15.04.2020
Printing labels and folding cartons on a single machine: The Gallus Labelfire hybrid printing press can now also be used for folding carton printing and finishing. In this interview, Martin Leonhard, Business Development Digital at Gallus Ferd. Rüesch, talks about the Gallus Labelfire equipped with the "Carton Kit," the special requirements of the folding carton market, and when it makes sense to invest in a versatile machine system such as the Gallus Labelfire.
1) How is Gallus able to offer the Gallus Labelfire for printing and finishing folding cartons in addition to producing self-adhesive labels?
Martin Leonhard: One of the key factors behind the development of the Carton Kit was demand from a leading tobacco manufacturer. The solutions available on the market at the time were not yet able to meet the customer's requirements. After carefully analyzing our capacities, our team came to the conclusion that we could offer a solution capable of digitally printing folding cartons with very high print quality (7c) and finishing them inline.
2) How are folding cartons typically printed today?
Martin Leonhard: Gravure printing dominates the printing of tobacco packaging with over 80%. This involves long preparation times and high tooling costs. Gravure printing is followed by offset printing.
3) The folding carton printing market has its own rules. What would you say are the three most important trends for this market segment?
Martin Leonhard: The agility demanded by the market is closely linked to just-in-time production. With margins constantly shrinking, inline production is becoming increasingly important. The tobacco market already places the highest demands on productivity (in some cases 24/7), print quality, and finishing options (effect coatings and metallic effects). This is where digital comes into play. Digital printing allows you to print on a wide variety of substrates faster, more flexibly, and in a more user-friendly way. For production, the use of inkjet printing means in concrete terms:
a) Printing jobs with short runs (in the folding carton market, for example, 50,000 to 60,000 are considered a short run)
-> shorter time-to-market
b) Printing with so-called "extended batches" (same substrate and die-cutting line) as the most cost-efficient way to print a job in many different variants
c) No conventional tools required and easy to use
4) Are there any particular challenges when printing on lightweight cardboard applications? Martin Leonhard: Yes, of course. Printing folding cartons is completely different from printing and finishing labels. The folding carton market is larger and therefore the print runs required are higher. "Industrial strength," i.e., reliability and availability of the machines, is an important keyword. Folding cartons are often used as primary packaging, especially in the tobacco segment. However, lightweight cardboard as a substrate has no barrier properties. Inks must therefore meet the high compliance requirements of tobacco manufacturers, as the production of tobacco products is subject to food law. In this context, product safety is also of essential importance so that new technologies or processes can be used at all. All in all, it is an exciting but very demanding market!
5) How high is demand for this equipment? Martin Leonhard: The Gallus Labelfire with Carton Kit is already being used very successfully by one of the largest tobacco brand manufacturers. They have now invested in four Gallus Labelfires, three of which are used for printing and finishing folding cartons, mainly for extended batch production. A Gallus Labelfire is currently undergoing qualification for another application.
6) In your opinion, was it worth converting the Gallus Labelfire so that it can print folding cartons? Martin Leonhard: Of course, adapting the first Labelfire so that it could print lightweight cardboard was a challenge, but it was worth it. By meeting these new customer requirements, Gallus has laid the foundation for addressing a niche in the folding carton market. Today, we can offer a Gallus Labelfire that can print both self-adhesive labels and folding cartons, even though these two applications are in no way comparable. We are excited to see how things develop in this area and, in particular, whether and how inkjet will establish itself in the folding carton market.
Thank you very much for talking to us!
In this interview, Martin Leonhard, Business Development Digital at Gallus Ferd. Rüesch, talks about Gallus Labelfire equipped with the so-called "Carton Kit."
15.04.2020
1) How is Gallus able to offer the Gallus Labelfire for printing and finishing folding cartons in addition to producing self-adhesive labels?
Martin Leonhard: One of the key factors behind the development of the Carton Kit was demand from a leading tobacco manufacturer. The solutions available on the market at the time were not yet able to meet the customer's requirements. After carefully analyzing our capacities, our team came to the conclusion that we could offer a solution capable of digitally printing folding cartons with very high print quality (7c) and finishing them inline.
2) How are folding cartons typically printed today?
Martin Leonhard: Gravure printing dominates the printing of tobacco packaging with over 80%. This involves long preparation times and high tooling costs. Gravure printing is followed by offset printing.
3) The folding carton printing market has its own rules. What would you say are the three most important trends for this market segment?
Martin Leonhard: The agility demanded by the market is closely linked to just-in-time production. With margins constantly shrinking, inline production is becoming increasingly important. The tobacco market already places the highest demands on productivity (in some cases 24/7), print quality, and finishing options (effect coatings and metallic effects). This is where digital comes into play. Digital printing allows you to print on a wide variety of substrates faster, more flexibly, and in a more user-friendly way. For production, the use of inkjet printing means in concrete terms:
a) Printing jobs with short runs (in the folding carton market, for example, 50,000 to 60,000 are considered a short run)
-> shorter time-to-market
b) Printing with so-called "extended batches" (same substrate and die-cutting line) as the most cost-efficient way to print a job in many different variants
c) No conventional tools required and easy to use
4) Are there any particular challenges when printing on lightweight cardboard applications? Martin Leonhard: Yes, of course. Printing folding cartons is completely different from printing and finishing labels. The folding carton market is larger and therefore the print runs required are higher. "Industrial strength," i.e., reliability and availability of the machines, is an important keyword. Folding cartons are often used as primary packaging, especially in the tobacco segment. However, lightweight cardboard as a substrate has no barrier properties. Inks must therefore meet the high compliance requirements of tobacco manufacturers, as the production of tobacco products is subject to food law. In this context, product safety is also of essential importance so that new technologies or processes can be used at all. All in all, it is an exciting but very demanding market!
5) How high is demand for this equipment? Martin Leonhard: The Gallus Labelfire with Carton Kit is already being used very successfully by one of the largest tobacco brand manufacturers. They have now invested in four Gallus Labelfires, three of which are used for printing and finishing folding cartons, mainly for extended batch production. A Gallus Labelfire is currently undergoing qualification for another application.
6) In your opinion, was it worth converting the Gallus Labelfire so that it can print folding cartons? Martin Leonhard: Of course, adapting the first Labelfire so that it could print lightweight cardboard was a challenge, but it was worth it. By meeting these new customer requirements, Gallus has laid the foundation for addressing a niche in the folding carton market. Today, we can offer a Gallus Labelfire that can print both self-adhesive labels and folding cartons, even though these two applications are in no way comparable. We are excited to see how things develop in this area and, in particular, whether and how inkjet will establish itself in the folding carton market.
Thank you very much for talking to us!
In this interview, Martin Leonhard, Business Development Digital at Gallus Ferd. Rüesch, talks about Gallus Labelfire equipped with the so-called "Carton Kit."