Finishing & Screen Printing

A. Hatzopoulos S.A. increases triplex lamination capacity with BOBST

Monday 26. July 2021 - Part of a 20 million investment plan, A. Hatzopoulos S.A. has installed a BOBST VISION TD 850 tandem laminator that will significantly increase capacity, further improve flexibility and streamline production for the Greek company.

Flexible packaging pioneer A. Hatzopoulos S.A. is a long-term BOBST customer with three of the Swiss manufacturer’s gravure lines currently in operation at the Stadiou plant in Kalohori, Thessaloniki, including a high-speed RS 6003 HS put into operation just over a year ago as part of the company’s ambitious expansion plans.
“Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our company has stayed true to its ingrained philosophy for the continuous improvement of the products and services it provides to its partners. For this reason, we have committed to a bold €20 million plan, with a series of strategic investments in new facilities, machinery and state-of-the-art equipment, to be implemented by the end of 2022,” said Lefki Prountzou, Marketing & Communications Manager.
Continuing on this growth path, the latest investment with BOBST is a multi-technology VISION TD 850 tandem laminator, which is capable of running as two separate duplex machines or work inline to produce triplex laminates in one pass, at consistently high speeds.
Reinforcing infrastructure for innovation
A. Hatzopoulos S.A., which celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2021, supplies flexible packaging rollstock, both printed and unprinted, to a wide variety of sectors, including dairy and meat products, coffee and other beverages, confectionery, salty snacks, dry nuts and fruits, and personal care products. The company recorded a turnover in 2020 of €91 million, with 73% of production exported to customers in more than 30 countries.
There is a strong emphasis on innovation and sustainability in the company’s mission. Its latest range of films, X-CYCLE, was developed to add recyclability to its high-performance flexible packaging solutions and has been validated and certified by several independent bodies, including CYCLOS, Interseroh and OPRL. The new equipment investment supports these activities by offering the latest innovation in laminating technology and the ability to further explore greener packaging solutions in line with market trends.
“With the installation of the new BOBST VISION TD 850 laminator, we are intensively reinforcing our technological infrastructure. This important addition to our laminators fleet is expected to increase our annual lamination capacity by 90 million square meters, to secure flexibility and preservation of high customer-service levels for our partners and to support further expansion in the markets that we are currently mostly focused on,” said Mrs Prountzou.
From duplex to triplex lamination
The BOBST VISION TD 850 laminator has been developed in a tandem configuration to offer more productivity and flexibility for converters. When the two VISION D 850 laminators are running together as a triplex production line, the tandem machine can deliver complex multi-layer structures in one pass, thereby speeding up production and time-to-market to easily respond to demands for high quality and faster delivery.
Offering superb product quality through its very sensitive web handling and consistent coating, the tandem laminator comes with a multi-trolley design for application of different process technologies, including solvent-based and water-based dry lamination, solventless lamination, and in-register printing on pre-printed substrates for the ultimate in flexibility. Advanced automation features and innovative hybrid drying technology enables faster production, while at the same time reducing waste and energy.
“This is the second BOBST wide web laminator that we have acquired, mainly selected for its unique capability to work as a tandem machine, which can operate either as a triplex-in-line laminator or easily switch to two separate duplex ones,” explained Mrs Prountzou. “Thanks to its high production speed and its ability to apply all types of adhesives and cold-seal in register on a wide range of films, it fully matches our requirements for operational efficiency and flexibility in the production of high-performance, custom-made laminates that can meet different customer needs.”
“The BOBST VISION TD 850 tandem configuration is quite simply a gamechanger for converters, as evidenced by loyal BOBST customer A. Hatzopoulos S.A., which has chosen to invest in an additional triplex machine. By widening the applications that they can address, whilst simultaneously lowering waste, the laminator will no doubt play a central role for this industry leader, and we look forward to continuing our great partnership,” said Nanni Bertorelli PL Director COA & LAM.