Me & My: Bobst Visionfold 110 A-2

Please describe your company.
Captain Offset Printers was established by my father AD Rakheja in 1983 and is run by him along with me and my brother Vivek. It began with one offset press and today, our firm has five multicolour offset presses – in big formats. This is because the tubelight and appliances cartons are of bigger sizes. In 2003, we started a corrugation unit which converts around 400 tonnes of kraft paper per month. The corrugation machines are from China which uses Indian kraft to produce E and narrow-flute corrugation. Most of our customers belong to the electrical and appliances segments.

Why did you decide to use the Bobst Visionfold?
We were struggling on quality and production with our existing India-made folder-gluer. Sometimes corners did not match and sometimes boxes were not fixed because of bad gluing. As a result, we decided to opt for a Bobst. We specialise in tubelight cartons which are lengthy (around 1300mm long) compared to normal cartons. So we added additional equipment at the feeder to cater to lengthy tubelight cartons with the help of Bobst technical team. Initially the investment seemed like an expensive affair, but in the long run, it is a value for money kit. Like most of our investments, we did not even calculate the ROI for the Bobst folder-gluer. We needed the machine and we got it.

What are the properties of the Bobst kit you like?
We are happy with its speed and quality production, especially for extra-long (1300 mm) cartons. Though it is not manufactured for such long cartons but with the expertise of Bobst technical team, we could do tweak the system.

Did you look at other similar equipment? Which were they?
Not really. We were using India-made folder-gluers. And so, Bobst is a natural choice when you want fast and perfect production. Also the Bobst presence in India and its local manufacturing and support helped us make this decision.

What are the features that tilted the favour in this?
Its modular design and just one tool to set the complete machine. Also features on this machine like vacuum suction, special front box aligner pneumatic squaring device and long delivery was critical for micro-flute jobs.

How much have these features helped you in makeready?
Its production speed of 350m/min is fast and finishes the jobs quickly. Ease of setting and operation, high productivity, consistency of output with quality was the outcome of the above features.

For what applications are the post-press equipment used?
We use the folder-gluer for any job where it is required like tube cartons where we have a stronghold and other home appliances packaging. 

Is there a critical print job that has come your way?
Yes, we produce tube cartons on it. Tube cartons are critical because of handling those long cartons. 

What’s the quality like?

We did not receive any complaint for cartons produced on the VisionFold and received positive feedback.

How easy is it to use?
It is easy to use. Since we were using India-made folder-gluers, our operators required training to sharpen their skills – and the Bobst process engineers provided good support.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes, it is value for money in the long run. Initially, it seemed an expensive affair. As a habit, we don’t calculate the ROI for any of our machines so we did not do for this as well. 

Were there any difficulties experienced during the operating the post-press equipment?
No, there was nothing like that. The entire deal went smooth. There were some issues from our side which were resolved with the help of team Bobst. 

Who do you think the Visionfold is right for?
It depends on how you configure it. It is efficient for processing both duplex board and micro-fluted boxes up to E, F, N.

Under what circumstances would you recommend it to others?
If you are looking for consistency, fast makeready and quality output, I’d recommend the Visionfold folder gluer.