Located in Romania, THIMM is part of a European family business, specialising in sustainable packaging and display options made from corrugated board. To increase productivity while reducing pressure on operators, THIMM invested in a BOBST MASTERCUTLINE, complemented by TooLink and a MASTERFOLD folder-gluer combined with the SPEEDPACK automated packer.
With more than 75 years of heritage, the THIMM Group operates 11 locations across Germany, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania, employing more than 2,500 people. THIMM’s Romanian operation, established in 2005, has experienced remarkable growth over the past two decades.
Mihai Radu, Plant Manager at THIMM Sibiu, explains the driving force behind the company’s expansion: ‘We made numerous investments and grew from a very small level. From a modest market share of around 0.4% when I joined fifteen years ago, the business now commands approximately 10% of the Romanian corrugated packaging market, with a dedicated workforce of around 300 employees.’
As THIMM Sibiu continued to expand its customer base and production volumes, the limitations of its existing die-cutting equipment became increasingly apparent. To maintain its competitive edge and continue delivering the quality and efficiency expected by customers across multiple industries, the business needed to supercharge its converting capabilities with technology that could deliver superior quality, reduce waste, and increase throughput.
Several interconnected factors drove the decision to invest in new equipment. Consistent quality was paramount, as customers across sectors from FMCG to automotive demand flawless and zero-fault packaging. Waste reduction was equally critical, both from a sustainability perspective and for cost control. Finally, the business sought to enhance productivity while reducing operator workload through increased automation.
Following careful evaluation of available solutions, THIMM Sibiu selected the BOBST MASTERCUTLINE, a state-of-the-art die-cutting solution designed for high-performance corrugated packaging production. The MASTERCUTLINE combines a MASTERCUT die-cutter with a full suite of peripherals including loader, conveyor, BREAKER 2 FLAT TRACK, and palletizer. A defining feature of the line is its five HMIs, which enable operators to control the entire workflow from any point, whether at the loader or palletizer, delivering true end-to-end automation.
‘Our business has developed a lot over the last 15 years, and we decided to invest in the MASTERCUTLINE for several reasons,’ said Radu. ‘One of them is the quality of the boxes. With this new machine, we can achieve much better quality compared with what we had in the past. Waste reduction is improved, and the productivity of the machine is also higher compared with the machine it replaces.’
Designed to handle the rigorous demands of today’s corrugated converting market, the machine integrates cutting, stripping, and blanking in a seamless, fully automated workflow that maximizes uptime and minimizes operator intervention.
A key advantage of the MASTERCUTLINE installation at THIMM Sibiu is the integration of TooLink technology, BOBST’s digital tooling management solution. This system enables proactive maintenance by monitoring die-cutting tool condition and predicting when replacement is required, eliminating unexpected downtime and optimising tool life.
Radu emphasises the impact of this technology: ‘The TooLink technology installed on our machine is a very good solution for our plant. With this system, we can monitor and check the lifetime of the die-cutting tool. We know in advance when a tool needs to be changed, which cuts our downtime.’
BESWICK MACHINERY – BOBST AUTHORISED AGENT SOUTHERN AFRICA
+27 11 433 2686
bmmarketing@beswick.co.za
www.beswick.co.za
