DS Smith in Oftringen installs new Hunkeler Systeme baling press

World’s 2nd largest packaging manufacturer turns waste into cash

March 26, 2018

The packaging manufacturer DS Smith in Oftringen in Switzerland has replaced an almost 20-year-old baling press with a new model. Thanks to a greater capacity, DS Smith now earns more cash from carton waste as the new high performance baling press comes into action.

DS Smith, the world’s second largest packaging manufacturer, has installed a
new baling press in Oftringen. The press replaces an older model from 1998 and
increases the capacity by one third to 18 tons of compacted carton waste per day.

The previous press had reached the limit of what it could do. DS Smith had to
deliver large quantities of carton in un-compacted form to external companies,
and pay for the privilege as well.

Since the beginning of the year, all this has changed. All carton waste from
the diecutting and blanking machines are taken via a conveyor belt to the new
press and compacted to market compliant bales with a weight of approximately
415 kilos. The company earns money for every ton of old carton-board which DS
Smith can deliver in bale format.

For Christian Finkl, head of Technology and Maintenance, the press is a worthwhile investment. Even if the added value is disregarded, he saves nearly 40%
in electrical energy, compared with the previous press. A frequency converter
is built into the controls of the new press, which regulates the press’s operating
performance dynamically in relation to the amount of carton waste going to the
press.

Dismantling and installation – all within six days

Christian Finkl describes the baling press as, the “‘heart of our production,’ If it
isn’t in operation, then nothing can be produced.” The time frame that Christian
Finkl gave Hunkeler Systeme AG for the removal of the old plant and the installation of the new was extremely tight. After the old press was switched off on

Hunkeler 3 — A new baling press provides DS
Smith added value and saves a great
deal of electrical energy

23 December 2017, the new press had to be ready for production by 3 January
2018, meaning that, due to public holidays, there were only six working days.
Working closely with Finkl’s technical team, Hunkeler Systeme managed to meet
the deadline with ease. The new baling press went into operation punctually at
4 a.m . on 3 January 2018.

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