Swanline achieves world first with Bobst Connect across mixed equipment portfolio

Admin
Jul 1
2 min read

Print Solutions

Swanline Group has become the first company in the world to implement the Bobst Connect platform across its wider machine portfolio including both the manufacturer’s and third party equipment.

Bobst Connect combines data and digital services into a single, fully connected platform, providing a real time overview and management of a company’s production process. It integrates raw machine data with knowledge and expertise to improve printing and packaging productivity.

Swanline’s has connected its two Visioncut 1.6 die cutters and Expertfold 165 folder-gluer, along with a Bobst laminator and another die cutter. Importantly, two of the oldest machines have been retrofitted with novel technology enabling the machines’ analogue signal to be translated into digital data.

Chris Brown, managing director, Swanline Group, said: ‘By capturing and interpreting data across a broader range of equipment, we will be able to optimise processes that were once based purely on experience or assumption. It is a big step toward building a more connected, responsive and data informed manufacturing environment. This opens up exciting potential to bring a new level of intelligence to areas of the business that previously operated without that kind of visibility.

‘We chose to use Bobst Connect as part of our broader strategy to drive smarter, more efficient and data led manufacturing across the business. As a trade only supplier, our customers rely on us to deliver with precision, consistency and speed, and having clear visibility over our production data is essential to achieving that. Ultimately, our decision to adopt Bobst Connect is about staying ahead, giving our teams the information they need to work more efficiently, more precisely and with greater confidence.’

The platform is designed to improve packaging and printing productivity via improved planning, better informed decision making, faster and more effective intervention, and continual optimisation. As a cloud based platform, users can connect to the system through any internet enabled device. ‘The data can be literally in the palm of your hand, any time you need it,’ said Paul Stevenson, digital performance solutions manager, Northern Europe, at Bobst.

He added, ‘This is the first time our platform has been deployed across a mixed equipment portfolio, proving that true digital integration is possible regardless of machine type or age. It reflects our vision of shaping a packaging industry where dataflows freely, processes are transparent, and decisions are driven by insight. We are proud to support Swanline as a pioneer in this transformation.’

The package offers priority remote technical support including video enabled assistance to help diagnose faults and issues faster. In addition, Swanline has added energy monitoring tools to two of its connected machines, enabling the production team to correlate energy usage with production data.