Well over 100 guests from the DACH region took the opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the packaging industry together with BOBST experts and to look ahead to the future.
The first day was dedicated to the corrugated board industry, while the second day focused on the folding carton sector. On both days, the focus was on the challenges that manufacturers of corrugated and carton packaging must deal with in their daily production. These included, among other things, the need to produce smaller batch sizes profitably—meaning faster and more frequent job changeovers—as well as how to increase process availability in order to ensure uninterrupted production capacity per shift. The event also highlighted ways to reliably produce consistent, repeatable quality and to address the shortage of qualified operating personnel.
“In the DACH region, several thousand BOBST machines are installed, a large number of which are still in operation at customer sites thanks to their high quality and robustness—some for more than 40 years. This makes one thing clear: we need to talk about asset lifecycle management. That is the core of this event,”
said Mark Mc Inulty, Managing Director of Bobst Meerbusch GmbH and responsible for sales and service across the entire DACH region.
Transformation within the framework of an Agenda 2030
“It is my responsibility to set up our organization accordingly. We have therefore developed an ‘Agenda 2030’, with which we are specifically optimizing and digitalizing our processes. We are improving our local on-call service, the deployment planning of our service technicians, and our spare parts supply. By the end of the year, we will significantly increase the number of our field service technicians and strengthen our internal teams—especially in technical service and customer care. In addition, we are hiring data specialists and analysts who will support you with their expertise in data management. Furthermore, in the future, our account managers will be your point of contact for both sales and service matters,” Mc Inulty explained.
BOBST will also use its campus in Meerbusch, currently with more than 130 employees, in the future for presenting new services and technological solutions for the DACH region and for training customers’ operating personnel there.
“Primarily, our campus is a training and service center,” Mc Inulty added.
In services, process optimizations and the digitalization of processes are becoming increasingly important. One example is the modernization of older machines or, alternatively, their replacement with new, more efficient machines or technologies.
A holistic approach reflected in the event agenda
The holistic nature of this offering was reflected in the event agenda, which was moderated by Digital Solutions Manager, Manfred Bauer. Through presentations, live machine demonstrations, showcases of new services and technological solutions, as well as “focus stations,” the team from Bobst Meerbusch demonstrated a wide range of levers that enable customers to optimize their processes holistically or improve individual work steps in a targeted way.
Productivity, efficiency, quality, repeatability, flexibility, and the profitable production of both large and smaller orders were recurring themes throughout the CAMPUS 26 event.
Innovation as a response to global competition
“Germany and the DACH region remain the core of industrial development in Europe, and the strategy developed by Mark Mc Inulty and his team for this market is the right path forward. I hope you will see this reflected in what you experience here over the next two days,” said BOBST CEO, Jean-Pascal Bobst.
“Packaging will continue to play an important role. It is your and our responsibility to shape the future of the packaging industry together and to develop the best solutions.”
In addition to automation, the intelligent use of process and machine data is a key factor. BOBST is working on numerous developments in this area and therefore does not need to fear competition from China.
Innovations presented in Meerbusch
Among the innovations presented in Meerbusch was the completely newly developed Inliner VISIONFFG 1024. This is a compact and efficient complete solution specifically designed for the standard production of medium to large RSC boxes, such as folding crates for beverages and e-commerce packaging.
“Simple die-cut packaging with basic printing is highly price-competitive. At the same time, it must meet high requirements in terms of folding quality and stability. The VISIONFFG 1024 is an ideal machine for this,” said Key Account Manager Salin Hunt.
With its technology and servo-driven inline architecture, the machine minimizes process variability, maximizes controllability, and ensures long-term mechanical reliability. It is also compatible with BOBST prefeeder and palletizing systems. A VISIONFFG 1024 will be installed at the Meerbusch campus later this year for demonstration and training purposes.
Serge Gresser, Technical Sales Manager in the folder-gluer segment, presented innovative features for corrugated board processing using the MASTERFOLD as an example. These included the ability to fully automatically adjust transfer and delivery settings, enabling new standards in performance, ease of operation, safety, automation, and quality.
In addition, these machines can be integrated with innovative robotics solutions, allowing for largely automated packaging production.
