New challenges

I realised that I have chosen a headline to my article that requires an immediate explanation! I am absolutely certain that the current market conditions are giving us enough challenges to cope with in our daily work that any new external contribution to that pile should be avoided.

However, my angle to the current downturn in the economy is, of course, that there are also opportunities. The pressure that we have in the complete value chain in our industry is to reduce cost, generate a healthy cashflow and strenghten our balance sheets. Paper cost is certainly the main parameter in the cost breakdown calculation and therefore any contributiuon to reduce that fact is welcome. From a machine builder´s point of view the development of equipment that does not crush board in the converting process is by any measure an achievement that will help to reach that target. I am therefore pleased to highlight in this issue of the EMBA News the EMBA 245 QS Ultima machine that does exactly that, reduce paper cost.

Also, in this extremely competitive market it is important to be able to adapt to the new circumstances as fast as possible. The assets in the plant need to be utilised in the most efficient way and uptime maximised. The cover story in this issue comes from Diamond Corrugated Cases, and I am very happy to share their experience with you. The speed with which their team has achieved high production efficiency with their EMBA 245 QS is evidence of the potential that there is for new opportunities with a quick-set machine. We are privileged to be partners with companies that are well positioned to cope with the current market turmoil.

Even though the business climate is worse than we have ever experienced we do still have faith in our industry. EMBA is continuing to develop new products that will contribute to operational efficiency, and also to continuously improve our aftermarket services. I believe it is under these conditions that the strong bond and partnership with our customers is most valuable. We are prepared to meet new challenges together.

Esa Koski

Legally responsible for the publication of this newsletter:
Esa Koski, EMBA Machinery AB - P.O. Box 2067, S-700 02 Örebro, Sweden
Tel +46 19300500, Fax +46 19311374