Welch Packaging Group is one of the USA’s largest Independent Box Producers. Welch employs more than 800 workers across their 12 locations and offers a wide range of corrugated based packaging.
At the HQ in Elkhart IN, Welch Packaging has numerous high speed converting lines and has recently installed a BCS AutoBOX Quick Set heavy duty box maker to produce big boxes and other short orders. The machine can run grades from single wall to heavy duty Triple Wall. The line comprises of an Autobox Slotter Scorer, Single Colour FlexoPRINT unit and MultiCUT module, which enables stock sheet to be cut to size, trimming the glue tabs and die cutting hand holes or corner cuts on 0401’s.
Featuring the BCS AutoBOX Quick Set technology, the line can be size-changed automatically between box style, board grade and blank size. Welch specified the BCS heavy duty option pack (to handle Triple Wall board). Typical short orders consist of large one piece 0201’s, 0401’s, Trays, and 0200’s or in fact anything and everything short of a full die-cut style box! The machine is also capable of Single Colour Print.
Welch Packaging CEO/Owner comments, “We evaluated our short run, custom book of work at our Elkhart facility and went looking for ways to produce it more efficiently. We understand that our market shows an increasing trend toward smaller quantity orders, but ordered more frequently for just in time solutions. We needed to find out how we could be better in that arena. Thus, the BCS enabled us to stream line operations and eliminate multi machine passes on a good portion of our mix. It also enabled us to set up very quickly and accommodate a variety of styles and sizes so we have a better solution for our Fan Fold customers. We visited BCS in the UK and realised we could upgrade our existing machinery solution”.
Welch concludes, “The BCS AutoBOX has allowed us to increase production in the custom short run end of our business, free up high-volume machines for volume orders, reduce the number of machine processes, reduce tooling requirements and improve our reaction time for our customers. Essentially, we are using the right tool for the right job”
"Thanks to the Kolbus AB300, it has allowed us to achieve savings in labour and purchase of tooling for the manufacture of small orders, as well as special designs and low-volume boxes. Another favorable point of the machine is that we can add many style codes thanks to its computer setup time, which allows the operator to load an order in 2 to 5 minutes."
Add-on modules:
Box Printing:
Box Gluing:
