DIG sees trend in recent overhauls and retrofits

DIG Corrugated Machinery has recently been involved in overhauling converting machines for Smurfit, SCA and several smaller independents. These projects follow a trend being seen at DIG over the past 2 years, and one that is expected to continue into the future.

Says Russel Smith, sales manager for DIG Corrugated "We are doing more refurbishment and rebuilding of converting machinery than ever before. Few plants can justify new machines. Everyone is trying to sweat their assets and any expenditure by plants is on essential items only as opposed to the "would be nice to have" attitude of the past.

Some of our overhaul work has been on S&S machines. S&S made very solid and highly reliable machines that are easy to operate. Many of the main integrated plants in Europe have S&S machines that run 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. These machines are now being rebuilt in order to extend their useful economic life. Our customers are putting particular emphasis on overhauling or rebuilding slotting and printing sections, in order to improve box quality. We have also installed some refurbished print units, creating S&S machines capable of running 3, 4 or even 5 colour work.

In addition to S&S, we have also worked on other converting machines such as Martin, Ward, Bobst, Langston and Simon. The fact that some of these OEMs are already starting to offer rebuilds and upgrades to their own machines shows that they are also seeing this trend of refurbishing older machines rather than buying new machines.

Retrofits to older machines have also become more popular. Some of the retrofits that DIG Corrugated offers, such as upgraded electronics, the FIT doctor chamber blade system, Pacesetter computer set-up and lead edge feeder means that older machines can become significantly more productive. As order run lengths become shorter, set-up times have become more critical. Our customers are looking for shorter set-up times, reduced waste figures and improved print quality on machines that could be up to 30 years old. Retrofits are a cost effective way to achieve this.

We believe that retrofits, when combined with a rebuild or overhaul program, offer a very viable alternative to purchasing new machinery. Because of our 14 years history and experience in rebuilding machinery, low overhead cost structure, and established engineering base in Europe, we believe that DIG Corrugated offers the best value and support in the overhaul, rebuild and retrofit market in Europe."