BOBST is to supply seven conversion lines for a greenfield site currently under construction by Grupo Gondi at Nava in Coahuila state, Mexico.
The lines include state-of-the-art MASTERCUT die-cutters and EXPERTFOLD folder-gluers. The order reflects Grupo Gondi's commitment to investing in innovative production equipment and its trust in the equipment and world-leading service support provided by BOBST. The new plant will also feature a 400 meter per minute corrugator from BOBST strategic partner BHS, which will be the first of its type in Latin America.
Emilio Corti, Head of Sales for BOBST's Business Unit Sheet Fed, said, "This deal is the continuation of a very long and successful business relationship we have with Grupo Gondi and proves that our advanced technologies meet in full the needs of high-end customers in North America."
Grupo Gondi is the leading paper and packaging business in Mexico and the new plant is being constructed to supply the present and future packaging needs of manufacturers in the Coahuila, Mexico area, as well as those in the southern states of the USA. Grupo Gondi supplies specialized packaging to the CCC Brewery in Nava, Mexico, and is supporting CBI by building its new plant very close to its customer. The plant will feature corrugated, litho-laminated, micro-flute and folding carton production with high graphics capabilities.
Eduardo Posada, CEO of Grupo Gondi, said, "This investment in state-of-the-art BOBST and BHS equipment reinforces Gondi's focus to respond properly and innovatively to the needs and challenges of our customers, and strengthens our commitment to efficient operations, innovation and the best service level."
In a deal closed at the end of 2014, BOBST will supply two MASTERCUT 2.1 die-cutters complete with pre-feeders and palletizers, two VISIONCUT 1.6 PR die-cutters, two EXPERTFOLD 145 folder-gluers and an EXPERTFOLD 165. All four die-cutters feature the unique BOBST Power Register system which provides dynamic, non-contact registration of die-cutting to the print on the sheet. Power Register represents the leading edge of die-cutting technology and is of particular use for the conversion of litho-laminated sheets, which traditional mechanical registration systems struggle with.
The three EXPERTFOLD lines represent the very latest in BOBST folding and gluing technology, the model having been launched just last year. EXPERTFOLD offers true control of each box as it goes through the machine, resulting in high performance allied to excellent final box quality. EXPERTFOLD also offers flexibility in the type and dimensions of the substrates that can be run. All three BOBST folder-gluers for Grupo Gondi's new plant will be A2 versions, giving the client the ability to manufacture straight-line or crash lock cartons on any line.
The 400 m/min 98" BHS corrugator is a volume line with end-to-end automation, designed for filling large orders and achieving maximum delivery reliability. It comes with the technology to corrugate and laminate preprinted material at high speed.
Grupo Gondi's Nava plant will be built in two phases, with the startup of phase one due in the final quarter of 2015. The eventual capacity of the plant is planned to be around 10'000 tons of corrugated and micro-flute packaging per month, and the company has set demanding efficiency targets of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in excess of 80%. Achieving these targets is substantially supported by the choice of BOBST die-cutting and folding & gluing equipment, which is noted for its high productivity and uptime, which is in part due to the extensive support available to customers from the local BOBST service center in Mexico City.
Emilio Corti, said, "As in the rest of the world, our customers in Mexico not only value the technology and productivity of our equipment, they also value the support we supply from our local service centers. We are able to deliver technical advice, spare parts and engineers very quickly because we have teams of people local to our customers. It's part of our 360 degree support, which starts before they buy a machine and continues throughout its working life."
