According to recent sales figures, Bobst has the largest share in the worldwide flexible packaging market for vacuum matallizing and coating technologies. The technologies are also an important part of the company’s aim to produce sustainable flexible packaging.
“Sales in these technologies have been particularly buoyant over the last two years or so and we are delighted to claim the leading position. The recent developments that Bobst introduced to the market combine our vision, based on connectivity, digitalization, automation, and sustainability, with our capability of producing machinery characterized by minimal downtime and superb quality at high speeds. Converters and brand owners are now seeing the benefits of this for their flexible packaging.”
Davide Garavaglia, Head of Product Lines Vacuum Metallizing, Coating, Laminating, Gravure Printing at Bobst
It is a milestone that has been several years in the making. Bobst has many years of expertise in the vacuum coating process and in handling flexible substrates. This has led to the development of high technology vacuum metallizing and coating lines that can be used to produce a wide variety of products. The introduction of Centers of Excellence has also been key, with the Centers in Bobst Manchester and Bobst Italia containing specialist equipment and expertise in vacuum metallizing and coating respectively.
“This achievement is actually the culmination of a long-term vision and process, which we have progressed step by step, with quality always at the center. We have made significant investments along the way in terms of R&D, technical aspects, staffing and training, and the result has been high-quality technology that answers the needs of our customers.”
Davide Garavaglia
Overcoming the technical complexities of developing and manufacturing sustainable high barrier flexible packaging that is recycle-ready is a major challenge. But with the family of oneBARRIER sustainable solutions, the company and its partners have developed industrially viable recycle-ready mono-material ultra-high and high barrier duplex and triplex substrates for packaging designers as alternatives to non-recyclable metallized polyester film. oneBARRIER sustainable solutions developed to date include PrimeCycle, comprising EVOH and topcoat-free transparent AlOx-based or opaque AluBond-based full PE mono-substrates, and FibreCycle, a mono-material high-barrier paper-based structure coated with functional layers that can be recycled in the existing paper stream.
“oneBARRIER is a family of viable tested solutions that meet the industry’s requirements for packaging simplification, layer reduction and replacement of non-recyclable mixed polymer substrates with recycle-ready mono-material structures as a way to support circularity and recyclability. It’s a defining moment. We believe oneBARRIER will become the benchmark for recycle-ready mono-material packaging.”
Davide Garavaglia
In the field of flexible packaging high performance functional substrates, the company is also leading the market in the field of aluminum applications such as lacquered aluminum foil, for example. Other applications where major international converting companies have chosen Bobst coating technologies in the past few years to increase their production capacity or enter new markets, include self-adhesive special tapes, medical applications, labelstock and release liners.
One of the reasons the company can continue to add value for its customers is that, uniquely in the industry, Bobst can be a single source supplier, offering end-to-end solutions that can address all requirements, for flexible packaging and other flexible material applications. The company has pioneered multiple ground-breaking innovations that enable better sustainability, efficiency and output quality in production, equipment, and processes.
The two Competence Centers in Manchester, UK and San Giorgio Monferrato, Italy are dedicated to converting technologies. Bobst Manchester offers vacuum coating processes for barrier, while the LEONARDO pilot coating line in Italy offers a multitude of coating and drying systems and can perform production scale applications.
“Given the very strong increase of demand for functional barrier coating for filmic and paper applications, as well as production of recycle-ready new high barrier substrates, the service we can offer brand owners and converters is truly unique. With our Competence Centers, converters can test new packaging substrates and functionalities, checking which type of coating method, drying system, and consumables works best for each new packaging design and structure. They can also calculate productivity and profitability on wide-web pilot equipment to enable them to check the viability of their new developments.”
Davide Garavaglia
Source: Bobst
More packaging news
A contract with a handshake is valid
Managing director Tina Gerfer of Wilhelm Rasch Spezielmaschinenfabrik has modernized the company and successfully guided it through difficult times.
Asynchronous servo solutions for the packaging industry
From primary packaging to final packaging, electric drives play an important role. With a broad portfolio, Nord Drivesystems supports customers.
Label Durability
Labels offer many functions which can get lost due to label removal. PTS assesses labels and cardboard for durability and tamper evidence.
More design for recycling for cosmetics packaging
Packaging for decorative cosmetics is very special. The Forum Rezyklat calls for the recyclability of packaging to be taken into account when designing it.
Innovation Barometer 2024
According to a survey conducted by Aktionsforum Glasverpackung 2024 is set to be a highly innovative year for glass packaging.
Flexible packaging system for natural cosmetics
Sustainability is part of Weleda’s identity. IWK is also contributing to this with its new flexible packaging line for many natural cosmetic products.
