CorruJET – Digital post-printing on corrugated board for HANS KOLB Wellpappe in Memmingen

• HANS KOLB Wellpappe as development partner
• Focus on growth markets
• Portfolio expansion as an important objective
• Digital post-printing directly on corrugated board

Its focus on growth markets such as digital packaging printing is part of the successful Koenig & Bauer strategy. With the installation of the first CorruJET press at the KOLB company group in Memmingen, it has now taken the next step along this fruitful path. Koenig & Bauer management board member Christoph Müller: “In exactly the same way as for our analogue presses, the CorruFLEX and CorruCUT, we based the project specifications on a careful evaluation of the market and customer wishes. The KOLB Group is here an ideal partner with whom to further the development of our new CorruJET for digital post-printing on corrugated board.” The CorruJET is set to enter production in the second quarter of 2019.

3D schematic of the new CorruJET from Koenig & Bauer.

New premises for KOLB DigitalSolutions were opened in Memmingen-Amendingen just last year, barely a stone’s throw from the KOLB group headquarters in the town. The CorruJET will form the heart of a new production plant with integrated finishing and conversion. “Differentiation, fast time-to-market scenarios, or reduced run lengths in conjunction with increased versioning – the demands expressed by our customers are forever changing,” says Dr. Bernhard Ruffing, managing director of Hans Kolb Wellpappe. “Against this background, focus is naturally turning to the option of digital post-printing. With Koenig & Bauer and the CorruJET, we are well equipped to respond to future customer demands and can also open up new markets.”

Successful for almost 90 years

HANS KOLB Wellpappe was founded in Memmingen in 1933 and is currently led by second?generation managing partner Alwin J. Kolb and managing director Dr. Bernhard Ruffing. The company is an international supplier with a workforce of around 1,100 employees, who develop and produce a broad spectrum of packaging, packaging materials and special corrugated board products.

Digital post-printing on corrugated board

When developing the new CorruJET press for the corrugated board industry, Koenig & Bauer was able to call upon extensive experience already gained with the RotaJET. The CorruJET delivers high-resolution digital print at production speeds of up to 6,000sph and handles formats up to 1,700 x 1,300mm (66.9 x 51.2in). All customary outer liners, whether coated or uncoated, are printed in exceptional quality. This combination of high quality and maximum throughput is a key distinguishing feature of the CorruJET. As the sheet infeed was designed for a hard-edge sheet orientation, it can be combined easily with typical peripheral equipment (pre-feeder, stacker) and harmonises with the standard logistics of every corrugated board plant. The incorporation of a coating unit provides for gloss or matt coating of the four-colour images printed using water-based inks.