New Koenig & Bauer Die Cutter and Folder Gluer Accelerates New Opportunities at BOPI
What happens when two new powerhouse post-press machines from Koenig & Bauer arrived on the production floor at BOPI? The fall installation of the newest generation Koenig & Bauer Ipress 106 K PRO die cutter and Allpro 110 folder gluer elevated BOPI’s customer service to the highest degree at the full-service Bloomington, IL printer providing a faster, more efficient delivery of jobs and the ability to offer folding carton work and extra capacity to trade printers.
“Ever since we installed both the Koenig & Bauer Ipress 106 K PRO die cutter and Allpro 110 folder gluer, everyone has been quite pleased at the speed and automation of the equipment,” says Tom Mercier, BOPI’s chairman, one of the Midwest’s most respected providers of print, mail, and E-commerce solutions. “We needed equipment that was high powered enough to handle our capacity issues and didn’t limit us to a smaller sheet size. Our existing Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 28 x 41-inch eight-color perfector press is consistently operating at 18,000 sph and we had bottlenecks in our postpress. After we visited Koenig & Bauer’s European factories to see both pieces of equipment in operation, we could see that they were top-of-the-line machines running four times faster than our current equipment.
“The Ipress 106 K PRO matches our Rapida press size and allows us to handle a larger sheet. We are also impressed with the inline stripping and automated blanking units that are the most technologically advanced. These particular features provide us with high-speed production perfectly combined with exceptional registration, high quality standards, and easy handling and fast preparation all saving us time and energy. Now our operators don’t have to take sheets to the cutter. It’s a finished product when it comes off the end. The Ipress 106 K PRO offers fast and efficient finished blanks that exit the machine for immediate processing to our Allpro 110 folder gluer. And it just makes perfect sense to work with our long-time press manufacturer.”
For more than 75 years, BOPI has successfully served the Midwest markets of insurance, manufacturing, college and university, agricultural, hospital, financial, government, and non-profit organizations. Demand continues to rise in those markets but BOPI’s management team sensed some opportunities to diversify into folding cartons, explained Jeff Mercier, BOPI president.
“We’ve been researching the folding carton market and feel it is a perfect fit for our workflow,” he said. “After producing some short run folding carton work on both pieces of equipment, we feel we’re ready to make the move into more folding carton orders. We see it as a growth area in the near future, mostly to brand new customers as well as a few existing customers.”
“Beyond our current customer marketplace, we envision being a supplier to the trade as well,” adds Jeff Fritzen, BOPI executive vice president. “There are printers that encounter opportunities that they can’t manage and this would enable us to work within the trade as well as providing finishing capabilities for their excess work for those who don’t have this equipment to do this type of work.”
Since its installation last fall, BOPI has witnessed the Ipress 106 K PRO’s high productivity, offering one of the fastest and most precise pieces of equipment in its sector. BOPI’s operators have put the machine’s advanced electronic devices to the test and are thrilled with its fast make-ready capabilities and high running speed on the new Ipress 106 K PRO, giving them total control of the movement of the sheet through its touch screen. BOPI’s operators have two types of sheet monitoring: either conventional or with the optional OPMR system (Optical Printed Mark Register), which uses sensors and cameras to detect a printed mark. The firm’s operators can easily switch between the two systems using an intuitive touch screen monitor. Its fully automatic non-stop feeder and a full logistics system completely remove manual handling of incoming and outgoing piles.
“We’re a company built on servicing our customers in our verticals and we’ve formed great partnerships with our customers for decades,” says Jeff Mercier. “Investing in our new Koenig & Bauer postpress equipment demonstrates to our customers that we’re able to offer new products for them as we enhance our own capabilities.”
Steve Korn, Director of National and Key Accounts at Koenig & Bauer (US), shared, "We commend BOPI on its strategic investment in advanced die cutting, blanking, and folding gluing technology. This capital expenditure positions BOPI with substantial competitive advantages, ensuring a lasting impact in the marketplace. The Koenig & Bauer Ipress 106K Pro Die Cutter/Blanker, renowned for its quick makeready and high speed, will empower BOPI to deliver premium die cutting and blanking effortlessly. Supported by a systemized suite of cutting-edge Koenig & Bauer technology, this new die cutter/blanker and folder gluer will serve as the cornerstones for BOPI's expanding packaging business, securing the ongoing success for Bloomington Offset and the Mercier family in the years to come."
The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Packaging Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Packaging Impressions.
