(Left to right) Paul Blake, plant manager at Master Graphic; Aamir Anwar, CEO; and Denis Grabowski, IT manager at Master Graphic; eagerly await their new custom-built Koenig & Bauer Allpro 110 folder gluer operating at 400 meters per minute, which will be delivered in the spring of 2023

Atlanta, GA print finisher “masters” a multitude of different post-press trade services

• Koenig & Bauer offered a custom-built machine to respond to the firm’s variety of individualized work
• Allpro 110 folder gluer will provide efficient single-pass productivity providing additional capacity and faster turnaround
• The firm’s customers recommended Koenig & Bauer due to its leadership position in the packaging market and well-built innovative equipment

When Aamir Anwar is asked what sets his business apart from the competition, he quickly responds: “Being flexible enough to produce any job that comes through our door, from the simplest print finishing job to the extremely complex.” It’s been this ability to serve a variety of commercial printers and folding carton manufacturers in the Southeast that distinguishes Master Graphic Services, a 40-year-old Atlanta firm, as it continues to add additional expert post-press services.

With this in mind, Anwar and his team decided it was prudent to add another folder gluer line to provide one-pass productivity and quality control for the variety of customer jobs. Their choice? A new custom-built Koenig & Bauer Allpro 110 folder gluer operating at 400 meters per minute, which will be delivered in the spring of 2023. Currently, a highly self-contained, climate-controlled, and extra clean room is being prepared for the upcoming installation to provide a special environment especially for the firm’s growing share of the health and beauty segment.

“We are poised to handle very small jobs in the hundreds to very large jobs over a million,” says Anwar, the firm’s CEO. “Our goal is to be able to convert any style of cartons and to stay consistently and continuously aligned with our customers’ needs. Over the past four decades we have worked really hard to develop a legion of loyal customers. We’ve gained their confidence, and, in turn, they feel like we are an extension of their own business.”

At its 50,000 sq ft complex, where Master Graphic Services displays its production flexibility, the upcoming installation of the Omega Allpro 110 will bolster Master’s capabilities in many ways. While the Allpro’s production speed is impressive with a maximum output of up to 400 m/min, its custom features make it an efficient stand-out one-of-a-kind model. Fully automatic processes are combined with memory functions to achieve the shortest possible makeready times for Master’s workload. An intuitive, touchscreen-based operating concept will provide its operators with exceptional ease of operation.

While Master already has all of the necessary equipment to convert any carton, sometimes the job requires two or three passes. The Allpro will eliminate these extra pass processes and enhance the firm’s ability to check and convert accurately while also adding a tremendous amount of additional capacity, says Anwar. To further increase its folding carton production capacity, the new folder gluer is equipped with a Turnpro module, which turns the direction of the carton flow by 90º on Master’s Allpro folder gluer. This is a significant value-add feature, says Anwar, since it was developed for producing specific cartons for high-speed production in a single pass.

Master also included a Leary glue application system on its Allpro, which constantly monitors Master’s customer carton orders with technologically advanced gluing and quality solutions.

The new Allpro will complement the firm’s capabilities, such as film laminations, UV coatings, foil stamping, embossing, die cutting, and folding and gluing all sorts of individualized custom cartons including straight line, crash-lock, double-wall, six- and four-corner cartons, cartons with complex insert and inner cells, soft and rigid window application on cartons, perfect binding, coil binding, wiro binding, handwork, and other services.

“As we began to look at the various manufacturers of folder gluers, our main priority was to maintain and enhance our ability to produce various styles of folding cartons,” says Anwar. “After evaluating all of the models available, Koenig & Bauer offered a machine with high precision processes and an innovative solution. First, they offered to build a custom-made folder gluer for our particular needs with every option available. We were also impressed with its strong roots as a leader in producing packaging equipment. Many of our customers are heavily invested in Koenig & Bauer equipment and that made us feel extremely comfortable with our decision. If we want to continue to grow, we have to continue to improve on the services we provide. By investing in the latest machinery and technology, we’re able to advance our own high quality and customer satisfaction. The new Koenig & Bauer Allpro will be key in that regard.”

www.mastergraphic.com