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In 1942, the company delivered the first folder-gluer, the PCR 382, to clients in Switzerland and France. This year BOBST FGs celebrate a round date, while the Swiss Säuberlin & Pfeiffer SA still uses its PCR 382 to this day
Quality is non-negotiable
“Setting up the PCR 382 is worlds apart from the setup of a modern folder-gluer”, says Gérard Autajon, President and CEO of Säuberlin & Pfeiffer SA. Today his company is also equipped with the latest generation of BOBST folder-gluers.
“Efficiency is key and reducing setup times is and will be an essential factor in staying competitive.
“We appreciate the stability and reliability of BOBST machines, and they are extremely easy to operate.”
Back in the day, the PCR 382 made it possible to achieve consistently high box quality on an industrial scale. Together with the brand-new BOBST AP900 die-cutter, it created a complete converting line for folding carton boxes. Today, many of the customers who invested in the first folder-gluers on the market are still working with BOBST equipment.
One of them is Envase Gràfico Industrial SA (EGISA), based in Barcelona, which was one of the first in Spain to invest in a BOBST folder-gluer in the 1960s. Their PCR 800 has since been replaced with newer BOBST technology, and EGISA still partners with BOBST to this day.
“Of their many great qualities, we particularly appreciate their reliability, durability and modularity,” says Carlos Labori, CEO of EGISA. Specialized in high-end packaging for prestigious brands, precision is a must.
“Folding-gluing is at the end of the long process of designing and creating a box, and the moment when potential faults of previous production stages come to light.”
“BOBST machines show that quality and productivity are not mutually exclusive,” Labori adds. He is confident that his company will continue this long-standing relationship with BOBST, because, “after acquiring a machine, we can always count on local services to give us support when we need it – even if that means having a spare part delivered by taxi.”
Completing the folding-gluing line
In 1963, BOBST expanded its folder-gluer portfolio, introducing the first machine for processing corrugated board boxes, the DYNAMIC 130. This was the beginning of the development of a portfolio dedicated to corrugated and litho-laminated converting.
Italian packaging converter, Fag Artigrafiche Spa, bought a DOMINO 145 in 1999 to improve the company’s gluing capacities. The very same DOMINO 145 is still used today, but Fag has since completed the machine park with several other folder-gluers.
“We could always rely on the precision of our BOBST folder-gluers, but the level of automation on the newer generation of machines has made the job for the operators much easier,” says Mario Gambera, Production Manager in the Dogliani Plant.
The company owns two BOBST MASTERFOLD 230, one of which is equipped with the new SPEEDPACK automatic packer, allowing the machine to run at maximum speed of up to 250 m/min and use the full potential of the folding-gluing line.
“The mechanization of the process pre- and post-machine is, and will remain, key to further increase the productivity and the quality of the final product,” he adds. “Productivity, quality and versatility are the main characteristics of our folding-gluing department and over the years, BOBST has helped us to achieve this target with innovation and service.”
A vision for the future
“The human element will always be an important factor in the folding-gluing process,” says Pierre Binggeli, Head of Product Line Folder-gluers at BOBST. “But today’s machines are much more productive, precise and flexible, while offering an ever-increasing level of automation, ease of use and operator security.”
Pierre has been with the company for over 20 years and witnessed important evolutions.
Having added different devices, modules and peripherals to the folder-gluers over the years, almost every machine delivered is different, matching the customer’s particular needs. Today, the most recent machine developments also include the digitalization and connectivity needed to allow customers to shift into Industry 4.0.
“Although we are very proud of what we achieved in those last 80 years, we are fully focused on what lies ahead and committed to the four pillars of the BOBST vision: connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability, he adds.
“Today’s economic and ecological challenges are huge. But we are determined to continue to innovate, to stay ahead of the curve and engineer the future of the packaging industry.”
gofro.expert
