AeroDieCut Case Study: How Haguruma Expands Paper Product Possibilities with AeroDieCut

Haguruma Co., Ltd. , a long-established Japanese paper product manufacturer, is expanding its product possibilities beyond traditional envelopes. By introducing AeroDieCut, the company has improved flexibility in handling small-lot jobs and thicker paper stocks, while enhancing overall workflow efficiency.

Company Overview

Founded in 1918, Haguruma Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in paper products, particularly envelopes. While envelopes have long been the company’s core business, changes in communication methods and increasing digitalization have gradually shifted demand in the market.

Imamura, Director of Haguruma, explains the company’s current direction.

“Although we began as a manufacturer focused on envelopes, we are now working to expand the range of products we create with paper—not only envelopes and cards, but many other possibilities as well.”

As part of this effort to broaden its product offerings, the company introduced the die-cutting machine AeroDieCut.

Discovering AeroDieCut

Fukumoto, Section Manager of the Technical Group in the Production Control Department, first encountered AeroDieCut at a trade show. Seeing the machine in operation sparked internal discussions about introducing it at Haguruma.

“When I saw the machine at the exhibition, I thought it might be something we could use.”

At the time, the company mainly relied on large Thomson die-cutting machines and smaller platen presses. According to Fukumoto, smaller-lot jobs often had to be handled on the platen presses, which tended to concentrate the workload.

“There are quite a few jobs that can only be processed on the small platen machines, so the workload would naturally accumulate there. We had been thinking about whether there might be another option.”

After sharing information about AeroDieCut internally, the machine was evaluated together with Ichinose, Section Manager of the Manufacturing Department. Following discussions about how the machine could be used in their production environment, Haguruma moved forward with the installation.

The machine was first seen in May, and was installed in September.

“We weren’t actively searching for a machine like this, but we happened to find a good fit.”

Products Processed with AeroDieCut

Today, AeroDieCut is mainly used to process paper products such as packaging and tags. The typical paper thickness handled on the machine ranges from approximately 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm.

Ichinose points out one of the advantages when working with thicker materials.

“With thicker stock, rotary machines sometimes have issues where the sheets come off during processing. But with AeroDieCut, the sheets are delivered flat, which makes it easier to handle thicker materials.”

The company often prints multiple items on a single sheet, making die costs another important factor.

“With imposition control function of AeroDieCut, we can perform multiple cuts using a single wooden die, which helps reduce die costs.”

Improving Workflow Efficiency

Since introducing AeroDieCut, the production team has also seen improvements in workflow efficiency.

“With automatic feeding and delivery, once we change the die and start the machine, it can run on its own for a while.”

While AeroDieCut is operating, operators can prepare or change dies on other machines. This allows work to continue in parallel and helps improve overall productivity on the production floor.

“We can keep AeroDieCut running while working on setup or adjustments for other machines, so overall productivity has definitely improved.”

Another advantage is the shorter setup time. On previous machines, changing the die typically took about 30 to 40 minutes, but with AeroDieCut the process can be completed in around 20 minutes.

The machine is currently operated with three to four die changes per day.

Operator Experience

An operator who works directly with the machine shared the following impressions.

“Since we can cut many sheets efficiently with a single machine, it definitely helps increase our speed. It’s also helpful that we can run this machine while working on other equipment, which contributes to higher overall production.”

“If sheets overlap, the machine detects it and stops with an alarm. On other machines, a double feed can cause serious problems.”

Learning to operate the machine was also relatively straightforward.

“After being shown how to use it once and running it a few times, I was able to change the die by myself after about three or four tries.”

Supporting Flexible Production

At Haguruma, AeroDieCut now plays an important role in complementing existing equipment on the production floor.

“We also have large Thomson die-cutting machines and smaller platen presses, but AeroDieCut feels like it fits somewhere between them.”

According to the production team, the machine’s simplicity also makes it easy to incorporate into daily operations.

“It’s a straightforward and easy-to-understand machine.”

By enabling efficient processing of smaller lots and thicker paper stocks, AeroDieCut has become a valuable addition to Haguruma’s production environment, supporting both productivity and greater flexibility in paper product manufacturing.