Mex, Switzerland—Based in Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA, Mar-Co Harbor Group is a significant presence in the North American packaging converting industry. From its 80,000ft2 state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, the business specializes in flexible packaging, supplying coffee, medical, shrink-wrap, industrial, institutional, candy, produce, bakery and dairy packaging.

Founded in 1985, the business has seen a strong period of growth, and is reinvesting in its food packaging equipment to meet the heightened demands of the market. A key focus of the business is in expanding its capabilities and reaching new markets, while remaining true to the Mar-Co Harbor Group mission statement; Quality Products Delivered on-time at a Reasonable Price.

To accelerate growth in form fill seal packaging, Mar-Co Harbor Group has now invested in a VISION CI flexo press, the company’s first BOBST machine. The technology has proved an ideal fit for the business, taking its press speeds from 400ft/min to 1400ft/min, and job setup times from 1 hour per colour to minutes.

Tom Eversole, President and CEO of Mar-Co Harbor Group, explains the decision to invest in a BOBST VISION CI flexo press: “After careful consideration and analysis of the market, we believe that the VISION offers us the best possible combination of cutting-edge technology, reliability and efficiency.

“In selecting a flexo press to expand our capabilities, speed was a number one priority. We focus on short lead times while retaining the high quality we are known for, and VISION CI brings exactly that. It ticks every technology box for us, providing the ability to compete in form fill seal packaging, and offers a more comprehensive service to our customers. We have invested in a BOBST VISION CI flexo press 8-color with SmartGPS, which gives us greater flexibility for small runs, combined with a compact press footprint. Although it’s our first BOBST machine, we know of their reputation for quality and efficiency through leading-edge technology. As a result, following installation, we anticipate large gains to our productivity.”

Designed to deliver superior performance on a wide range of substrates, the BOBST Vision CI flexo press is ideal for converters looking to add a powerful new production tool to their operations.

VISION CI comes with a wide range of options, including 8-color and 10-color formats. Designed to be highly modular, the machine enables very fast installation start-up, ideally within four weeks, helping printers to maximize their productivity and volume.

Proving that speed doesn’t need to come at the cost of quality, the VISION CI flexo press provides superior quality output on a wide range of substrate types and thicknesses, with consistent and repeatable printing across both solvent-based and water-based systems. The machine comes equipped with an automatic opening and closing system for plate cylinders, with a pre-load system for unmatched stability.

Tom adds: “Although currently at the installation stage, the value that this press will bring to our business is already clear. As we look to address our long changeovers, it aligns perfectly with what we want to achieve in the form fill seal packaging sector, and we look forward to supercharging our throughput. Adding to this, our VISION CI flexo press comes equipped with the newly launched smartGPS technology, which combines press automation technology with the fastest and most accurate flexo plate mounters. The result is new heights of speed when it comes to our production volume.”

To find out more about the BOBST VISION CI flexo press, please visit www.Bobst.com. 

For more information about Mar-Co Harbor Group, visit: www.mar-coharborgroup.com.