutical, food, and beauty care markets, normally served by its medium format Heidelberg presses and Bobst Autoplatens.

The new 26in Omet Varyflex 670C has eight UV flexo print units, cold foil, and reverse side printing capability. The Martin butt splicer is an MBX 08-26-72 model with a claimed maximum splicing speed of 244m/min and is capable of handling rolls up to 1,828mm in diameter. The system is fitted with a Martin inertia compensated festoon system and a two position, cantilevered unwind with Martin’s lift and load device.

Palladio’s general manager Livio Padrin said: “Most European carton houses are under pressure from their customers to reduce prices without any loss of print quality, and still deliver on time. We believed technological innovation was required to address the situation, as well as a fresh approach to the way we serve the carton market.”