Rebuilding S&S ZLMs

DIG Corrugated has been engaging in an ongoing program of rebuilding S&S ZLMs. The program was started 15 months ago, when DIG had a ZLM in stock. It was rebuilt and offered to a customer who had a ZLM currently in production in their plant. This was bought by DIG as part exchange for the rebuilt ZLM, and over a period of 10 days the old ZLM was removed and the rebuilt ZLM installed in its place.

A second S&S ZLM has been part exchanged and rebuilt in this fashion, and is due to be installed in November this year. Customers have reported improvements in production of up to 30%, with improved print quality, reduced waste and high reliability of the ZLMs also being recorded.

Tony Newson, technical director of DIG Corrugated, says "The success of this rebuild and exchange program has rested on the fact that the S&S ZLM is a reliable flexo folder gluer well liked by the operators and still relatively widely in use in Europe. For a fraction of the cost of an equivalent new machine, a plant can obtain a rebuilt ZLM that produces higher volumes, will be highly reliable and have a 6 month warranty. Because we rebuild and thoroughly test the ZLM in our workshop before shipping it, we are able to exchange the machines and have the new ZLM back in production in a very short space of time. The plant would typically only loose about one week of production."