U.S. based company O.C. Tanner, which provides software, services and awards to businesses worldwide, installed a new Kongsberg X24 Edge digital cutting solution to eliminate third party packaging contracts and increase its own ability to bring new award designs to life.
The company invested in the latest digital finishing technology from Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (‘Kongsberg PCS’) to bring its custom packaging production in house. Daryl Leiser, Packaging Engineer with O.C Tanner, said the investment had already had a huge impact on the business, ‘We provide employee recognition services and awards to more than 3000 clients from various industries in more than 180 countries around the world, and many of our items require custom packaging,’ he said. ‘Previously we would place bulk orders for packaging and make custom boxes and inserts by hand, which was both time-consuming and inefficient.’
‘As costs and lead times increased, we weighed this challenge with our own desire to have more control over the quality of our products and opted to create our own packaging department,’ said Leiser. ‘Now, we are able to both make custom packaging and inserts as and when they are needed, while also giving our designers the ability to realise their ideas and make samples for new awards. The Kongsberg table has worked very well for us, already creating cost savings and exceeding our expectations,’ he said.
Connie Adams, Kongsberg PCS Territory Sales Manager, said that the X24 Edge delivers O.C. Tanner a combination of tried and tested Kongsberg productivity, flexibility and best-in-class reliability, ideal for the company’s packaging prototyping and production needs. ‘We like to say that the Kongsberg X Edge is the perfect start of a digital finishing journey, and Leiser and the team at O.C. Tanner personify that,’ said Adams.
‘The machine is fitted with the MultiCUT milling unit, delivering 1kW of milling power and speeds up to 45,000 RPM for milling, contour cutting, routing, drilling and engraving. The BevelKnife Tool enables a 45° slanted cut for v-notching or single through cutting, while the Corrugated Crease Tool delivers perfect and distinct crease lines without perforation,’ said Adams. ‘With its specialty tools, the X24 Edge handles a wide range of applications, offering speed, power and the flexibility to add new tools for new materials, new applications, or more capacity. Most importantly, the table can evolve to keep pace with the changing demands of Leiser and the team at O.C. Tanner.’
Leiser said that the ability to customise packaging to better meet customer needs was of key importance to the business. ‘With such versatile options we are now able to cut paper, cork and plastic,’ he said. ‘Being able to customise our packaging has created significant cost savings, the ability to use more sustainable packaging, and as such we’ve enjoyed an increase in customer satisfaction.
‘The versatility of the Kongsberg X Edge has meant we’ve not only been using the table for making samples and custom boxes, but also as a production machine,’ he added. ‘Half of the working day consists of production runs and the other half of making samples and running test on new products.’
GRAPHIX SUPPLY WORLD
+27 21 511 5340
marketing@gsw.co.za
http://www.gsw.co.za
