As an essential business during the global pandemic, Zumbiel Packaging’s 350 skilled associates have been putting in extra hours to increase production and match the soaring demand for high-graphic packaging in the food and beverage industry. The management team even had the foresight to invest in a new highly-automated large format press from Koenig & Bauer. The Rapida 145 57-inch seven-color press will be delivered this fall to Zumbiel’s new 500,000-sq-ft facility in Hebron, Kentucky. There it will begin production along with Zumbiel’s flexographic and digital production capabilities.
“Historically, as our customers have grown, so have we,” says Tom Zumbiel Jr., Marketing Director and fourth-generation of the 177-year-old family-owned business. “But now the market has boosted consumer demand for our products. Our customer base has seen the need for additional food and beverage packaging for a vast majority who are eating at home. As one of the largest independent converters of paperboard packaging in the U.S., we pride ourselves on offering more choices, better innovations and customized solutions, outstanding service, and colorful branded cartons that set us apart from the competition.”
Precision, speed, and efficiency drove the choice for a new Koenig & Bauer press. The large format size was important to increase process efficiency in existing carton production by reducing makeready by 40% while supporting growth into new markets and providing additional capacity. Its extensive automation includes DriveTronic SRW (simultaneous roller wash), which washes up PMS colors while the press is in operation; CleanTronic Synchro to automatically wash blankets and impression cylinders for the fastest operation; and in-line color control, all at a speed of 18,000 sph.
