In their research into boxmaking machinery for the new plant, directors of BBB, Andy Bird and Richard Hughes, visited the Kolbus Autobox manufacturing site at Houghton Regis, just one and a half hours from their Bristol factory. They were impressed by the locality of such a manufacturing company, giving them confidence that their new business would be supported better by Kolbus Autobox than any other supplier. Demonstrations showcased not only the introductory machinery but all the modules in Kolbus Autobox’s portfolio, including slitters, printers, and gluers.
A further visit was made to a local customer site, established for many years and with Kolbus Autobox machines at the heart of production. Here they saw small-medium quantities of boxes being produced, varying from single wall to tough double wall. Sizes ranged from jumbo boxes to mini boxes for gluing, stitching, or sending out flat.
Suitably convinced, an order was placed for a Kolbus AUTOBOX AB300 Boxmaker, PRO-GLUER PG100, and SLITTER-SCORER SC100 for cutting stock board to exact size on small run lengths.
Richard said: “What we loved most about the Kolbus Autobox was the ability to do a virtually all the set-up automatically, within one minute. It relieved the operator of all the major setting-up, so was faster and more accurate. And the build quality of the machines was very apparent, with very heavy side frames and the use of established drives. software, and components.
We did look at other machines from abroad but found although they were cheaper, the Kolbus Autobox ran faster, it sounded better, the slot quality was excellent, the tolerances were brilliant. We couldn’t fault the build or finish of box.
One other point to add is the Kolbus support network. The other manufacturers I felt just didn’t offer the training and day-to-day support. I know that if I had a query I could talk with Kolbus and it would be answered, or if I wanted an engineer they were only a couple of hours away.”
Arran Sethi, Kolbus UK sales manager, said: “The Folio business is known for its commitment to its customers. They turn their hand to jobs that others cannot, or will not, take on. That sometimes necessitates their thinking radically, adapting their machinery or multi-processing jobs. They have our own die-tool manufacturing facility which means they can control lead times and costs when producing a wide range of packaging requirements. The Kolbus-Autobox fits in perfectly with this ethos of bespoke and quick turnaround.”
