Relocating a gravure printing press from Spain to France

From central Spain, across the Pyrenees to Normandy: it might sound like a plan for a holiday, but this was the route a team from SCHOLPP Ibérica had to take to relocate a Cerutti R980 gravure printing press. CPC Packaging, based in Montreuil, France, bought the system in Guadalajara, a city to the north east of the Spanish capital Madrid. The company is western Europe’s leading manufacturer of in-mould labels (IML), self-adhesive labels, wet glue labels and folding cartons. The press was due to start its new life in the company’s French plant at La Haye-du-Puits within just a few weeks.

A complete relocation solution

Immediately after CPC made the purchase, it hired SCHOLPP Ibérica to take on complete on-site responsibility for the system. This initially involved providing 24-hour security and monitoring in Guadalajara, and an insurance policy to cover the possible risks associated with dismantling, cleaning, transporting and assembling the system.

The state-of-the-art Cerutti R980 gravure printing press (year: 2010) is designed for precision printing on films and labels. Before dismantling the machine, therefore, CPC Packaging carried out a comprehensive series of tests to document the print quality. These formed the basis of its acceptance criteria for when the device was commissioned at the new site. The greatest challenge for us was to ensure that the reassembly process was carried out with sufficient precision to enable us to reproduce the high print quality when we recommissioned the machine.

As part of the dismantling process, the components of the 28 metre long, 4.5 metre wide and 4.8 metre tall system were cleaned with dry ice and securely packaged ready for transportation. The Cerutti R980 had a total of ten printing units, three of which were fitted with perfectors. The system also included an automatic roll changer, a film winder for the printed material and a CORONA system for applying surface treatments to films. The total weight amounted to some 80 tonnes, with individual components weighing between 4 and 8 tons.

From reassembly to the final handover, SCHOLPP Spain worked closely with Cerutti service engineers at La Haye-du-Puits. They needed absolute precision and a persistent, methodical approach to position and align the various parts correctly. The entire project was completed within the agreed eleven week time frame, and the Cerutti R980 was handed over ready to use.