Americraft Carton, Inc. (Winston-Salem, NC), a $25 million producer of printed folding cartons, has added a Diana X 115 folder gluer from Heidelberg to reduce a production backlog and help move product to its customers on a just-in-time basis. Originally added to increase capacity while retaining two older folding and gluing lines, the Diana X 115 quickly proved so productive that Americraft decommissioned two of its existing folder-gluers to eliminate the costs associated with running and maintaining them.
The new Diana X 115 helps ensure that the finishing department is more than able to pace the output of Americraft's 40"and 56" sheetfed presses. Run lengths range from 10,000 to 1 million cartons.
"Our complex multifold volume is up, primarily as the result of a recent acquisition," explained Randy Brown, plant manager. "We've basically doubled our output from 10,000-15,000 cartons per hour to between 25,000 and 50,000 cartons per hour," Brown said. "It wasn't that we couldn't keep up, but now we can turn everything around from receipt of the purchase order to delivery within 10 days."
"A Lot More Machine"
At 102 feet in length, and comprising blank alignment, lockbottom, collapsible box, and pressing modules, as well as ejector and transfer stations, Americraft's Diana X 115 is "a lot more machine than we've ever had," Brown explained. As a result, "Setups can take slightly longer, but the tremendous production capabilities and speed of the machine more than make up for it on the back end."
The endlessly configurable Diana X 115 produces top-quality results at speeds up to 2,132 feet per minute. Quickly and easily operated via touchscreen display, the Diana folder-gluer boasts a high level of automation and exceptionally short makeready times. Brown also credits thorough training and strong support from Heidelberg with helping the company get up to speed with the new equipment.
Americraft Carton has exhibited steady growth through acquisition since the 1980s. Today, the privately held company operates seven manufacturing plants nationwide. Markets include food, health and beauty, tobacco, automotive, household products, apparel, toys, and sports equipment. Having beefed up its postpress production capacity, Americraft aims to grow its existing footprint in the food, health, and beauty markets that are the company's bread and butter, Brown said.
