Mex, Switzerland–BOURQUIN is a business that has successfully evolved continually and consistently with the times. The Swiss-based company began life as a straw husk manufacturer in the 19th century, before starting a corrugated cardboard factory at the beginning of the 20th. Now, it is a comprehensive supplier of packaging solutions to 15,000 customers across the e-commerce, pharmaceutical, medtech, wine, brewing, industrial and graphic sectors.

BOBST believes in evolution too. The company supplies equipment and services to BOURQUIN as well as other packaging and label manufacturers in the folding carton, corrugated board and flexible materials industries all over the world. BOBST prides itself on keeping ahead of the latest trends in packaging by listening to its customers, understanding what they need and being able to propose solutions of the highest possible performance.

This similarity in company philosophies explains why BOURQUIN and BOBST have had such a long and successful partnership. BOURQUIN bought its first BOBST machines all the way back in 1972 – the BOBST Autoplaten SPO 1575 EEG with a two-colour Flexo 1575. Ever since, the two companies have maintained a strong relationship based on mutual trust and understanding.

“The connection between our two companies is more than a simple customer-supplier relationship,” explained Luis Manuel Luis, Production Manager at BOURQUIN’s Couvet site. “We are partners. BOBST listens to us; they understand what we need and they go out of their way to find tailored solutions that will work. Just like we do for our own customers.”

SPEEDPACK investment reaps dividends

BOURQUIN is reputed for its product quality but also for its flexibility; it is attentive to rapid changes in consumer habits and versatile in its ability to adapt. Versatile machinery that can assist the company with high production rates and very short set-up times is therefore highly appealing.

Take SPEEDPACK from BOBST for example. SPEEDPACK is a fully automatic packer, which bundles a large range of box formats and types. The modularity and productivity of SPEEDPACK make it the perfect packer for any multipoint folding-gluing line. For BOURQUIN, it was the perfect complement to its BOBST MASTERFOLD 230 A4 folder-gluer.

“For many years now, we have been waiting for a machine like SPEEDPACK, because we are the specialists in folding and gluing,” said Luis Manuel Luis. “In this vast field, we needed a simple, versatile, reliable and fast machine in order to reduce workload at the delivery of the folder-gluer. We also needed a solution to increase the productivity of our line regardless of the type of packaging, format or even the type of corrugated board. SPEEDPACK ticks every box.”

SPEEDPACK is an innovative automatic packer for corrugated packaging that allows users to realize the full potential of their BOBST folding-gluing lines. With the highest possible number of batches per hour and very short set-up times, it drastically increases productivity.

The packer gently picks up boxes as they exit the folder-gluer and batches them up in exactly the right way – quickly and reliably, while preserving the quality of the boxes. It has an exceptionally fluid operation, a minimal footprint, optimal ergonomics and excellent accessibility, making set-up times for repeat orders negligible. All of which means this robust packer can process literally any type of box, while maintaining irreproachable levels of quality.

“Not only does the SPEEDPACK meet all our expectations perfectly, but we had a great collaboration with BOBST in the installation and set-up phase” said Luis Manuel Luis. “We are seeing all the benefits already – its reliability, flexibility, ease of use, very short set-up times and very high production rates for all types of boxes. We have also reduced the difficulty of our employees' work. This is a significant advantage, especially for large format packaging and double flute types.”

It is the latest example of successful evolution for BOURQUIN. And with help from the continued innovation at BOBST, the company will continue to evolve to meet the needs of its customers in the future.

“Like BOBST, we always have one eye on the future,” said Luis Manuel Luis. “There are always ways you can improve, and through our special partnership, we look forward to finding ways to advance folding and gluing even further in the future.”