In Tissue, more flexibility is going to be demanded of all converting applications
October 2008
By Marco Dell’Osso, Marketing and Corporate Communications Director, Futura and the Faper Group
When it comes to converting processes which add value, such as printing, laminating/embossing, ply-bonding and lotionising, there is nothing which can divide opinion among tissue makers quite like the merits of on-line versus off-line technology.
There are very sound arguments for both standpoints, but in tissue technology as in most aspects of life, things change, and for some very sound reasons, the case for off-line technology deserves a fresh hearing in mature and emerging markets around the world.
As soon as you have more customers or products than you have converting lines, the flexibility of your technology holds the key to profitability, and this is where off-line converting operations come into their own.
Off-line – dispelling the concerns
The concerns about off-line technology center on cost and quality. Cost, because of additional processes required and the extra space required to accommodate them. Quality, because of the fear that bulk and accuracy will be sacrificed during additional winding stages, due to lack of winding tension control.
There is no doubt that off-line processes require extra equipment, but this needs to be balanced with the fact that a converting line can run much faster when value-adding processes such as printing are taken out of the equation. A high tech combiner can run at up to 2,000 m/min, and with a high speed process printer or an embosser can run at up to 900 m/min. The efficiency of the entire process then, including the converting line becomes considerably higher using an off-line scenario, which offers the possibility of rewinding standard products or different added value tissue grades without fear of negative consequences for the finished product.
The main impact of new technology, however, is on quality. Futura’s Focus winding technology, for example, with Automatic Caliper Control (the ACC Concept), has proved itself able to maintain bulk and winding accuracy, such that jumbo rolls coming from tissue machines with using conventional, TAD, or newly developed technology, can run through additional off-line processes unaffected.
The case gets stronger
Once the quality concern is allayed about off-line converting processes, many tissue producers should find themselves reconsidering the relative merits of on-line and off-line technology. The more products in a producer’s range, the stronger the case for off-line technology becomes. When working with a variety of designs and qualities across facial, toilet and kitchen grades, the flexibility and convenience of off-line technology becomes apparent. The ability to change printing designs, embossing patterns and to add lotion to one product and not another, all without stopping the main line which performs the core converting processes, gives the tissue producer a significant opportunity to increase the efficiency of their operation. It means that the decision as to whether to run a particular design, for example, does not affect the operation of the entire line.
The efficiency argument of off-line technology holds true for the off-line processes themselves, as well as the main converting line. It is a far more efficient use of a printer to dedicate it to one product. For many tissue producers, this is only possible if the printing is left to off-line machines. It is equally more efficient to change products on an off-line printer, as the stoppage is limited to one machine.
Enticing possibilities
Once confidence in winding has been established, so the possibilities for adding value to jumbo rolls open up enticingly. It makes more sense to transport a printed jumbo roll than finished product, for example. The ability to print and emboss jumbo rolls certainly opens up new market opportunities to tissue producers.
The other influence which could push many producers towards off-line technology is the changing nature of the market itself. Retailers in the US and in many markets worldwide are pushing their own-label products to encourage customer loyalty and to benefit from the potential for greater margins which private label offers. This means more choice, and the increasing use of added value features such as printing and embossing. So private label suppliers have a greater need for the very flexibility which off-line technology offers. This, in turn, is increasing the pressure on brands to differentiate themselves to justify the premium they command. Customer expectations have been raised with ever more sophisticated printing techniques and this needs to spread right across the spectrum from kitchen towel to toilet tissue. Sophisticated packaging is no longer enough in many cases – the sophistication needs to be reflected in the product itself. So converting for brand producers will need to offer product options which might put on-line solutions under some considerable strain.
Whether it is an increased number of plies, more decorative options or changes in sheet count, it is inevitable that more flexibility is going to be demanded of all converting operations. Despite this, the on-line option remains the most persuasive for many producers and for specific situations it can still be considered to be the best set up.
However today, with the ability to preserve bulk and control tension combined with the latest print technologies (such as Star developed by Futura) or the latest embossing solutions, we can now see that in terms of flexibility, efficiency and total cost of ownership, the case for off-line technology in tissue converting has become too strong to ignore.
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