Rondo Ganahl, one of Europe’s leading corrugated cardboard and packaging manufacturers, has unveiled plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary and the official opening of a digital print production facility in a €25 million investment euros (about Rs 206 crore). In Styria, Austria, the company is determined to capitalize on the continued growth of its business, where digital production volumes continue to increase by 25-30% per year.
Koenig & Bauer Durst’s Delta SPC 130 single-pass press with water-based ink technology drives business growth and delivers the food packaging industry solutions demanded by brands . The Delta SPC 130 was successfully transferred to the new factory and production started as planned from the beginning of April.
The official opening ceremony of the new building as well as the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Rondo St Ruprecht will take place in September. The company, part of the Rondo Group which has eight factories across Europe, invested in the Delta SPC 130 three years ago to start digital production – and has never looked back. About 90% of Rondo’s digital printing business is for the food industry.
As lead times continue to shrink, Rondo says he needs to further develop digital technology where the excellent print quality already matches litho production.
Rondo Ganahl St. Ruprecht Managing Director Karl Pucher said: “It has been an incredible achievement. Digital printing was a big step for us three years ago with an unknown future, but we’ve never looked back. The transformation is driven by brands that need to get their products to market quickly, and with digital printing we are very fast from development to delivering products to customers, including Lindt & Sprüngli who are very important in display products and have been with us on our digital journey since the beginning.
“Digital printing is the future and is helping us attract a whole host of new customers. Quality is no longer a topic of conversation. Digital is a very important development for us as we now have a complete solution for our customers which has been integrated into our entire factory process. We operate the SPC 130 very well in a two-shift, sometimes even three-shift operation. We have many customers in the food industry and one of the main reasons for choosing Koenig & Bauer Durst is because of its food safe inks. They provided all the permits we need for the food industry.
Pucher added: “The interaction with Koenig & Bauer Durst is excellent – we are very happy with the support. We didn’t just buy a machine. We bought a complete system. The software is the main part because it helps us optimize printing and make the right decisions for customers.
Robert Stabler, Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer Durst, said: “In a true partnership approach, we have accompanied Rondo every step of the way since its beginnings in digital printing. Investing heavily in a dedicated digital production facility says a lot about where markets are headed, all driven by brands. “Converters are increasingly recognizing that they need a highly automated, reliable, versatile and all-in-one digital solution for fast job processing. Rondo is also a prime example of how companies ensure seamless workflow in their factories by investing in comprehensive workflows and color management systems.
