Koenig & Bauer and Klingele together a successful development partnership
Factory acceptance for CorruCUT in Würzburg
The Klingele Group, one of the leading independent manufacturers of corrugated base paper and corrugated cardboard packaging, and Koenig & Bauer, the world’s second largest manufacturer of printing machines, are setting new standards in printing technology for packaging within the framework of a development partnership.
The two companies have now reached a new milestone with the successful factory acceptance testing of a newly developed CorruCUT high board line rotary die-cutter by Klingele after conducting a test phase with the prototype. Koenig & Bauer completely redesigned the highly productive 6-colour machine in close cooperation with Klingele and adapted it to the specific market and production demands. The CorruCUT was installed and put into production in Klingele’s Delmenhorst plant in August. The engineering design, the print quality achieved and the implementation of the operating concept not only impressed Klingele, but also received very positive feedback from visitors from the corrugated board industry worldwide.
A quantum leap in quality and performance
The combination of high print quality and precision, as well as market-leading performance, represents a significant further development in printing technology for the packaging sector. Klingele will be using the new machine to target market segments with high demands in terms of the print image and process reliability in packaging. These include in particular brand name companies, but also food manufacturers using packaging as an advertising medium at the point of sale.
The technical specifications of the new CorruCUT are geared precisely to these exacting demands: In addition to its excellent print quality, it offers high accuracy in printing and die-cutting, thus significantly reducing waste and increasing resource efficiency. With a working width of 2.80m (110.24in) and a feed rate of 12,000 units per hour, the CorruCUT is extremely efficient; large packaging and displays are also easier to produce.
Thanks to a rollerless infeed, the sheets of corrugated board can be fed gently into the machine to protect the material. The vacuum roll handling within the CorruCUT also ensures a significant reduction in wear and therefore less machine downtime and lower costs for spare parts. Automated data analyses will enable preventive machine maintenance in the future, thus avoiding unexpected failures.
A win-win development partnership
The development partnership between Klingele and Koenig & Bauer is a win-win situation: Koenig & Bauer is the world’s second largest manufacturer of printing machinery, with the broadest product range in the industry, and the market leader in many printing processes. And it is now increasing its commitment in a growing market for corrugated board converting machines with Klingele as an exclusive partner. The partnership in turn gave Klingele the chance to actively support the development of the new rotary die-cutter from the outset, thus ensuring that the machine fully meets the demands of the market.
“Koenig & Bauer has implemented the concept and technical innovations very well. The results that we have now seen in Würzburg have impressed us,” states Dr. Jan Klingele, managing partner of the Klingele Group. Christoph Müller, member of the executive board at Koenig & Bauer: “In the last two years, we have continuously built up a new team and consistently worked on the development of the machine.” The focus on growth markets, such as conventional and digital packaging printing, is part of the successful Koenig & Bauer strategy.
“Koenig & Bauer has implemented the concept and technical innovations very
well. The results that we have now seen in Würzburg have impressed us.”
Dr. Jan Klingele, managing partner of the Klingele Group
About Klingele
The Klingele Group is an international supplier of paper, corrugated cardboard packaging solutions and adhesives. The family-owned company founded in 1920 with headquarters in Remshalden near Stuttgart, Germany, is now run in the third generation by Dr. Jan Klingele.
The company and its affiliated partners serve customers in Europe, Africa and Central America through their paper and packaging business divisions, with 2 paper mills, 12 corrugated board plants, 8 processing plants and one corrugated sheet feeder. These plants employ a total of 2,500 people and achieved a turnover of €860m ($965m) in 2018. The product range includes corrugated base paper based on waste paper, corrugated sheet boards as well as innovative and sustainable packaging solutions (primarily made of corrugated cardboard) for numerous industries and applications. Klingele is also a founding member of Blue Box Partners, the largest European alliance for packaging solutions.
Henning Düber
Background photo: The CorruCUT was installed and put into production in Klingele’s Delmenhorst plant in August