Thanks to the EyeC ProofRunner Carton Retrofit, the German printing company Druckerei Bauer GmbH, based in Pfedelbach, is the first folding carton print shop in Germany that is able to assure their customers a 100% print inspection of the total print run.
The print shop Druckerei Bauer GmbH, based in Pfedelbach, belongs to the most innovative companies in the print and packaging industry. For over 30 years now, the company has specialized in the production of high-quality folding cartons. As the technology leader in this field, Bauer has capacities for the production of about 400 million folding cartons and employs around 90 staff members. Bauer’s customers come from various industries. However, there is a special focus on the pharma and health care industry.
The print shop claims to offer its customers one-hundred percent quality by maintaining a complete monitoring and control of all production stages. Matthias Bauer, who is the third generation managing director, describes his company’s main values as follows: “We understand quality as a strategy to stand out from our competitors. Our ambition is to guarantee a complete and consistent quality for the entire production.”
100% quality control without having to replace the existing machinery
Until recently, Bauer performed the inspection by means of AQL sampling. Although the inspection took place in the printing machine, process-related problems appeared repeatedly. Hence, the next step was to guarantee a faultless cutting process and check every single product before sending it to customers in order to increase the level of security and quality assurance. The goal was to find an integrated solution avoiding the replacement of the existing, still very young folder gluer.
Bauer decided to face this challenge in cooperation with EyeC in Hamburg. With the EyeC ProofRunner Carton Retrofit, EyeC has developed an in-line inspection system that, in collaboration with the machine manufacturer Kohmann, can be integrated in existing folder gluers from diverse producers and construction years.
It checks 100% of the production and compares it against the signed-off proof; typically a PDF file. It uses the folder gluer’s existing ejection device to reject any defective item, and provides a full inspection report.
Bauer first took notice of EyeC at the Drupa fair in 2012. In July 2014, the print shop then installed the EyeC Proofiler, an off-line system with a Braille check option. The functionality of the system together with the comprehensive service and the quick, uncomplicated collaboration, convinced Bauer to install another EyeC system.
“After installing the EyeC Proofiler we were convinced of the innovation, the modernity, and the creativity of the company. For the next level in the inspection of folding cartons we wanted again to be supported by the company we trust.”
The perfect solution for 100% customer satisfaction and for gaining new orders
The EyeC ProofRunner Carton Retrofit is integrated between the folder gluer’s feeder and the pre-folding section adding only 800 mm (31.49”) to the overall length of the machine. It requires no additional process steps and very little extra space. The new job set-up performed by the machine operator takes only 3-4 minutes. The system does not slow down the machine or production speed. “Furthermore, a key benefit is furthermore the system’s easy and intuitive operation. It was immediately well accepted by the machine operator.”
Around 20 million folding cartons have been inspected so far with the EyeC ProofRunner Carton. Defective items that were, for example, torn or contained color stains and other process-related contamination could automatically be spotted and sorted out with great accuracy. As a result, quality requirements are met and customer rejects are avoided. “At the moment, we have 3,600 orders per year. We hope that the number of new orders will increase due to the new system”, says Matthias Bauer.