Offset Printing
BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT flexo press delivers supreme print quality at The Cardboard Box Company
Monday 28. June 2021 - Little did Managing Director Ken Shackleton realise at the time, that three years later, the investment would be central to the company successfully navigating one of the greatest revolutions in retail operations.
When The Cardboard Box Company invested in BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT flexo press in 2017, a pandemic was something that would only ever occur in science-fiction novels.
“It actually all began with a new retail customer that we acquired,” said Ken, who has been in the driving seat at the corrugated sheet plant for 23 years. “The customer required large volumes, but all their shelf-ready packaging had a gloss finish. Although we could produce these boxes, because they were on coated board with a gloss varnish, the speed at which they ran through our presses was greatly reduced – possibly only 25 per cent of the output of uncoated board was being achieved.
“Quite simply, we couldnt get the ink to dry fast enough on the coated board, despite having hot air dryers on all our presses. This led to lots of scuffing, poor quality and sky-high rejections. We realised that we needed a machine that could print with higher capabilities than what we had at the time.”
The Cardboard Box Company, part of Logson Group, is one of the most well-equipped sheet plants in the UK with industry recognition for its print and product capabilities. From basic brown box manufacturing and simple flexo printing, to sophisticated flexo, litho-laminating and digital printing, the company offers a broad range of services.
In 2002, The Cardboard Box Company invested in its first BOBST machine – a BOBST VISIONCUT die-cutter; the first machine that BOBST had sold to a sheet plant in the UK. Since then, The Cardboard Box Company has installed a further nine BOBST machines, including a 924 4-colour Casemaker, a 1636 4-colour printer-slotter, a 618 4-colour Casemaker, two BOBST VISIONCUT die-cutters, a Pacific Multi-Point folder-gluer, two BOBST EXPERTFOLD multi-point folder-gluers and BOBSTs ground-breaking print quality control solution, the Digital Inspection Table. When the print issues for the new retail customer became apparent, The Cardboard Box Company turned to longstanding and trusted machine partner, BOBST, to help find a solution.
“The problems we were experiencing couldnt be ignored. We needed a press that could print onto coated materials and dry quickly so that we could achieve the print and quality results that we, and our customer, demanded. BOBSTs understanding of what we needed production-wise, and our limitations in terms of outlay, was second to none.”
Nick Geary, Area Sales Manager, Business Unit Printing & Converting, at BOBST said: “It was a case of finding a solution that achieved exactly what they wanted in terms of performance on coated corrugated and at the right price point.
“We created what was, at the time, a bespoke print solution in BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT – a 6-colour high-specification press that traditionally forms part of an inline machine. For The Cardboard Box Company, we offered it as a standalone machine that would achieve everything that was required of it and importantly at the right investment level for our customer.”
In June 2018, The Cardboard Box Company was acquired by The Logson Group and it was soon recognised that The Cardboard Box Company had a unique print capability that could be exploited group wide.
Ken commented: “Within a month of the installation we were taking jobs from other machines that had traditionally required a second pass, whilst also improving the print quality. We started putting more complex jobs on the press to deliver the higher print quality required by customers from across the group.
“The quality of print is outstanding and provides the wow factor to customers. It has escalated us into the world of High Quality Post-Print (HQPP). At every level, the machine delivers; we have been blown away by the print quality but also the efficiency it brings. Job changeovers are much faster, up to 50% quicker because of the accuracy of the print, and we dont have the waste caused by high rejection rates. Again, we are seeing about a 50% improvement on waste during set-up.”
In March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic became established in the UK, it marked the beginning of a dynamic shift in consumer purchasing behaviour and online retail became the new norm. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), pre-lockdown, 22% of all retail sales were carried out online. By May 2020, this had soared to 33.4% – the highest percentage of spend online ever recorded. Meanwhile, a recent study of 4,500 shoppers by global research firm EPiServer, found that 38% of UK consumers are continuing to buy online at least once a week, more than any other region surveyed. Such figures demonstrate the critical need that retailers and their supply chains have faced in the past 12 months to manage the exceptional level of e-commerce activity.
“When the pandemic began and the panic-buying started, which exerted huge pressures along supply chains, we had just started delving into online packaging and had installed a taping machine onto the Pacific multi-point folder-gluer,” said Ken. “Combining our capabilities with those across the Logson Group, we were able to offer the full package – two BOBST EXPERTFOLD multi-point gluers, a second double sided-taping machine for ecommerce, the litho-lamination and now thanks to the BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT, the high-quality printing too. We had all the know-how and competencies in one business and suddenly, we had brands and retailers coming to us requiring packaging with glossy, stand-out prints with super-fast turnarounds.
“The surge in online retail meant that brands were wanting packs that not only looked good on shelf but also delivered a customer experience too. As a result, we have been creating high-definition graphics for both the inside and outside of boxes. The quality of printing and colour consistency is superior to what any of our previous equipment could offer and through the past year, in particular, the press has proven its value.”
Prior to installation, The Cardboard Box Company was running jobs on printers with operating speeds of 3,000-4,000 sheets per hour (SPH), but the new printer is enabling the company to operate at double that speed, with the potential to run at speeds up to a maximum of 11,000 SPH, dependent on sheet size and print complexity. We are running over 5km2 on multi-colour printed jobs. On the other presses, coated and varnished printing was a two-pass job due to scratching and scuffing. Now its one-pass and the results, according to Ken, are outstanding.
The register is extremely precise and the fine anilox screens allow for a much finer, accurate print. The quick-change anilox rolls take approximately 15 minutes each to change compared to five to six hours previously on the companys other presses.
The BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT incorporates a drying system that combines both infrared technology and hot air to maximise energy efficiency and surface drying performance, thereby reducing or completely eliminating marking and scuffing on the print. Meanwhile, fully automatic plate cleaning is carried out throughout the printing process, enhancing overall print quality, press performance and reducing downtime and waste.
“In the past year, we have filled the press, operating it across two shifts and are now looking at putting it on three. It truly has been a great machine for us,” added Ken. “We have expanded our graphics team as a result of the investment to ensure that we are getting the very best from the printer and are able to deliver the supreme quality that our customers demand.
“With support from the BOBST training and service teams, we have been able to optimise its performance and that has enabled us to step onto a new level of the playing field. We have a broad range of capabilities that we can take to the market thanks to BOBST EXPERTFLEX NT. The journey has been wonderful, and it is easy for me to say that it has been one of the best, most influential investments we have ever made, because it has also greatly enhanced our customer experience too,” Ken concluded.