CardPak Enhances Productivity with Bobst Folder/Gluer

SOLON, Ohio—Printer/Packaging manufacturer CardPak, Inc. has added a new Bobst VISIONFOLD 110-A2 folder-gluer giving themselves greater capacity and versatility, while further streamlining and enhancing the efficiency of its manufacturing operation. Specializing in creating paperboard alternatives to plastic packaging, CardPak provides their customers with creative packaging solutions that not only give them an advantage on the shelves, but help them meet their goals, and demands of retailers such as Costco and Wal-Mart, of creating “greener” packaging and reducing their carbon footprint.

“With products such as our ClubPak®, SustainPak®, and ShelfPak® providing sustainable alternatives to plastic clamshells, we can typically reduce the plastic materials used by 85 percent. That makes a significant environmental impact on the sustainability and packaging scorecards.” says CardPak President Tony Petrelli.

In addition to seeking creative, environmentally friendly packaging solutions, CardPak’s customers, like virtually everyone today, are concerned about turnaround times and price. “Efficiency is very important to the sustainability of both our and our customers’ businesses. We put a great emphasis on lean manufacturing in our continual quest to improve the efficiency of our operations,” says Petrelli. “I like to say, ‘We want to do more with less until we are doing everything with nothing.’ While no one can do everything with nothing, my point is that we are continually working to improve the efficiency of our operation. When we think we’ve eliminated all the waste we can, we step back and start looking for more ways to save without jeopardizing the quality of our services or the products we produce.”

The pursuit of optimum efficiency, the desire to offer brand owners additional marketing options, and to further diversify their own business were a few of the driving forces behind CardPak’s decision to add the new Bobst VISIONFOLD. “Blister cards were about 90 percent of our business, now they’re only about 50 percent. Not because we’ve reduced that business sector, it continues to grow, but because we’ve expanded and grown into other markets by adding capabilities and increasing our manufacturing capacity. Folding carton is one of the areas we’ve expanded into. Adding the VISIONFOLD allowed us to eliminate a bottleneck and allows us to perform more complex folding. The installation also gave us greater versatility within the operation and allowed us to open 20-25 percent of additional capacity. In addition to letting us put more through the plant, it gives us the ability to respond to our customers’ requests faster,” explains Petrelli.