Back in 2006, when multinational packaging groups were focusing on moving their production to low cost countries to follow the global shift of production volume, Gundlach continued its strategic vision by strengthening their production facility in Oerlinghausen - Germany, where tobacco boxes of the highest quality are converted. Measured on the efficiency, flexibility and quality achieved today, Gundlach has proven its competitiveness amongst other leading tobacco packaging suppliers operating from lower cost locations.
Key investment drivers included not only the company’s ambition of strengthening and continuously growing in this highly specialized business segment, but also environmental considerations, and its long-term production profitability in Germany. This led to the decision to invest into a new BOBST LEMANIC RIVIERA gravure press line with a V-DRrive rotary die-cutter, featuring state-of-the-art printing units, an unrivalled direct drive double embossing station, and a unique rotary section with variable tool width.
Company information
Gundlach Verpackungen is part of Gundlach holdings which is a family owned business employing around 1000 people. The company was founded in 1847 and has since adapted to continuous market changes and expanded its business in Germany.
With its 400 employees, Gundlach Verpackungen in Oerlinghausen achieves an annual turnover of €80m. One of the main focuses is high added value packaging for the tobacco industry, where its sister company Gundlach Verpackung is a renowned leading supplier. To maintain this position, continuous investments are made in research, development and cutting edge production equipment.
The sister companies activities cover two publication houses, commercial printing, the flexo printing of labels, paper & film, corrugated printing & converting for display cartons, and a facility for gravure printed food packaging in Dubai.
Inauguration Celebration of RIVIERA press line on 21st of June 2007
From left: Paul von Schubert, Dr. Gisela Kaselowsky, Prof. Dr. Bernhard von Schubert, Dr. Ingeborg von Schubert, Dr. Uwe Schürmann
Project history
The company’s first LEMANIC gravure press line, complete with DR67 rotary die-cutter, was purchased in 2001 for the dedicated production of tobacco packaging. With a total of seven gravure lines, Gundlach Verpackungen produces packaging ranging from tea tags to tobacco boxes. Three gravure press lines with inline sheeters are dedicated to producing value added tobacco boxes which require downstream offline hot foil stamping.
In the same factory there are a number of sheet-feed litho presses. For sheet-fed converting, Gundlach Verpackungen has been a satisfied, long-term partner of BOBST with a number of die-cutters and folder gluers, as well as Steuer hot foil stamping equipment.
Gundlach Verpackungen has many years of experience and superb expertise in gravure printing and in-line converting spread through its installed machine park. The need for more production capacity arose and Gundlach looked into modern production methods. The BOBST LEMANIC RIVIERA press convinced them with its printing capacity, its newly developed direct drive embossing solution, and its V-DRIVE variable web width rotary die-cutter. This production line was also the ideal solution in terms of printing quality, register accuracy, and minimal production costs. With its undisputed reputation for the lowest production waste levels and highest efficiency, the BOBST LEMANIC RIVIERA stood head and shoulders above any similar production lines available in the market place.
A further important factor was the total compatibility and flexibility of the line with the company’s existing LEMANIC DR67 press line, meaning that existing printing cylinders could be used as well as opening up the possibility to re-use existing sleeves and solid embossing tooling / cassettes within the new double embossing station.
With a portfolio including the highest quality tobacco packaging for the demanding Japanese market, compromises in the production tool were simply excluded.
The success of Gundlach’s investment strategy was further confirmed by the fact that the initial ambitious production planning has been achieved rapidly and the LEMANIC RIVIERA with V-DRrive is today at its full capacity. The required flexibility has also been reached, with changeovers between short grain and long grain production lots being optimized on both press lines, so giving substantially higher press availability.
Press configuration outline
The BOBST LEMANIC RIVIERA press line is laid out for a 275 m/min production speed and is equipped with the following modules:
- Monomatic unwinder with motorized core shafts
- Oil heated web conditioning unit
- Infeed unit with web-cleaner
- 10 RIVIERA gravure printing units with sleeve impression rollers
- Inking by inking rollers
- Direct drive double-embossing station for sleeve and cassette system
- V-DRIVE rotary die-cutter allowing variable tool widths
- Vacuum transfer and SPEEDFLOW delivery with stacker
- REGISTRON S 5100 integrated automatic registration system
- Electro Static Assist system
- Automatic viscosity control
- REGISTRON iQ300 integrated 100% web inspection system with defect tracking
- Robotized & automatic palletizing system
LEMANIC RIVIERA with V-DRIVE rotary die-cutter
Here some details on new features:
Direct drive double-embossing station for sleeve and cassette system
By choosing their first direct drive double-embossing station for sleeves as well as for cassette systems, Gundlach Verpackungen has taken a strategic step, offering advantages to its customers while keeping production costs low and efficiency high. Various combinations of embossing are possible, allowing Gundlach to offer unique solutions for both today’s and tomorrow’s product requirements.
Existing tooling and cassettes can be used in the new LEMANIC RIVIERA press. Both solid and sleeve embossing tooling can easily be changed off-press thanks to a second cassette, so keeping production up-time at its highest.
With the sleeve embossing station the tool changeover takes only minutes and does not involve cutting the web.
The new direct drive double-embossing station features BOBST‘s state-of-the-art, 100% integrated direct servo-drive technology which includes integrated register corrections and process control. The emboss-to-print registration accuracy achieved outperforms any embossing solutions installed in the market place.
HIGHWAY VIEW remote diagnostics on the entire LEMANIC press line
All major BOBST modules on the LEMANIC RIVIERA press line can be reached remotely through the internet, allowing BOBST and Gundlach to explore and evaluate each machine module together using the newly available HIGHWAY VIEW diagnostic tools.
REGISTRON iQ 300 - 100% web inspection system
A must for tobacco packaging printers and converters is 100% print defect inspection. In combination with the automatic palletizing system installed behind the SpeedFlow delivery/stacker, defect tracking customized to Gundlach’s requirements, ensures 100% process control with minimum manpower and with only fully inspected boxes leaving the factory.
A successful strategy from project start until full production
Relying on a competent and versatile equipment supplier, Gundlach’s strategy to source its equipment from BOBST has been successful.
This applies not only to inline gravure printing and converting solutions, but also to hot foil stamping equipment and sheet-fed die-cutting from BOBST, each of which is present at the Oerlinghausen dedicated tobacco packaging production facility.
Apart from providing the right technical solution, BOBST was also able to meet a very short lead time and to install and commission the LEMANIC RIVIERA in record time:
The close and constructive working partnership between BOBST and Gundlach Verpackungen is an ongoing asset which underlines the right choice taken by Gundlach.
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Bobst SA, Lausanne, Switzerland, December 2009
