Starting with a simple reflection on how, in marketing, the product’s package holds a primary promotional role, KPL Packaging S.p.A. has launched the new Casmatic CUBE® machine on the market, the first wrapper that can package rolls in up to three layers. Here are the features and the advantages of this new technology.
Chiara Grossi, Fabio Gurioli, Antonio Di Monaco
Innovating, offering new marketing opportunities, incrementing the level of flexibility of the product range: in synthesis, effectively answering new market requests are the objectives of Casmatic CUBE®, the newborn roll wrapper, introduced in November 2007 during the “CUBE® Event” that took place at the KPL Packaging S.p.A. facilities in Bologna, Italy.
CASMATIC CUBE®. The name immediately calls to mind the principal format of the entire series: the cube. A pack configuration with rolls positioned on three layers, an absolute novelty for the tissue market. But let’s talk about the objectives for which this machine was designed and explain how and why it was built.
Casmatic CUBE® is based on the technology of KPL Packaging S.p.A. introduced with the series CMW 400 machines that has led, from 1999 until today, to the development of different wrapper models: CMW 424, CMW 425, Casmatic A5T up to the new Casmatic CUBE®. On average, every two years, a new wrapper model was created, capable of guaranteeing greater flexibility in terms of pack configurations, making format change simpler and easier. This latter aspect has been continuously perfected by KPL Packaging S.p.A. up to the attainment of the Casmatic A5T, characterized by automated format change – a feature that allows tissue producers to quickly adapt their offer according to market requests.
SPEED AND FLEXIBILITY are for KPL Packaging S.p.A. two fundamental factors capable of conferring high added value to packaging machinery. By the same token, innovation represents for the Bologna company the capability of anticipating requests of the converting industry, positioning its products one step ahead of those presently found on the market. And innovation is the key word that synthesizes and describes the technology of the new Casmatic CUBE®: the machine that unites high production capacity and reduced product change times with new pack configurations never available for production before. With the possibility of making packs up to 5 lanes wide and up to 3 layers high, the novelties introduced by the new wrapper are essentially three: the CUBELEVATOR for making the triple layer, the 5-lane V-INFEED and the UNWIND 1720 unit.
CUBELEVATOR. This is the main unit, the one that allows producing packs in three layers and that better unites innovation and simplicity. The consolidated winding cycle of Casmatic brand wrappers has remained unchanged and only the elevator cycle has been modified. Roll feeding, overhead flights and sealing discharge units, are the same as in the series CMW 400 machines, while the elevator cycle has been changed so as to create the three-layer configuration through a variation of the unit’s motion. All this without minimally interfering on the productivity of one- or two-layer packs or with format change, because the formation of the triple layer does not require extra mechanical devices.
V-INFEED. This is the new infeed that supplies the wrapper on five lanes with rolls having a maximum diameter of 135mm for toilet rolls and 160mm for kitchen towels, without limitations on the machine’s performance.
UNWIND 1720. The new unwind unit allows to reach a film width of 1720mm; that’s 270mm more with respect to an CMW425 or an A5T. This new unit substantially increases the machine’s production capacity to make packs having a width of 5 rolls and a height of 3 rolls.
The high flexibility in pack configurations that can be attained with Casmatic CUBE® is completed by the automated format change that allows passing from one configuration to the other in just a few minutes, with motorized adjustments set directly on the operator panel.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OFFERED BY CASMATIC CUBE®? This new system makes new marketing opportunities available for tissue producers. Besides new configurations to launch on the market, there is also the possibility of offering alternatives to existing products or of proposing innovative pack configurations.
For example, it is possible to confer a new image to the traditional 10-roll toilet roll package B251B with the B521A format with rolls in horizontal position (see figure on page 114).
To this configuration, equipping the machine with a handle applicator model BH360I, a handle can be applied on the short side of the pack, thus obtaining a more economical alternative with respect to the pre-made bag solution or the one with handle application outside the machine.
A further advantage offered by this configuration is given by the possibility of having a wider area available for printing. Furthermore, this type of configuration allows greater visibility of the roll contained inside it.
WITH CASMATIC CUBE®, NEW FORMATS such as the 18-roll B323A as an alternative to the B332A can be made. (see figure on page 114). The advantage of this new 18-roll configuration can be summarized in the possibility of a better use of the product’s packaging as a means of communication, since printing may be done on 4 equal sides, instead of on 2 wide and 2 narrow sides. In this way, the publicity space available for the product is always of the same dimensions, regardless of how the product is placed on the pallet or on supermarket shelves.
These are just some of the many advantages offered by Casmatic CUBE® in terms of new configurations and marketing opportunities. But it is not only the marketing aspect that can benefit from the advantages of the new Casmatic CUBE® brand technology, but also logistics.
The cube has a “perfect” shape in that every side is exactly the same. For this reason, since the final pack has the shape of a square, it can be easily stacked on pallets, allowing greater stability, easy handling and new possibilities to optimize available space.
In summary, the new technology allows: greater stability, maximum use of space and reduced transport costs.
These considerations are true for all three-layer configurations, since a larger surface of the pack is in contact with the pallet. Just as an example, let us take a 12-roll kitchen towel format. This configuration used to be made exclusively with the K322A format.
THANKS TO CASMATIC CUBE®, IT IS TODAY POSSIBLE TO POSITION THE ROLLS ON THREE LAYERS and thus obtain the format K413A (see figure on page 114) that possesses the above-mentioned advantages, that is: greater pallet stability with the use of 100% of the surface.
And this is true also for another format, the 48-toilet roll pack. Casmatic CUBE® represents an alternative for making the B462A format that can be replaced with the configuration B443A (see figure at page 115), certainly more compact, easy to handle and stable. But let us focus a moment on the advantage of Casmatic CUBE® given by the optimization of the space available on the pallet. Still using the example of the B443A format (48 rolls) with roll size of 100 mm in diameter and length and a Europallet 1200 mm x 800 mm. In this case, (see drawing at center) 100% of the surface is used, obtaining at the same time maximum guarantee of pack stability.
A FURTHER EXAMPLE IS GIVEN BY THE B333A FORMAT. Let us consider a roll diameter and length of 100 mm and a Europallet 1200 mm x 800 mm, with an available height of 2600 mm. In this case, thanks to the new B333A configuration that can be made with Casmatic CUBE®, it is possible to attain maximum use of space with 2592 rolls per pallet. The assumption in this case is that the product can be compressed on the pallet when wrapping it with the stretch film unit (see drawing at center).
AS WE HAVE SEEN, THE NOVELTIES INTRODUCED BY THE NEW CASMATIC CUBE® TECHNOLOGY ARE ADVANTAGEOUS FROM THE MARKETING ASPECT ALL THE WAY UP TO LOGISTICS. The key word for the new technology is innovation – innovation CUBED! Through the new Casmatic CUBE® made by KPL Packaging S.p.A., converters can exploit the use of the marketing mix to the fullest: product, price and publicity. Packaging represents the main communication instrument to attract consumers, playing a primary role in the product appeal aspect. For this reason, you should raise your product packaging to the third power!