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"None of us are as smart as all of us"
By Ron Brenwall
President, MaxiM International Consulting
"Rotary vs. Flatbed die cutting"
Before
I get into the main subject of this month’s issue, I would like say how much I
enjoyed the Diecutting Symposium Educational Conference in Nashville last
month. It was great to talk to old friends and meet with new ones. The Larson
Team is to be congratulated on making the show run smoothly and paying
attention to all the "little" details that tend to cause "big" headaches for
the exhibitors. This was my first show as an independent consultant, but it
will certainly not be my last. If your company at this time is not scheduled to
attend the show in Milwaukee next year, I would highly recommend that you
consider attending either as an exhibitor or as a visitor. The seminars alone
make it worth the expense.
Actually, the main reason that I have chosen the
subject of rotary die cutting vs platen
steel rule die cutting to feature in this issue is because of discussions I had
with people that I met at the DSEC Show. The comments that were made when I would ask why their company had no
rotary die cutting equipment or future plans to acquire that type of equipment
made for an interesting show. I think this debate first started 15 minutes
after the first rotary die was engraved back in the 1950’s and it has continued
ever since. The answers seemed to fall into four categories.
1.
Cost
of tooling is too high
2.
Cost
of equipment is too high
3.
Problems
cutting thick, hard materials
4.
Lack
of knowledge of the process (fear of the unknown)
Of course I’m a bit prejudiced when it comes to
narrow web, hard anvil, rotary die cutting verses flatbed, steel rule die
cutting, as I’ve been involved with rotary die cutting for over 30 years.
I would like to compare the two processes to each of
the four answers but first I must agree that neither process can be the best
for every material or die cutting requirement. We all know that there are
courses for horses, but just as companies that are predominately rotary die
cutters should have some flatbed equipment, the reverse is true for companies
using only flatbed equipment. I really believe that companies are passing up
many business opportunities if they only focus entirely on one production
method. If you feel that this might be the situation in your company, perhaps
now is the time to get someone in to go through the products that your company
is currently producing with platen steel rule equipment and see if any of those
could be produced on rotary equipment and if it would be a more cost effective
to method of production.
When comparing the cost of tooling between the two
processes, there is no doubt that the rotary tooling will usually be more
expensive. However, the usable life of a rotary die will be much longer than
that of a steel rule die cutting the same material. Die life can now be
extended even further with tougher steels and new coating processes. The rotary
die cutting process will also (under most circumstances) be much faster with
line speeds reaching 200 feet per minute.
When comparing the cost of die cutting equipment for
the two processes, I don’t think that there is much of a debate. Both types can
vary all over the map. Depending on the bells and whistles the costs can easily
be $250,000 and over. Having said that, there is also a great deal of used
rotary equipment available in the $25,000 to $50,000 area. Again, this is an
area that may require some outside advice. For example, if your products tend
to be on the "difficult to die cut" end of the spectrum, you would be ill
advised to purchase equipment used for flexographic printing and die cutting.
Buying the right equipment will save you money and headaches in the future.
The third most common answer to the question of
owning rotary equipment or future plans was the perception that many of the
materials they convert are too hard or too thick or too abrasive etc., etc.
Unless you’ve been involved in the rotary die business within the last five
years, you would be amazed at the progress that has been made as far as
extending die life and the "difficult to die cut" materials that are now being
processed on a more profitable basis. Again, this is a situation where we know
that all materials are not going to fall into that category but it’s worth
taking a look at.
The forth answer that I
heard from steel rule die cutters is that they didn’t understand the rotary
process and had no expertise in rotary die cutting and they didn’t think the
process fit their product line. I think this falls into the "if it ain’t broke
don’t fix it" school of business management. Sometimes we all get so involved
in the day to day problems of trying to run a profitable business that there
never seems to be time explore other possibilities of production methods. There
is help out there from die makers, equipment manufacturers and independent
consultants. Like I said before, there is a real possibility that you could be
passing up profitable business opportunities that you are not aware of at the
present time.
If
you have any comments on this article or questions about the narrow-web
converting process, please give me a call at (1-800) 660-3696, fax (920)
894-4003 or e-mail info@maximinternational.net
Ron
Brenwall has over 30 years of experience in production and operations
management in the Rotary Diecutting, Rotary Diemaking, Converting and Packaging
Industry and has been an independent Consultant and Project Manager for the
past five years. If your company is thinking of entering into or expanding
within the Rotary Die Cutting and Converting industry, give Ron a call and
discuss the cost effective benefits of retaining his services as a Consultant
or Project Manager or visit their web site at www.maximinternational.net