A new exclusive partnership for the Americas between BOBST and FLEXO SOLUTIONS is proving popular with clients. Since it was announced in May 2019, BOBST’s clients in the folding carton and corrugated industries have had access to a wider range of tooling storage and automated printing plate washing machinery.
BOBST continues to fulfil its future vision of a fully connected packaging production chain by expanding its offering to clients and supply all the equipment and technology needed. This includes not only the printing and converting process but also all the surrounding functions.
The partnership with FLEXO SOLUTIONS has increased BOBST’s industry-leading range of tooling solutions and expertise for clients in the Americas. Printers are finding that by implementing smarter tooling and plate organization & storage, they can further optimise their production process and improve productivity significantly due to faster and smoother machine setups and changeovers, and less downtime.
Highlighting the tooling workflow
FLEXO SOLUTIONS Corp. designs and manufactures high-quality storage systems for flexo printing plates and cutting dies, both flatbed and rotary. It works directly with each client to develop a system that fits their specific requirements.
Each storage solution consists of modular racks complemented by stackers, aluminium gantry crane and trolleys for safe handling and transfer of cutting dies and plates. The system can be customized to fit any production facility and helps maximise capital investment by enabling a much leaner and more agile operation. In turn, this reduces waste of time and materials, and may even free up space for more machinery.
Tooling and plate storage are often overlooked as part of the equation, with facilities constructed without taking the storage workflow into account. FLEXO SOLUTIONS’ systems have been specially designed to improve both workflow and safety, thereby reducing potential machine downtime that can be caused by tooling or plate handling damage, and avoiding accidents.
“The biggest challenge our clients face is limited space,” said CEO of FLEXO SOLUTIONS Corp., Jose A. Ruiz. “Our clients reach out to us to help them optimize space and come up with a solution that gives them easy, safe and cost-effective access to their tooling. Before, this was not taken in consideration when a new machine was bought, or a new plant was built, so by default no storage was dedicated specifically to the tools and plates.”
He continued, “In any large printing company, a huge amount of fixed capital is tied up in tooling, but this is almost invisible. We work side by side with the client to highlight this cost and apply the most efficient solution to protect and increase the lifetime of their investment.”
Leading the way in innovation
BOBST has always recognised the huge benefit that lies in creating strategic partnerships in all the industries it serves. Over the years, it has cooperated with a number of other suppliers to leverage their combined strengths, be it to develop new sustainable materials, increase automation, drive forward technological research or share knowledge – all in the name of bringing added value to its clients and push the process forward.
“BOBST has led innovation in the industry from the beginning, not only by creating it, but also by partnering up with companies to cover the specific needs in every field,” said Mr Ruiz, “so when they approached us about setting up a partnership, we didn’t hesitate.”
He stated, “Together, we are setting the standards in the market. Our cassettes, racks and trolleys are designed and manufactured following the technical specification of every BOBST machine, giving the client a complete end-to-end solution and fastest return on investment.”
“We are creating a new vision for the packaging industry, with full connectivity and digitalization throughout the entire workflow,” commented Alex Gigon, Director Service Operations. “No detail is too small, and we need to make sure that each and every operation, including tooling storage and plate cleaning, is optimized and all waste is taken out of the process. Our partnership with FLEXO SOLUTIONS does just that and we are pleased to say that our clients agree.”
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