BOBST
Latest solutions to navigate through a fast-changing packaging industry

Back in 2020, BOBST revealed an industry vision based on four key pillars – connectivity, digitalisation, automation and sustainability. Recent world events have accelerated the need for these as never before. Now, these four pillars have become the cornerstones not only of the BOBST strategy, but the entire packaging environment.

“We correctly identified the overall packaging industry trends”

“While it was impossible to predict world events of recent years, like the pandemic, global conflicts, and subsequent consequences for our industry such as shortages of materials and manpower, we did correctly identify the overall packaging industry trends,” said Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO, Bobst Group. “While these trends have undoubtedly been accelerated, BOBST has implemented a strategy and built a portfolio of solutions and services that enables converters and brand owners to thrive even in this new packaging world. At BOBST, we believe the future will be driven by even more connectivity and proximity, more digitalisation and flexibility, more automation and productivity and more sustainability and responsibility.” 

More connectivity and proximity

BOBST believes that the entire packaging value chain can be connected, giving clear visibility of the production process to converters and brand owners.

The key enabler of this vision is the new, updated BOBST Connect, which provides digital solutions to prepare, produce, react to, maintain, and optimise the production workflow of a job. The newly launched version of BOBST Connect offers a host of features and functionality to help customers optimise their packaging at every stage. By linking up every single step of the process, BOBST Connect is reported to heighten efficiency, control, and data knowledge, improving quality and efficiency across the value chain.

A great service experience is reported to be ensured through proximity to its customers. The new BOBST Helpline Essential for non-connectable machines is a remote assistance service that allows customers to have access to video streaming and high priority connection with BOBST Technical Services specialists for quicker trouble shooting and issue solving. It is estimated that around 50% of cases will be solvable via streaming.

Meanwhile, to further improve parts logistics services, BOBST is opening a new logistics hub for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. The new EMEA hub – located in Genk, Belgium – joins existing hubs in the US and Asia Pacific. The logistics centre, with 100 000 parts for all product lines are available for immediate dispatch, and it is expected to significantly improve the service level to its EMEA customers with faster delivery times including a 24/7 dispatch service.

More digitalisation and flexibility

The need for digitalisation is growing as it continues to enable reduction of steps and waste.

The BOBST All-in-One DIGITAL MASTER 340 and DIGITAL MASTER 510 label presses were launched in March, which are expected to fundamentally change the way label production is set up – fully digitalised from the PDF, with 100% inline inspection as a closed loop, to the final embellished and finished labels across one unified workflow.

More sustainability and responsibility

BOBST believes that sustainability is not tomorrow’s challenge – and they claim to be ready to launch sustainability solutions today.

BOBST – together with its partners – continues to make great progress. As part of the CEFLEX (Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging) initiative, they have recently introduced an exciting new high barrier flexible packaging solution designed for recyclability – a metallized, high barrier, mono-material, flexo printed new recycled polypropylene (rPP) pouch. It is the first surface printed pouch with barrier, produced using rPP household collected recycled material on the market.

They are also working on a home compostable packaging solution in partnership with Tipa – a specialist developer of sustainable packaging – and a fully paper based, high barrier, recycle ready solution, called FibreCycle. The latter is part of oneBARRIER – a family of new alternative and sustainable solutions that BOBST is developing with its partners.

Finally, as part of their commitment to the cross-industry consortium R-Cycle and its mission to ensure the traceability of single-use plastics through Digital Product Passports (DPP), BOBST has completed a pilot at its Competence Center in Manchester, where a demo machine is R-Cycle ready. This project will now be extended to other product lines (Coating, Laminating, Ci Flexo printing, Gravure printing).

“While there is no question that the challenges we face in today’s packaging environment are greater and more varied than ever, at BOBST we know we have the portfolio, services and partnerships in place to help converters and brand owners navigate successfully through them,” says Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO, Bobst Group. “We have chosen the right strategy back in 2020 and now converters and brand owners can really benefit from that. Together, we can embrace a better future with confidence.”

www.bobst.com