SWANLINE Group, a UK-based supplier of paper-based materials, print and conversion services to the packaging and POS sectors, has become the first company to implement the BOBST Connect platform across its wider machine portfolio including both BOBST and non-BOBST equipment.
BOBST Connect combines data and digital services into a single platform, providing a real-time overview and management of a company’s production process.
Swanline has connected its two BOBST VISIONCUT 1.6 die-cutters and BOBST EXPERTFOLD 165 folder-gluer, along with a BOBST laminator and a non-BOBST die-cutter. Two of the oldest machines have been retrofitted with novel BOBST technology to enable the machines’ analogue signal to be translated into digital data.
Chris Brown, MD Swanline Group, explained, “By capturing and interpreting data across a broader range of equipment, we’ll be able to optimise processes that were once based purely on experience or assumption. It’s a big step toward building a more connected, responsive and data-informed manufacturing environment. This opens up exciting potential to bring a new level of intelligence to areas of the business that previously operated without that kind of visibility.
“We chose to use BOBST Connect as part of our broader strategy to drive smarter, more efficient and data-led manufacturing across the business. As a trade-only supplier, our customers rely on us to deliver with precision, consistency and speed, and having clear visibility over our production data is essential to achieving that.”
BOBST Connect is designed to improve packaging and printing productivity via ‘improved planning, better-informed decision-making, faster and more effective intervention, and continual optimisation’. As a cloud-based platform, users can connect to the system through any internet-enabled device.
“The data can be literally in the palm of your hand, any time you need it,” added Paul Stevenson, digital performance solutions manager, rorthern Europe, at BOBST. “Swanline’s implementation of BOBST Connect across both BOBST and non-BOBST machines marks a significant milestone – not just for BOBST, but for the industry as a whole. This is the first time our platform has been deployed across a mixed equipment portfolio, proving that true digital integration is possible regardless of machine type or age.”
