As we all know, no news is usually good news. In the case of a major order, such as that of the Saica Group for Koenig & Bauer Celmacch, this means that the customer is satisfied, the construction sites are on schedule and the machine is producing successfully after installation.
But when the first ChromaCUT X Pro went into the Thrapston plant in England in the summer, the project manager from Koenig & Bauer Celmacch received a memorable phone call – ‘I’m really thrilled. I have never experienced such professional service. The machine was delivered, assembled and installed in record time. We had no problems whatsoever. A big compliment to the team at Koenig & Bauer Celmacch.’
The ChromaCUT X Pro can process sheets with a maximum width of 2.8m and they are partly delivered with a new presettable rotary die-cutter. The software features, which further increase the automation, and make working with machines significantly easier for the operators, are an important and fixed component of the line. Furthermore, the interfaces were simplified and perfected with peripherals. The register control system and the post-print inspection are part of the equipment of both machines as well as the feeder without feeding roll, so that the corrugated sheets can be gently put into the machine.
Future-proofing the machine park
Last year, the Saica Group invested heavily in corrugated converting machines from Koenig & Bauer Celmacch. Since this summer, the new systems have been gradually going into production. Three are already in operation or are about to be accepted.
Four machines from the highest performance class ChromaCUT X Pro will be installed in England, Portugal, France and Italy, while Koenig & Bauer Celmacch will supply two further machines from the Chroma HighTech performance class to the company’s Spanish sites.
Eighty years of history
In 1943 Saica began its success story with only six employees in Zaragoza, Spain. Today it is a group with more than 10,000 employees in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, UK, Ireland, Turkey, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Poland and USA. The group is divided in four business units – development and production of recycled paper for corrugated board (Saica Paper), the waste management and environmental services (Saica Nature), the production of corrugated board (Saica Pack) and film packaging (Saica Flex). With a capacity of 3.3 millions of tons of recycled paper, Saica is one of Europe’s biggest players in paper and corrugated production.
Short set-up times, fast job changeover
“We are one of the biggest corrugated board producers in Europe and, of course, we want to grow further, but at the same time we want to forge ahead with our quality and automation in the different sites,” said Herve Dehaynin, Technical Coordinator, Saica. “Now, with Koenig & Bauer Celmacch, we have a supplier that has, in its portfolio, the right machine we need for all of our locations.”
The ChromaCUT X Pro machines are equipped with the latest technology and have been customised to local requirements. And judging by the comments of the manager of the plant in Thrapston, Saica’s success story is far from over.
