The Swiss company Profot has been active in photography since 1986 and in signmaking since 1997, and has ranked among Switzerland's leading suppliers for many years. Alongside various capital goods such as plotters, presses, DTF and DTG printers and sublimation printers, the Profoil business unit offers a comprehensive range of media and consumables for car wrapping, large-format digital printing, textile printing and lettering, and provides customers with personal coaching, workshops and seminars on these topics.
With hundreds of rolls running through every day, efficient, error-free and fast work is the top priority for warehouse manager Fabian Hux and his team. At a speed of up to 1.5 metres per second, Nepata's machines rewind faster than most machines from the competition.
Hux had been working with converting machines from other manufacturers since 2009. He was particularly displeased with the error rate and the lack of any way to label the rolls afterwards. When the time came to acquire new converting machines, the move to Nepata was clear: “We came to Nepata because the machines are practically unrivalled thanks to what they can do!”.
A UA 1650 ADW has been part of Profot's logistics since 2012, and in 2019 a second converting centre, a UA 1650 ADWS, was added, in order to rewind, length-trim and slit vinyl films in a single operation. The boost in efficiency made possible by this acquisition also impresses Sëmi Gabsi, who works with the machines day in, day out: “Just load it and go!” Despite the manual loading and unloading of the partly heavy vinyl rolls, ergonomics are not left by the wayside: the continuous swivel shaft at the top can be operated easily and almost effortlessly, and the height can be optimally adjusted to the operator's stature. Ergonomic work at the machines thus has a direct impact on employee health and satisfaction, and can lead to a reduction in sick days or staff turnover.
Profot was also able to achieve a consistently positive increase in customer satisfaction. Complaints due to faulty cuts dropped significantly. Fabian Hux attributes this to the converting software ConvertPlus, which is used to operate the Nepata vinyl machines and also enables the labelling of customer rolls and master rolls:
“Mistakes usually happen because of people – with ConvertPlus practically nothing can go wrong.”
(Fabian Hux, Head of Warehouse at Profot)
Even with a high throughput of vinyl films, mix-ups and errors can be avoided with ConvertPlus – while increasing process speed at the same time: the control software groups orders sensibly – across several delivery notes if needed – and thereby reduces frequent roll changes and unnecessary trips. Furthermore, the labelling makes complaints to the manufacturer easier through batch tracking, and stocktaking is also simplified by the barcode labels with the exact roll length stated.
But it is not only ConvertPlus, linked to the ERP system, that wins over the users at Profot; technical innovations also make working with certain materials easier and open up new lines of business. For example, an innovative lubrication system lubricates and cleans the blade during cutting – this prevents adhesive residue on the blade, and the cuts come out precise and clean. This makes optimised cutting of application tapes possible and ensures efficient work – a decisive factor for the highly professional operation in Muri.
And while Profot's customers appreciate the company's expertise when placing orders, that same expertise is also evident in the collaboration with the Swiss team: regardless of the distance, the Nepata service team is always happy to set out once again to carry out maintenance, updates or training at Profot.
“Working with Profot has been professional, on equal terms and relaxed for years. My team and I look forward to coming to Muri every time.“
Josef Geier (Head of Production & Resource Planning)
