Bobst Well Positioned for 2010
LAUSANNE, Switzerland—At a press conference late last month, Bobst Group CEO Jean-Pascal Bobst detailed the moves the group has made in response to changes in world markets, and revealed plans for product launches in 2010. It was announced that, in parallel with exhibiting at the UK based IPEX 2010 trade fair, Bobst will run live machine demonstrations at two local UK locations, one dedicated to commercial print and one to packaging manufacturing. Bobst will also use the show to launch a free Web portal for the buying and selling of used Bobst equipment. Dates were announced for the joint corrugated and folding carton industries “Bobst Competence” open house later in the year.
“People and knowledge are the keys to the ongoing success of Bobst Group, and will continue to differentiate us from other players in the market in the future,” says Jean-Pascal Bobst. “We plan to continue our strong focus on research and design and innovation, and our new sheet-fed business unit will launch a large number of new products in 2010 which will provide our customers with an even broader range of high-performance, quality products.”
Bobst reviewed trends in the markets during 2009 and explained that the third and fourth quarters of 2009 showed some very positive signs. “Our response to the global downturn has been, externally, to actively support our customers’ needs in these difficult times and, internally, to launch a group transformation project to further increase customer satisfaction, broaden market coverage, extend our sales and service coverage, and gain approximately $95,000,000 in savings by 2011,” says Bobst.
The group transformation program has been designed to help define opportunities for organic growth and ensure effective operation. “With this and our strong equity situation, Bobst Group will emerge stronger from the global crisis,” promises Bobst.
The new Bobst Group sheet-fed business unit now serves clients in the folding carton and corrugated packaging industries, as well as in commercial print. It encompasses the Bobst, Martin, and Asitrade brands. The focus of this business unit is on offering technical solutions for each customer’s needs, strong customer connections, and long-term business sustainability.
Several new product launches from this business unit will take place during 2010. Already available are the VISIONFOIL 104H hot foil stamper, designed with hologram brand and product protection in mind, and the new iQ300, a quality control system for corrugated post-printers.
Further launches in 2010 will include an innovation for easier compliance with European Union braille embossing regulations; a hot foil stamping machine featuring a 20 percent increase in productivity and including new patented technologies; a development that increases the speed of bottle carrier packaging production by 20 percent; a flexo printing press able to challenge the quality and consistency of offset printing; diecutting and folding/gluing machines bringing superior quality, accuracy, and reliability to the mid-range; a large format folder/gluer with automatic packing for corrugated and litho-laminated packaging; and an ASITRADE product offering in-line laminating.
The newly established services business unit will help Bobst Group customers increase their productivity and lower their cost of ownership. It is establishing ten Bobst service centers worldwide with spare parts stocks in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This move will provide an increased portfolio of services, parts, and consumables; and a faster response time and easier access to Bobst services.
Dates were announced for a joint folding carton and corrugated board industry “Bobst Competence” event, which will be held September 22-28 at Bobst’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Competence ’10 will give packaging manufacturers the opportunity to explore the Bobst solutions available.
