For India’s flexible packaging converters, speed is becoming less of a headline number and more of a business equation. With product portfolios expanding, designs multiplying and production moving across short, medium and long runs, the challenge is to achieve higher output without compromising flexibility, quality or material performance.

At the 13th Specialty Films & Flexible Packaging Global Summit in Mumbai, Davide Rossello, process R&D manager, gravure at Bobst Italy, presented the Expert 5003 rotogravure platform – and outlined exactly what it takes to make printing at 600 metres per minute commercially viable.

The focus is not simply running faster, but doing so efficiently, precisely and at the highest level of quality. Rossello outlined how Bobst achieved this utilizing a combination of substrate stability, drying efficiency, inking consistency, automation and data.

For example, Bobst’s advanced drying system combines conventional impingement drying with floating-bar technology derived from coating applications. The floating bar supports and stabilizes the substrate within the dryer, helping maintain performance at high speeds.

For newer-generation recyclable materials, this stability becomes particularly relevant. “By increasing efficiency, you are able to reduce the drying temperature,” Rossello explained. “If you reduce the temperature, then you have less stress on the material.”

The inking system is another part of the high-speed equation. Rossello highlighted Bobst’s MPI system, which enables efficient ink transfer by allowing individual printing units to be configured for speed and pressure. At high press speeds, the inking roller runs at only around 10% of the printing cylinder speed, reducing turbulence, foaming and splashing.

Automation is also being used to reduce the dependency on operator experience. Bobst’s oneSET solution stores job parameters and can generate a machine recipe that can be loaded directly into the press. It can also determine the maximum speed at which a particular job can run based on drying capability and registration performance. “It is less dependent on the operator’s skill,” said Rossello, a particular benefit at a time when skilled operator availability remains a concern.

Then comes the cost argument. Rossello presented data showing that increasing press speed does not necessarily mean a proportional increase in energy consumption. In one example, energy consumption was around 98 kW at 200 m/min and 100 kW at 400 m/min. At the higher speed, the energy consumed per square metre is reduced.

For the Indian market, the Expert 5003 platform provides the ideal combination of high-speed capability, flexibility, connectivity and process control. Importantly, print consistency is maintained across the entire job, regardless of run length, guaranteeing “exactly the same quality from the first printed meter to the last printed meter,” according to Rossello.

Rossello also offered a preview of a brand new Bobst solution that is the combination of high-speed printing whilst increasing your return on investment with notably reduced productivity costs, therefore bringing more value to your rotogravure investment. All details will be unveiled during an Open House at San Giorgio Monferrato, Italy in October 2026.

In the meantime, the message from Bobst was clear – 600 m/min is only valuable when the rest of the process can keep pace. For rotogravure, boosting productivity is not simply about adding meters per minute, but about making every meter more efficient, consistent and economical.