Leading US supplier of equipment, materials, engineering and technical resources for the packaging industry, Atlantic Packaging, has underpinned its performance with the installation of a BOBST SP 162 CER flatbed die cutter.
Now celebrating its 75th year as a privately held business, Atlantic Packaging began life as a weekly newspaper in the founder’s hometown of Tabor City, North Carolina. The business expanded into printing and paper converting, packaging equipment and material specialisation, and is today a leading name in high quality industrial packaging and converted paperboard systems, operating from a 200,000 sq. ft base. In 2017, Atlantic Packaging invested $10m launching a Packaging Solution Center; a dedicated facility for pack testing, automation and e-commerce fulfilment.
Members of the Atlantic Packaging production team were familiar with BOBST machinery as the company’s Industrial Converting operation, specialising in air filtration and industrial converted products, already had 8 BOBST die cutters in place. In this new investment for the business, Atlantic Packaging has installed a SP 162 CER, as the first BOBST flatbed die cutter at its Printing & Graphics plant.
Prior to investment, the business was seeking equipment that could handle large sheet sizes, as well as the intricate detail of its Fishbone Sustainable Beverage Carriers and deliver the consistently high quality that Atlantic Packaging is known for. Allison Ferri Scales, Vice President of Printing & Graphics at Atlantic Packaging, was instantly blown away by the combination of quality, precision and volume delivered by BOBST SP 162 CER.
“Both myself and the team were familiar with BOBST machines from previous experience, and we knew the SP 162 CER would be an ideal fit for us. It has truly earned its reputation as ‘the Cadillac of die cutters’! Our customers expect quality, consistency and volume from us at all times, so we needed machinery that could keep pace with our business. Our innovative Fishbone Sustainable Beverage Carriers use thick paperboard with complex cuts and detail; a blend of faultless precision and exemplary speed are absolutely key. The BOBST SP 162 CER is a proven machine with an excellent track record, so it was a very natural fit for our business.”
BOBST SP 162 CER is a large scale Autoplaten® die cutter designed for carton converters that require high performance, exceptional precision and unmatched volume. The machine delivers die-cut, fully stripped, separated, stacked and batch counted cartons. The robust construction, cam-driven platen and accurate and reliable register system combine to deliver outstanding output and a valuable competitive edge in machine parks.
Allison continues: “In the short time that the BOBST SP 162 CER has been in operation, we have already seen outstanding results. The speed and output of the machine are fantastic, especially considering the sheet sizes that we are dealing with.
“As any competitive printer or converter will tell you, a business can’t succeed through volume alone – there must be a high level of agility to back it up. We had a job due on a Monday for 325,000 cartons, and as of the Thursday prior, printing had not yet started, and the pressure was on to deliver. Once the press fired up and fed sheets through to our BOBST machine for cutting, the task was completed in short order. The gluer had cartons on Friday and the order was ready on Monday as agreed. On 42” size equipment, this simply wouldn’t have been possible and may have been delayed by a day. The machine is a recent addition to our plant but is already making a big impact.”
On selecting a die cutter for the Printing & Graphics facility, Atlantic Packaging considers the reliability and robust design of BOBST machinery to be one of the deciding factors. The business noted that the very first BOBST SP 162 CER installed in the US is still in regular operation. Atlantic Packaging highlights that the machine is mechanically robust, without overcomplicated electronics that often lead to downtime and loss of capacity.
Allison concluded: “Our experience, from purchase and installation through to operation, has been absolutely top-notch. Every member of the BOBST team was professional, knew their machine inside and out and demonstrated a clear passion for supporting us. Even during a global pandemic, which could have presented significant challenges, all aspects of the purchase and installation went smoothly. As expected, the service was exceptional, and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend BOBST to our packaging sector peers.”
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