Only months after installing a state-of-the-art Bobst 8.20 Expertline Flexo Folder-Gluer (FFG), Mitchel-Lincoln Packaging of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, a leading player in eastern Canada’s corrugated market, has established a record for production of corrugated boxes. It’s now been confirmed that, in an eight-hour shift in March of 2016, its line operators output 162,136 printed, folded and glued boxes, now acknowledged by the OEM as a world production record. Now Mitchel-Lincoln Packaging is considering a second Bobst line to replace two older folder-gluers. The company first installed its Bobst 8.20 Expertline Flexo Folder-Gluer at the end of 2015. It went into its 220,000-square-foot St-Laurent, Québec facility.
“If I had to pick a phrase to describe this machine, it would be total productivity,” said company President Jimmy Garfinkle. “Not only did we replace an aging machine with the new capabilities, but we more than doubled our productivity on that line and the efficiency turn has been great.”
The Bobst 8.20 Expertline is a highly automated and modular flexo folder-gluer line that combines multiple flexo press units with rotary diecutter and folder-gluer elements, to handle corrugated boards up to 85.8 inches wide. It can convert up to 24,000 boxes per hour, yet only needs two operators. Changeover between jobs is about one to two minutes via its “set-while-run” automatic plate changing and Sequential Order Change technologies. For shorter runs with more frequent changeovers, Garfinkle said that a third operator can be added. “The downtime for changeovers on this machine is typically short to begin with, but when we have a third operator plating up, often while the current job is running, it further reduces downtime and increases efficiency. This helps us control the cost not only of our operation, but for our customers as well.”
Mitchel-Lincoln Packaging was founded in St-Laurent in 1965 by Mitch Garfinkle, Jimmy’s father. Today the company employs over 800 people at five locations across Canada. “We still maintain my father’s traditions and values by always being ready to listen to our customers, employees and the markets to help us plan our next move. My son Alex, now the third generation of our family, is working on business development with an eye on his, as well as the company’s future.” The company’s customer base covers a wide range of markets and products – from general food-and-beverage to high-end cosmetics and other packaged consumer goods.
“We’ve been so happy with the overall success of the 8.20 FFG, that we’re looking for other opportunities in our manufacturing organization that may be able to take advantage of this technology,” Garfinkle added. “To that end, we’re currently investigating the feasibility of installing another Bobst 8.20 Expertline to replace two older folder-gluers in our organization. We’re always watching, studying and following trends to determine what the market will want next, so that we can be there ahead of it and ready to go.”
Québec packaging firm establishes world-record production run
