Bema increases productivity by automating cleaning processes

Founded in 1957, the Bema Transparent Bag Company began with one bottom-seal bag machine service customers such as Mars Candy and Jewel-Osco. In 1999, Glen Galloway purchased the company, shortened its name to Bema and expanded capabilities to include a fully integrated manufacturing process from creating the bags to printing them on flexo presses.

Before introducing Flexo Wash cleaning systems, the team devoted over six hours a day, one day a week to a ‘big cleanup’ where one to two employees would spend their entire shift manually cleaning anilox rolls, press parts and plates. They cleaned parts manually in wash tanks with alcohol. They also used a media blasting cleaning unit.

Bema improved the overall cleaning process with the introduction of cleaning systems and the investment in FlexoWash equipment.

Bema’s production manager, Jason Galloway, said: ‘Faster wash-up times for the press, better cleaning and less damage on the aniloxes were immediate benefits. Also, automating the cleaning process cut the cleaning time in half. We noticed the difference right away. ROI was about six months, but in reality, it was less than that in actual working days.”

After success with cleaning systems, the company also decided to opt for the FlexoWash Plate Washer.

According to Galloway, three systems working in unison allow the company to run a clean press with fewer issues due to dirty ink pump parts, chambers and drip trays. 

‘It allows us to spend more time printing and less time cleaning week to week. These products allow us to focus on printing with repeatable results,’ concluded Galloway.