News & Activities.

Very Successful Soudronic Core Business

Soudronic achieved a growth of approx. 20 % in the sales of welders and weld seam protection systems during the past year 2006.

According to our customers the main reasons for this success are the following facts:

• Soudronic offers very innovative machines combined with highly industrial and technical standards for which the Group is famous for all over the world.
  
  • Our efficient test bench department ensures that the equipment leaves the factory with a perfect finish, according to customers' orders and within the delivery time agreed upon. Reliability has always been one of Soudronic Group's main targets.
  • The production lines are installed and set into operation within the fastest start-up times at customers' site. The main focus is set to plug and play if ever the application and the customers' personnel allows it.
  • The machines and complete systems are of a high efficiency and, at the same time, manufacture perfect quality cans, if needed, always supported by a well organized and documented spare parts and technical after-sales service.
  • Soudronic has a large network of local and well-trained service engineers on all 5 continents in order to support more than 5000 production lines fast and very efficiently.
• The Group is a reliable, dedicated system supplier, not only for welders and weld seam protection systems, but also for complete turn-key production lines.
• Dedication to the metal packaging industry also means to be a solution provider for making cans cheaper (down-gauging) and more consumer-friendly. Soudronic invests a lot of time and money in this particular point supported by their own metallurgical laboratory investigating and analyzing individual customer requirements.

We shall continue to do even better for our customers and the Metal Packaging industry.

Jakob Guyer
CEO Soudronic Group

Cannex Asia 2006 – Review

We were present with a small but very attractive and interesting booth during Cannex in Singapore.

The highlights on show illustrated mainly our latest development in upgrade kits and conversion components such as for instance

• the new static frequency converter PULSAR which reduces the customer's production and energy costs
• the very latest development of SPM-2 powder monitor to save powder consumption and increase seam protection quality
• the COMBO welding arm which stands for interchangeability with different diameter combinations.

Quite a considerable amount of interested customers from mainland China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and from a number of Middle East countries visited us. We were happy to inform them in details on our exhibits. Our upgrade and conversion division is now pleased and very busy in answering and clarifying all inquiries and orders received in Singapore. Any query is efficiently and reliably followed up.

We are looking forward to the next event to present our outstanding advantages, be it during a customer's visit at our premises here in Switzerland or during the visit of one of our representatives and experts anywhere on customer site all over the world.

Another Happy Customer
Complete Canbody Line installed in Kolkata, India

We are proud to announce that Evergreen Drums & Cans Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata recently installed a complete Soudronic Canbody Line with the latest technical features in their home state of West Bengal.

At the inauguration in early April 2006, the machine had already produced over 1/2 Mio. cans of highest quality.

This installation will supply top quality cans to the Eastern market of India. The integrated powder seam protection preserves the products filled in much better and longer than conventional systems. This type of can is particularly used for food products.

We thank Evergreen for the confidence in our products and wish them every success with their new Can Making Line.

First ever sold Soudronic UNISEAL Peel-Off Line for Latin America

After having installed successfully two high speed canmaking lines and four complete end lines over the last two years, the first Soudronic peel-off equipment ever sold in Latin America was delivered to the fast growing Brazilian Dairy Company Itambé CCPR for their new milk powder plant in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

In view of future sales for UNISEAL peel-off equipment which can be used for aluminum or multi-layer foils, Canpac Ltda., Soudronic's San Paulo based agency has already trained their engineers to provide technical assistance for South America, highlighting once more Soudronic's focus on its after sales service.

These new peel-off ends using corresponding foil and sheet metal, can be used for all types of products, including retortable goods. The 83 mm diameter ring and the 94 mm diameter bottom material is 0,15 mm thick and at DR8 hardness is first time ever used in these diameters. This shows again Soudronic's pioneer profile, not only in their traditional welding business but also in their new activities.

In addition to the new UNISEAL peel-off machine also two more complete end making lines and one more canbody line were delivered to Itambé in Goiania. First ever sold Soudronic UNISEAL peel-off Line for Latin America.

CIBUS TEC in Parma, October 18-22, 2005

Just half a year after Metpack '05 in Essen, CIBUS TEC Fair took place in Parma.

CIBUS TEC is the most important international exhibition in the packaging industry for Italy. Substantial news were presented mainly to the Italian industry but also to interested guests coming from African countries.

It was quite a pity that visitors from other European or overseas countries were rather scarce. We are quite sure, however, that they were present at Metpack '05 and obtained the latest news from the industry there.

However, despite of this fact, the Soudronic Group had a busy information booth. Our sales managers and engineers were most pleased to outline Soudronic Group novelties and substantial developments in the field of Metal Packaging, be it in the new welding machine sector, in seam protection systems, in latest slitters and transfer units, in press lines or be it in the spare part, refurbishing or upgrade business. Also shown was the latest innovation «Compeel» for peel-off ends.

Our «CIBUS TEC» personnel did a good job and was most pleased to welcome quite a number of guests during this small but interesting and useful exhibition. Valuable old and new contacts could be made and will certainly lead to mutual business during this and next year.

On this occasion we would also like to thank all customers, suppliers and other guests for their visit on our booth and for their interest in our products.

Soudronic Re-Invents the Peel-Off End

With Compeel®, Soudronic launches a new generation of peel-off ends for 2- and 3-piece cans. Thanks to a new, peelable composite film, Compeel® offers substantial savings in foil costs as well as optimized opening convenience for cans used in the food and beverage industry. During the Metpack 05 tradeshow in Essen, Soudronic received the highly recognized Innovation Award for its new UNISEAL HS thermo sealing machine designed for the production of Compeel® ends.

Compeel® peel-off ends consist of a curled ring and a composite membrane. The membrane is automatically attached to the ring by means of the proven thermo sealing technology. Compeel® ends can be used on existing seamers and are autoclavable up to 130° C.

The production lines for Compeel® ends are based on Soudronic’s UNISEAL technology. With the new UNISEAL HS automatic thermo sealing machines, either composite or aluminum membranes can be attached to the rings. The machines allow for a rapid change-over of lid diameters and offer easy operation and maintenance.

For the development of the peelable composite film, Soudronic teamed up with the Switzerland-based composite specialist O. Kleiner AG. This company invented an economical and puncture resistant multi-layer solution which also offers excellent printability.

«Compeel® is the first peel-off end for 2- and 3-piece can that offers both unmatched economics and a safe, consumer-friendly functionability,» said Jakob Guyer, CEO of Soudronic’s Metal Packaging Division. «Over are the days when opening a can meant broken fingernails or spilled clothings,» he added.

For more technical information, see our information on peel-off solutions.

Successful Soudronic Agent Information on the Occasion of Metpack 05

As always before Metpack, our agents from all 5 continents and our affiliated company and production company managers joined the Soudronic Agent Information in Essen, on April 18, 2005.

The Agenda was concise and contained a lot of innovations and novelties, such as the presentation of the new CEO of the Soudronic Group, Alfred Gamper, the new CFO, Andreas Emödi as well as the successor of Yves Cabrol at Sabatier, Didier Torrelli. As far as the technical innovations were concerned, the new compact and attractive Concept Line, the SGS Slitter from Ocsam, the SOUCAN 112 Welder and the latest Bodypack development from Sabatier were presented. Very special novelties represented the UNISEAL HS, for which Soudronic gained the Innovation Award later on during the Exhibition, the Compeel® System as well as news on the press lines and the Sabatier liners.

Based on the orders received during the Metpack Exhibition, we believe that our training was quite effective and appreciated.

Leading Brazilian dairy company relies on Soudronic's technology

Cooperativa Central dos Produtores Rurais de MG Ltda., one of the leading dairy companies in Brazil, has enlarged its production capacity for 3-piece cans with a new, fully integrated canbody manufacturing line and an endmaking line, both from Soudronic. The canbody production line consists of a slitter, an automatic body blank transfer system, an AFB 850 canbody welder with a SPS seam protection system, a mass conveyor, a bodyformer and a palletizer/ depalletizer. The endmaking line features a scroll shear, a double die press with curler, a lining station, an oven and a stacker.

Both lines have been built and installed within a very short notice. The level of efficiency of the lines is outstanding; already during the first steps of commissioning it reached 92%. Due to the fact that Soudronic has fully met Itambés expectations, additional orders for productions lines for canbodies and ends have been placed.

In 2004, Itambé has processed over 830 mio. litres of milk. With more than 2400 employees at six production sites, the company is distributing its products all over Brazil and is exporting condensed and powdered milk to almost 40 countries. Itambé has started its own can manufacturing in 1988. Since that year, the production capacity has been continuously increased.

Soudronic at Metpack 05

Setting new industry standards

A vision has come true: With the launch of our «Concept Line» production systems for three-piece cans, we have re-defined flexible canbody manufacturing. The new production lines allow a fully automated change of the can height, enabling canmakers to quickly adjust their three-piece can manufacturing line to individual customer needs.

State-of-the-art canbody welders

Our brand new generation of canbody welders comes equipped with a fully automated format adjuster. Using the latest drive and positioning technologies, these machines do set new conversion time standards. Connected to our new SGS slitter and a flexible transfer system, all necessary changes of format can be carried out automatically within a matter of seconds.

Ocsamazing new slitters for fully automated changes of format

Featuring state-of-the-art technology such as «ironless» linear motors, servo drives, high-speed hydraulics, touch-screen panel and a revolutionary guillotine guide system, our new ocsamazing SGS slitters allow a fully automated and instantaneous change of body blank heights. And thanks to a matchless ease of operation, the length of the body blank can be easily changed within a few minutes. The control units offer the possibility to store and recall hundreds of different sheet formats and layouts.

UNISEAL HS for high-speed peel-off end manufacturing

In order to accomodate the needs for high performance production systems for peel-off ends, we developed the new UNISEAL HS endmaking station with a capacity of up to 400 peel-off ends per minute.

Compact, flexible and modular bodyformers

Our Bodypack 1 assembly lines are capable of performing all operations required for the production of cylindrical can bodies ranging from Ø 52 mm to 165 mm, including necking, spin or die flanging, curling, beading and seaming. The machines are designed for a production speed of 220 cpm, and thanks to a modular design, the configuration can be changed quickly and with ease.

New lining machine for square ends

Depending on the machine configuration, our new Squareliner not only adds a perfectly positioned lining by means of a compound gun, but also takes care of the peripherical die curling operation of flat edged or pre-curled square ends. Squareliners can be ordered either as single-line version or as a multi-line versions (2, 3 or 4 lines), reaching production speeds of up to 800 epm.

Visit us at the Metpack 05 tradeshow in Essen, Hall 3 / Booth 3-111 and see our latest developments in operation.

The Leading Supplier for Metal Packaging Production Systems

Enhanced Technology Leadership!

High-Speed Welders

• World-wide unique kinetic solutions with servo-drives for an efficient high-speed production
• System Control: UNICONTROL with centralized logic units and touch-screen panel to control and store all line parameters.

New Powder Monitor

• Integrated system – easy to operate
• Checking every canbody
• Monitoring the total length
• Detecting powder holes up to 0.8 mm
• No additional special adjustment necessary
• Saving production costs owing to an optimized powder coating

UNISEAL HS for Peel-Off End Solutions

• The new UNISEAL production unit – an attractive alternative to conventional easy-open ends:
• Flexibility in material choice and handling
• Material savings
• Total customization to individual applications

World-wide Services

World-wide after sales service is guaranteed by 85 technical field engineers for after sales support and line installations. Half of them are based in our headquarters in Switzerland.

Propelling Older Welding Units into the Digital Age

Often our service technicians are confronted with the task of repairing older control units which have been heavily altered by third parties during the years. Since these alterations are rarely documented, it is almost impossible to put such control units back into their original shape. In addition to that, an increasing number of original electronic components have become unavailable, adding to the difficulties of maintaining older control units.

That’s why we offer well-proven, standardized solutions for a complete replacement of the units controlling machine operation and welding current. In addition to that, we can replace the expensive and prone to wear gearboxes with modern, frequency controlled drives, thus increasing the reliability of the welding machine in a significant way.

For a detailed offer for the upgrade and overhaul of your canbody welder, please contact our agent in your country or the Soudronic Sales Department.

A Great History is being continued

When French chef François Appert created the first tin can for the packaging of food in 1804, he was not aware of the significance of his invention. Only seven years later, a company in the UK started with industrial canmaking. Interestingly enough, it took another 60 years until the can-opener was invented.

In the 1950s, our welding technology opened the way to the mass production of lead-free tin cans. And by the end of the 20th century, we introduced a new generation of high-speed canbody production systems, capable of churning out up to 1200 canbodies per minute. Just a few days ago, our enigneers completed construction of the 100th high-speed canbody welder destined for a customer in Saudi Arabia. The long and successful story of metal packaging is still further developing...

Up to a Million Canbodies per Day

The All Format Canbody Welder AFB 1075 delivered to National Food Industries in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is the 100th high-speed welder of the new generation which recently left our factory in Switzerland. The machine is capable of welding up to 750 canbodies per minute (with a diameter of 73 mm). During a non-stop 24-hour production run, the high-speed welder will produce approximately one million canbodies.

The Milestones behind the 50th Anniversary Can

In 2002, Soudronic opened its new assembly center for endmaking systems in Bergdietikon, Switzerland. During the same year, the first UNIPRESS 320 system was shipped to a customer in Italy. And only a few months later, in 2003, Soudronic could celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Reasons enough for something special.

The UNIPRESS 320 currently represents the pinnacle of our endmaking and deep-drawing systems. Developed and assembled by our endmaking specialists in Switzerland, this machine is capable of producing can ends and cans such as our 50th Anniversary cans in one single operation.

Celebration of 50 Years Soudronic

On June 20, 2003, it was «High Noon» on the Soudronic Headquarter Site in Bergdietikon, Switzerland. High Noon in Western Style was also the motto of this Soudronic Celebration.

For all those who did not take part, we are proud to publish a few impressions of this successful event together with a short report on the activities during the festivities.

Wild West Life for all Soudronic employees located in Switzerland with their partners, for all CEOs of foreign Soudronic Group Companies, and last but not least, for the Soudronic Management, for the Board of Directors and for representatives of the local Government, started already in the early afternoon of 20.6.03.

Everybody could make a tour through the new production and assembly hall set up in the shortest possible time this year.

While touring on the Soudronic premises, various posts were set up to linger and play. Thanks to a hot and most beautiful day, all activities could take place outside and under very pleasant conditions:

Some were gambling, others tried themselves in bull riding and throwing horse shoes, others took their time, sat down and posed for a caricature of their own made by a famous cartoonist.

The open air «ranger and sheriff» way of life made thirsty, hungry and ready for High Noon late evening and night show.

Dinner buffet, wild west highlights with the Seventy Seven Dancers and performances of 2 magicians took place in a large marquee housing about 900 guests being in a great mood.

Short speeches of CEO, Felix van der Schaar (see picture), Bernhard Steck, Chairman and Dr. Roland Brogli, Head of Government of the Canton of Aargau, were displayed on large screens in the marquee.

Two bands played, one in the marquee for those who enjoyed dancing, the other in the separate Saloon (especially modified production hall decorated in western style).

So far, we had only good reports from our guests – the family spirit between older and younger staff was improved – and everybody is looking forward to take part in the next Soudronic anniversary.