Packaging
The Appliance of Science in BOBST Folder-gluers Sales Approach
Thursday 28. February 2008 - BOBST has broken its previous UK folder gluer sales records, putting some of its success down to a scientific sales approach.
Bobst Group (UK & Ireland) sold more than 15 folder-gluers to printers and packaging manufacturers in the UK in the eight months between April and December 2007. The sales included a folder-gluer with the UKs first ACCUBRAILLE module, which is a unit designed to help pharmaceutical packaging makers comply with European legislation.
Lee Alton, Folder-gluer Product Manager for BOBST in the UK & Ireland said, “Weve had great success with all of our gluer products, from small carton and print finishing folder-gluers up to machines for large corrugated boxes. I put some of that success down to us taking a very scientific approach when we assess what a customers needs are”.
The approach involves a detailed review of the potential users operation, their existing equipment, and their work mix, after which they receive a quantified recommendation on the best equipment choices for them and the potential productivity benefits.
Lee Alton said, “You cannot recommend a course of action unless you know a lot of detail about the customers operation. Thats why we analyse everything from equipment and skills levels through to job designs and new markets. As well as this scientific approach to sales, I also put our success down to having the new products that our customers want and to the fact that they know they will get excellent service back up from our UK office in Redditch. That counts for a lot.”
The fifteen plus buyers included Offset Productions, Box Shop, Reel Vision, Boxes Group, and Compak. Others, who did not want to be named, included commercial printers, independent carton makers, and large multinational packaging groups. In addition to the sales of folder-gluers, BOBST sold a number of peripheral lines such as feeders, batch inverters, and automatic packers.
The period also saw the purchase by a major pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer of the UKs first gluer to feature ACCUBRAILLE. The ACCUBRAILLE module is designed to help carton makers cope with European Council Directive 2004/27/EC which requires all pharmaceutical packaging to include information in Braille by October 2010. Because BOBST folder-gluers are modular in design, ACCUBRAILLE can be added to existing ALPINA and MISTRAL lines. To date, fifteen ACCUBRAILLE units have been installed on BOBST gluers worldwide.
Lee Alton said, “The ACCUBRAILLE module lets you move from embossing Braille using a diecutter to doing it on the folder-gluer. Its not only quicker to set up, it also means you need just one die, rather than one for every carton on the sheet, which cuts tooling costs. The unit is a really cost-efficient way of laying Braille down and, as well as the pharmaceutical sector, others markets are looking at it too.”
In addition to the machines sold to customers, BOBST installed a MISTRAL folder-gluer at its Redditch training facility in December. This machine has already been used to deliver training courses for customers on folder-gluer operation and has also been used to run trials and demonstrations.