#Trade Shows & Events
Valco Melton: A Recap of Recent Milestones Ahead of Drupa
Eight years have passed since the last in-person Drupa event, and the anticipation for it is evident.
Valco Melton is thrilled to have the opportunity to reconnect with industry peers and showcase the business’s latest advancements, fueled by the three core principles of the company’s evolution: commitment to customer service and direct support, constant pursuit of innovation, and a determined effort to deliver more sustainable solutions.
GLOBAL SUPPORT WITH LOCAL SERVICE
In recent years, Valco Melton’s global presence has seen remarkable growth beyond existing global offices. In the last few years alone, Valco Melton announced the successful opening of four offices in South America, two more in the Middle East and Africa, and four additional offices in Asia, with the most recent inauguration of its office in Japan.
Amidst these global accomplishments, Valco Melton is equally excited to spotlight efforts made closer to home at this year's Drupa. Specifically, the company is thrilled to announce the consolidation of its team in Germany, a key industrial hub in Europe.
Valco Melton Germany has undergone a comprehensive reshaping and expansion to better address the needs expressed by our users in the region. The company reports that this strategic reinforcement has enabled it to provide impressive responsiveness and tailored support to its valued clients throughout Central Europe. Markus Bohnenkamp, Sales Director North Europe states, “Germany plays a central role in the global industrial landscape, setting the standards in quality, innovative strength, environmental awareness, technical innovation, and exports. Valco Melton's daily work involves supporting our customers and partners with our system solutions. A well-coordinated team and effective communication are essential to success in our market. We structured the Dusseldorf office with these things in mind. Continuous feedback, an exchange of ideas, and open communication have created a dynamic team of sales, service, and customer service”.
The team is eager to showcase the latest innovations from both Valco Melton and its subsidiary brand, ERO Gluing Systems.
Strategically located in Düsseldorf, the office offers convenient access for local and regional clients, further strengthening Valco Melton's presence in Germany's industrial landscape. Additionally, Valco Melton is looking forward to unveiling it's new Demo Room at the Dusseldorf office. Equipped with a complete folder gluer featuring gluing technology and quality assurance systems from both Valco Melton and ERO brands, the businesses allow customers to experience its equipment's performance firsthand. Together with existing lab facilities at the Global and European Headquarters, the Demo Room exemplifies the company’s commitment to engaging customers in the development process.
Laura Lindsay, Valco Melton's Global Director of Marketing, explains, "At Drupa, we're emphasizing the critical role that a large direct network plays in helping businesses win success. Our commitment to supporting customers with "hands-on" local support sets us apart in the industry. Not only do we offer superior direct service and systems from more than 30 countries, but we are a completely vertical manufacturing company with facilities in every part of the world. We support folding carton customers in a way that doesn't leave them waiting for small parts for months, or worse, canceling orders because equipment can no longer be fulfilled. With Valco Melton, yes, you can update a system to the most state-of-the-art innovation, but we can also support companies that might need more time to make that investment. You can still see our systems operating in facilities after 40 years. They might not be shiny after all that time, but they last forever. We can support our systems until the end.”
With a team of 36 dedicated technicians and 16 customer service professionals in Europe, Valco Melton offers its customers comprehensive onsite and remote technical assistance. Additionally, the company offers a network of authorized technicians within distributor companies to enhance service capabilities further.
PURSUING SUSTAINABILITY
Valco Melton dedicates resources and effort to developing application technologies aiming for enhanced production efficiency that benefits both customers and the environment. The company’s system options significantly reduce the total consumption of material and energy resources.
Valco Melton’s EcoStitch™ technology represents the brand's dedication to sustainability, efficiency, and innovation. This all-electric innovation includes a hot melt applicator, a valve driver, and an adhesive melter. Fewer parts mean less overhead and less downtime. The solution enables highly efficient, uninterrupted manufacturing processes that minimize the need for part changes caused by regular wear and tear.
EcoStitch™ applicators offer rapid cycle rates and an extended service life of up to 2 billion cycles. Compelling evidence supports up to 70% adhesive savings with a stitch-mode glue pattern. Furthermore, the reduced number of moving parts results in a remarkable decrease up to 95% in maintenance downtime. The impact additionally underscores the company's commitment to sustainability and operational efficiency.
In response to the growing demands of customers looking to produce more sustainable boxes, the ERO Gluing Systems Engineering Group decided to take on the challenge to offer a technology capable of working with any bio-friendly adhesives, even with the purest starch-based and compostable adhesives. ERO now offers a gluing system that overcomes the limitations associated with these adhesives. By meticulously refining every component, the system can operate effectively under the unique conditions of biodegradable adhesives, which are typically less refined and filtered compared to traditional adhesives. Furthermore, the entire system is customized onsite, to suit the requirements of each production line.
INNOVATING TO MAKE QUALITY VISIBLE WITH CLEARVISION
ClearVision, Valco Melton's camera inspection group, has been dedicated to inspecting boxes and cartons for over two decades, guided by the principle of "Making quality visible". The company explains its aim to empower manufacturers to deliver defect-free products to their customers while actively contributing to the continual improvement of their production processes.
ClearVision's inspection cameras capture and store high-definition images of each product, facilitating precise defect analysis and reporting. This capability enables operators to identify production defects and anticipate potential future issues.
Explicitly designed for folder-gluers, CartonChek™ software integrates cameras and sensors to inspect and track every carton, removing defective products with various ejection methods. CartonChek can accommodate a range of inspection systems, covering glue applications, codes, folds, flaps, cut-outs, and windows.
There has been a growing demand for braille on packaging across various markets and regions in recent years. This demand is particularly critical in the pharmaceutical industry, where errors in braille can lead to severe consequences. BrailleChek™ steps in to offer companies peace of mind.
BrailleChek decodes and reads braille on cartons and labels inline, including dots on the printed side of the label. It detects carton mix-ups and also identifies braille-related faults such as missing dots, extra dots, poorly formed dots, and dots positioned outside the designated registration area.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLIED TO FOLDING CARTON MANUFACTURING
ERO Gluing Systems is a pioneer in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) within the gluing sector. The Engineering Department has perfected the ERO-DL cold glue inspection technology to go beyond traditional inspection systems. Incorporating deep learning technology, it enables automatic parameter setup for every carton processed. Trained with an extensive database of glue pattern images, the Ai eliminates the need for manual presetting or adjustment, streamlining the production process, for new and previous orders.
"We are excited about the launch of the ER-DL system. We are confident that it will help our customers enormously, shortening pattern set-up times and offering the smartest way to configure glue patterns. All this translates into reduced machine downtime for batch changeovers," states Francesca Notari, General Manager of ERO.
The ERO-DL camera reacts with the precision of a human eye: capable of detecting adhesive dots and beads on any surface. This includes the detection of delicate substrates like aluminum or other reflective surfaces, which have historically posed challenges. Additionally, there's no longer a requirement for UV additives on the adhesive.
Valco Melton and ERO Gluing Systems are excited to present these latest advancements at Drupa, booth D70 in hall 12. Representatives will be delighted to assist visitors, and showcase our dedication to customer support, innovation, and sustainable practices.
