As a logical step in the Ultima technical platform strategy, the EMBA 295 QS Ultima™ was introduced to the market in 2021. Containing all the benefits and great features like the other EMBA Ultima™ machines, the company says it will bring productivity, quality, and material efficiency to the larger box segment.
“The feedback from customers since the launch has been very positive and they have showed high interest in this machine size”, says Esa Koski, VP, Emba Machinery.
The first 295 QS Ultima™ was sold to Fris Karton, based in Netherlands. They are a family-owned business that is today run by Moniek van Steensel and Rob Smets. When established in 1984 by Henk van Steensel, the company started selling used corrugated boxes. After some years, the company continued with their own production of corrugated boxes using converting machines such as box makers and taping machines. More and more corrugated solutions were produced for a rapidly growing customer base, mainly in the manufacturing industry. At that time the focus was on short run orders and particularly big boxes.
The company developed and in 2008, the time was right for Fris Karton to invest in a converting machine and the choice was a second-hand Emba 244. Smets explains, “We chose it for the fact it is a proven and trustworthy machine, the wide range of possible box sizes and the short set up time.”
New investments were made and in 2018, another Emba machine was installed, a 170 QS. Following some years, when Fris Karton planned to replace their Emba 244 it coincided with the launch of the 295 QS Ultima. “Because of our good experience with Emba, we decided to replace the 244 with the new 295 QS Ultima,” says Smets. “We are not a large company with the need of three or four inliners, but with these two inline machines, the 170 QS and the 295 QS Ultima™, we are able to cover a wide range of American style box sizes.”
“Customers returning to us for new investments in converting machines is something we are very proud of, long-term partnerships are valuable to us. It also proves that our focus on customer-driven development results in us developing machines and solutions that the market demands”, explains Koski.
The 295 QS Ultima™ includes all the features you would expect from an Ultima machine, such as quickset, true non-crush converting, four shaft slotter, up to six printing units and naturally, for this size of machine, the well proven heavy duty bottom die-cutter. As the true non-crush converting technology preserves the box strength and allow paper grammage reduction, the 295 QS Ultima™ offers a great potential for better sustainability also to the larger box operations in the 2.9m machine segment. And by featuring the DualBox™ innovation in its standard configuration, high productivity is assured.
The 295 QS Ultima™ was installed at Fris Karton during autumn 2022. “Both the installation and the training of operators were of high-level”, says Smets. “The short set up time, that the first box produced is saleable and the high quality of produced boxes will assure us both production efficiency and great quality customer offer. By using the non-crush technology as a marketing tool our Sales department has the perfect selling point to offer great box performance with less environmental impact.”
Fris Karton operates in a 25,000 sqm facility and new investments in buildings are planned for 2023. The number of employees amount to 30 and the turnover in 2022 was €13m. Smets concludes, “With this new machine we can triple our sales. The 295 is a true game changer for us.”
