The oneECG solution by BOBST: Trailblazing Innovation in the Packaging and Printing World

The packaging and printing industry is undergoing a profound transformation, with changing consumer behavior, new regulations and new technologies making an appearance. Trademark owners of all sizes are under growing pressure to provide an ideal mixture of packaging, design, substrates and quality, all the while respecting nature as much as possible.

The principles of Industry 4.0 are making an entrance in the packaging industry and we have reached a tipping point whereby smart factories will become a reality sooner rather than later. In view of this, BOBST has invested in Extended Color Gamut (ECG) technology in its flexo, gravure and digital printing processes to win the challenge of color consistency. Our oneECG solutions deployed across the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries are outstanding. The oneECG solution was devised thanks to sophisticated developments and major partnerships with leaders in the industry. We want to make a simple promise to converters and brand owners: “BOBST guarantees color consistency on any substrate, irrespective of the operator, all over the world”. This was the claim made by François Martin, head of BOBST Marketing & Communication when this solution was launched.

With the oneECG solution, Gamut extension and color consistency become a reality. BOBST has deployed this Extended Color Gamut printing solution to several technological platforms in order to offer a cost-effective, profitable and durable alternative for printing complementary colors.

Thanks to this process, brand owners benefit from high-quality printing and optimum color consistency at a global level. The result: speedier deliveries, exceptional quality and uniform brand color reproduction. Shorter production runs and more frequent design changes are two other advantages of this solution. Concurrently with these developments, the packaging industry is under pressure to become increasingly environmentally-friendly and eradicate production process waste. In this regard, the oneECG solution by BOBST constitutes a major cornerstone.

oneECG is the most efficient and cost-effective solution

The successful implementation of an Extended Color Gamut printing solution depends both on the production flow and on the robustness of the printing equipment itself. BOBST relies on its highly automated presses designed specifically for the industry and on its robust ink distribution systems, associated with a fully integrated digital production flow, to offer converters a solution that will optimize their process, increase productivity and minimize operating costs and waste. “The oneECG solution constitutes the most efficient and cost-effective way to print packaging and labels, touching on the 3 main components, namely the machine, energy consumption and consumables” stated Eric Pavone, BOBST Regional Business Director for the Great Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Being able to print each job with the same fixed set of inks – generally the four CMYK colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black, plus orange, green and violet – offers multiple advantages to maximize profitability of printing works without compromising on quality and at no additional cost for customers. For the brand owner, it faithfully reproduces the brand colors on labels, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board, wherever the job is done and whatever the printing press. “BOBST oneECG is a standardized printing method which can be applied all over the globe. It is the most efficient process in the printing industry, but it requires the total control of every component, which is what we help our customers to obtain” explains Jonathan Giubilato, Gravure Product Line Manager. He adds: “Being available for flexo, gravure and digital printing, oneECG is a vital step forward in shaping the future of packaging production.” 

Innovation that takes into account eco-sustainability

In conventional printing, complementary colors are used in addition to the four standard CMYK printing colors to match the Pantone shades which cannot be obtained using CMYK colors alone. Each color in the Pantone color matching system is created by “custom” mixing inks, either manually or automatically, which is both time-consuming and expensive. Once the job is complete, the printing units must be washed to move on to the next job, which generates significant printing down time and consumable wastage.

In oneECG printing, color management is dealt with at the pre-printing stage, when the colors of the brand and the complementary colors are digitally compared as the job is prepared. The press configuration retains the fixed set of colors and the press continues to print, irrespective of the changeovers. Only the plates or cylinders are replaced if the design changes. With this 7-color configuration, the gamut is extended and more than 95% of the Pantone colors can be printed, compared to just 65% when only CMYK colors are used. The residual ink wastage is therefore also reduced and the necessary ink inventory significantly diminished.

On the subject, Eric Pavone emphasizes: “The job operation and annual efficiency of the oneECG solution increases by up to 30 to 40% depending on the print run compared to a traditional machine, which has a positive impact on the environmentally-friendly front, as less material is consumed and energy is saved. This solution is therefore more profitable in terms of annual sales revenue.” 

Minimum human intervention

Certain human variables should also be considered when switching to oneECG printing. The company operations need to change completely, and all employees – from sales to press and pre-printing operators – must be involved. Human intervention will be reduced, which translates to fewer errors. “Using this solution requires new skills and specific additional training regarding pre-printing. The company should reorganize its entire set-up around the machine efficiently”, explained Eric Pavone. It should be noted that the operator must fully understand the process to avoid being tempted to modify the settings. This solution also includes partnerships with suppliers.

A well-defined process that applies to all technologies

Gravure printing. Promising to grow a very mature, well-consolidated sector, oneECG technology for flexible packaging gravure printing was incorporated into the BOBST product range in 2020. Following considerable investment in research and development and after performing printing tests with its technological partners, today BOBST is making sure that gravure printing has joined the digital era, by developing a way to make it more efficient and durable, even for very short runs.

“The gravure printing project has proven decisive, covering up to 95% of the color gamut. The process is available on the new BOBST presses, or it can be retrofitted to existing presses. Combined with our top-performing drying systems and our ECO printing mode, it helps reduce global energy consumption and significantly reduces press up-times and the quantity of consumables necessary” specifies Jonathan Giubilato, Gravure Product Line Manager at BOBST.

CI flexo printing. Printers who use BOBST CI flexo presses can also benefit from the advantages of oneECG solutions to deal with shorter runs in a profitable manner, to simplify color matching and save up to 30% on ink. What’s more, the deployment of this process also significantly reduces anilox inventory, as the same set of anilox rollers is used for all jobs.  Based on a system of open partnership with several suppliers, this method considerably reduces set-up and changeover times, while also minimizing the cost of labor for lab technicians in the ink kitchen.

In-line flexo printing. BOBST oneECG technology has been deployed successfully in in-line flexo printing for several years, thanks to a close partnership with a group of processing experts which has led to the development of this solution, for predictable colors, the advantages of digitization and the ability to complete with in-line narrow-web presses. BOBST DigiFlexo MASTER M5 and MASTER M6 offer closed-loop color control by combining the DigiColor solution with oneECG printing. This concept has also been extended to the new all-in-one MASTER DM5 “all in-line” press.

Flexo printing on corrugated cardboard. On THQ in-line presses, the use of oneECG printing on corrugated cardboard significantly reduces the environmental footprint as well as production costs. This method reduces water consumption by 30%, ink consumption by 25% and the quantity of printing plates used by 30%, which, in addition to unparalleled printing quality, offers customers a long-lasting solution for the production of corrugated cardboard boxes.

Digital printing. In digital printing, the ECG process concerns complementary color management. Mouvent ink jet label presses offer a large range of colors thanks to BOBST oneECG technology, without slowing down printing speed, using six colors. Mouvent has developed proprietary screening technologies for the optimization of the ECG process and further facilitate changeover from flexo printing to digital printing.

“Any printing professional will immediately acknowledge the huge advantage of oneECG technology, which is exclusive to BOBST. The colors are always perfect, which is really impressive. What’s more, this solution helps generate consistency and efficiency, minimizing downtime, installation time and wastage. With oneECG, the ink mixing process is now simply a thing of the past. We should also make a note of how oneECG has contributed to developing REVO for in-line flexo printing. Last but not least, I would say that what matters most is customer satisfaction”, stated Reyad M. Abu Daqer, Deputy-CEO of British Industries for Printing & Packaging, one of the potential converters in Kuwait and a privileged partner for BOBST who uses the oneECG solution.

With oneECG, BOBST has digitized color matching and bridged the gap between printing technologies to offer a “seamless” brand experience.” “We can now boast oneECG solutions suited to all our printing technologies, which allows us to guarantee even colors on multiple packaging formats and in all our sites. We offer a standardized printing platform, where every task is digitally controlled to ensure optimum color correspondence and minimize time to market”, explains Jonathan Giubilato. He also adds: “It is the ideal solution to meet the needs of brand owners looking for long-lasting and profitable printing affording top quality all over the world.”

François Martin expands on this: “oneECG developments are entirely in keeping with the principles of industry 4.0 which, for us, means packaging 4.0. Our vision of the industry is based on four pillars, namely: connectivity, digitalization, automation and durability. The digitalization of color printing is of vital importance. It will not only facilitate the uniformity of colors, but it will also considerably reduce the environmental footprint – fewer ink and substrate waste, longer operating times, as well as less energy consumption.” “BOBST continues to provide the best machines for the packaging industry and places growing importance on the new technologies which will make it possible to ensure a promising future for our customers. oneECG is key to achieving this. We advise every converter and brand owner seriously to consider this innovation” were his concluding words.