Local users of the well-known Bobst die-cutting,
folding and gluing systems are enjoying enhanced levels of support in the
market, the result of the local agent, MAN Ferrostaal, having achieved a record
number of installations in the packaging sector.

Last year, a specialist Bobst instructor was sourced
from overseas to be employed permanently in the local market, helping customers
with training issues, advising on how to improve productivity and
trouble-shooting start-up procedures. According to Carsten Wendler, general manager,
Packaging, at MAN Ferrostaal, the arrival of the instructor
has been heaven for both the supplier and the customers.

"I don't know why we didn't do it earlier," he says.
"Having an instructor in the country permanently is heaven for the customer and
for me. He's delivered productivity improvements, he's given operator training
on-site, he's available locally and helps out the customers a lot. He knows so
much about the requirements of the machinery, more than anybody else in the
country."

According to Wendler, the introduction of an
instructor is just one element of a plan to build the support infrastructure
for Bobst in Australia, creating a team of specialists in
mechanical and electronics engineering, die-cutting and folder-gluing.

"We've invested heavily in service personnel and
there are still better things to come with more benefits to the customers,"
says Wendler. "Having the right technology is one thing but having the local
support structure here makes all the difference."

This level of support is fitting for a market in
which Bobst has a greater concentration of machinery per capita than almost
anywhere else in the world. While there has long been a core of dedicated Bobst
users in the country, this has grown substantially since MAN Ferrostaal took on the agency at the
beginning of 2004.

"The successes that we've had across the board with
the Bobst group – on the folding carton side and the corrugated side – have
been absolutely phenomenal," says Wendler. "And that is the reason why we can
justify enhancing our support now, because we have a greater machine population
in the country."

In die-cutting, for instance, four of the
top-of-the-range SPrintera models have now been installed in Australia since its launch at the last Drupa, an
indication, says Wendler, that Australians are not afraid to adopt new
technology.

Indeed, Australian packaging printers have always
displayed a liking for Bobst's combination of reliability, advanced technology
and high productivity. In recent years, however, this market has also seen
heavy competition from cheaper Chinese imports. All the more remarkable then
that the Bobst brand has continued to flourish.

Asked to nominate one reason why Australian packaging
printers continue to favour Bobst, Wendler cites productivity. If Australian
packaging companies want to compete with overseas suppliers, he says, then it's
no use trying to undercut them on labour costs; Australian players must look
for other ways in which to be more competitive.

"The local market needs to work smarter," he says.
"The dollar has appreciated in recent years which makes overseas imports
cheaper, so local suppliers need to increase productivity and be innovative."

High productivity in Bobst terms is a combination of
high running speeds and fast makereadies, the ability to handle long runs
without difficultly as well as minimising downtime between jobs. The Swiss
company is also renowned for its R&D work and for bringing to market new
methods for streamlining production and automating manufacturing processes.

In folding cartons, for instance, the company has
introduced the inline Accubraille option on its Alpina and Mistral models to
help automatically add information to pharmaceutical packaging in Braille. This
is now compulsory in parts of Europe and Wendler sees it eventually becoming mandatory in
Australia as well.

"Show me another manufacturer who has the same sort
of complete manufacturing programme with the peripheral equipment for its
folder-gluers – there isn't one," he claims. "And there's still a lot more
R&D going on. Where Bobst develops, others copy."

For that reason, the upcoming drupa exhibition is
sure to be an important showcase of the latest developments in this packaging
sector. At past shows, Bobst has released ground-breaking new systems in both
die-cutting and folder-gluing, and the chances are that customers can expect to
see more of the same this coming year.

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