The Apprentice Heads East.

John Stelmasiak, an engineering apprentice with Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Limited has just left Britain for a ten week training course in Shanghai, China.

Nineteen year old John has been employed by Bobst for three years and is almost at the end of his apprenticeship period, after which he will join the twenty strong team of Bobst field service engineers who cover the UK and Ireland.

Before he left for China, John said, “I’m really looking forward to the course and to experiencing a totally different culture. I’ve got quite a fascination with the Far East so it will be interesting to spend some time there. As well as the training, I’m hoping to get time to visit Beijing and to maybe see the Terracotta Warriors in Xian as well.”

John’s course will be held at the Bobst production facility in Shanghai where, with other engineers from Bobst Service Centers around the world, he will learn in detail about the electrical and mechanical operation of Bobst Novacut die-cutters.

As John is nearing the end of his apprenticeship, Bobst Group plans to recruit a new apprentice. John’s boss, National Service Manager Alan Letford, is currently on the lookout for a 16-19 year old to join the Bobst Group apprenticeship programme in the autumn. Alan says, “We always aim to have at least one apprentice in training at any time. John has done really well and now we need to find someone with the same energy to join us.

Despite not having ‘Lord’ in front of his name like his famous namesake Lord Alan Sugar, Alan says he is looking forward to saying ‘You’re Hired’. “The person we recruit will go through a one year engineering course at college and then three years of on-the-job training with day-release. We can’t promise they’ll end up in China, but it’s a great opportunity for someone.”

Redditch, Worcs. – 4 July 2011

New ‘After-care Focused’ Management for Bobst Group in the UK & Ireland.

Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Ltd today unveils a new management team which includes three members directly responsible for customer after-care services. The changes follow last year’s worldwide restructure at Bobst Group and Neil Jones’ return to the Redditch based company as Managing Director following five years running Bobst Group operations in Japan.

Neil Jones says, “Our new management structure for the UK operation reflects the importance we put on providing support to our customers long after they have bought a machine. Redditch is now one of ten world-wide Bobst Group Service Centers and we are responsible for delivering sales and after-care services to Bobst Group’s sheet-fed customers in the UK, Ireland and throughout Scandinavia. It means we can be more pro-active and coordinated in providing technical advice, service support, original spare parts, consumables, training, and productivity improvement plans to customers.”

Alongside Managing Director Neil Jones, Regional Sales Manager Craig Moran, and Financial Controller Doris Morrison, the team at BGL includes Spare Parts Manager, Veronique Mureau; National Service Manager, Alan Letford; and Regional Services Manager Mike Rice.

Veronique Mureau is responsible for all aspects of the provision of original spare parts and consumables to Bobst Group customers, including managing a UK call centre with a team of experienced parts advisors on call 24/7.

Alan Letford, a 23 year veteran of Bobst Group, is responsible for all technical support and service in the UK & Ireland and has a team of twenty technicians on call, along with four in-house specialist technical advisors.

Mike Rice oversees a team of regional service managers and product specialists who deliver productivity improvement advice and training and project manage major improvement programmes on behalf of Bobst Group customers.

Craig Moran, Regional Sales Manager, says, “The new structure at BGL not only reflects the importance we put on after-care services, but the teams involved are also on-hand to provide advice to our customers even before they decide on any investment. Because we have strength in depth, and it is available locally, it means customers can be sure of proper support from the moment they start thinking about investing in new equipment, through its installation, and on for its entire production life. There are not many suppliers in any industry that can promise that these days.”

Redditch, Worcs. – 14 June 2011

More Bobst’s for Benson.

Leading UK packaging manufacturer Benson Group has placed orders for two new Bobst Expertcut 106PER die-cutters, one for its Bardon, Leicestershire factory and one for its Gateshead, Tyne & Wear plant, following continued increase in demand for die-cut products. The Expertcut 106PER represents the very latest Bobst technology for high performance die-cutting and blank separation, with the machine featuring Bobst’s unique Power Register system for exceptional die-cut to print register accuracy.

Mark Kerridge, Managing Director of Benson Group says, “We have seen an increase in demand in recent years for die-cutting as our customers seek new and exciting ways to show off their products and attract shoppers. As part of our planned facilities review we have undertaken a co-ordinated examination of the die-cutting capabilities and capacities at our four production plants. This has led to both an order for two new Expertcut lines from Bobst and an upgrade plan for two existing die-cutters. This investment will provide additional cutting capability and release latent print capacity at a number of plants.”

The order comes hot on the heels of the installation at Benson Group Gateshead of a new Bobst Masterfold gluer, the first of two new Bobst Masterfold gluers for the Group which were ordered at IPEX2010. The second of the Masterfolds will be installed at Benson Group’s Newcastle plant in May, while the two Expertcut die-cutters will be delivered in June.

Craig Moran, Bobst Group’s Sheet-fed Sales Manager for the UK, Ireland & Scandinavia says, “Benson Group’s order of four new lines in under a year shows that forward looking companies in the packaging sector are investing now to make the most of the recovery. There is clear demand for innovative and high quality packaging made from folding carton, corrugated, and synthetic substrates, and many of our customers are investing right now to exploit this.”

The Bobst Expertcut 106PER is a 9,000 sheet per hour die-cutter delivering fully blanked and piled cartons, with an in-built option of full sheet delivery. The machine features Bobst’s unique Power Register system which ensures highly accurate dynamic registration between the actual print on the sheet and the die-cutting tools. Power Register has no need for the side or front lays that cause many stops in production and, in conjunction with the Expertcut’s Smart Feeder system, results in superbly consistent running. The Expertcut’s Power Register system can be set to read the print on the sheet from above or below, making it ideal for litho-laminates, carton board, corrugated, or synthetics.

Bobst Slashes Prices on Thousands of Spare Parts.

As part of a worldwide initiative, Bobst has reduced the price of over ten thousand spare parts and consumable items, some by as much as forty percent. The parts cover a large range of regularly used items. In the UK, a new stock management system has enabled many more critical parts to be held and dispatched directly from Bobst Group’s UK facility, saving customers valuable time.

Bobst SA, the world-leading manufacturer of equipment for the packaging manufacture industry, has reduced the price of 10,350 spare parts and consumable items for its diecutter, folder gluer, flexo printer, and hot foil stamping ranges of equipment. The average price reduction of the parts involved is 23%, with some items being reduced by as much as 40%. The parts that have been reduced include many regularly used items such as belts, chains, clutches, brakes, motors, bearings, drives, and electrical parts.

Neil Jones, Managing Director of Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) Ltd said, “Previously we were buying perhaps ten of something from our suppliers, but now we are buying in the thousands. It means that we pay less and so we pass that saving on to our customers. We’ve also streamlined many of our internal processes, and again we can pass the benefits of that on to our customers.”

Bobst Group customers are also benefitting from a new common inventory management (CIM) system for spare parts and consumables implemented at a number of worldwide Bobst Group locations, including the Bobst Group site at Redditch.

Neil Jones said, “Based on worldwide parts usage data, CIM works out which critical parts we should keep in stock for the installed base here in the UK and Ireland. The system has been on line for about 18 months now and the upshot has been that last year we supplied 30% more parts from our Redditch stock than the year before. Being able to do this both cuts lead times for our customers and reduces their delivery costs. Many of our customers have said to us that they would like Bobst Group to be a one-stop shop for all their spare parts and consumables buying. Initiatives like the price cuts and CIM mean that we can be exactly that.”

Alexir Packaging restarts production with help from Bobst.

Alexir Packaging has started production at its new site just ten weeks after fire completely destroyed its Crawley factory. Bobst Group raided its worldwide demonstration centres to enable it to supply machines to the new Alexir Packaging plant in record time.

 

Alexir Packaging, the packaging manufacture business of Alexir Partnership, has started production at its new factory in Edenbridge, Kent, just ten weeks after fire completely destroyed its Crawley production facility. The first live production job to leave the new plant was run through the company’s new Bobst Expertfold folder-gluer last Thursday (13/1/11).

To help Alexir Packaging establish its new site in record time, two Bobst folder-gluers and a Bobst diecutter were taken from use at the Bobst Group demonstration and training centres in Switzerland and the USA. The process from the order of three machines to their arrival at the new site was completed in just three weeks.

Robert Davison, Managing Director of Alexir Packaging, said “We have had a phenomenal response from our staff who have worked 24/7 to get us back into production, and they have been supported by an amazing response from our suppliers and by the industry in general. Bobst in particular has pulled out all the stops, taking three machines out of their demonstration centres to get us up and running in the minimum time possible. Our other equipment suppliers have made similar huge efforts.”

Alongside the Bobst Expertfold, a Bobst Masterfold 110 folder gluer and a Bobst Expertcut 106 PE diecutter are currently undergoing installation and commissioning at Edenbridge, as is a Komori LSX640+C(H) six colour printing press. This press was supplied by Komori from their demonstration facility in the Netherlands. Other equipment supplied in short order includes a Fuji CTP system, a Kohmann window patcher, and a Heiber+Schröder tray former.

Robert Davison said, “It’s a huge relief to see cartons coming off the Bobst line after all we have been through and it really marks the return of Alexir Packaging. It’s almost unbelievable how far we have come in the last ten weeks, especially if you factor in the disruption caused by the snow and by the Christmas break. We now expect to be fully operational by the end of the month.”

The Bobst Expertfold 110 which produced the first live work at the new plant has been designed for straightline, crashlock, and 4/6 corner carton folding and gluing. The line is complete with an hhs glue detection and code reading system.  The Bobst Masterfold 110 folder-gluer currently undergoing installation is expected to be the next machine to come on stream and will eventually be augmented by a Bobst Cartonpack GT automatic packer.

Stuart Taylor, Bobst Group’s Area Sales Manager for the south of the UK said, “It really is impressive to see the progress that Alexir Packaging have made in such a short period of time and at Bobst Group we are happy that we could help them with this. Our sales and service teams in three countries have worked flat out to get the equipment dismantled, packed, shipped, and reassembled here as quickly as possible. There is still work to be done, but once everything is up and running Alexir will have one of the best equipped plants in the UK.”

Alexir Packaging’s disaster recovery plan was implemented following the fire at Crawley, with production being handled by the company’s disaster recovery partners, F.G.Curtis and Qualvis. Robert Davison said, “Our plan partners have been superb in ensuring that our customers have suffered the minimum of disruption following the fire. Amazingly, several other companies that we would normally class as competitors have also come forward to offer help. We are now working with a pool of nine carton plants, which shows what a remarkable packaging industry we have here in the UK.”

 19 January 2011

New head for Bobst Group sales in UK, Ireland, Scandinavia.

Craig Moran has been appointed Regional Sales Manager for Bobst Group Sheet-fed sales in the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia. The position is a new role in the company, reflecting Bobst Group’s continuing process of transformation.

Craig Moran has been appointed as Regional Sales Manager for Bobst Group Sheet-fed sales in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. Craig Moran is an eight year veteran of Bobst Group and was previously UK and Ireland Marketing Manager. He heads up of a seven strong team which is responsible for sales and marketing of all Bobst, Martin and Asitrade products in these countries.

This is a new role within Bobst Group and reflects the continuing Bobst Group transformation programme which has been designed to bring Bobst Group closer to its customers.

Craig Moran said “I am delighted to take on this role and to continue to work with such a strong and experienced sales team. These are challenging, yet exciting times for everyone involved in the print industry and I believe that as a leading supplier we have a key role to play in ensuring our customers get the products and services they need to prosper.”

Bobst Group Premieres a Raft of New Equipment at packed ‘Zero Fault Packaging’ Event.

Well over twelve hundred box makers from around the globe attended Bobst Group’s COMPETENCE10 event. The event theme of ‘Towards Zero Fault Packaging’ saw BOBST GROUP highlighting the strategies that packaging makers can use to cope with the increasingly tough quality demands of brand owners. COMPETENCE10 saw the world premieres of six new equipment lines from BOBST GROUP companies, twenty machine innovations, and several new service products, each designed to reduce or eradicate faults in packaging, to improve productivity, or open up new markets. Guest speakers from the box making industry worldwide, including from the UK, outlined to visitors their personal thoughts on the event theme.

The key packaging industry issue of how to work ‘Towards Zero Fault Packaging’ was the theme of the COMPETENCE10 event held in Mex, Switzerland over a full week at the end of September. Attended by over 1200 box makers from around the globe, the event saw the world premieres of six new BOBST GROUP lines, each designed with the improvement of final product quality, the eradication of faults, the enhancement of productivity, and the opening up of new market opportunities in mind.

The premieres were:- BOBST MASTERFLEX-HD - a new ‘ultra high graphics quality’ flexo press with integrated quality control system; BOBST EXPERTCUT 1.6 – a new mid-range corrugated diecutter featuring a dynamic register system; BOBST MASTERFOIL 106 PR - a new hot foil stamping press with unmatched foil to print accuracy; BOBST EXPERTFOLD - a new mid-range corrugated folder-gluer with optional automated robot packer; BOBST Free Standing POLYJOINER – a new unit for value-added box manufacture; and

ASITRADE MASTERFLUTE - a new high speed, high precision litho-laminator featuring dynamic register technology.

BOBST GROUP also launched a number of innovative enhancements for existing equipment and several new service products including new websites to help users boost productivity of their BOBST equipment and to enable them to trade BOBST machines with other BOBST equipment users.

Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO of Bobst Group, said that, in terms of product launches, 2010 was proving to be a vintage year for the company. “Even during the difficult times the Group went through, our new Business Unit Sheet-fed has introduced a large number of new products. Every one of these has been designed to give our customers the quality and performance advances they need to succeed in today’s markets. Our technological leadership will be achieved by continuing to invest in R&D and innovation.”

On each day of the event, following a welcome speech by Mr. Bobst, a key note presentation was made by a leading packaging manufacturer.  These included Andrew Hartwig, Managing Director of Firstan Packaging, who spoke on “Living With Zero Fault Packaging Contracts”.

Satellite events were held at the factories of BOBST GROUP member companies ASITRADE and MARTIN in Grenchen, Switzerland and Lyon, France respectively. Over two hundred box makers visited the ASITRADE plant to see the launch of the company’s new high speed, high precision litho-laminator, the MASTERFLUTE. ASITRADE also announced plans for the launch of an entry level machine, VISIONFLUTE, which will be a development of the company’s successful MPC-III range of machines, and of EXPERTFLUTE, a development from the company’s current MPC III Matic and MPC-IV lines. In Lyon, MARTIN exhibited a Midline 924 NT Rapidset FFG running a range of jobs to demonstrate the machines excellent registration in printing, slotting, and diecutting, at all speeds and in one pass, along with the unsurpassed folding quality that has made the worldwide reputation of Martin FFG’s.

Twenty partner companies of BOBST GROUP also presented their new developments to the packaging community in an exhibition area within the BOBST factory. Cutting die suppliers Atlas, Lasertec, and Marbach; foil and foiling die makers API, Hinderer and Muehlich, Kurz, and Universal Engraving; adhesive and adhesive system suppliers Baumer hhs, Forbo, Henkel, Nordson, Valco, and Leary; along with peripheral equipment manufacturers ATS, Gerber, Hunkeler, and Longford, all supplied equipment or consumables and maintained  displays throughout the week. Finance providers Deutsche Leasing and trade body IADD were also both present.

One Week, Two Gluers.

In the past week, two UK packaging manufacturers have signed deals for the purchase of Bobst EXPERTFOLD multipurpose folder-gluer lines. Bobst Group believes that these and recent similar sales indicate returning confidence within the packaging industry. The two machines follow recent deals for further folder-gluers, flat-bed diecutters and corrugated print and conversion lines.

Craig Moran, Sales Manager for Bobst Group’s Sheet-fed business in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia said, “With all the doom and gloom around over the past couple of years it’s heartening to see that the industry is beginning to show signs of recovery. These two machines reflect the message that we are getting across our product ranges – that UK industry is ready to invest again.”

Both new lines are EXPERTFOLD 110 CS models featuring computer setting of carriers and drives. One customer has configured their line to give as much flexibility in the styles it can process as possible. The other customer’s machine features both cold and hot gluing systems, giving the plant the ability to handle a variety of substrates.

Craig Moran said, “For a while now a lot of customers have been reporting increased volumes and it seems that these are being sustained. For many plants their existing machines will struggle to cope with these higher volumes, so they need to invest in quality, more productive equipment to secure the work.”

1 September 2010

Boxmakers sweep EFTA awards by using Bobst flexo presses.

Twenty of the winning entries at the 2010 EFTA awards were printed using Bobst flexo presses. The wins reflect the ability of Bobst flexo presses to help box manufacturers meet the growing market for high quality post print on corrugated.

“For our customers to win so many awards using our equipment is a great source of pride for us. It highlights that their Bobst flexo presses are helping them deliver superb quality print, day in day out,” said Martin Knight, UK & Ireland Regional Services Manager for Bobst Group.

The haul of six gold, seven silver, and seven bronze awards made up the entire Corrugated Post Print category bar one, and were spread across six plants from the UK and two from Germany.  The plants use a range of Bobst equipment from Bobst FLEXO-160 VISION’s to the latest MASTERFLEX-L lines, all of which were fitted with Duo-Technik drier systems.

20 May 2010