Grupo Gondi, Mexico, this past week placed some large orders for expanded corrugator capacity with Bobst, Switzerland, and BHS Corrugated Lines, Germany. According to Euardo Posada, CEO of Grupo Gondi, "these investments will support the rapid expansion we are undertaking by updating and expanding our production capabilities with state-of-the-art technology and by adding the extra capacity we need for the near future. It means that we will continue to provide the market with the best possible packaging solutions while we also support the investments that our major clients are making in new plants in the region."

Emilio Corti, head of sheet-fed sales at Bobst, said that "with this third multi-machine deal, we continue to prove that our equipment and services are the right ones to support the ambitious growth plans of Grupo Gondi. The combination of our state-of-the-art machinery, which is capable of meeting Grupo Gondi’s high standards for productivity and efficiency, with our strong local service provision, backed by our worldwide centers of excellence, has allowed us to continually support Grupo Gondi’s business. We are delighted to be the preferred supplier of one of the world’s fastest growing packaging groups and we will continue to work hard to warrant their business."

Lars Engel, managing director of BHS Corrugated, said that "we are honored to be the prime supplier of corrugator equipment to Grupo Gondi and proud to be part of their impressive expansion program. Following the successful startup of their latest corrugator designed by BHS Corrugated, at Piedras Negras earlier this year, the order for two further lines reflects our ability to supply our customers with both performance and reliability. Through our local organization, we are able to ensure the best service and spare parts support for Grupo Gondi and all of our customers in Mexico."

As Bobst notes, the Bobst 90SIX, which Grupo Gandi will install, has become the best-selling press in the pre-print market worldwide by delivering the highest performance available for the CI (central impression) flexo printing of pre-printed linerboard and coated box board. The success of the 90SIX reflects BOBST’s position of leadership in this market, held since the 1980s. 

Grupo Gondi’s new 90SIX will feature repeats of up to 2,060 mm and speeds of up to 500 m/min. Its CI architecture makes it ideal for printing on low grammage paper while delivering graphics close to offset quality, and helps to considerably lower box makers’ production costs. The press will join two other 90SIX presses in the group and will be installed at an undisclosed Grupo Gondi plant by the end of 2017. Like the two presses bought by Grupo Gondi before it, the new 90SIX will be equipped with smartGPS™, BOBST’s unique off-press impression setting system that reduces set-up waste to almost zero and allows users to produce even the smallest of orders. 

Another special feature of the press is a downstream unit designed for the application of both water-based and UV curable inks. This allows the machine to be used for all types of pre-print carton applications, including the production of premium beer packaging.

Designed by BHS Corrugated, the corrugators being supplied to Grupo Gondi feature a 2.5-m working width, double-wall capabilities, and a running speed of 400 m/min. The lines have been specified to give Grupo Gondi the highest performance and maximum flexibility in production, especially when running pre-print. The line includes an Advanced Facer AF-P and a belted Modul Facer MF-B, which is the only single facer in the industry to run pre-print paper as the inner liner. 

The Duplex Dry Ends are equipped with HQ-M drives and Carbon Fiber Knife bars to enable high speeds, especially when running short sheets. The exclusive BHS Corrugated pre-print equipment will be installed on both levels of the Dry End with pre-print marks detected from both sides. In addition, special BHS Corrugated high speed pre-print cameras will control the pre-print cut, allowing online correction of the cut-to-mark and reducing set-up waste to a minimum. A Duplex Stacker AS-M, with the combination of one upstacker and one downstacker, will deliver very fast change-over times for small stack heights and allow several orders to be managed on the belts at the same time.

By incorporating features such as intelligent feeders, vacuum transfer, and register control, along with high performance dedicated peripherals, the Masterline 2.1 die-cutting lines ordered by Grupo Gondi will deliver the high net output, shorter make-readies, and matchless quality that the company requires. Taking in sheets through its fully automated Loaser—which can handle almost any material from carton board and micro-flute to corrugated board as thick as double-wall—the line’s integral Mastecut 2.1 die-cuts with high precision even the most complex shapes at up to 7,000 sheets per hour. A Breaker Flat Track unit then forms complex layers of boxes ready for the Pelletizer 2.1, which frees up operatives to concentrate on maximizing performance and ensuring quality. Using Masterline, just two operators, covering two shifts, can process more than 20 million sq. meters of board a year, yet because of its total integration of every element, Masterline is very easy to set and run.

The five folder-gluer lines to be installed in Grupo Gondi plants represent the most versatile, creative, and productive available for carrying out this process. The Masterfold 110 GNB lines not only process carton board packaging at speeds of up to 450 m/min., but can rotate the product through any angle, allowing packaging that in the past required a second pass, or a dedicated "right-angle" machine, to be processed in-line at full running speeds. The Gyrobox module which enables this opens up all sorts of opportunities to pack designers, while giving packaging manufacturers a unique advantage over their competition.

At the end of the two Masterfold lines will be new Cartonpack 4 high performance packers. These units automatically fill shipping containers with folded and glued cartons. All of the settings and movements of the Cartonpack 4 are motorized and Matic for repeat orders, and its additional case erector unit can handle up to 10 cases per minute, allowing the Cartonpack 4 to handle more than 200,000 boxes per hour and run for up to 30 min. without an operator.

Thanks to a large number of design and technology innovations, the Expertfold 165 A2 folder-gluers in the order will give Grupo Gondi true control of the folding and gluing process. Able to handle substrates from N- to A-flute, including double-wall and litho-laminates, the Expertfold 165 can process blanks up to 1700 x 1100 mm in size and up to 25 mm thick when folded. 

Control of the blank as it enters, travels through, and leaves the folder-gluer is the forte of the Expertfold 165 and is achieved thanks to Accufeed blank alignment that ensures precise folding, a high accuracy pre-breaker which ensure excellent performance on machine-erect lines, and a folding process that minimizes fishtailing and gap. The latter is aided by an extra-long folding section which creates smoother folding. Along with newly developed creasing units at the entry, this ensures the high folding quality that manufacturers need today. The Expertfold lines will also feature Virtuo automatic packers, which are particularly suited to medium to large runs of micro flute, litho-laminated, or heavy solid board cartons.