Absolute have just completed the upgrade of a Martin 1624 at Smurfit Kappa Dublin. The scope of Absolute’s installation was a full ink circuit replacement to transform the ink consumption and wash performance. This comprised of an upgrade to Absolute 2G Carbon fibre Chambers complete with loading systems and crossbars and Absolute InkSave systems, replacing the corroded OEM chambers and traditional pumping/auto wash system. The installation of these systems was done over one weekend and was completed on time, first time and in a COVID safe manner.
Tests made by Absolute at the site before and after the installation showed that the original system had ink losses of 2.7kg on a colour change, compared to Absolute’s 0.8kg. The InkSave units also reduced the amount of wash water used to just 18 litres, and cut the wash time down to just 6.25 mins. “Upgrading 30-year-old machines to perform to metrics equivalent to new, state-of-the-art machines is a key focus of Absolute’s product range. This performance improvement will give Smurfit Kappa an ROI of 6-8 months,” said Will Whiteside, UK/Ireland Sales Manager, Absolute.
“Smurfit Kappa invested in the Absolute system primarily to improve the environmental performance of the machine and plant as a whole,” adds Whiteside. “Absolute’s system does this by reducing ink waste and water usage on colour change. In addition, the upgrade has improved print quality and allowed Smurfit Kappa to put a greater mix of more profitable work through the machine.
“Reducing ink loss has many environmental benefits downstream that are often overlooked,” continues Whiteside. “Firstly, the lesser amount of ink used minimises ink consumption annually which reduces the environmental impact of ink manufacturing. This in turn reduces chemical consumption to treat the remaining ink that goes into the drains, which finally reduces the amount which goes landfill or chemical plants. Making these changes across the whole process, over a year, produces a massively positive environmental result. This is core to both Absolute and Smurfit Kappa’s business models that will ensure that we reduce our impact, which will have a positive effect on the environmental credentials of our industry.”
Whiteside concludes, “It’s no surprise that InkSave sales are accelerating so quickly, as the pressure for environmental impact improvement from the corrugated industry is significant and Smurfit Kappa are at the forefront of this. Combined with the real cost savings our customers can make with the system, it’s a logical decision. This installation looks as good as it performs and we are proud to be working on similar projects with many good customers at present.”
