The folding cartons market in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region is forecast to rise from US$2.8 billion in 2016 to US$4.9 billion by the end of 2024, as the countries in the region experience significant industrial growth.
The Philippines, for example, was the 10th fastest growing economy in the world in 2017, and the packaging industry is enjoying a boom as consumers become increasingly affluent. Luxury goods, toiletries, food and beverages are all growth industries in the country, boosting the folding carton packaging industry.
Printwell Inc. is one of the largest and most modern commercial and industrial printers in the Philippines. It is a full-service printing company, which provides high-quality multi-color offset, web and flexo printing for a broad range of customers in different industries, including food and beverage, publishing, pharmaceutical, personal care and electronics.
Food packaging accounts for about 45 percent of Printwell’s carton sales, including breakfast cereal cartons and infant formula cartons. “These products are growing as the Philippines’ population grows — our population is now 100 million,” said Robert Yam, President of Printwell. “It’s also a very young population. Cereal cartons are filled and packed locally for export to other Asian countries, but domestic consumption of breakfast cereals is picking up fast.” Infant formula companies are also looking to produce appealing and functional cartons to attract mothers to their products. There is a growing need and demand for pharmaceutical and personal care cartons. This is why Printwell and its group of companies continue to invest in technology that will allow them to keep ahead of the ever-changing needs of their customers.
Partnership with BOBST brings quality and reliability
Printwell’s success depends upon the quality and reliability of its manufacturing equipment. For this, the company looks to BOBST, a leading global supplier of equipment and services to packaging and label manufacturers in the folding carton, corrugated board and flexible materials industries. “We have enjoyed a working partnership with BOBST for over 30 years,” explained Yam. “Our first BOBST machine was a MEDIA 45 folder-gluer back in 1987. Almost every year since then we have invested in new machines. BOBST is like a Swiss watch manufacturer – they are all about quality, precision, reliability and functionality.”
Introducing SPEEDWAVE 2
The company operates three carton plants in Manila. As part of the company’s production expansion, several new presses have been installed in recent years. Its latest post press investment is a new EXPERTFOLD 110 with SPEEDWAVE 2, which was installed at the Printwell plant in early 2017. SPEEDWAVE 2 is BOBST’s latest no-hooks device for running crash-lock boxes and other special boxes. SPEEDWAVE 2 paves the way towards achieving incredible production speeds, considerably reducing downtime and setting times.
“SPEEDWAVE 2 has led into significant improvement on production in terms of output, easy set up and quality consistency,” said Robert Yam. “As a result, we have doubled the net output of our EXPERTFOLD.”
Exceptional folding quality
SPEEDWAVE 2 is associated with exceptional folding quality and significantly higher productivity. It is also extremely simple to set up, and is highly ergonomic, with one button for all settings. It requires 80% less tooling to be set.
The machine has reduced downtime and hook-free folding for a more stable folding process throughout the speed range. It is associated with better consistency, less noise and less maintenance. “We are very pleased with the impact SPEEDWAVE 2 has had on our productivity and what we can deliver to our clients,” said Yam. “We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with BOBST in the years ahead.”
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