BOBST announced its latest portfolio of products and services to help converters and brand owners to navigate through a new packaging environment at its Press Open House in Mex, Switzerland.
Back in 2020, the company revealed an industry vision based on four key pillars – connectivity, digitalization, automation and sustainability. Recent world events have accelerated the need for these as never before. Now, these four pillars have become the cornerstones not only of the Bobst strategy, but the entire packaging environment.
“While it was impossible to predict world events of recent years, like the pandemic, global conflicts, and subsequent consequences for our industry such as shortages of materials and manpower, we did correctly identify the overall packaging industry trends,” said Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO. “While these trends have undoubtedly been accelerated, Bobst has implemented a strategy and built a portfolio of solutions and services that enables converters and brand owners to thrive even in this new packaging world. We believe the future will be driven by even more connectivity and proximity, more digitalization and flexibility, more automatization and productivity and more sustainability and responsibility.”
Here are some of the newest innovations to complement the portfolio:
- The key enabler of this vision is the new, updated Bobst Connect, which provides digital solutions to prepare, produce, react to, maintain, and optimise the production workflow of a job. The newly launched version of Connect offers a host of features and functionality to help customers optimise their packaging at every stage. By linking up every single step of the process, Connect heightens efficiency, control, and data knowledge, improving quality and efficiency across the value chain.
- A great service experience is ensured through proximity to customers. The new Bobst Helpline Essential for non-connectable machines is a remote assistance service that allows customers to have access to video streaming and high priority connection with Technical Services Specialists for quicker trouble shooting and issue solving. It is estimated that around 50% of cases will be solvable via streaming.
- To further improve parts logistics services, Bobst is opening a new logistics hub for EMEA region. The new hub – located in Genk, Belgium – joins existing hubs in the US and Asia Pacific. The logistics centre, with 100,000 parts for all product lines are available for immediate dispatch, and it will significantly improve the service level to our EMEA customers with faster delivery times including a 24/7 dispatch service.
The need for digitalization is growing as it continues to enable reduction of steps and waste. In folding carton, Bobst is announcing the new ACCUCHECK RECIPE EDITOR for folder-gluers. The new Recipe Editor allows users to create and edit Accucheck recipes remotely within the Connect platform and to send these recipes to several Accuchecks on the production floor. Leveraging the PDF data of the packaging artwork, this solution simplifies and significantly shortens set-up. As a result, it enables higher shop floor productivity, while also increasing quality and reducing waste by limiting the potential for human errors.
In the folding carton sector, Bobst is announcing the new SPEEDSET, an enhanced set up time reduction pack available on all flatbed die-cutters. This pack considerably reduces changeover times and increases output. Speedset includes improved ergonomics, such as an additional 15″ screen at the feeder for faster setup of the optical registration system. Increased automation is also part of the pack, like pallet lifting for each new job setup and a motorised micrometric system to perfectly centre die and counter plate to ensure perfect matching between cut and creasing positioning. TooLink is included to digitally connect the tool with the machine to exchange job data within seconds.
Other highlights from this year include MASTERLINE DRO, MASTERCUT 1.65 PER, EXPERTFOLD 165 e-commerce, and NOVAFOLD 50 | 80 | 110.
“While there is no question that the challenges we face in today’s packaging environment are greater and more varied than ever, we know we have the portfolio, services and partnerships in place to help converters and brand owners navigate successfully through them,” says Jean-Pascal Bobst. “We have chosen the right strategy back in 2020 and now converters and brand owners can really benefit from that. Together, we can embrace a better future with confidence.”
