I still remember that moment — it must have been back in 2017 — standing at the BHS Corrugated booth in the heart of Shanghai. Amid the noise and energy of the SinoCorrugated exhibition, someone from the BHS team, perhaps Lars Engel, shared an idea that sounded, at the time, almost science fiction: “We’re going to integrate a digital printing unit directly into the corrugator.”
I blinked. Digital printing? Inside the corrugator? Online? It felt so radical, so far removed from the realities of traditional boxmaking, that I wasn’t even sure I heard it right.
But Lars confirmed it. “Yes,” he said. “Eventually, we will eliminate the flexo printers from the corrugated process entirely.” I remember the chill I felt. What would a plant look like without flexo machines? Would we really see a single corrugator delivering already-printed, ready-to-die-cut sheets in one seamless flow?
At the time, even the idea of digital printing at speeds of 400–500 meters per minute seemed like a fantasy. But the vision didn’t fade. It became a concept. A roadmap. A mission: BoxPlant 2025.
And then — life happened. Wars broke out. Sirens over Kyiv, bombs, fear, and survival. For us, time blurred. Three years vanished in a fog of uncertainty and resilience.
But while the world turned upside down, one thing quietly advanced.
On May 25, 2025 — the birthday of BHS Corrugated’s founder, Paul Engel — I stood in Weiherhammer, the beating heart of BHS, and saw it.
BoxPlant 2025 is no longer a plan. It is a reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJQ3OUuXJx4
What I Saw in Weiherhammer
Walking through the BHS campus, now rebranded as part of the bold new Corruverse initiative, it felt like stepping into the factory of tomorrow. But this isn’t a flashy concept video or a slideshow pitch. This is a live, breathing, humming machine — or more precisely, an entire production concept — coming to life before your eyes.
The traditional corrugated plant is a noisy mosaic of conveyors, printers, stackers, and chaos. The BoxPlant 2025 vision compresses, streamlines, and redefines this. Central to the concept is the iCorr® Line, combining modularity, connectivity, and integrated digital printing in a single, orchestrated process. The digital printer is inside the corrugator — not near it, not after it. Inside.
And it works. Not at pilot-scale. Not in theory. In real-world, industrial production.
BHS has built an environment where change is constant, where machines talk to each other, where AI-driven process optimization is embedded into the line itself. And this is not only about equipment — it’s about rethinking the entire value chain, from order entry to palletization.
Why It Matters
There’s something revolutionary here that goes beyond engineering. The BHS team isn’t just updating machines — they’re changing the rules of the game.
Imagine:
- Mass customization at speed — no more need to stop and set up for print changes.
- Reduced footprint — entire halls of flexo units and conveyors condensed into one smart line.
- Real-time analytics — giving operators and managers insight and control like never before.
It’s no longer about just making boxes. It’s about creating a digital, adaptive, customer-driven production system.
A Turning Point for Our Industry
We often say we live in a conservative industry. Change comes slowly. But this — what I witnessed here in Weiherhammer — this is not incremental. It is foundational.
When the presentation concluded, the feeling in the room was more than enthusiasm — it was conviction. This is where we’re going. Not in five or ten years. Now.
My Takeaway
If you’re in this industry — whether you’re a plant manager, OEM partner, or simply someone who cares about the future of corrugated — I urge you: watch this space. Visit the Corruverse. Ask questions. Push your team. Start thinking in new ways.
Because while we were all waiting, while the world was distracted, BHS Corrugated built the factory of the future.
And the future is running. Right now
www.bhs-world.com/en/corruverse
— Igor Tkalenko, reporting from Weiherhammer. corruga.expert
