Establecimiento Gráfico Impresores, a major Argentinian carton packaging, paper label and commercial printing producer for over fifty years, entered the flexible packaging arena in 2015 with the purchase of two 20SIX CI flexo presses and two CL 850 laminators, all four machines from BOBST.
In January 2019, the company placed a further order for an 8-color 20SEVEN CI flexo press to bring additional capacity to its printing operations.
Establecimiento Gráfico Impresores operates from state-of-the-art 50,000 sqm production facilities, 10,000 sqm of which are dedicated to flexible packaging operations. The plant is based in the company estate of Parque Industrial de Pilar, near Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company offers its customers a one-stop range of services from pre-press solutions through to end products. Therefore covering a diversity of market segments, including flexible and carton packaging for food, beverage, cosmetics and tobacco, offset printed paper labels for food and beverages, as well as commercial printing articles such as brochures and posters.
“In 2015 we decided to further diversify our activities into flexible packaging, a market that offered the fastest opportunities for growth,” explains Marcelo Alejandro Recio, President of Establecimento Gráfico Impresores. “We aimed high from the start in terms of growth objectives and invested in two BOBST CI flexo printing presses and two high performance laminators that would enable us to make a firm step into the high end of the market”.
At the time of investment and selection of the most suitable type of equipment for their ambitious project, one of the factors playing a role in their final choice was the history of the successful partnership that the company has with BOBST, dating back to their first investments in 1997 with BOBST die-cutting and folder-gluer machines.
The well-justified confidence has paid off given the fast growth and increase in demand in flexible packaging production since start of operation that has led to the latest investment in the top of range 20SEVEN CI flexo press.
Like its 20SIX predecessors, the new press is equipped with smartGPSTM, which is one of the most endearing features of the BOBST CI flexo technology in terms of production power and sustainable operation. By avoiding the need to set up impression and register while the substrate is running in the press, smart GPS virtually eliminates waste of substrate ink, solvent, energy, machine time and labor costs while significantly accelerating changeover times and increasing press availability for production.
“This is a major advantage of our BOBST flexo press” comments Marcelo Alejandro Recio “We can run the growing number of short run orders alongside long runs with the same efficiency and a fast turnaround”. Mr. Recio looks forward to even more productive and cost saving operations with the new 20SEVEN. The press will come equipped with the latest improved technical features and automation that further enhance the accuracy and consistency of the process and make operations simply faster.
“To maintain competitiveness we need to be as automatic and productive as possible” says Marcelo Alejandro Recio “The installed BOBST flexo and laminating machines are serving us well in this respect as well as in terms of quality of output, safety operations, low maintenance and obviously profitable operations”.
The speed of job changes of the CI flexo presses is matched by the same rapidity of machine set-up and changeover on the two CL 850 laminators.
Establecimento Gráfico Impresores CL 850 multi-technology laminators provide the flexibility of running both solvent-based and solventless applications, having been supplied with all the different trolleys that enable a range of different coating applications, including in-register cold seal.
In terms of efficiency and operating costs, the laminators meet the company requirements of minimum substrate waste, they are easy to operate and deliver the most efficient performances with thin alu-foil when using the BOBST flexo trolley.
Commenting on the strategic vision of the company, Marcelo Alejandro Recio says, “We have a high market share of the offset label and folding carton domestic markets and we are getting stronger and stronger in flexible packaging. We have our sights set on increasing our share of the export market as well. The country situation makes it difficult for us to be competitive but the production infrastructure we have in place gives us all the potential requirements needed to become a force in the high end export market as well in the future.”
“We are proud of the relationship we have built with Establecimento Gráfico Impresores and to continue contributing with our flexo technology to their expansion into the flexible packaging sector. Customer loyalty shows the value of our solutions to their best advantage” concludes Marco Carrara, Vice President Sales and Marketing Americas, Bobst Bielefeld.
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