The Vadodara-based company, which will be celebrating 50 years in the print business, has installed the two machines at the company’s folding carton unit in the city, and will join the two existing Bobst machines – one a Bobst folder gluer LILA II 145 A2 and the other a Novacut 106 E die-cutter. The machines were installed towards the end of 2019.

The company is currently converting around 4,000 tonnes in corrugated and about 1,000 tonnes of solid board per month. According to Ravindra Patel, proprietor of Jash, there was a demand-supply gap, as a result of which the company faced difficulties in delivering the volume required by the customers on time with the existing gluers. “We decided to ramp up the finishing capabilities, and bolstered the two existing folder-gluers with the addition of the two new Bobst machines,” said Patel, who is assisted by his son Kishan in running the business.

According to Bobst, the Ambition 76 A1 features a straight line open width of 76 to 760 mm; lock bottom open width of 146 to 760mm and can run at a speed of up to 300 m/min while the Visionfold 110 A2 features a straight line open width of 76 to 1,100 mm; lock bottom open width of 146 to 1,100mm and can run at a speed of up to 350 m/min.

“Both machines are capable of running straight line, crash lock bottom, disproportionate outer cartons and litho laminated three-ply cartons. Visionfold 110 A2 is in addition equipped with to run specialty four- and six-corner jobs. Consistency and faster job changeovers allow the customer to achieve more production in the given time,” said Suraj Sharma, regional sales manager for the Western region in India at Bobst.

In addition, the company has installed Handypack on both the machines. It’s a kit which is fitted at the delivery section, which according to Patel, increases the productivity of folder gluer through easy carton collection resulting in optimum utilisation of the folder gluers and minimising the staff at delivery.

Patel said, “Increasing the total capacity to offer prompt service to our customers was our main requirement. We looked at the machines manufactured in far-east, and found they were slower compared to the one from Bobst.”

He added, “We have had a good history of growth. It’s tough times, but one has to be aggressive and pro-active; vigilant and shrewd, to continue the success. And in our endeavour we have relied on Bobst because of its prompt service and the process support to hand-hold us and to get the machine to reach its optimum level of performance. This has really boosted our production level substantially compared to what we were able to achieve before.”

Besides the Bobst and Manroland press, Jash has three automatic imported corrugator plants, besides five multi-colour offset presses. All the printing and corrugator machines are supported by a battery of post-press machines including fully automatic die-cutters and folder-gluers for both corrugation and mono cartons.

Sharma of Bobst, said, “In today’s competitive world you need machines which can produce more in less time with less manpower and this is where a Bobst machine can add value. Jash went on to add the Handypack on both machines later due to which it can run the jobs at optimum speed and do the collection with minimal manpower at the end.”