New Kid On The Block
The machine can be complemented by a new Kolbus RDBA 115S stacker at the end of the line as well. The RD 115S is a bottom printing flexo converting line, featuring 1676.4mm (66") print units, with an impression roll, plate cylinder and sheet transfer all controlled by servo drives. The impression roll and plate cylinder are hard chrome plated and the line can be equipped with a choice of anilox roll from Pamarco or others. Further adding to its options, customers can choose carbon fibre doctor blades from Absolute and IR dryers from JB Machinery. The line benefits from continuous vacuum sheet transport through the entire line.
Where has it come from?
When Kolbus acquired the US-based machinery manufacturer Hycorr back in 2011, the Rahden- Germany based manufacturer of book binding and luxury packaging machinery entered the corrugated industry for the first time. One thing that Kolbus has been is pro-active. “As industry trends change with time, so has Kolbus changed,” says Markus Dammann, Sales Director, Kolbus. “A major watershed came when we decided to sell our perfect binding business to Muller Martini in 2018. We could see that the market, which basically had two main players, was shrinking. Rather than stay at the table and fight with each other on prices, we decided
to sell that business and started to look at new markets.” Although they were a new entrant to the corrugated industry, the business had a lot of experience in manufacturing – what else would you expect of a company that was established back in 1775?! To add a string to its bow, Kolbus acquired BCS and its Autobox range of short run boxmaking and folder gluers in 2018, giving Kolbus yet another household name in its portfolio.
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New Product
In looking to expand its range of corrugated converting equipment, the R&D team at Kolbus in Germany started to look at developing a totally new rotary die cutter. The company could see the success of the Hycorr machines in the American market and wanted to create a machine that would have appeal both in Europe and the Americas. So began a project in 2019, starting from the ‘ground up’, with fresh designs, latest technology and an appetite to deliver a best-in-class machine. Fast forward to 2021 and the first machine was successfully manufactured at Rahden, with the beta machine having now been in operation at a privately owned sheet plant, some 25km from Rahden for almost a year already. “With the new RD115S, Kolbus has launched a robustly built, high performance flexo rotary die-cutter that is ideal for any size of corrugated box plant,” says Greg Bird, Managing Director, Kolbus UK. “This new line is built entirely in Europe, so CE Certification is a given and of course allows us to market a metric machine to the global market as well.”
“A lot of the technical features of the machine are evolutions of the ‘know how’ we have garnered from within the Hycorr team in the US, but we have added the latest servo drive technology, Siemens controls and so much more that makes this machine of interest to box plants in all territories,” adds Markus Dammann. “The first machine is running in Germany, with the second at Green Bay Packaging in the US, showing its international appeal. We have recently signed an order for a third machine, with a fourth in final negotiation as we speak!”
Complete Supply and Service
With foundry, manufacturing, assembly and extensive spare parts in stock, this is the ‘complete package’ in terms of being a credible supplier in the corrugated industry. “Kolbus is a complete machine manufacturer, through and through,” adds Greg Bird. “Unlike some suppliers in the industry, we cast our own side frames, machine the parts and assemble in Rahden. Although we are a ‘new’ name in the corrugated market, our 120+ years of manufacturing experience means we not only know how to build machines, but also how to offer complete after sales support, including a wideranging stock of spare parts as well as a well invested engineering network around the world for territory specific support and training. This helps us set ourselves apart.”
“With the ongoing issues and disruption caused by the supply chain issues globally, lead times for the supply of new machines from some OEMs is exceeding 18 months,” concludes Markus Dammann. “Because we are making our own sideframes and machining a lot of our parts here in Rahden, we can guarantee fast delivery and quick start up. We can be as bold as saying we can get machines to customers in 2022 comfortably, something that not many other OEMs can offer.” The company has confirmed it will be hosting an Open House event in the late spring, where interested customers can see the new RD115S in action. https://rd115s.kolbus.de/
