Bobst has been actively embracing new-age technology: Venugopal Menon of Bobst

PrintWeek (PW): Let’s start with a quick update on the folding carton and corrugated boards industry. What is your outlook for 2025? 

Venugopal Menon (VM): The 2024 was a very promising year for us. Growth has been steady and we have introduced new products and innovative technologies for customers looking to upgrade to Bobst. We are sure to continue our growth story through 2025 with the inauguration of a new production 14,000-sqmt facility in Pune to manufacture and assemble vacuum metaliser for flexibles and New Nova FFG 1024 lines for corrugated board 

We also showcased the contactless registration technology AccuRegister on Novacut 3.0 die-cutter at PrintPack. The global folding cartons market is projected to reach USD 288.02-billion by 2033, up from USD 171.39-billion in 2023, and Bobst will play a major role in shaping this growth by driving innovation, automation, and sustainability in the packaging industry.

PW: There's a growing emphasis on sustainable packaging solutions, with increased demand for recyclable materials and eco-friendly designs…

VM: Sustainability is one of our four main pillars along with digitalisation, connectivity, and automation. These four key pillars are integral to our strategy and future growth. Together, these four pillars drive Bobst’s vision of next-generation packaging solutions that are efficient, sustainable, and customer-centric. We focus on energy-efficient machines that consume less power during production and Bobst promotes the use of recyclable and sustainable packaging materials, including paperboard and corrugated board, which are part of the circular economy. Bobst is committed to reducing its own operational carbon footprint by improving the energy efficiency of its factories, reducing waste in its manufacturing processes, and adopting sustainable sourcing practices for materials.

PW: Which has been your most popular machine?

VM: The Novafold 110 folder-gluer series and the Novacut 106 E 3.0 series die-cutting machines were our crown jewels for 2024. Also, as a matter of fact, we have sold and installed 10x die-cutters with AccuRegister already in India. These models have earned trust for their versatility, ergonomic design, ease of operation, reduced setup/make-ready time, high productivity, longevity, and combined with lower TCO. Our new customers say that choosing the Bobst machine was one of their wisest investment decisions.

PW: Are volumes up compared to last year? 

VM: The Indian folding carton industry is growing at a steady pace of 7 to 8% CAGR while the corrugated board is at CAGR 8%. We closed our CY 2024 on a high note and achieved our business goals. 

Though in 2024 the growth was a bit muted in both FC and CB due to a drop in demand and consumption mainly coming from the urban segment through the rural segment did pretty well but we are confident that growth will come with growing income and vibrant aspiring middle class. Also, the government is incentivising the manufacturing industry to put up shops mainly in electronics, mobile handsets, toys, shoes, garments etc. We also see brands in FMCG, food and beverage setting up new plants in locations and introducing new products.    

PW: Can you share any recent collaborations or initiatives your company has undertaken to enhance your product offerings or explore new markets?

VM: Bobst has been actively embracing new-age technology, with a stronger focus on software-driven solutions. During Drupa, our CEO Jean Pascal Bobst emphasised our strategic shift towards digitalization, automation, and connectivity, reaffirming our commitment to innovation in the packaging industry He emphasised on our strategic partnership with French company Packitoo, whose web-based sales tool HIPE automates the generation of quotations, manages packaging projects, and supports web-to-pack eShops for printers and converters. The partnership aligns with the strategy to digitalize and be part of the connection within the packaging value chain, from brand owners to converters and equipment suppliers. For instance, other clouds in the supply chain are linked to Bobst Connect, everything centred around the job recipe, which is designed, produced, consumed, and recycled.

PW: How is your company leveraging emerging technologies, such as automation and cloud, to improve efficiency and product quality?

VM: Key players in many leading industry businesses tend to promote their own solutions as the standard. For example, in labels, a standard exists, and it’s our responsibility to comply with it. However, when it comes to folding cartons, despite discussions with industry leaders, there is currently no unified standard or smart solution in place.

Despite challenges, today's digital advancements provide us with cloud-based APIs (application programming interfaces), enabling seamless connectivity across industry players. This facilitates intuitive integrations, like our collaboration with Esko, whose protocol can be seamlessly incorporated into Bobst Connect using a three-click strategy. This presents a significant opportunity for the industry to move towards a unified digital infrastructure — an essential step that is yet to be fully realised." Tool Link (for tooling used on converting machines) combined with JRM and job workflow will help customers to track their tool usage/life, cutting pressure settings, plan jobs by machine, get job-wise production data, track stoppages and reasons for stoppage all but to increase production efficiency with less dependence on manpower and this makes the business more profitable.

PW: Looking to the future, what do you see as the key challenges and opportunities for FC/CB industry in the next five years? 

VM: Availability of skilled manpower is a major challenge for our industry, rather many suffer because of it. We, hence, introduced operator training programmes which help them understand and operate our machines effectively resulting in improvement in uptime and productions. We also recognize the global shift towards Industry 4.0, which is driving the transition from manual processes to seamless, cloud-based operations. Achieving this transformation requires IoT integration and a higher level of automation in machines. As a result, machine dependency on operator skills will decrease. 

We have Bobst Connect which is a cloud-based digital platform designed to enhance productivity, efficiency, and automation in packaging and printing processes. It connects machines, software, and workflows to provide real-time data, remote monitoring, and process optimisation. It plays a crucial role in Bobst’s Industry 4.0 strategy, making packaging production more connected, intelligent, and efficient.