The sixth edition of ICCMA Congress was held this year in Mumbai from 4 to 6 October 2018, along with IndiaCorr Expo 2018, one of India’s biggest and the only focused exhibition for the corrugated packaging industry. The theme for this year’s ICCMA Congress was ‘Value erosion – a stark reality (how do we reverse it?).’ Eminent speakers and panel members from across the country shared their views and expertise on the relevant topics.
BOBST presented several innovations at ICCMA Congress 2018, including its FFG 8.20 DSCOVERY, FFG 924 NT and FFG 1228 NT, LILA II 106 | 145 | 170, and VISIONCUT 1.6 Die-cutter for boosting productivity in the corrugated manufacturing market..
The Bobst stand drew attention for its FFG 8.20 DSCOVERY, a flexo-folder-gluer that recently set two new world production records with the production rate of around 18,000 boxes an hour. Apart from this, FFG 924 NT and FFG 1228 NT state-of-the-art converting machines were the highlights.
A specialty folder-gluer that was a focus of discussions was LILA II 106 | 145 | 170, a configurable machine designed with the needs of both litho-laminated and corrugated board packaging manufacturers in mind. The many benefits of LILA II include advanced feeding, accurate pre-breaking and controlled folding process, ensuring perfect box quality and productivity.
Venugopal Menon, business director, BU Sheet Fed – Indian Sub-Continent at BOBST said, “Several of our clients were present at ICCMA and reiterated just how satisfied they are with the performance of our machines in terms of the quality and quantity of corrugated boxes produced.”
He further added, “From our conversations at the stand with so many manufacturers, we think we are at a real turning point in India. As a result, a significant number of converters are now seriously considering upgrading their technology and utilizing completely automatic lines, capable of faster, high quality corrugated box production. The inline process starts making real business sense once a threshold limit is reached – between 1000-1500 MT (Metric Tonnes) per month or more of conversion or close to 100,000 boxes per day.”
Die-cutters, such as VISIONCUT 1.6, also attracted considerable attention. VISIONCUT 1.6 is a flatbed die-cutting machine for nano/micro flute to double-double corrugated board and litho-laminated packaging. It is linked with the optional power register. The machine is time efficient, flexible for various die-cutting jobs and delivers job changeovers in less than 10 minutes.
Bhavesh Pingle, business manager, corrugated business at BOBST said, “The potential of the corrugated box market in India is unfolding before our eyes. There have been challenges in this market due to the very nature of the industry, comprising thousands of small players running manual/semi-automatic plants to cater to the needs of local nearby industries. But manufacturers are now seeing the benefit of automation and of running full lines, and the huge boost that this brings in terms of productivity and cost-savings. We are excited about what we can help manufacturers in India to achieve, both now and in the future.”
Since 2013, BOBST has sold a total of thirteen in-line flexo-folder-gluers (FFG) in India. Based on the feedback at the BOBST stand in Mumbai, the company is assuming that the in-line solution is the way forward for mid- to large-size CB converters in the medium to long term.
