Igb (Industrie Grafiche Bressan), a manufacturer of pharmaceutical folding cartons in Italy, was awarded the Oscar della Stampa for being the Best Technology Innovator in 2018. Originally founded by Dino Bressan in the 1960s, Igb is now managed by his three children. Bobst spoke to one of them – Alessio Bressan, the chief executive officer of Igb – about what differentiates the company and how its partnership with Bobst gives them an extra competitive advantage.
Driven by innovation
“Igb is a little bit different to most manufacturers — we innovate as well as produce packaging that responds to our clients’ specific needs,” explained Alessio. “We have a specialist R&D department, which has so far filed more than 100 new patent applications. Some of these innovations already have the potential to be truly groundbreaking. For example, we have developed tamper-evident and child-resistant folding boxes, which can be processed on standard packaging lines. ”
On 9 February 2019, the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD -Dir. 2011/62/EU) on anticounterfeiting came into force. This means that pharmaceutical products in Europe require tamper-evident cartons. Glue is not considered as an accepted anti-counterfeiting solution for pharmaceutical cartons, while cases sealed with labels are complex and expensive to pack. Igb’s solution has no glue, requires no change in the packaging processes of pharmaceutical companies, is environmentally friendly, and completely fulfills the needs of the FMD. It’s a very lean and green solution, and several world-leading pharma companies have already chosen the product to ensure they are ready for the FMD.
Meanwhile, Igb has also developed and mass-produced an innovative child-resistant folding box that looks like a regular folding box but has a locking system with a key. Sales are growing quickly for this product both in Europe and in the US.
“These innovations are representative of Igb’s approach. We look to the future to understand what challenges our customers will face, we assess the shortcomings of current approaches and we find completely innovative solutions. Igb is a problem solver and solution provider as well as a service provider, and we are always actively looking for new ways to improve the service to our customers even further,” said Alessio.
Igb and Bobst – A meeting of minds
Folding cartons are the core business of Igb and it must have the most advanced folder-gluers available. It has recently invested in its latest Bobst folder-gluer – ExpertFold 110 with GYROBOX.
“After analyzing various solutions on the market, the quality of ExpertFold 110 was the best. The tests carried out on the machine were very satisfactory as they allowed us to reach high production speeds. Another determining factor – which competitors cannot offer – is the in-line quality controls. With ExpertFold 110 quality inspection is possible during the production phase,” said Alessio.
The Bobst ExpertFold 110 folder-gluer is also available in 50 and 80 centimeter widths, the wide choice of modules available allows manufacturers to produce an impressive number of box styles – from small pharma and general food cartons to large cartons made from litho-laminates – in a wide range of materials at speeds of up to 450 meters a minute. ExpertFold is easy to operate and allows users to simultaneously carry out other in-line processes, such as Braille embossing with ACCUBRAILLE and quality inspection with ACCUCHECK, making it an ideal choice for the pharmaceutical market.
GYROBOX – Enabling next-level flexibility
Now available on ExpertFold 110, GYROBOX revolutionizes the production of complex boxes. Rotating blanks inline between two folding processes, it allows for the rapid folding-gluing of complicated boxes in one single pass. As well as speeding up the production process and boosting its efficiency, GYROBOX also delivers exceptional finished product quality.
Alessio highlighted the importance of the set-up – the installation and the training – to maximize the benefits of innovations like ExpertFold 110 with GYROBOX.
“With assistance from Bobst, we invested a lot of time and attention into the installation and training,” he said. “This way we are sure we know all the technical details to enable us to achieve the high performance allowed by this technology. There was great teamwork between our technicians and Bobst’s technicians to make this happen. The machine provides the level of quality and productivity that our products require.”
