**** Manufacturers focus on equipment flexibility upgrades** Packaging is imperative

Tobacco Machine Manufacturers Focus on Equipment Flexibility

Today, tobacco machine manufacturers are focused on finding solutions for special cigarette packs while also discovering that other tobacco products are increasingly important. When discussing the needs of tobacco packaging equipment, flexibility is the most commonly cited.

Of course, in the field of cigarette packaging, high-speed equipment that can handle packaging in large quantities, quickly, and efficiently still plays an important role in equipment manufacturers. However, the flexibility of the equipment is also the key to innovation in this part of the market: For example, GD, headquartered in Bologna, Italy, recently introduced two additional equipment that can be added to the H1000/W1000/BV1000 high-speed production line. The online folding process places tax tickets and coupons on cigarette packs.

"The technical improvements of these devices have enabled them to fully meet the multiple needs of these machines. For example, they are very reliable and the specifications are very flexible," said the GD spokesperson. "This actually reduces machine downtime to a minimum, which is the most important and exceeds all high-volume production machines."

GD stated that it has doubled its efforts in terms of flexibility and enabling customers to change brands and specifications very easily and quickly. The result was the introduction of the ABC (Automated Brand Replacement) solution, which can automatically operate most brands of replacements, and so far the cigarette machines have been manually brand-named, such as manual filling/evacuation of cigarette hoppers and the provision of packaging materials. This solution combines control and monitoring software developed by GD to load raw materials into the mechanical loading area, which has the added advantage of reducing waste.

However, for machinery manufacturers, cigarette packaging is deviating from the trajectory of flipping, however, this is becoming an increasingly important business opportunity. It will also be an interesting battlefield for newcomers. To date, these newcomers have only provided packaging solutions to other industries, such as candy or cosmetics.

After improving the ownership of flexibility and total cost, GD evaluated that innovative products are mainly produced for new customers. At least for the major mechanical suppliers, the existing product quality level and mechanical reliability are unified. standard.

"GD happens to be in the field of producing specialty packaging and has solutions to shape the customer's packaging concept and transform it from a dream into a genuine cigarette pack. It can produce new machines or retrofit customers' existing machines," a spokesman for GD added. .

It is imperative to upgrade cigarette packaging

The tobacco equipment manufacturer International Tobacco Machinery (ITM), located in Kampen, the Netherlands, also focused on the special packaging of cigarettes. Board member Jeroen Slobbe stated: "Because most of the packaging equipment that ITM supplies is specifically designed for new or innovative packaging Designed, the new development trend is to provide customers with unexpected benefits of effective solutions."

“Our boxed combination products responded positively to customer demand and developed special products that are not suitable for a wide range of customer needs.” With regard to trends in cigarette packaging equipment, he added that when discussing special solutions, flexibility Significant and modular trending characteristics help limit the risk of exposure: "If a particular product is not launched as expected, or needs to be slightly modified to fit the market, then it is wise to provide corresponding peripherals."

The German company, Christ Packing Systems, specializes in providing standard mechanical customer solutions. Nearly 50% of machines have newly developed programs. The average speed of special packaging machines is 60-120 packs per minute.

“The concept of our product range is very flexible for different forms of products to suit a variety of packaging applications such as packaging cigarettes into kits, drawers or display strips,” said Andre, Managing Director. Christine said. "In addition to our box making machines, Kester can provide film packaging, boxing and palletizing machines to provide our tobacco customers with complete turnkey production line solutions." These customers, he said, are almost always global Cigarette manufacturers operating mainly look for specialty marketing packaging solutions, but there are also manufacturers of cigars, cigarillos, cigarettes, and even snuff.

“The trends we have observed are unique packaging solutions such as tin boxes, as well as display packaging, improvements in the store's performance,” he continued. “For a long time, high-quality, special marketing packaging was high-grade tobacco products. Such as the privilege of cigars or cigarillos, but now some of the solutions requested by cigarette manufacturers are the types of packaging we know well from customers in the cigar industry."

Packaging: An Opportunity?

At present, when talking about tobacco packaging, we must mention the general packaging concept of cigarettes. In the past few years, as in Canada and the United Kingdom, public health advocates have been repeatedly discussing this idea. In April 2010, the Australian government became the first country to announce that it wanted to force cigarettes to be sold inside a box. This means that there are no company logos on cigarette packs. The brand name is a plain black font. Do not use bright colors or pictures.

The only colors and pictures on cigarette packs will be health warnings such as blackened teeth, diseased lungs, etc. If the plan to force universal cigarette packaging becomes law in Australia, other countries may soon follow suit; cigarette manufacturers will completely lose their way of communicating with consumers more or less – will they?

For this challenge, packaging machinery manufacturers are easy. Kleist said: "Of course, the use of plain packs by cigarette manufacturers will affect machinery manufacturers. Kleist believes that these changes are a challenge, not a disadvantage. Together with our customers, we will Find solutions that reach consumers and even exceed these limits."

A spokesperson for GD added: "In the future, our task will be to decide which different shapes to use to meet local needs and legal needs: different shapes and types of packaging, coupons and other types of accessories, most likely Finally, cigarette manufacturers will embark on the road to providing an identity for their own products."

For suppliers of packaging equipment, this may mean new business opportunities, he added: "Machine manufacturers will have to adapt to these new needs, and these requirements become more acute with the loss of time. In a period of time Internally, GD has been actively working in the special packaging field, striving to meet the needs of customers and presenting its own perspective and packaging shape."

Moreover, it also has a series of devices that can be installed on new or existing machines so that the machine can insert or insert individual or folded coupons, use externally-embossed presses, different types of packaging materials, and preprinted materials, etc. . In addition, in order to better meet and meet these needs, GD has established an expert group that actively cooperates with the machine designers to provide support in the development of products and utilizes mature technologies other than tobacco to further enrich the comprehensive solution. Program. ”