Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022 - 17

SHOW DAILY
Plastics News, October 22, 2022 * 17
Bobst shaping the future of fl exible packaging
By Karen Laird
Sustainable Plastics
" Customers no longer buy machines, "
says Jean-Pascal Bobst,
CEO of Switzerland-based Bobst
Group. " They buy solutions. "
At K this year, solutions are
what the company is providing.
The first is a series of applications
called oneBARRIER and
made possible by the ecosystem
of partnerships established
by the company that includes
Dow, Michelman, Sun Chemical,
UPM, Huhtamaki and Zermatt.
With the launch of this oneBARRIER
family of flexible packaging
options at K, the company
aims to supply the market with
the packaging solutions needed
" to meet deadlines on sustainability, "
said Nick Copeland,
chief technology officer.
" The timelines for sustainability
are fast running out. A
lot of solutions have to be ready
by 2025 or earlier. Collaboration
is key. We need to bring the experts
together to bring the solutions
to the market, " he said.
The new family is built on
three pillars - three different approaches
to enhance the sustainability
of fl exible packaging. The
fi rst, and by far the one with the
largest market share, Copeland
said, is the monomaterial structure
based on polyethylene or
polypropylene. Called PrimeCycle,
it is an EVOH-free, top-coatfree,
polyolefi n-based barrier
solution that offers an alternative
to metalized polyester fi lm.
" The examples on show here at
K 2022 are a major advance compared
to the fi rst generation of
samples that we presented at K
2019. Our third generation, Hero
3.0, goes beyond just concepts,
offering real applications, converted
and printed on real-scale
equipment, " said Copeland.
Bobst's PrimeCycle barrier fi lm
has been awarded a score of 98
percent by Institute Cyclos-HTP
for recyclability and product responsibility.
" It is an extraordinarily
high recyclability level for
a barrier fi lm, " Copeland said.
The second pillar is a family of
paper or fi ber-based structures,
with which the company is moving
away from polymers. Called FibreCycle,
it is a full paper, monomaterial
solution that is wholly
recyclable in the paper waste
stream, Copeland emphasized.
The third trend, or pillar, consists
of flexible packaging solutions
that are compostable, biodegradable
and/or
bio-based,
mainly in response to customer
demand.
One complete solution
Bobst is also introducing a
new end-to-end fully flexible
complete solution for the packaging
workflow. Bobst has a
full flexible packaging offering.
Most of the inefficiency in the
packaging supply chain is the
supply chain itself, Jean-Pascal
Bobst said.
" We have streamlined this
process, making major improvements
with a portfolio of workflows
that connect all steps
from production and pre-press
through to the reels of printed
or laminated substrates or
high-barrier films or paper. The
package is completely integrated
and highly flexible. "
In other words, he added, the
job is the key driver.
Converters won't need to acquire
the whole package, said
Sara Alexander, marketing and
communications manager for
flexible packaging at Bobst.
" Converters can simply select
what they need for their particular
application. "
The company is also offering
what it calls " application management "
for the fi rst time at K.
Application management, said Alexander,
can help potentially fasttrack
key industry applications.
BOBST
GROUP
Hall 4,
Booth A39
We are not selling
connectivity. We
are selling enhanced
productivity. "
Jean-Pascal Bobst
Bobst Group
" Or it can provide guidance on
the right choice of technology,
process, ecosystems of partners,
to comply with a brand owner request
or a business case for the
industry. It can also be a consultation
service, for example, for a
new greenfi eld project. "
An important element in the
new One complete solution is
Bobst Connect, which the company
is also showing at the fair
- a cloud-based digital platform
that links the different
steps of the production process
through a digitalized and automated
workflow. It offers data
and digital services in a fully
connected cloud. Most importantly,
it can link Bobst production
equipment with third-party
software. It is already commercially
available.
" We are not selling connectivity, "
said Jean-Pascal Bobst. " We
are selling enhanced productivity. "
He added that starting next
year, the tool will be a standard
feature on all Bobst production
cells and machines - although,
as Bobst currently has a portfolio
of more than 70 products,
full implementation across
the range will take four or five
years, he said.
New features will be added to
the tool every six months.
all-electric machine +
temperature control +
intelligent assistance =
67 % energy savings
Be the first. Be efficient.
Your situation:
Energy prices are exploding and electricity
suppliers are adjusting their tariff s upwards.
But you as a company cannot raise your
prices from one day to the next. Under these
circumstances, your calculations could be
ruined.
The solution from ENGEL:
We don't just look at the injection moulding
machine, but the entire system. The combination of
temperature control, intelligent device communication
and smart process control leads to maximum
effi ciency. Up to 67% energy can be saved compared
to a hydraulic injection moulding machine with a
constant pump and conventional temperature control.
Read more:
engelglobal.com/be-effi cient
Visit us at
K 2022
Hall 15
Booth C58
http://www.engelglobal.com/be-efficient
Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics News - Show Daily - October 22, 2022
