Packaging specialist relies on consistent use of H1 lubricants The ELKALUB-Journal talked to Christof Bromberger, Managing Director of Bromberger Packagings, about his experience with H1-lubricants from ELKALUB.

Mr. Bromberger, you almost exclusively use lubricants from ELKALUB in your printing house. Are lubricants really something that you are dealing with in daily business? 
Christof Bromberger: Well, it certainly depends on what perspective you see it from. For our printing technologists, of course, the lubricants used already play a role during maintenance. Otherwise, the lubricants - and you can take that literally - to ensure a smooth running in production. To put it a little more straightforward: Our machines must run, the lubricant has its part to play. And we have had good experiences with ELKALUB for many years.

How do you deal with lubricants directly?
Let me go further. The demands on our industry have become more and more stringent in recent years. Smallest amounts of particles are detectable today and are regulated with corresponding limit values. Today it is no longer about ppm, so parts per million, but ppb, so parts per billion. These are amounts of particles that you have at the famous piece of sugar cubes in Lake Constance. So today, our customers not only look at the materials we use in high volumes, such as cardboard boxes, but also materials such as paints and varnishes.

And now also the means of production, like the lubricants?
I'll get to that soon. To your first question: I usually deal with the materials used when new requirements are legal, be it industry requirements or the like, put to us. Keywords are low migration colors or HACCP - here we have to decide as a company: Do we want that? Can we do that? What does that mean? And of course: what opportunities are associated with it? These are also strategic and business decisions. Bromberger Packs has always been at the forefront in the past. We have proactively addressed these challenges. For example, we are HACCP, FSC and PEFC certified.

And now also the use of H1 lubricants.
The demand for the use of H1 lubricants certainly has a new quality, since we do not use lubricants as a means of production, but "only" as auxiliaries. That is, our products, namely packaging, do not contain any lubricants.

Why the requirement for the use of H1 lubricants?
Quite clearly: Through HACCP - at least that's what we see. We produce a large number of our packaging on behalf of food producers and the pharmaceutical industry. To further increase the safety of food and consumers, our customers have expressed a desire to use appropriate lubricants.

Bromberger Packungen has changed the entire production to H1?
Yes, it started two years ago with the regular revision of a printing press. We used this time to switch to H1 lubricants with ELKALUB. We then equipped the other printing machines with these lubricants. One year ago, as a final step, further processing was equipped with H1 lubricants.

Would not it have been enough just to change the area where food packaging is made?
Bromberger packs does not do things by halves. Besides, it is not practical. All of a sudden, an order comes in which, for reasons of time, you have to produce on all lines at short notice. No customer understands that when I say to him: "Unfortunately, this is not possible, the machine does not have the right oil."