"Efficiency Jumped 35%": EuroPack on Their Move to Papermart

“We were skeptical at first,” recalls Markus Schmidt, production director at EuroPack, a mid‑sized packaging converter based near Frankfurt. “The idea of switching an entire line to a new digital system seemed risky — especially when our papermart orders were growing 20% year over year and we couldn’t afford downtime.” EuroPack specializes in corrugated moving boxes for both retail and B2B customers. They’d been using traditional flexo for decades. But with shorter runs and tighter margins, Markus knew something had to change.

That’s when a colleague mentioned an online demo of Papermart’s hybrid digital press. “I honestly didn’t expect much,” Markus says. “I’d seen plenty of vendor demos that looked great in a showroom but fell apart on our factory floor.” Still, he flew to Papermart’s tech center in Antwerp. “Watching them run 15 different job changes in under two hours — with zero waste on the last three — that got my attention.”

The Challenge: Growing Orders and Shrinking Margins

EuroPack had built a solid reputation in the moving boxes lowes segment — supplying sturdy, print‑ready boxes for retailers who needed fast turnaround. But by 2023, the pressure was mounting. Customers were asking for smaller minimum runs, faster delivery, and more SKUs. “Our flexo press could handle volume, but every changeover ate up 45 minutes and generated hundreds of scrap sheets,” Markus explains. “We’d lost three accounts the previous year because we couldn’t match the speed of a competitor using digital.”

The waste problem was especially painful. “We were averaging 12% waste on short runs,” he says. “In a low‑margin business like moving boxes, that’s the difference between profit and loss.” They had tried optimizing setup procedures, even hired a consultant, but hitting below 8% seemed impossible. “We needed a technology shift, not just a process tweak.”

Why EuroPack Chose Papermart — and What Almost Stopped Them

Markus and his team evaluated three digital press vendors. “Two of them talked mostly about specs — dots per inch, linear speed. Papermart spent the first hour asking about our actual workflow, our waste data, our operators’ skill levels,” he says. That approach felt different. Papermart proposed a hybrid configuration: a digital printing module paired with an inline die‑cutter, specifically set up for the flute profiles EuroPack uses most. They also recommended using papermart ribbon for bundling finished boxes — a small detail, but it showed they understood the entire production flow.

Still, the decision almost stalled. “The upfront investment was significant,” Markus admits. “We had to show a payback under 18 months to get board approval.” Papermart’s team built a detailed model using EuroPack’s own data: order mix, current waste rate, changeover times. “When the model predicted a 30% waste reduction and 50% faster changeover, the board gave the green light.” But the real test was yet to come.

The Rollout: Sprints, Calibration, and a Surprise in Ribbon

Installation took six weeks, overlapping with EuroPack’s slow season. “The Papermart engineers were on‑site for four of those weeks,” Markus recalls. “They trained our operators on the job — not in a classroom. That made a huge difference.” Yet the first week of production was bumpy. “Our operators were used to flexo and kept trying to adjust the press like an offset machine. We had a few rejected batches because of registration drift on long runs.”

But the surprise came from an unexpected source: the papermart ribbon used for bundling. “We’d always used generic poly strapping. The Papermart ribbon was thinner but stronger, and it had a matte finish that looked cleaner on the finished pallet. Our customers actually started commenting on how neat the packs looked.” A minor detail, but it reinforced the perception of quality. “That told us Papermart thinks about the whole package, not just the print.”

Numbers That Matter: Waste, Speed, and Cost

After six months of production, the results were clear. Overall waste dropped from 12% to 7.5% — short‑run waste hit as low as 4%. Changeover time went from 45 minutes to under 12 minutes. “That alone freed up 8 hours of production capacity per week,” Markus calculates. “We added two new clients without hiring extra shifts.” The payback period? “We’ll hit it at month 15, three months ahead of schedule.”

But the numbers that impressed Markus most were softer. “Our customer‑rejection rate — boxes that didn’t meet spec — fell from 3% to 0.5%. And we haven’t lost a single account since the switch.” He also notes that the automated papermart login portal made order tracking transparent for clients. “They can see job status, proof approvals, and even download shipping labels. That kind of visibility is a competitive advantage when a retailer asks ‘how much are moving boxes’ and expects an answer in minutes.”

Lessons We Didn’t Expect to Learn

One unexpected lesson was about operator adoption. “We assumed the younger operators would take to digital faster, but actually the veterans — the ones who had run flexo for 20 years — ended up being the biggest advocates,” Markus says. “Once they saw they could dial in color without wasting 50 sheets, they were sold.” The key was giving them time to unlearn old habits. “We nearly pushed too hard on speed the first month. Slowing down initially saved us headaches later.”

Another lesson: don’t underestimate the importance of consumables. “The Papermart ribbon and the recommended plates made a bigger difference than the press specs.” He also notes that the papermart login system, while simple, eliminated phone tag with customers. “If I were advising another converter making the switch, I’d say: plan for a 3‑month adjustment curve, invest in operator training upfront, and don’t cut corners on your supplies.”

What’s Next for EuroPack and Papermart

EuroPack is already planning a second digital line — this time for short‑run retail displays. “We’re looking at adding Papermart’s inline spot UV option for a premium finish some clients have requested,” Markus says. The company is also exploring Papermart’s cloud‑based analytics to track waste patterns in real time. “The data we now generate is incredible. We can see exactly which job types need extra attention.”

Reflecting on the journey, Markus sums it up: “Switching to Papermart wasn’t just about better technology. It changed how we think about production, how we talk to customers, even how our packs look on a pallet. That papermart mindset — solving the entire problem, not just the print — is what made the difference.” For a European converter competing in the crowded moving‑box market, that difference is now measured in repeat orders and growing margins.