Martin Automatic celebrates a world- first at Labelexpo - and makes plans for the future
Posted: October 01, 2024
By linking their four booths together, Martin Automatic, ETI, LEMU, and Lundberg created a world first - a live production line at an expo from different manufacturers
Gavin Rittmeyer, VP Sales & Marketing at the Rockford based manufacturer, reflects on a successful three days in Chicago that saw a unique experiment in integration come to fruition.
With pressure on all converters to improve productivity in the face of rising costs and a shortage of skilled labor, Martin Automatic, together with manufacturers of complementary technology ETI, LEMU and Lundberg hatched a plan to create a 'world first' at Labelexpo.
By linking their technology across four stands, and an aisle, the companies provided the capability of producing a finished label from a blank web, and having it palletized by a robot ready for delivery. What's more, this was not an expo demo that found its way to the dumpster, but a real commercial job that was arranged with the assistance of Midwest-based Channeled Resources.
The whole concept of combining technology from three different manufacturers to produce an automated line is not new, but this was the first occasion it had been successfully achieved at an expo on a live job and as Rittmeyer pointed out: "It required all of us to lower our guard and put aside our native caution so that we could make the line work seamlessly, and I see it as a forerunner of the way things will develop in the market going forward."
By allowing the end-user to focus on his or her individual business model, with the responsibility of ensuring reliable performance down to the individual manufacturers, Rittmeyer believes Martin Automatic, and partners have created a new investment strategy for companies needing capital equipment that simplifies the overall plan and relieves the end-user of much of the associated stress.
With Labelexpo build-up time so short, and to avoid the risk of any last-minute hitches, all elements of the line were shipped to Martin's HQ in Rockford and assembled on the production floor for test running prior to the show. Rittmeyer explained: "We know we can link the machines and make them 'speak' to each other in real-time production - it's another matter ensuring that there are no glitches that might leave an adverse impression with the potential customer when you're running the demo at the show!"
His point that the installation could have been successfully achieved on the production floor of a customer, excludes vagaries like exhibition flooring, carpets, temporary power and air supplies, which make the process more of a challenge. And it was a measure of the close cooperation and trust between all the suppliers that made the ambitious plan come to fruition. The line tested well at Rockford and performed faultlessly at Labelexpo, and, while there was no single customer to take delivery of the complete line it afterwards, each element was shipped to a customer direct from the show.
All involved agreed the experiment showed a clear way forward in a market that is becoming ever more competitive and in which being just a technology supplier is not enough. Rittmeyer explained: "We have to understand the business model and requirements of the end users and be willing to help them get the best they can from the technology available. I believe we showed that to perfection at the Chicago show and demonstrated that it could be done without any risk to the end user. That's what made it a unique display."
Continuing with this train of thought, he stated: "We have always taken an holistic view to our business here. Most people know Martin for its unwind/splice and rewind technology in the narrow and wide web print sectors, but applications for our technology span ultra lightweight material up to fiberglass rolls for making roofing shingles. If the material comes on a roll, whatever it is, we can try to splice and rewind it!" he said.
With a staff of around 160, which has remained steady for many years, and a production facility that has recently seen a 25% increase in capacity by a reworking of the existing floorspace, Rittmeyer is optimistic for the company's future. "We see new niche markets opening up around the world where our unmatched knowledge and expertise can deliver technology for specific applications that massively improve productivity - and in many cases these are multi-million-dollar programs that we are supporting. It's why we continue to invest in people skills and manufacturing technology here in Rockford - it's the only way ahead."
For Martin Automatic, ETI, LEMU, and Lundberg, what happened at Labelexpo in Chicago was just a taste of what is to come and an example of what is possible with cooperation and lateral thinking. For converters, it offers a future that combines automation and integration to overcome today's burgeoning production costs that hurt the bottom line.
