print firms like Rave Packaging and Label Kingdom, there are two more Italian rigid box machine manufactures, Europrogetti and Sate Srl, which are closely looking at the Indian market.

 

Among them, Sate Srl is the new kid on the block. The company started its India operations on 1 January 2016. Mumbai-based Integriti Consulting represents Sate in the country.

 

Sate, the 60-year-old company, however, has a storied history in the European and American markets and is known for its focus on technological innovation. (For the uninitiated, ‘srl’ is the Italian equivalent of a limited liability 

 

company.)

 

According to Kaushik Deshpande of Integriti Consulting, Sate’s USP is its third generation ‘motion control’ technology. “The automatic machines currently available in the Indian market are first generation mechanical machines or second 

 

generation servo driven machines,” said Deshpande. “In Sate, we are talking about ‘motion control’ technology, which is the third generation of machine technology. It is a fully automatic electronic ‘digitally controlled and operated 

 

machine’.”

 

Deshpande said the S700 /2016 from Sate is the latest motion control technology product. It was officially launched in Frenze, Italy on 2 October 2015. “This is a single machine, which can easily be configured for the smallest size 

 

40x30x10mm to the largest size 700x500x250mm. This can be achieved with an automatic changeover of 20 minutes, thanks to the motion control technology,” said Deshpande, adding that nothing like this changeover is available in the market 

 

as on date.

 

In short, the Sate S700/2016 line is a single machine investment for a converter, which can take care of any kind of job requirement, from the smallest to the biggest box. When it comes to ease of operation, Deshpande said one could 

 

operate the machine even using a simple Android or iPhone app.

 

Deshpande said while the rigid box segment is still at a nascent stage, the industry predicts sale of close to 20 fully automatic machines in the financial year 2016. “The growth in the segment is primarily due to India’s economic 

 

success in the global market. There has been humongous demand for manufacturing of rigid boxes for the specialised markets like mobiles, tabs, wallets, liquor bottles, shoes, confectionery items, specialised garments, among others,” said 

 

Deshpande. He added that there are abundant prospects of export to the European and American markets.

 

With more machines in the market, will the cost-per-box come down? “The cost would certainly go down for boxes manufactured using Asian or mechanical or servo-driven machines,” said Deshpande. “But when we talk about boxes made with 

 

‘motion control-based technology’, we are exclusively talking about a niche segment where quality beats quantity.”

 

Within the realm of high-end rigid boxes, how does the Sate machine compare to its competitors? Deshpande said the S700/2016 line is for the financial year 2016, featuring the latest generation of motion control technology. “The 

 

S700/2016 has the most easy to use changeover for all modules of rigid box lines, from the gluer to quad-stayer to spotter to wrapping section. All these modules can be tuned in just in 20 minutes. Even for difficult jobs like twin 

 

height box; four-height box, trapezoidal box; monocuvette; t-shaped or h-shaped box, the changeover remains 20 minutes,” he said.

 

Deshpande said the quality of a box also depends upon the spotter accuracy. “The S700/2016 has the maximum accuracy. “Our accuracy is four times better than any machine available in the market,” he said.

 

The best part is that the same machine can be used to apply tapes on the edges of the boxes, as well as hotmelt, without any extra attachment. Deshpande said the Sate India team is equipped with well-trained engineering graduates to 

 

support converters while procuring the line, and during installation and troubleshooting.

 

Boxes made in Sate

Four-height and trapezoidal boxes are not only unique, they also give a good premium to the converter. Above all, the setup time for both of these boxes is just 20 minutes.