BOBST Unveils Portfolio of Products, Services To Help Package Printers and Converters

At a BOBST event in June 2022, the company unveiled solutions to help printers and converters navigate the fast-changing packaging market to industry insiders including the staff of Packaging Impressions. “While it was impossible to predict world events of recent years, like the pandemic, global conflicts, and subsequent consequences for our industry such as shortages of materials and manpower, we did correctly identify the overall packaging industry trends,” said Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO, Bobst Group. “While these trends have undoubtedly been accelerated, BOBST has implemented a strategy and built a portfolio of solutions and services that enables converters and brand owners to thrive even in this new packaging world.”

Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO, Bobst Group | Credit: BOBST

A quick reminder on that strategy: Back in 2020, BOBST revealed an industry vision based on four key pillars – connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability. The company built the strategy on the belief that the future of the packaging industry will be driven by even more connectivity and proximity, more digitalization and flexibility, more automatization and productivity and more sustainability and responsibility.

Some of the innovations unveiled at the event, which was attended by Packaging Impressions’ publisher Brian Ludwick, include:

Updated BOBST Connect
The new, updated BOBST Connect provides digital solutions to prepare, produce, react to, maintain, and optimize the production workflow of a job. The newly launched version of BOBST Connect offers a host of features and functionality to help customers optimize their packaging at every stage. By linking up every single step of the process, BOBST Connect heightens efficiency, control, and data knowledge, improving quality and efficiency across the value chain.

New BOBST Helpline Essential
The new BOBST Helpline Essential for non-connectable machines is a remote assistance service that allows customers to have access to video streaming and high priority connection with BOBST Technical Services Specialists for quicker trouble shooting and issue solving. It is estimated that around 50% of cases will be solvable via streaming.

New ACCUCHECK RECIPE EDITOR
The new ACCUCHECK RECIPE EDITOR for folder-gluers carefully checks carton blanks for defects and guarantees complete quality consistency. The new Recipe Editor allows users to create and edit ACCUCHECK recipes remotely within the BOBST Connect platform and to send these recipes to several ACCUCHECKs on the production floor. Leveraging the PDF data of the packaging artwork, this solution simplifies and significantly shortens set-up. As a result, it enables higher shop floor productivity, while also increasing quality and reducing waste by limiting the potential for human errors.

New EXPERTLINE
The new EXPERTLINE – consisting of the EXPERCUT 1.7 I 2.1 and the EXPERTFLEX – is a large format converting line combining flatbed die-cutting and post-print flexo process, ideally suited to producing e-commerce solutions for the FMCG market. It offers great flexibility and is available in a standard and mirror version. With registration precision and perfect print register, the line provides fantastic box quality. Short setup times combined with TooLink technology ensure maximum uptime and a productivity of up to 20 million square meters per year.

New SPEEDSET
The new SPEEDSET, an enhanced set up time reduction pack available on all flatbed die-cutters. This pack considerably reduces changeover times and increases output. SPEEDSET includes improved ergonomics, such as an additional 15" screen at the feeder for faster setup of the optical registration system. Increased automation is also part of the pack, like pallet lifting for each new job setup and a motorized micrometric system to perfectly center die and counter plate to ensure perfect matching between cut and creasing positioning. TooLink is included to digitally connect the tool with the machine to exchange job data within seconds.

New High Barrier Flexible Packaging Solution
As part of the CEFLEX (Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging) initiative, BOBST introduced a high barrier flexible packaging solution designed for recyclability – a metallized, high barrier, mono-material, flexo printed new recycled polypropylene (rPP) pouch. The company says it is the first surface printed pouch with barrier, produced using rPP household collected recycled material on the market.

Other recent BOBST product and service highlights celebrated at the event  include MASTERLINE DRO, a new rotary die-cutting solution that offers more performance, more value, and which equips converters in the corrugated industry with a versatile, automated, connected and highly ergonomic solutiont; MASTERCUT 1.65 PER, the only flatbed die-cutter able to process folding carton, corrugated and litho-laminated board, from 0.5 mm to 2,000 g/m2, single or double flute; EXPERTFOLD 165 e-commerce, a new folder-gluer designed specifically to meet the demands of digital retail; and NOVAFOLD 50 | 80 | 110, a new folder-gluer for guaranteed reliability and performance.

The BOBST All-in-One DIGITAL MASTER 340 and DIGITAL MASTER 510 label presses, which were launched in March 2022. The presses were engineered to fundamentally change the way label production is set up – fully digitalized from the PDF, with 100% inline inspection as a closed loop, to the final embellished and finished labels across one unified workflow.

The company also highlighted it research and development work both within BOBST and with industry partners. They spotlighted a home compostable packaging solution in partnership with Tipa – a specialist developer of sustainable packaging – and a fully paper based, high barrier, recycle ready solution, called FibreCycle. The latter is part of oneBARRIER – a family of new alternative and sustainable solutions that BOBST is developing with its partners.

As part of BOBST’s commitment to the cross-industry consortium R-Cycle and its mission to ensure the traceability of single-use plastics through Digital Product Passports (DPP), BOBST has also completed a pilot at its Competence Center in Manchester, where a demo machine is R-Cycle ready. This project will now be extended to other product lines (Coating, Laminating, Ci Flexo printing, Gravure printing).

“While there is no question that the challenges we face in today’s packaging environment are greater and more varied than ever, at BOBST we know we have the portfolio, services and partnerships in place to help converters and brand owners navigate successfully through them,” said Bobst. “We have chosen the right strategy back in 2020 and now converters and brand owners can really benefit from that. Together, we can embrace a better future with confidence.”