Video Recap: Kongsberg C24 Takes Family-owned Belgium Printer to New Heights

In one of its recent videos, Kongsberg sat down with Ilke Mels, CEO of packaging and point-of-sales display specialist MELS based in Temse, Belgium, to talk about how its Kongsberg C24 with a feeder/stacker has enabled the family-owned company to bring its designs to life.

"We wanted more innovation and development. A cutting table was essential to make this idea a reality," Ilke says.

Ilke expressed that MELS' customers -- who are mainly communication and marketing agencies, printers, or end-customers -- wanted smaller runs and needed their products with a quick turnaround, so to be able to work without a die cutter was necessary to make sure it could deliver those short runs quickly.

Since installing its Kongsberg C24, Ilke says the feeder/stacker has quickly become one of the most important configurations in its production workflow because it allows the team to run the cutter without constant operator supervision.

Company designer and operator Brent Nicolaes echoes this sentiment, saying, "When the cutter is configured and running, we as operators don’t need to be next to the machine -- we can take care of other tasks."

But the new equipment has done more than just enhance the workflow. "The cutting table has helped us attract more customers while also enriching our current relationships with existing customers," Nicolaes says.

And Nicolaes, who has had no previous experience with a Kongsberg cutter, says that from a designer's standpoint, he sees the cutter almost as a toy that allows him to experiment with different shapes and designs. "I can create without limitations. I can quickly cut a design to test it, make adaptions, and then cut it again to take it further," he says.

Overall, MELS seems to be ecstatic with its new Kongsberg cutter, with Ilke ending the video with this closing statement, "The table allows us to be more creative and to experiment with new materials. It unlocks a whole range of possibilities that weren't available before."

Click this image to watch the video.