Expertflex NT delivers print quality for The Cardboard Box Company

Packaging Solutions

When The Cardboard Box Company invested in a Bobst Expertflex NT flexo press in 2017, a pandemic was something that would only ever occur in science fiction novels. 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.

‘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 the 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% of the output of uncoated board was being achieved.

‘Quite simply, we couldn’t 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.’

In 2002, the company invested in its first Bobst machine – a Visioncut die cutter. Since then, it has installed a further nine Bobst machines, including a 924 four colour Casemaker, a 1636 four colour printer-slotter, a 618 four colour Casemaker, two Visioncut die cutters, a Pacific Multi-Point folder-gluer, two Expertfold multi-point folder-gluers and a 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 Bobst to help find a solution.

‘The problems we were experiencing couldn’t be ignored, said Ken. ‘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. Bobst’s understanding of what we needed production wise, and our limitations in terms of outlay, was second to none.’

Ken continued, ‘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 don’t have the waste caused by high rejection rates. Again, we are seeing about a 50% improvement on waste during set up.’

‘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 ExpertfolD multi-point gluers, a second double sided taping machine for e-commerce, the litho lamination and now thanks to the 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 3000 to 4000 sheets per hour, 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 sheets per hour, dependent on sheet size and print complexity.