In order to bring its custom packaging production in-house, O.C. Tanner, one of the biggest retailers and producers of corporate awards in the United States, has invested in the most recent digital finishing technology from Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems ('Kongsberg PCS').
The employee recognition company, which offers software, services, and awards to companies around the world, recently installed a new Kongsberg X24 Edge digital cutting solution at its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah (TBC), in order to do away with third-party packaging contracts and improve its own capacity to produce new award designs.
The investment, according to O.C. Tanner packaging engineer Daryl Leiser, has already had a significant effect on the company. "We provide employee recognition services and awards to more than 3,000 clients from various industries in more than 180 countries worldwide," he said. "Many of our items require custom packaging." "In the past, we made custom boxes and inserts by hand and placed bulk orders for packaging, which was both time-consuming and ineffective.
We weighed this challenge against our own desire to have more control over the quality of our products as costs and lead times rose, and we decided to establish our own packaging department, according to Daryl. In addition to allowing our designers to realize their ideas and create samples for new awards, we can now produce custom packaging and inserts as and when they are required.
The Kongsberg table has performed admirably for us, he said, already saving money and going above and beyond what we had anticipated.
The X24 Edge provides O.C. Tanner with a combination of tried-and-true Kongsberg productivity, flexibility, and best-in-class reliability, which is ideal for the company's packaging prototyping and production needs, according to Connie Adams, Kongsberg PCS Territory Sales Manager.
Daryl and the staff at O.C. Tanner personify the notion that the Kongsberg X Edge is the ideal place to begin a journey toward digital finishing, according to Connie. Kongsberg X Edge, O.C. Leiser needed a machine that could easily handle the full spectrum of materials used in its inner and outer packaging through as well as in the awards themselves after deciding to bring packaging production in-house.
The machine has a MultiCUT milling unit, which provides 1kW of milling power and speeds up to 45,000 RPM for milling, contour cutting, routing, drilling, and engraving.
"The Corrugated Crease Tool delivers perfect and distinct crease lines without perforation, while the BevelKnife Tool enables a 45° slanted cut for v-notching or single through cutting," said Connie. The X24 Edge handles a variety of applications thanks to its specialty tools, and it provides speed, power, and the flexibility to add new tools for new materials, new applications, or more capacity. Most importantly, the table can adapt to meet Daryl's and the O.C. Tanner team's changing needs.
According to Daryl Leiser, the business relies heavily on its ability to customize packaging to better meet customer needs. We can now cut paper, cork, and plastic thanks to such adaptable options, he said. "Being able to tailor our packaging has led to significant cost savings, the ability to use more environmentally friendly packaging, and as a result, we've seen an increase in customer satisfaction.
Because of the Kongsberg X Edge's adaptability, he continued, "we've been using the table not only for making samples and custom boxes, but also as a production machine." "Production runs take up half of the working day, and the other half is spent creating samples and conducting tests on new products.
According to Daryl Leiser, the business relies heavily on its ability to customize packaging to better meet customer needs. We can now cut paper, cork, and plastic thanks to such adaptable options, he said. "Being able to tailor our packaging has led to significant cost savings, the ability to use more environmentally friendly packaging, and as a result, we've seen an increase in customer satisfaction.
Because of the Kongsberg X Edge's adaptability, he continued, "we've been using the table not only for making samples and custom boxes, but also as a production machine." "Production runs take up half of the working day, and the other half is spent creating samples and conducting tests on new products.
"The X Edge has facilitated our internal production. It allows us to offer more flexible packaging at a lower price, which has benefited other O.C. Tanner teams as well, he said. "Although our packaging team is currently quite small, we hope to expand in the upcoming year. Because of the superior level of customer service offered, we chose to work with Kongsberg PCS, and I am looking forward to continuing our relationship with them.
For more information on the Kongsberg Machine, please contact your local Dynagraph representative.
Source: https://www.kongsbergsystems.com/en/about/news/2023/tanner