Jean Pascal Bobst in a press conference on 29 May 2024 at drupa, announced the company’s latest solutions and strategic partnerships aligned to its vision to help shape the future of the packaging industry. He noted, “This is a bold statement, and it will take time,” to usher in a new era in packaging where the entire production line is connected, enabling seamless end-to-end workflows.
“We are fulfilling our industry vision ‘to shape the future of the packaging world’ based on the pillars of connectivity, digitalization, automation, and sustainability,” said the CEO of the Bobst Group. “Our solutions empower printers and converters to embrace digitalization while advancing towards a more sustainable future. We are proud to engage with industry leaders, forge new partnerships, and chart a course towards continued innovation and progress.”
Bobst shows solutions for folding cartons, corrugated cartons and flexible packaging and labels at drupa 2024Aside from reiterating that the company is in the four packaging areas or segments of folding cartons, corrugated cartons, labels and flexible packaging, he revealed that Bobst is now a software company. Apart from its continued collaboration with Microsoft, it has recently entered into a strategic partnership with French company Packitoo. Packitoo HIPE is a web-based sales tool, which automates the generation of quotations, manages packaging projects, and supports web-to-pack eShops for printers and converters. The partnership aligns with the strategy to digitalize and connect the entire packaging value chain, from brand owners to converters and equipment suppliers.
Bobst is also planning to enter the industry consulting arena through another investment that will encompass all technologies and entire installations that include technologies from other manufacturers as well.
The Bobst CEO updated us on innovations such as the new version Mastercut 165 PER, that now works for die-cutting corrugated board as well, a step up from the earlier Mastercut 165 PER that die-cut folding cartons and litho-laminated cartons. He mentioned new Bobst Thalia UV inks for labels and folding cartons – the inks have good foldable characteristics, adding that the company’s OneECG solution is now Pantone certified.
In flexible packaging, Bobst’s extended color gamut (oneECG) technology used for gravure printing has been fully validated by Pantone. Bobst is also launching a cloud-based certified substrate library in Bobst Connect, which allows converters to access up to date Bobst certified material lists to fast-track substrate calibration.
While clarifying that the Bobst stand at drupa is aimed at creating understanding and discussion of the new data and connectivity concepts, Jean Pascal Bobst affirmed that all the clouds of various segments and suppliers in the chain will have to be able to interact seamlessly. There are no machines at the stand he added, except the All-in-one concept press for folding cartons, emphasizing the creation of an exhibition platform for face-to-face explanations, and mutual learning.
Bobst stand at drupa24 – the concept press for short run folding cartons and flexible packagingPhoto PSA
Digital Master 55: all-in-one digital printing and converting platform for folding carton
At the Bobst stand one saw the Digital Master 55 concept machine, which is the new all-in-one digital printing and converting platform tailored for the folding carton industry, opening up possibilities for short-to-mid-size runs, with short lead times and high product quality.
Combining printing, embellishment, quality control, and die-cutting inline at 100 meters per minute (mpm), the Digital Master 55 is meant to offer the shortest time to market (such as same-day delivery). Bobst claims it has the best Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) among comparable printing and converting solutions.
This platform, which features full inline and automated printing adjustment capabilities and quality inspection, is said to be ideal for runs up to 6,000 B1 equivalent sheets where it can significantly reduce production time by up to 80% and reduce costs on short runs.
Bobst Connect: Digitalization and automation redefined
Also at its stand in Hall 10, Bobst demonstrated it next level connectivity and digitalization enabling a closed-loop workflow ecosystem from pdf to twin pdf for improving productivity, ease of use and contributing to sustainability. New features include a major update to equipment monitoring, providing more detailed data insights, while performance management provides insights on equipment, shift and job performance and energy consumption, optimizing sustainability and cost.
For labels, the new cloud based Bobst’s Digital Front End (DFE) 3.0, was shown for the first time to the public and it will be commercially available later in the year. It enables access to real-time data, resources and workflow templates anywhere, at any time. Color management can be managed centrally and shared in the cloud, and its web-based interface supports multiple users across multiple sites.
