Gallus and Martin Automatic boost production efficiency at Permapack

One of Switzerland’s leading printed packaging converters, which has invested heavily in Gallus servo press technology, has turned to Martin Automatic for added productivity.

The converter is Permapack AG, based in Rorschach, in the north east part of Switzerland, and it was one of the first companies to install the new all-servo Gallus RCS 330 presses in 2001. Today, it has three of them with a fourth due for delivery later this summer. Chosen for its high degree of automation and production flexibility, the Gallus RCS concept is ideally suited to work environments where frequent job changes are the norm, a situation familiar to staff at Permapack.

Working alongside other narrow web equipment, including two Gallus EM 410 presses, the first Gallus RCS 330 quickly demonstrated its extra efficiency to the extent that a second was installed in 2004 with the specific target of evaluating the market for products printed on some of the filmic substrates that were becoming popular. When the tests proved successful Permapack ordered a third, and this time decided to dedicate the new machine to production with substrates greater than 100-micron.

This most recent Gallus RCS 330, a 10-color flexo/screen combination line, was ordered with Martin Automatic MBSF butt splice and LRD transfer rewind units.  Custom built to match the performance of the Gallus line, the Martin units will handle 40’ (1016mm) rolls at 500 ft/min (150 m/min).  The aim was not only to reduce waste of expensive material, but also to cut back on machine downtime, which, with a top of the range machine like the Gallus RCS 330, is expensive by the minute.  According to the head of Permapack’s Packaging Division, Mark Lehmann: ‘One machine length of material can easily represent 8 percent of the entire roll, so any saving is valuable.’

According to Lehmann, the number 3 Gallus RCS generates appreciably more turnover than the number 2 machine, partly because of the Martin equipment, but also because of the different job structure that Permapack uses on it. ‘Even when you take into account the more expensive substrates we are using on number 3 machine, the improvement is still better than 50 percent,’ he added, basing his calculations on triple shift working. ‘I estimate we save approximately CHF 180,000 a year in reduced substrate waste alone with the Martin equipment, plus the additional savings on machine downtime versus stopping the press and changing the rolls manually,’ he commented.

With such a rapid payback on investment, Lehmann had no second thoughts about specifying Martin Automatic equipment for the number 4 Gallus RCS 330, due for installation in August. Like the number 3 machine, it will be a 10-colour line largely devoted to special jobs. Lehmann is quick to point out the value of a close working partnership between Permapack, Gallus, and Martin Automatic, which has had a major impact on his company’s ability to grow its market share and profits at a time when the industry is under severe price pressure. This factor alone may entice him to retrofit Martin equipment to his number 2 Gallus.

When its first Gallus RCS 330 was installed in 2001, Permapack handled around 12,000 jobs/year (approx 10m sqm of substrate), although this number has now fallen to 9,000. The runs have not lengthened, it is merely indicative of the number of versions of each job, with 30-40 being typical, according to Lehmann. ‘This has contributed to the decision to invest in automated splicers and rewinds, because we now have fewer substrate changes,’ he said.

The first Gallus RCS 330, when compared with Permapack’s other narrow web presses, showed a 25 percent improvement in set up time, a 50 percent improvement in wash up time, and a 65 percent reduction in waste, combined with a running speed that was 10 percent faster.  ‘If you add the extra efficiency that the Martin equipment gives us, you can see how far we have come in six years,’ exclaimed Lehmann.

Permapack now employs 230 people, of whom 120 work in its modern 3,800 sqm printing factory close to the shores of Lake Constance, and is still an independent family run business.  Beginning life in 1958 importing and selling self adhesive tapes, the company moved into printing in the mid 1960s. The merchant side of the group’s business still accounts for 60 percent of turnover, and now includes a variety of products for the industrial, construction, and DIY markets. Its diversity gives its financial strength and security according to Lehmann, who also sees further growth in the printing division, particularly with the recently acquired BRC accreditation, which is bringing a whole new era of ‘clean production’ to the Rorschach factory.

‘Clean working is another type of efficiency that we have to come to terms with.  It is largely a matter of disciplined working practices, but it does give us an independent stamp of approval that our customers value,’ commented Lehmann, who sees an ongoing commitment to production efficiency as the key to long term success.