Packaging giant Amcor has been unveiled as the latest adopter of Koenig & Bauer Durst’s VariJET 106 hybrid printing system, revealed as Amcor spoke at the press manufacturers’ Executive Summit event in Germany.
Held at Koenig & Bauer’s Paper & Packaging Sheetfed Systems Customer Experience Center in Radebeul, the summit demonstrated how converters are building “resilient, future‑ready production models with hybrid workflows”, said Koenig & Bauer.
Along with Amcor, fellow VariJET 106 user Swiss-based Schelling also took part in a “Voice of the Customer” session. The audience heard how the companies are reshaping operations with hybrid production, providing insights that reflected clear market trends.
Dario Morini, general manager at Amcor Specialty Cartons, shared how its Poland site has built a new digitally enabled business model around the VariJET 106. Using a hybrid configuration with flexo stations pre and post the digital printing unit, the site addresses rapid lead times, brand proliferation, and rising security and health warning requirements in different sectors.
Meanwhile, Pierre Hertzel, head of sales in Germany for Schelling AG, described how the company’s seven‑colour, double‑coater configuration increasingly supports premium folding carton applications with consistent quality, broad Pantone coverage, and hybrid flexibility.
Markus Weiss, CEO of Koenig & Bauer Paper & Packaging Sheetfed Systems, commented: “Our approach remains holistic: connecting prepress, press, and post-press systems through intelligent automation, AI and workflow solutions to deliver efficiency and profitability across the entire production chain. The future of print isn’t about choosing sides – offset or digital. It’s about mastering both to meet today’s evolving market demands. At Koenig & Bauer, we’re passionate about driving that transformation with our customers, shaping the next chapter of what print can achieve.”
The event also featured presentations from subject‑matter experts at Koenig & Bauer, Durst Group, and Koenig & Bauer Durst, along with live demonstrations of the VariJET 106 in a full production environment. Production runs started with basic folding cartons before moving to complex, highly colourful applications, including challenging variations and premium customisation options that also encompassed advanced security and connected packaging features with QR codes.
The VariJET 106 – jointly developed by Durst and Koenig & Bauer – was presented as a mid‑run workhorse for industrial folding carton production. Built on the Rapida 106 offset platform, it combines water‑based inkjet (CMYK + OGV), high Pantone coverage, double‑coating capability, and seamless workflow integration through the Durst Ecosystem.
Daniel Velema, Managing Director at Koenig & Bauer Durst, highlighted how leading converters are approaching digital transformation by investing not only in the press, but in software integration, automated workflows, and lean change management.
“We help customers across the full value chain, to unlock not just a more agile print manufacturing process, but a more responsive and scalable business model. The best way to find out is by jointly running the business case and print benchmark files. We can also take customers to our existing customers. In the end, seeing is believing.”
Delegates experienced end-to-end workflow via the rotary die-cutter CutPRO X 106 and CutPRO Q 106 flatbed die-cutter and folder gluing via Omega Allpro 110, as well as intelligent software, predictive maintenance, and innovations such as AURAVEO.
Keynote speaker at the event was François Martin, an advocate for change in the graphics industry. He reinforced how digital and analogue technologies drive complementary value. “Scale handles the volume; agility handles the value. Digital adoption enables converters to stop turning away complex, fast‑turn jobs and reinforces analogue production rather than replacing it.”
