Only waste? - Model Holding AG

Ecological
packaging solution
Interview with Loan Kutter, Marketing
Assistant, and Ruedi Brun, Marketing
Head.
Robatech, a Swiss family-owned enterprise,
is one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of gluing application
equipment and systems. The Robatech
Group operates in more than 38 countries
and has vast experience in the
application of adhesives and sealants.
What is so special about Robatech
equipment?
The machines we produce in our own factories
are always tailored to the customer’s needs.
They all produce an excellent performance. Regardless
of the manufacturing date and the unit
model, the components of the individual machines
are mutually compatible. Customers are
trained to use new machines. Once a customer
knows how to use our units, very little
training is needed for other machines, as the
programming and maintenance is very similar
for all our equipment.
At the start of the process, we make a point of
consulting intensively with our customers in
our experimental laboratory. This enables us to
evaluate the customer’s requirements and, together
with the customer, test different approaches
to solutions on the spot.
How important is packaging for your
machines?
The common characteristic of all our products
is high quality. Thanks to our global network,
these are sent all over the world, which is why
it is of fundamental importance that we can
rely on the equipment reaching the recipient in
perfect condition. In addition, we also have to
be cost-efficient in our use of packaging.
Tell us about your packaging system?
Instead of using environmentally harmful filling
material, our packaging solutions are made exclusively
of corrugated board. It took a lot of
time and effort on the part of Model to develop
the current – very satisfactory – solution. The
core element of the packaging is its ingenious
base. It locks the machines in position on the
floor and guarantees that the machines arrive
in perfect condition. Empty spaces are filled
with small boxes that also serve as packaging
for auxiliary material. The stable base and lid
sections are sized to fit europallets, which enables
us to stack several boxes of machinery
on top of one another for transport. The packages
are so stable that our partners can re-use
them without any difficulty to forward items to
the end-user.
It simplifies matters that we sat down with
Model and standardized packaging sizes. Thus,
although we need different base inserts for the
various machines and components, it is only
one base and one top section for each packaging.
Model helped us to optimize our warehouse.
What do you look for in your partners?
Our partners have to be recognized within their
own industry and customer-oriented. We attach
importance to cost-effectiveness in the industrial
process. To achieve the targets we
have set ourselves we depend on our partners,
because our machines only function if the raw
materials are absolutely free of defects.
Another not insignificant factor is the ratio between
price and performance. In addition, we
have to keep the logistics of integrating the
raw materials delivered to us simple. To
achieve this, we use the so-called Kanban system
in our dealings with our suppliers.
(Editor’s remark: see
Model Box 61)
What contribution
can you make in a
time of scarce raw
materials?
The Robatech company
develops entire
systems for the application
of adhesives.
ROBATECH
Of course, we are an interesting partner for our
customers only inasmuch as we develop units
and application nozzles that use less glue to
achieve the same adhesive strength. For this,
however, we depend on the research and development
of adhesive manufacturers. And in
the final instance, our customers will prefer our
systems only if they give them an extra advantage.
Unfortunately, even ecological solutions have
to be cost-effective, otherwise they cannot be
implemented without strict state control. Increased
substitution of closed nozzle systems
for rollers can reduce adhesive application
weights, which also saves energy and space
when the machine is not in use.
Your products are used in packaging,
printing and graphics, woodworking, car
manufacturing and the textile and hygiene
industries. What do you have to watch out
for in particular with each specific appli -
cation of adhesives?
Materials, the properties of the adhesive, and
the process speeds differ from industry to industry
and application to application. Thanks to
the extensive practical experience of our application
technicians, we can adapt standard solutions
to individual situations.
How do you see the future development in
your market?
Innovation is the key to Robatech’s ambitions
to become a market leader and new products
are the key to active growth in new niches. On
the other hand, we are also steadily gaining
market share in our traditional markets such as
packaging. The Swiss market in particular is
very aware of «total cost of ownership (TCO)»,
i.e. overall cost effectiveness. Thanks to highquality
reliable products, we have a reputation
for operational safety and low maintenance
costs. We believe that in the medium term
these factors will also play a more significant
role in low-wage countries.
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