Hold ‘Em, Fold ‘Em
Folders/gluers can deal converters a winning hand.
September 2006 by Tom Polischuk
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Companies that design and build folders/gluers are working hard to help their customers maintain a competitive edge. packagePRINTING talked to a number of companies that produce high-performance folder/gluers to get their view on what their customers need.
Alan Thompson, product manager, Bobst Group USA—Today’s customers are seeking the best “price-to-performance” that money can buy. Many base their decision based upon the amount of work which is being farmed out. Bringing this work in-house not only ensures better cost control, but better quality control of the finished product.
Secondly, potential savings in makeready time and improved run speeds are also evaluated by customers with existing equipment compared to the gains in purchasing new equipment.
The third and probably most important question that all potential and existing companies ask themselves is “Will my supplier be around for the long haul?”. The educated customer who appreciates service and support after the sale knows that this security can be found in a well-established supplier.
Jim McDonald, ADI/PDM Trade Group—When considering a new folder/gluer, the customer must consider the substrate to fold and glue, production speeds, and support from the machinery builder.
Ron Brajkovich, product manager - folding and gluing/blanking, Brandtjen and Kluge—Narrowing the field of choices can easily be handled by dissecting your own jobs—identifying the work load, makeready requirements, run lengths, and turn times will narrow the field of choices to equipment-specific, individual needs.
Ultimately, if a customer truly considers his own work, capability requirements, run lengths, and turn times for the product, the world of available machines will be narrowed to a few specific machines that meet his specific needs. Once you have narrowed the field of options you can add value to your own purchase by selecting a manufacturer with a reputation for excellence that will be there to support your efforts long after the purchase.
Tim Kirkland, eastern region sales manager, Brandtjen & Kluge—The top three [factors] would be capacity, capability, and turnaround. Those would be driven by type of product, complexity of product, and average run length. The most critical machine features are those that reduce makeready, promote flexibility, and reduce turn time.
Capacity: With run lengths dropping, and complexity increasing, per-hour gross speed specifications don’t say much about a folder/gluer’s practical capacity. A profitable broad-market folder/gluer today is one that can run a high number of pieces per shift, per operator, regardless of complexity.
Alan Thompson, product manager, Bobst Group USA—Today’s customers are seeking the best “price-to-performance” that money can buy. Many base their decision based upon the amount of work which is being farmed out. Bringing this work in-house not only ensures better cost control, but better quality control of the finished product.
Secondly, potential savings in makeready time and improved run speeds are also evaluated by customers with existing equipment compared to the gains in purchasing new equipment.
The third and probably most important question that all potential and existing companies ask themselves is “Will my supplier be around for the long haul?”. The educated customer who appreciates service and support after the sale knows that this security can be found in a well-established supplier.
Jim McDonald, ADI/PDM Trade Group—When considering a new folder/gluer, the customer must consider the substrate to fold and glue, production speeds, and support from the machinery builder.
Ron Brajkovich, product manager - folding and gluing/blanking, Brandtjen and Kluge—Narrowing the field of choices can easily be handled by dissecting your own jobs—identifying the work load, makeready requirements, run lengths, and turn times will narrow the field of choices to equipment-specific, individual needs.
Ultimately, if a customer truly considers his own work, capability requirements, run lengths, and turn times for the product, the world of available machines will be narrowed to a few specific machines that meet his specific needs. Once you have narrowed the field of options you can add value to your own purchase by selecting a manufacturer with a reputation for excellence that will be there to support your efforts long after the purchase.
Tim Kirkland, eastern region sales manager, Brandtjen & Kluge—The top three [factors] would be capacity, capability, and turnaround. Those would be driven by type of product, complexity of product, and average run length. The most critical machine features are those that reduce makeready, promote flexibility, and reduce turn time.
Capacity: With run lengths dropping, and complexity increasing, per-hour gross speed specifications don’t say much about a folder/gluer’s practical capacity. A profitable broad-market folder/gluer today is one that can run a high number of pieces per shift, per operator, regardless of complexity.
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Package Printing, Second Edition