Bobst 125 Years TOGETHER, Like a Light That That Make Us Such a Unique Group

Special Anniversary Edition Bobst Group SA FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS 2 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Lngo term

hat is special about BOBST cares about what is important overcame so many perils. By reacting BOBST that has made to other people because we embody quickly and calmly – but with convic- our company such a tangible, human values and a passion tion – we have curbed the harmful success over the years? for growth and innovation. As you read medium-term consequences and WCan we remain a technology leader, with this supplement, which walks you upheld our market growth strategy. strong human values, in a globalized through the 125-year history of our The number of machines sold has world? What does our future hold ? company, you will realize that BOBST risen every year since 2011. We sold has gone through both major triumphs 400 more machines in 2015 than in When I travel around the world, our and sometimes profound hardship. We 2011, a total of 1,400 units, while customers often ask me these ques- see the world as an ever-changing maintaining relatively stable revenue tions, as do our employees and place, and we are fully aware of our despite the highly negative impact of investors. It’s a complex and thrilling responsibility for thousands of the strong Swiss franc. subject! My answer has gradually been families and thousands of customers. forged through meeting people or being With this in mind, our company’s We need to understand that the in a specific environment, as I try to entrepreneurs have always bounced sacrifices that we are forced to make stand back from a short-term reality back, with a firm conviction that a due to the urgency of these crisis and imagine the medium or long-term better future lay ahead. Even in the situations eventually benefit us all. to build a meaningful response. worst situations, human respect, “Your success is my success,” the old innovation, perseverance and the family adage goes. It holds true in This conviction comes from experi- ability to challenge ourselves have both challenging circumstances and ences, sharing and observations made always prevailed. in day-to-day relationships between over the past few years in a rapidly co-workers. What works well inside changing world plagued by uncertainty. the company can be felt outside the “The BOBST DNA is made up of strong, company, at home and by our suppli- deeply rooted values.” One characteris- ers, investors, shareholders and other tic is the professional conscientious- “ The BOBST DNA social partners. This includes our ness that permeates through our customers, whose earnings impact businesses and our behavior. It is a is made up of future orders. The difference between drive to see things through, assist our strong, deeply good performance and excellence lies customers, help our co-workers and precisely in living our values at all think about the long-term. We should rooted values” times and respecting the interests of be proud, because this approach all. That is our priority for building the stands out in a world where profits, future. careers and materialistic values seem to dominate over other, more funda- When we are faced with sudden These firm principles, which make our mental, values like family and relation- economic downturns, like the cur- company so strong, will be one focus ships. Have we forgotten the essence rency crisis at the beginning of 2015, of our “BOBST – One Group around of our lives and the origins of our I think back to the determination of the world” campaign, which is set to history? those who came before us and take place on March 23, 2016 at all of 3 Bobst Group SA

never goes out. Every day, 24 hours a I would like to sincerely thank you all. “ Your success is my day, somewhere in the world, some- Now... let’s celebrate together! one from Bobst is watching over success” things!

You all play a precious role in making our Group sites. The occasion will also this company work, creating our give us the chance to celebrate these future and sustaining the values Jean-Pascal Bobst 125 years TOGETHER, like a light that that make us such a unique Group. CEO Bobst Group SA 4 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

ENGINEERING AND GRAPHIC ARTS Hwo it all began for Joseph Bobst

Joseph Bobst was trained The young employee noted that printers as a typographer before settling in Lausanne had to order their supplies in Lausanne. He eventually from other cities in Switzerland, as no distributors operated in their own town. opened a store selling graphic In 1890, he set up an office in his apart- arts supplies and ended up ment including a stock of supplies to turning it into a prosperous sell. While still working for his employer, business. he developed his business, before opening his own shop in 1893.

Joseph Otto Bobst (1862–1935) was In 1886, he married Marie Hægler born in Balsthal in the German-spea- (1864–1933), a young girl from his king canton of Solothurn. Trained as hometown. The couple had six children: a typographer, he settled in Lausanne Marie (1887), Otto (1889), Nelly (1891), at the age of 21 to learn French and Anna (1895), Henri (1897) and work for the Edouard Allenspach Elisabeth (1899). printing workshop.

1890 1893 1897 1904 1891 1892 1894 1895 1896 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903

FOUNDING OF THE SHOP BIRTH OF NEW OFFICES BOBST COMPANY OPENING HENRI BOBST IN LAUSANNE Joseph Bobst begins distributing Having left his job, Joseph Bobst Henri Bobst is born in Lausanne on Joseph Bobst prospers, printing printing ink produced by the German officially lists his printing supply December 19, 1897. He would a catalogue, selling supplies and firm Schmidt Brothers from company with the Commercial become the talented technician and repairing machines. The company Bockenheim near Frankfurt. Registry on January 5, 1893. visionary who drove the Group’s moves into bigger offices and a industrial development. store located on Place de la Gare Ao ckn wlEDGED du Flon. as a professional Joseph Bobst founds the Lausanne chapter of the Swiss Association Legend of Printing Professionals. G rOUP MILESTONE Technological innovation Acquisition

1893 1900 Rudolf Diesel patents his Paris inaugurates compression-ignition engine. its Metro Line 1. 5 Bobst Group SA

Bailler printer firstjor ma success for bobst

1915: Henri Bobst invents a press that can print the dots of the Braille alphabet on both sides of the same page.

1908 1915 1917 1918 1905 1906 1907 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1916 1919

REPAIR BRAILLE THE BOBST A JOINT STOCK WORKSHOP PRINTING PRESS TRADEMARK COMPANY Three technicians are hired to At age 18, Henri Bobst develops The economy recovers shortly after repair machines on-site for the first rotary cylinder press that the end of World War I. Joseph Bobst customers. The workshop sells could print the Braille alphabet and his sons are confident. They second-hand machinery and using embossed dots. His inventive found the joint stock company manufactures printing tools, interpointing system can print on J. Bobst & Fils SA and present their roller printing presses and the front and back sides of the page carton board machines at the Lyon mobile lifts. without crushing the dots. The The cog logo becomes the International Fair. machine turns out several thousands company’s emblem as a of sheets per hour and is one of the machine builder. first of many legendary successes for BOBST.

1908 1912 1915 The first Ford Model T The Titanic passenger 2 Einstein completes the publication comes off the assembly E=MC liner sinks on April 15. of his theory of relativity. line in the United States. 6 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

TOUGH TIMES H ardship and years of exile in France

At the end of World War I, board business to the French BOBST went through a turbulent company Marinoni in 1924. Otto Twist of fate period. To avoid bankruptcy, it and Henri Bobst were taken on In 1936, when Marinoni began to by the buyer and left to work in experience its share of financial sold its technical assets to a Strasbourg. At age 62, Joseph woes, J. Bobst & Fils SA bought French builder. Bobst stayed on in Lausanne, alone. the carton board machinery department that it had sold to the Joseph Bobst and his sons were The company founder was forced company 12 years earlier. It also counting on international business to let go of several employees, and opened its first entity abroad, a recovering so that they could sell the the mechanics workshop ran at sales office inP aris. carton board machines which they low capacity. Marinoni transferred had designed during the war. But as its production to Switzerland in 1927 borders reopened, the competition to cut costs. Henri Bobst came from French and German machines – back to Lausanne in 1932 as head fueled by the devaluation of the of the technical office. His brother French franc and German mark – Otto remained in France and grew fierce. To avoid going bankrupt, became sales director of Marinoni’s J. Bobst & Fils SA sold its carton Paris headquarters.

1921 1924 1926 1934 1920 1922 1923 1925 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933

MR2BA CARTON BOBST SELLS R eSTRUCTURING of SUCCESS OF BOARD CUTTING ITS ASSETS Bobst workshops THE AUTOVARIABLE MACHINE Under pressure due to competition To avoid bankruptcy, the company At the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1933, Joseph Bobst designs a new type of from France and Germany, reduces its joint stock capitalization Henri Bobst signs an agreement machine featuring automatic shears J. Bobst & Fils SA is strapped for from 360,000 to 270,000 Swiss with the German manufacturer H. for precision die-cutting of large cash. The company decides to sell francs. In 1921, the company is still W. Casack to use his web-fed sheets of carton board. The machine its carton board machinery assets worth 1 million Swiss francs. process for carton board. After a is ready in record time and meets to the French firmM arinoni. full year of development, the with customers’ needs. Autovariable prototype, an adjustable format machine used to cut boxes and print them, is a hit at the Foire de Paris.

1922 1927 Tutankhamun’s tomb is Charles Lindbergh completes the first successful solo discovered in Egypt. flight over the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. 7 Bobst Group SA

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY HENRI BOBST defends his patents before a berlin court

Henri Bobst invented the Autovariable, a machine designed with printing and in-line die-cutting capabilities for simple boxes. While in Berlin in 1938, just as National Socialism was taking off, he ended up defending his patents in court, in a case filed by the Dresden-based company Sächsische Cartonnagen-Maschinenfabrik AG (SCAMAG).

In his journal, Henri Bobst recorded the events of this extraordinary hearing, which, against all odds, ruled in favor of the Swiss industrialist. “The case went to the Senate, the judicial body where three judges would rule on the grounds of the appeal. With Hitlerism vigorously on the rise, Mr. Lauber accompanied me to Berlin, and I wondered if the exacerbated nationalism of the era would not have an influence on the rul- ing. But in the end, it did not, and that patent turned out to be effective protection for the Autovariable. Escorted by several people into the room, I had to do a timid Hitler salute. It was 1940: The AP 900 revolutionizes die-cutting, the only one I ever did in my life…” with over 4,000 sheets converted per hour.

1938 1940 1942 1946 1935 1936 1937 1939 1941 1943 1944 1945 1947 1948 1949

OPENING OF BOBST AP PCR 382 END OF THE WAR AND THE PRILLY PLANT 900 AUTOPLATEN FOLDER-GLUER FLOURISHING The company switches to industrial With the AP 900, the world’s first The first folder-gluer is launched. BUSINESS production and builds a plant in automatic die-cutter, BOBST By combining various technological Bstob employs 200 people. Its Prilly, near Lausanne. At the same revolutionizes carton board solutions, the PCR 382 unlocks the revenue grows 80% compared with time, Henri Bobst launches the die-cutting and creasing. BOBST potential for innovation, a the previous year. In 1947, for the employee magazine “Trait d’Union” quality it has maintained ever since. first time ever, the plant closes for and founds Bobst-Sports, the 50 YEARS one week of holiday. leisure organization for the OF BOBST company’s workers. Celebrations are limited due to rationing and the serious events unfolding.

1935 1938 1948 The first edition of the The VW Beetle pre-production Nestlé launches Nestle Quik, the chocolate- Monopoly board game model is released. flavored drink later more famously known as Nesquik. is released. 8 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

CHAMPLAIN AND NORTH AMERICA OUT TO CONQUER THE AMERICAN MARKET

The Autoplaten® was aging Exhibition in Atlantic City, New realized that it could replace sheet- introduced into the United Jersey in 1949, the production speed fed offset processes. In 1957, he States in 1949, winning over the of the SP 900 die-cutter impressed signed an agreement with Champlain visitors. But its maximum 90 cm cut- Company Inc. an American com- Americans. This revolutionary ting width limited its potential in the pany, to share the costs of building machine propelled the United States, where manufacturers a rotogravure printing machine in industrialization of carton board worked with larger formats. So BOBST Prilly. In 1959, the creation of Bobst- converting and paved the way developed the SP 1080, a machine fea- Champlain SA seals the collaboration for BOBST in North America. turing a reel width of 108 cm. Whereas between the two companies. The the previous model had no takers after Lausanne-based firm was in charge Louis Milliquet was a sales director 18 months, the SP 1080 met with re- of producing and selling machines in who had been working alongside Henri sounding success in Chicago in 1950. Europe. Bobst then bought the stock Bobst since 1932. Milliquet convinced BOBST conquered North America, of its U.S. partner in 1965 and set up Bobst to go to the United States, which became its largest market. the Bobst-Champlain division. and the pair took an initial trip there together in 1947. After that, Louis Mil- The Champlain adventure liquet, by then nearly age 60, returned Henri Bobst had been following the to New York several times. At the Pack- progress of rotogravure printing and

1950 1951 1956 1952 1953 1954 1955 1957 1958 1959

NORTH AMERICA DRUPA '51: RECORD LAUNCH OF THE THE MACHINE DRIVING BUSINESS SALE OF 43 MACHINES SP 1260-E FOR AMERICA North America becomes BOBST’s The first time J. Bobst & Fils SA takes This machine is designed to work The SPO 1575 die-cutter leading market, where the company part in the drupa trade fair, 20 tons with board in 1,260 x 920 mm (1,575 x 1,055 mm format) generates 15% of its revenue in 1957. of equipment is sent to its stand in formats, coming in several versions marks BOBST’s entry into Düsseldorf. The company triumphs, for die-cutting and hot foil printing corrugated board converting. BOBST, A QUALITY selling 43 machines. and stamping. The SP 1260-E MACHINE offers manufacturers new options for finishing packaging. The SP 1080 Autoplaten® is an early example of a machine that embodied the modern qualities of BOBST equipment: expertise, easy maintenance, unparalleled quality and productivity.

1950 1957 The first color television shows The Treaty of Rome establishes are aired in the United States. the European Economic Community. 9 Bobst Group SA

C hamPLAIN M ASS PRODUCTION LINE

1965: The Champlain production line is used to mass-produce packaging in a single pass. Starting from a reel of blank carton board, boxes come out printed, embossed, creased, cut and ready to use in the next step.

1961 1965 1968 1960 1962 1963 1964 1966 1967 1969

1 000TH AUTOPLATEN AC QUISITION BOBST W EB-FED SOLD OF CHAMPLAIN ITALIANA ROTOGRAVURE BOBST ships its thousandth Renamed Bobst North America Inc., Now located in Piacenza, Italy the PRINTER die-cutter from its Prilly factory, an the Champlain site in Roseland, forerunner of Bobst Italia SpA The CORSAIR 940/1225 is the SP 1260-E sold to New Zealand. New Jersey is the starting is set up in Milan, Italy. first Bobst-Champlain web-fed point for setting up a sales rotogravure printer manufactured network in the United States. SP 1420-E in Switzerland and is specially Mass production lines for AUTOPLATEN® designed for the flexible packaging packaging continue to be market. Simple, robust and reliable, this manufactured in Prilly. die-cutter also handles the new larger carton formats developing in Europe.

1961 1964 1969 The Grande-Dixence Dam, the tallest The Great St. Bernard Tunnel links Neil Armstrong becomes the first gravity dam in the world, opens in Switzerland to Italy. human to walk on the moon. Switzerland. 10 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

HENRI BOBST TRADE FAIR IN BEIJING Bstob exhibits A VISIONARY in china With 200 other Swiss companies, Bobst exhibited at the Sitex INVENTOR international trade fair in Beijing in the summer of 1974. BOBST took Even after his death at age introducing a pension savings plan along a PCR 930 folder-gluer and 78, Henri Bobst will always be with the Caisse de retraite populaire an AV-3 Autovariable, with printing remembered by the Group as an cantonale vaudoise in 1937 and setting and in-line die-cutting capabilities up a works council in 1947. for simple boxes. But the machines entrepreneur and the inventor of had found no buyers by the time the revolutionary machines used for Passing on the flame event was over. The first was sold to carton board. Jacques Bobst and Bruno de Japan and the second shipped back Kalbermatten took over as managing to Lausanne. Henri Bobst was a talented technician directors after Henri Bobst died on who was the creator of a number of February 26, 1975. The two inherited Undaunted by this initial inventions, his most famous being the a rapidly growing company with nearly experience, Bobst remained Autoplaten® die-cutter launched in 2,000 employees. optimistic, as recounted in the 1940. This machine, which revolution- employee magazine “Trait d’Union”. ized industrial packaging production, The Henri Bobst Fund was set up to “Sooner or later, supermarkets was at the heart of the company’s offer financial aid for apprentices from will open in China. And when they commercial and financial success. poorer backgrounds to help them do, packaging will become even pursue their studies. more widespread.” Henri’s human qualities also earned him respect within his company,

1970 1971 1972 1974 1973

THE COMPANY OFFICE OPENED BOBST LAUNCH OF THE NEEDS SPACE IN JAPAN BRAZIL LEMANIC BRAND By the late 1960s, space is running Nihon Bobst KK is set up, now The Group buys a 95,000 m2 piece With its new design and advanced out at BOBST’s Prilly site, and the known as Bobst Japan Ltd, of land in Itatiba. The Bobst Brazil technology, the LEMANIC 1425 crowded work space causes in Tokyo, Japan. site (BBR) is built in 1996 as the new brings an efficient web-fed mass problems. In 1970, the company facilities for Bobst Latinoamérica converting production line to carton buys a 300,000 m2 plot of land do Sul Ltda. An office is opened in board packaging. stretching into three municipalities São Paulo in 1974. – Mex, Vufflens-la-Ville and Villars-Sainte-Croix – seven kilometers outside of Lausanne.

1971 1974 The USSR launches the first BOBST employee Victor Defago wins two gold medals occupied space station. in the ski world championships for the disabled. 11 Bobst Group SA

1975: Henri Bobst (center), inventor of the Autoplaten®, celebrates the sale of the thousandth die-cutter in 1961. After his death in 1975, Jacques Bobst (right) and Bruno de Kalbermatten took over as managing directors.

1975 1977 1978 1979 1976

BOBST GrAPHIC FIRST BUILDING NEW NORTH Eurocat COMPLETED IN MEX COMPANY NAME AMERICA This line of phototypesetting After two years of construction, the J. Bobst & Fils SA becomes Bobst Bobst Canada is set up with systems is primarily used to process first industrial building at theM ex SA. The company is officially listed headquarters in Montreal. complex graphics and layout at site is inaugurated on April 15, 1977. on the Lausanne stock exchange. speeds of up to 120,000 characters The three-story, U-shaped building per hour. is the facility for Bobst Graphic, Bobst-Registron and Bobst electrical-electronics.

1976 1979 Commercial flights begin on Concorde, the supersonic jet The Sony Walkman, the first portable airliner jointly operated by the French and British. cassette player, hits the market. 12 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

COMPANY ACQUISITIONS BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP

BOBST strengthened its leadership in BOBST bought SA Martin in 1985 and integrated the 1980s. It became the world’s leading the company fully into the Group two years later. machine builder for the corrugated board BOBST continued to diversify in the corrugator industry and moved into the flexible and corrugating roll industry and bought the packaging market. Hamburg-based company Peters GmbH in 1986. With these two acquisitions, Bobst became the In the 1980s, Bobst, led by Bruno de Kalbermatten, world’s first supplier to offer a complete range of made three strategic acquisitions in France, machines for corrugated board. Germany and Italy. These companies allowed the Group to expand and diversify its businesses. In 1987, the Group made its first foray into flexible packaging, buying a 50% stake in the share capi- In 1982 the French industrial group Creusot-Loire, tal of the Italian machine manufacturer Schiavi owners of flexo-folder-gluer manufacturer Cesare Costruzioni Meccaniche SpA in Piacenza. SA Martin, ran into serious financial difficulties.

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

BOBST BOBST 1982, COMPANY BRAZIL GRAPHIC A BANNER YEAR ACQUISITIONS Start-up of a plant in Maua. The businesses are sold to the BOBST sells its 5,000th Autoplaten® Bobst acquires two corrugated U.S.-based Autologic, a subsidiary machine. The Group presents it board machine manufacturers, of Volt Information Sciences Inc. latest model, the SP 102-CE, at the S.A. Martin based in Villeurbanne The electronics expertise gained drupa trade fair. The cam movement and Bron near Lyon, France. One in phototypesetting would be used of the lower beam on the machine year later, BOBST acquires Peters to build Bobst machinery. and the optimized carton board Maschinenfabrik GmbH, based in transport timing make it the first Hamburg, Germany. press to produce over 10,000 die-cut sheets per hour. NEW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE An executive management team is formed, with pierre Baroffio, Raymond Heimberg and Jacques Schluchter.

1981 1983 The success of the IBM PC 5150 carves The Pasteur Institute identifies out the market for personal computers. the virus that causes AIDS. 13 Bobst Group SA

innovation SUCCESS FOR SCHIAVI THE REVOLUTIONARY NON-STOP FFG BY MARTIN PRINTING

BOBST had been a majority shareholder in the Italian manufacturer Schiavi since 1987 and began to reap the benefits of its new partnership two years later. Schiavi, specialized in equipment for flexible materials, launched its “non-stop” rotogravure printing machine in 1989. The machine is made of two presses separated by a dryer, meaning that it can print a job on one press while the other is prepared for the next run. Production was now non-stop. The concept was an immediate triumph, and four rotogravure machines were sold off-plan.

1989: The 1330 SUPERLINE FFG is a digitally operated flexo folder-gluer. Its technology is applied to most of the future generations of FFG machines.

1985 1986 1987 1989 1988

ELECTRONIC INVESTMENT DEATH OF NEW FOLDER-GLUER JACQUES BOBST SUBSIDIARIES DO MINO produces crash-lock Bst ob buys a stake in the share Jacques Bobst (born in 1931), son Bobst Benelux NV opens in bottom boxes in carton board. capital of the Italian company of Henri Bobst, became an engineer Berchem, Belgium. Schiavi SpA – operating out and joined the company in 1956. AUTOMATIC of Piacenza and Modena – and He was in charge of the Group’s 1330 PACKER specialized in printing and industrial property and registered a SUPERLINE FFG laminating flexible materials. Full number of patents. Jacques Bobst CARTONPACK stacks boxes Computer-controlled flexo acquisition of S.A. Martin, which became the company’s Managing in shipping containers. folder-gluer. became a wholly-owned subsidiary Director in 1964 and a member of of the Bobst Group. the Board of Directors in 1966. After LEMANIC 820 his death, Pierre Baroffio took over PRODUCTION LINE as Managing Director, leading the Group with Bruno de Kalbermatten, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

1985 1989 JVC begins selling The Berlin VHS camcorders. Wall falls. 14 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

MANUFACTURING FACILITIES BOBST-REGISTRON global EP X ANSION OF LEADERSHIP THE MEX SITE BOBST began looking for a shift or transfer operations between new site in the 1970’s, eventually its two facilities in Lausanne. purchasing land in Mex where a A new, three-story administrative and second site was built in several production building, F5, was opened in phases, in line with its growth. 1991 featuring 7,626 m2 of floor space.

In 1970, BOBST, cramped at its Prilly The production facilities were also site, bought a 300,000 m2 plot of land redesigned during this phase. As- in Mex, seven kilometers outside sembly lines were now organized by of Lausanne. product line, from the initial assembly of parts – sub-groups – to pre- The first building, G1, was completed dispatch commissioning. in 1977. Development continued at the 1992: A major German publisher production facility with buildings F1 buys 22 color register systems for to F4, covering 11,510 m2, inaugurated its rotary printing machines. This in 1978. Each enlargement of the Mex deal confirms Bobst-Registron’s site offered BOBST the opportunity to global leadership in the sector.

1990 1992 1993 1994 1991

BOBST OPENS ITS SUBSIDIARY COMPANY ASIA AND FACILITY IN GERMANY IN AFRICA TAKEOVER CENTRAL EUROPE Bobst Meerbusch GmbH opens at Bobst Group Africa & Middle East Ltd Asitrade AG, now Bobst Bobst Taiwan opens, and Bobst Meerbusch near Düsseldorf. opens in Tunis, Tunisia. Grenchen, manufactures Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. opens in micro-flute litho-laminators. Petaling Jaya. Bobst Central Europe THE 100TH ANNIVER- BOBST CUBE s.r.o. opens in Brno, Czech Republic SARY OF BOBST INTERFACE DRO 1624 ROTARY in 1993. The commemoration used the Computer control system used DIE-CUTTER phrase: “Of knowledge and people, to operate machines. This rotary die-cutter improves 1890-1990.” productivity.

1992 1994 Fujitsu launces the first commercially Casio releases the first digital available plasma screen. camera for retail sale. 15 Bobst Group SA

REMAINING COMPETITIVE I nNOVATION p oWER for MN- A MACHINE less INTERFACE

In 1995 BOBST announced to the Lausanne utilities company (Services Industriels de Lausanne, or SIL) that it wanted to produce its own electricity. With a 35% hike in electricity prices since 1991, the company was concerned that its two Lausanne sites might no longer be competitive.

At both Prilly and Mex, Bobst planned to install a combined heat and power system that would use the heat from the boiler to produce electricity. The system, amortized over four years, would supply the company with electric power at half the cost.

The City of Lausanne feared that the Group, a large electricity consumer, might put its plan into action and so 1992: CUBE (Control Unit Bobst Electronic). This computer-controlled introduced special discounted rates system is used to perform a multitude of functions on a machine, with a for industrial energy users. This pricing screen that simplifies the operator’s job. scale went into effect on January 1, 1996.

1995 1997 1998 1996 1999

NEW NEW ALPINA AC QUISITION IN OFFICES PRODUCTION SITES FOLDER-GLUER THE UNITED STATES Bobst India and Bobst Indonesia P lants in Shanghai, China and Equipped with the revolutionary Bst ob buys Corrugating Roll are set up. Bobst Thailand opens Itatiba, Brazil go into operation. GYROBOX pivot system, this Corporation (CRC) of Rutledge, in 1996. Both sites are later expanded machine produces complex Tennessee. in 2001. folding boxes in a single pass. SP 76 BM HOT FOIL BOBST IN RUSSIA STAMPER SUBSIDIARY AND POLAND This machine makes it easier to IN MEXICO Bobst CIS LLC is set up in Moscow, switch between jobs and features Bobst Latinoamérica Norte SA de CV Russia. Bobst Polska Sp z o.o. opens control systems that offer reliable opens in Mexico City, Mexico. in Łódź, Poland in 1999. and consistent production.

1995 1998 The global position system (GPS) becomes The first euro fully operational. coin is minted. 16 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

COMPANY ACQUISITIONS BREAKTHROUGH IN FLEXIBLE MATERIALS In 2004, BOBST bought five Having integrated the Italian machine presses, coating and laminating companies from the Finnish builder Schiavi into the Group in 2000, machines which complemented the group Metso to strengthen its BOBST moved forward with its strategy products offered by Schiavi. of buying companies that could rein- operations and market share in force its position and develop its busi- Consolidation and diversification the flexible packaging industry. ness in the flexible packaging industry. BOBST made these acquisitions to reach a critical size and gain the In 2004, BOBST signed a deal with expertise needed so that the Group the Finnish group Metso to buy five of could expand the development of its companies located in the United machines used for flexible materials Kingdom and Italy which specialized converting. With this €75 million deal, in converting flexible materials. At the the Group hoped to generate 20% of its time, equipment for flexible packag- revenue in the sector. And by diversify- ing only accounted for 7% of BOBST’s ing into this rapidly growing market, it sales. The Metso companies built also intended to reduce its sensitivity flexographic and rotogravure printing to economic cycles.

2000 2002 2003 2001

NORTHERN STRATEGIC PRODUCTION SITE LYON EXPANDS AND EUROPE PARTNERSHIP IN INDIA BUYS A COMPANY Bobst Scandinavia ApS opens in BOBST signs an agreement with A plant is built in Pune, India, M artin buys Rapidex of Angers, Rodovre, Denmark and Bobst UK & BHS Group, the world’s largest located about 100 miles west France and expands its plant in Ireland Ltd in Redditch, United provider of corrugated solutions, of Mumbai. Bron, near Lyon, France. Kingdom. located in Weiherhammer, Germany. OFFICE NEW OFFICE SCHIAVI COMES W ORLD RECORD IN UKRAINE IN SPAIN UNDER BOBST FOR SPEED A representation office opens Bobst Ventas y Servicios España The facilities in Piacenza and The SPrintera 106 PER Autoplaten® in Kiev, Ukraine. S.L. is set up in Barcelona, Spain. It Modena, Italy are fully integrated die-cutter processes 12,000 sheets is now known as Bobst Ibérica, S.L. into the operations of the Group. of carton board per hour.

2003 2001 2002 Scientists achieve Apple comes out with its new digital Switzerland becomes a member the first complete sequencing portable music player, the iPod. of the United Nations. of the human genome. 17 Bobst Group SA

I nNOVATION ROTOGRAVURE PRINTING PRESS 4003MP

2005: The 4003MP can be configured into a multi-functional production line that combines printing with a wide array of coating and laminating solutions.

2004 2006 2007 2005

BOBST buys SPERIA CREATION OF CL 850 DUPLEX five companies 102 FOILMASTER BOBST ITALIA LAMINATOR Five companies are bought from the BOBST invents an external foil Rotomec SpA, Schiavi SpA and With this new machine, and its Finnish group Metso: Atlas, Titan, unwinding module, with an Bobst Italia SpA merge to become ultra-sensitive web tension control Midi, General Vacuum Equipment individual control system. This Bobst Italia SpA in Piacenza, Italy. system, different materials can now and Rotomec. technology makes the operators’ be combined, from aluminum foil to work easier. GLOBAL CODE plastic films and paper. SUSTAINABLE OF CONDUCT DEVELOPMENT ROTOMEC BOBST rolls out its employee DUPLEX GLUE BOBST adopts the ISO 14001 RS 4003MP code of conduct and guidelines APPLICATOR for the conduct of business, with standard to integrate environmental Released in 2005, this multifunctio- Asitrade GAPRO offers constant two chapters on sustainable standards into its management nal rotogravure printing press offers glue film and quality laminating. development. processes. multifunction production.

2004 2006 2007 Facebook is Nintendo releases its Wii The Airbus A380 takes officially launched. home video game console. its first commercial flight. 18 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION TRANSFORMATION OF THE BOBST GROUP Struck hard by the global focuses – efficient organization, opera- and profitability also increased sub- financial crisis of 2008, tional excellence, the human dimension stantially. Bobst Group launched a radical and growth – aimed to completely over- haul the way people work at Bobst. When recession rocked the company transformation program and The Swiss company FAG in Avenches again in 2011. BOBST reacted by step- strict cost-cutting plan. closed and the French company Rapi- ping up its transformation program. dex became part of S.A. Martin in Lyon. An unprecedented financial crisis Finally, the Titan and Atlas brands were Long-term profitability stunned the global economy in 2008. sold in the United Kingdom. A year ahead of its forecasts, BOBST Bobst businesses were hit hard, turned in an excellent performance for leading to rigorous restructuring and The Bobst Group was restructured into 2014. Its earnings reflected the long- major layoffs in the spring of that year. three Business Units – BU Sheet-fed, term profitability of its business and BU Web-fed and BU Services – op- proved that the Group could now suc- New corporate culture timized its processes, introduced a cessfully overcome the challenges of a Jean-Pascal Bobst, freshly appointed just-in-time manufacturing system constantly fluctuating global economy. CEO of Bobst Group in the spring of and combined its two Lausanne sites 2009, launched the Group Transforma- into a single facility in Mex. The results tion Program in August of the same of these efforts were visible as of 2010. year. The program’s four overarching Revenue rose 21% compared with 2009,

2008 2009

W EB-FED: BRAILLE FAg CLOSES R&D BY TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIC TAKEOVER PRINTING ITS DOORS CENTERS Fischer & Krecke GmbH, specialized BOBST develops ACCUBRAILLE, an FAG, or Fournitures pour les Arts Each production site is restructured in flexo printing and located in accurate, reliable and rapid Braille Graphiques, in Avenches, Switzer- and turned into a center for Bielefeld, Germany, joins the Group. embossing system, to comply with land is dissolved, and the French technological excellence. Allocating European legislation requiring company Rapidex becomes part of the Group’s expertise in this way AUTOMATIC information to be included in Braille S.A. Martin. promotes business synergies and OFFLINE SET-UP on all medicine packaging. optimizes research, development smartG PS™ adjusts registration NEW CEO FOR and production processes. and impression settings before THE BOBST GROUP printing, at the flexo plate Jean- Pascal Bobst, the fourth mounting stage. generation of family member to lead the Bobst Group, is appointed CEO on May 7, 2009.

2008 2009 Summer Olympic Games Barack Obama is the first African-American take place in Beijing. to be elected as President of the United States. 19 Bobst Group SA

NE W CORPORATE IDENTITY ONE GROUP, ONE BRAND

When the Bobst Group began its transformation in 2009, rebranding immediately emerged as a powerful tool for communicating and driving change. A rebranding strategy involves more than revamping the company’s graphics. It shows the Group’s determination to present itself as a strong brand and market leader.

As of the drupa 2012 trade fair in Düsseldorf, BOBST could feel the effects of its rebranding program which had begun a year earlier. Despite having a smaller stand than in previous years, the brand had never enjoyed so much visibility. Having a single brand also promoted synergies between the three Business Units. Their products and services, now sold under the same name, could be combined to develop a new offer without creating any confusion for customers.

This experience illustrates the crucial role that the brand now plays in expanding BOBST’s businesses.

2010 2011

BOBST CREATES THREE TECHNOLOGICAL LEAN ETERNA AND BUSINESS UNITS INNOVATION MANAGEMENT BRAUSSE BRANDS BU Sheet-fed : die-cutting, folding- The MASTERFOIL 106 PR is the first The Mex site introduces A 65% stake is acquired in Gordon gluing, flexo & folding-gluing, flexo & hot foil stamper with a cam gripper just-in-time manufacturing. Ltd of Hong Kong, China, the parent rotary die-cutting, hot-foil stamping, bar and Power Register technology. company of Shanghai Eternal litho-laminating. Asitrade MASTERFLUTE is a Q UALITY IN Machinery Co. Ltd and the Eterna BU Web-fed : gravure, gravure & high-performance sheet to web METALIZING and Brausse brands. litho-laminator. MASTERFLEX-HD converting, carton web-fed converting, The General Hawkeye by BOBST sets a new standard for high-quality BOBST coating, laminating flexible materials, detects, counts and categorizes flexo printing, and the AlOx flexo CI, vacuum coating and metalizing. pinholes and other defects as small ACCUCHECK (aluminum oxide) metalizing process BU Services : core services, mainte- as 0.1 mm. The first integrated zero-defect offers packaging a transparent nance solutions, Boost my BOBST, quality control system protective barrier. expert solutions. for folder-gluers.

2010 2011 The Football World Cup takes The world population place in South Africa. reaches seven billion people. 20 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

COMPLETION OF THE TEAM PROJECT BOBST meRGES its two lausanne sites into one

BOBST invested 160 million a single facility in Mex. The Board of was one of the largest moves of any Swiss francs to prepare its Directors approved the investment of Swiss manufacturer, involving 60 trips production facility in Mex. It 160 million Swiss francs in this project by truck, the transport of 280 produc- in March 2010. Construction at the Mex tion machines weighing between 100 was inaugurated after three site included a manufacturing facility, kg and 94 tons and the relocation of years of construction. a Group building with a Competence 900 employees to Mex. TEAM officially Center and a company restaurant with ended on April 16, 2013 when the keys In 2008, BOBST started considering the a day care center. were handed to the new owner of the TEAM (Tous Ensemble à Mex, or all to- Prilly site, SICPA. This company is the gether in Mex) project to bring together Beginning in August 2011, the transfer world leader in security inks for bank- its two Lausanne production sites into from BOBST’s historical offices inP rilly notes and security documents.

2012 2013

DRUPA, RECORD EXPERTCUT INAUGURATION OF GYROBOX FOR SALES AND F&K 20SIX Ci THE MEX FACILITY CORRUGATED BOARD The Group registers thousands of The Autoplaten® die-cutter and After relocating its historical facility Corrugated board boxes are prospects. Over 40% of the deals flexo printer offer productivity, at Prilly to Mex and bringing its produced in the running direction signed are with new customers. quality and cost-efficiency. manufacturing operations to a and in a single pass using the single site, Bobst Mex SA inaugu- pivoting module. ROTARY MEX PRODUCES rates its new offices. DIE-CUTTER 50% OF ITS OWN THE FAST AND MACHINE DESIGNED The LEMANIC RDC 82 D, with its ELECTRICITY EFFICIENT FLEXO FOR THE CHINESE rotary converting method, produces 4,250 solar panels installed at Mex in FOLDER GLUER over 1.2 billion boxes per year. 2012 and 2014, and connected to the MARKET The FFG 8.20 EXPERT flexo folder combined heat and power system of The SP 92 FCH hot foil stamper gluer produces up to 22,000 regular the site’s boiler, allow it to produce combines high technology and slotted containers per hour at the up to 50% of its own electricity. a competitive price. lowest possible cost.

2012 2013 Felix Baumgartner completes the world’s Consumer 3D printers take the spotlight at the highest skydive, from an altitude of 38,969.40 m. Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 21 Bobst Group SA

DIGITAL PRINTING the digital revolution

BOBST developed a revolutionary digital press for corrugated board. Its technology offers innovative manufacturing solutions and unrivaled print quality.

In search of an efficient digital printing process that could be applied on an industrial scale, in 2009 the Group forged a partnership with a leader in imaging technology, the U.S. firm Kodak. At the drupa 2012 trade fair, BOBST announced that it would first develop all-new digital presses for corrugated board, then for carton board and flexible materials. Its Kodak Stream Inkjet based system boasts exceptional color quality and printing resolution compared with flexographic process. The press uses water-based inks that are essential for packaging in many industries. Digital printing not only uses few raw materials but can also be used to perform personalized runs at extraordinary speeds of up to 200 meters per minute. In 2015, the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers (FEFCO) awarded its gold medal for innovation to the GENEVA digital 2014: Digital print heads in the Kodak Stream Inkjet press. With this technology, BOBST opened the gates in 2014 system of the GENEVA press. to the future packaging industry.

2014 2015

NEW ACHIEVEMENT W ORLD PREMIERE: AC QUISITION OF MODELS FOR THE GROUP DIGITAL PRESSES NUOVA GIDUE M arkets are expanded with The Group Transformation Program, Two digital press prototypes are Renamed Bobst Firenze and eight new models: launched in 2008, is complete. Its tested in real production conditions coming under the BU Web-fed, NOVACUT 106 ER, SP 92 FCH, reforms have been implemented so on customer sites. this subsidiary specializes in flexo SP 106 FCH, LILA II, FFG 8.20 that the company can now grow and printing lines and multi-process DISCOVERY, NOVAFLUTE, enjoy long-term profitability. BUrvices Se technology for in-line converting of EXPERTFOLD 145/165 and transformation short runs of labels and flexible RS 5002/RS 3.0. packaging. Seven initiatives to provide high quality services and develop customer loyalty.

2014 2015 The new One World Trade Center World Expo opens in New York. opens in Milan. 22 SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Gour p PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE chairmen and managing FOR FUTURE directors Chairman of the Board of GENERATIONS Directors of the Bobst Group 1918–1935 Joseph Bobst Building on its 125 years of With 1,350 patents registered, 1935–1940 Georges Mercier experience and innovation, innovation is in the company’s DNA 1940–1959 Auguste Brandenburg BOBST has become the leading and stands at the core of its strat- 1959–1975 Henri Bobst egy. The people of BOBST devote 1975–1981 pierre Payot equipment and service provider most of their resources to develop- 1982–1997 Bruno de Kalbermatten to the packaging industry. ing its technology and improving 1998–2004 Marc C. Cappis its services. 2005–2012 Charles Gebhard In 2015, 52% of all packaging sold 2013– Alain Guttmann worldwide was made using BOBST 125 years of history stand as a machines. BOBST is active in the reminder that BOBST could never Managing Director and corrugated board, folding carton, and have come so far without the CEO of the Group flexible materials sectors, and motivated and passionate people 1890–1935 Joseph Bobst employs 4,800 people. With produc- who drive its success. The BOBST 1935–1964 Henri Bobst tion sites on three continents and a ability to innovate, serve its custom- 1964–1985 Jacques Bobst network of sales and services offices ers and create shared value, consti- 1964–1989 Bruno de Kalbermatten spanning over 50 countries, BOBST tutes the DNA of the next generation. 1989–1995 pierre Baroffio stays close to its customers to meet 1995–2009 Andreas Koopmann their changing needs. 2009– Jean-Pascal Bobst

2016

DIGITAL REVOLUTION NEW SITES 125 YEARS OF BOBST INNOVATIONS AND UNDERWAY WORLDWIDE WORLDWIDE 2016 EXHIBITIONS P ioneering technology for the past Establishment of Bobst Istanbul. "BOBST – One Group around the At the drupa 2016 and K2016 trade 125 years, BOBST is now at the Bobst Nigeria opens, covering world." On March 23, 2016, Group fairs in Düsseldorf, BOBST will forefront of digital innovation. The Central, East and West Africa. The employees will together hail the present more than eight new Group develops multi-process new site, Bobst Changzhou Ltd 125th anniversary of BOBST. For 24 machines. technological solutions to produce (BCL), in China launches hours, a series of celebrations has personalized, individual packaging operations under the BU Web-fed. been organized throughout the local on an industrial scale. entities throughout the world. The festivities will begin in Japan and end in Mexico.

"YOUR SUCCESS IS MY SUCCESS" FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS Bobst Mex SA PO Box | 1001 Lausanne | Switzerland

BSA096100167 052 01

Imprint Publication Director: Jean-Pascal Bobst | Editor: Stéphane Mader | Coordination: LargeNetwork, Léonore Jaccard | Photography: Bobst Mex SA Editorial and graphic production: LargeNetwork, Pierre Du Pasquier, David Stettler | Printing: Paperforms, Villars-Ste-Croix | Circulation: 40,000 copies Languages: French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Chinese | Contact: [email protected]