ExpertCuts boost Colordruck capacity

German package printer Colordruck has boosted reliability and productivity thanks to a trio of Bobst ExpertCut 106 flatbed die cutters.
 
Colordruck installed three ExpertCut 106 PER flatbed die cutters from Bobst in the course of the past year. The production processes at the Baiersbronn-based packaging manufacturer are largely automated, so the company attaches special importance to the dependability of its machinery portfolio. The reliability of the die cutting process has improved significantly with them, and the same goes for productivity and quality it said.
 
The first of the new flatbed die cutters was installed in 2010. The second machine followed in early 2011, and the company put the third die cutter into service in the middle of the year. In addition, a Sprintera 106 PER from Bobst is also still in use. As a result, the die cutting operations at Colordruck have a theoretical capacity of just under 40,000 sheets per hour.
 
Since 1958, Colordruck has purchased a total of 17 die cutters and 12 folder gluers from Bobst and the next flatbed die cutter is already scheduled to follow in 2012.
 
Colordruck managing director Herbert Klumpp said: ‘At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is how many sheets we can get through the machines in an hour.’
 
‘When handling complicated designs, the speed depends on the complexity of the packaging designs, the number of blanks and the thickness of the materials to be die-cut,’ said Martin Bruttel who, together with Klumpp and Thomas Pfefferle, manages the business of the company that was originally founded as a lithographic printing house as long ago as 1929.
 
Bruttel said the printer, which delivers over a billion cartons per year to customers, achieves a very high average throughput in die cutting production, and that's ultimately what matters.
 
Pfefferle noted that the three ExpertCut 106 die cutters help Colordruck closely manage its flow of materials, as: ‘We keep our stocks as low as possible, because we only have limited storage capacities for semi-finished products. That's why we need dependable technologies in all production segments that guarantee a trouble-free in-house workflow.’
 
For example, driverless transport systems automatically carry the pallets with the printed sheets from the pressroom to a temporary store located directly alongside the company's total of four flatbed die cutters. Depending on how long the inks and varnishes need to dry, the sheets are intermediately stored for a maximum of 24 hours. Finally, the warehouse management system gives the driverless transport systems the necessary instructions regarding which pallets are to be delivered to which die cutter and when.
 
Colordruck said the printing and die cutting processes have to be more or less in step otherwise the limited capacities available for intermediate storage of the sheets would be insufficient and the uncompromisingly efficiency-oriented workflow would be disrupted. In an extreme situation, it might even be necessary to stop the printing presses.
 
Set-up times are another key factor for Colordruck. ‘Our customers' target groups are becoming increasingly focused. Accordingly, the run lengths are getting shorter all the time. As a result, the set-up times of the machines are more and more important,’ said Klumpp.
 
And in contrast to printing, where repeat jobs have become a rarity, existing tools and settings can be used for roughly half of the jobs in the die cutting process. Since all jobs are stored in the intuitive C.U.B.E. control system of the machines, these repeat jobs can be retrieved at the push of a button at any time.
 
Given several job changes per shift and flatbed die cutter, the shorter set-up times add up to more production time at Colordruck. ‘One day, the set-up times will have to approach zero,' said Pfefferle, indicating the future target for the machine manufacturers from the point of view of the packaging specialist. ‘But we're still a long way from that, of course.’
 
Since all the ExpertCut 106 PER machines deliver exactly identical production results, Colordruck can distribute the jobs among them at will. The company also has an interesting philosophy when it comes to investment decisions: ‘We ultimately buy not machines, but capacity.’
 
In addition, the high availability of the machines and other equipment is backed by 24/7 technical service offered by Bobst. ‘If the worst comes to the worst, we can rely on the speed and skill of the Bobst technicians. Bobst consistently gears the development of its technologies to the demands of the future, and is open to the individual requirements of its customers in the process. For us, that's another key element of a strategic partnership.’