This isn’t a new thing at MBM: over the years we’ve already clocked up an impressive variety of initiatives and achievements in this area. Most obviously, our facility is now heated by a biomass boiler installed to reduce our carbon footprint. Meanwhile, motion sensor LED lighting is deployed throughout all our offices and manufacturing facility, significantly reducing our electricity consumption as well as helping to keep our costs down and prices competitive.
Our office has gone paperless too, and customers won’t be at all surprised to know that we’ve automated as many of our processes as possible, including our ordering system. Our use of transportation hasn’t escaped efforts to reduce our carbon footprint either, and here we’ve successfully consolidated journeys to minimise our mileage.
Undoubtedly, one of our proudest and most innovative achievements has been the development and installation of a unique extraction system which removes waste paper from our premises to the Highlander International Recycling centre, based next door. This automated system transports waste materials to a compactor and storage housed on Highlander’s premises. As well as saving us literally thousands of journeys over the years, this system is helping to make sure our waste paper materials don’t actually go to waste! Instead, they’re recycled and used again – one more way that we’re consistently going greener right across our business.
Our search began in the second-hand market, and we approached various dealers around the world. With such a specific requirement – a splitting saw integral to our workflow – it quickly became clear, though, that this wouldn’t be a straightforward find. Luckily for us, the Drupa 24 show marked a great and perfectly timed opportunity for searching, so we headed to Düsseldorf to see first-hand what the global market had to offer.
From China to India, Switzerland to Germany, we evaluated machines from all corners of the world. Among these, a second-hand Alegro binder with a splitting saw had caught our eye, and we arranged a viewing. Despite its potential, this particular machine’s age was a compromise too far, and it was clearly time to turn our attention to brand new equipment, since the cost savings from buying used equipment no longer justified the limitations. After all, more than just performance alone, we always look for technologies that also deliver efficiency, future proofing and total reliability. Our hard-earned reputation relies on it.
We reviewed several options at Drupa but one name consistently stood out: Müller Martini. As an existing Müller user, we knew from experience that this brand’s products always meet our high expectations. On this occasion as previously, Müller understood our needs, and, more importantly, were more than able to meet them. Automation had become a key theme in our decision, since rising costs and a noticeable drop in the quality of agency personnel meant we needed a line that could achieve more, but with fewer people.
At this point, SOLEMA entered the picture, and suddenly everything changed. While many vendors displayed end-of-line robotics, SOLEMA’s solution achieved a whole new level of technological suitability. Their proposal was perfect: a seamless, fully-automated system that packed directly into boxes and palletized without human intervention. It wasn’t just innovation; it was a game-changer.
Our journey then took us to Zofingen, Switzerland, where we were welcomed at the Müller Martini factory and given a deeper look into the Alegro binder. Needless to say, we left suitably impressed and with our trust and confidence well and truly won. The quality, support and vision at Müller all made absolute sense. From here we travelled to Italy and to SOLEMA’s Bergamo factory. There, we experienced first-hand the Pluton palletizer and Magic Box system in action. Together, they formed the perfect pairing with our new Alegro—taking our finishing line to exciting new heights of performance.
What’s really interesting about this small but important chapter in our continual evolution is that what began as a mission to replace an aging binder has become something much greater: a reinvestment in our future, a commitment to excellence, and a bold step forward in automation and innovation. With technologies from Müller Martini and SOLEMA combined, MBM isn’t just keeping pace – it’s setting it.
It’s inevitable that our line of work produces a certain amount of paper waste, but moving next to a paper recycler helped us turn this to our advantage. Working closely with Highlander International Recycling and four engineering contractors, together we were able to develop a highly innovative automated extraction system which removes dust and waste paper. The waste is conveniently and cleanly transported via pipework directly into storage facilities in Highlander’s yard, adjacent to our site. Meanwhile, a compactor machine effectively compresses and bales trim waste, which is temporarily stored in a skip before being recycled.
This exciting joint initiative is a certainly a symbiotic one. While Highlander benefits from a commercial contract to handle our waste, MBM enjoys the operational efficiency of a unique tailor-made system which simplifies our everyday processes. Of course, we benefit too from the satisfaction that comes with any initiative designed to minimise a company’s environment impact.
Overall, we estimate that the system has saved literally thousands of vehicle movements since it was installed, not to mention providing the raw material for recycled products. For a business determined to improve efficiency, continually innovate and do its bit to protect the planet, this has been a successful move in every sense.
