Labelling Blog

Following the recently announced intensified collaboration, the leaders the world’s label industry associations (*) held their second summit at the FINAT Technical Seminar in Barcelona early this month. As a result of this meeting they unite in endorsing the industry’s commitment to a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future. They also wish to support the ongoing industry measures to further reduce the environmental impact of labels, encourage more sustainable label materials and production processes. In addition they wish to help meet changing industry and customer recycling targets, and to work towards the continued reduction of label waste. Among the many measures that global label industry associations, suppliers and converters are already targeting are: - The promotion and encouragement of the use of environmental management and audit systems (ISO 14001, EMAS, LIFE) in the label industry - Enhancing measures to inform, educate and support label producers in mee

FLEXcon has reengineered THINflex ® PP 160 HC TC-332 ® to include a .92-mil PET liner, TRACrite ® 92. This 1.6-mil clear BOPP film offers a 20 percent reduction over the standard 2.0-mil clear product commonly used today. The TRACrite 92 liner also offers a reduction of 8 to 24 percent depending on the current liner used. These changes offer a more cost-effective product and greener material eductions, while maintaining the high-performance capabilities required for food, beverage, and prime label applications. This polypropylene film achieves the same high-quality print receptivity for the crisp clarity needed for the no-label look applications. The PET liner is recyclable and FLEXcon works directly with third-party recyclers, like P.M. Recycling, who assist printers and brand owners in developing programs to collect and reuse these materials. THINflex films are ideal for food and beverage, health and beauty, and household and chemical labeling applications. When coated with the

DGpS launced their roller change and inspection program for Drent users in the Benelux area. “The key element in this program is preventive maintenance, machine reliability and uptime.” Frank Stoelinga, project manager within DGpS explains; “Within this program we are changing all compounded rollers in one printing unit and combine this with a thorough inspection of that same unit. We come by on a regular and planned base. The basic idea is that every printing unit has its combined roller exchange and health check once a year.” “Practically the procedure is as follows: in the first visit we will exchange all compounded rollers and bearings in the first unit. In the same time we do an intensive check of that printing unit as well. This will take only one day. In between the first and second visit the “old” rollers from unit 1 are compounded with the customers choice of compound / rubber supplier and prepared by DGpS for the second intervention on the second printing unit. This goes on u

The Klöckner Pentaplast Groupannounced today that it will add to its global production capacity for transverse-direction orientedshrink-label films. Primarily used for full- or partial-body shrink-sleeve applications, the new shrink filmcapacity will be located at the company’s Rayong, Thailand, and Rural Retreat, USA, manufacturingfacilities. In addition, kp announced that it will be adding PVC production capacity to its Rayong,Thailand site. The company is investing $37 Mio USD (€27.4 Mio) for this expansion which includestwo tentering lines and PVC production machinery. 64 employees will be added worldwide. KlöcknerPentaplast is the only shrink-label films and PVC producer with manufacturing sites located in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Shrink-label films capacity expansion The new tentering lines will produce high-performance PETG and PVC shrink films and will add 15,000 tons (33 Mio pounds) of shrink-film capacity to the company’s existing global production. Startup is tar

Logopak International has announced a new compact print & apply labelling machine, developed to suit a broad range of applications as standard and bring reduced capital cost through the economies of volume production. The machine monitors its own operation, reducing maintenance cost and risk of downtime, while sharing proven components with the Logopak 500 and 400 Series of print & apply case labelling machines to reduce the cost of manufacture. "Logopak has taken its latest mechanical and software technology and applied it to the new 800 Series labellers through a programme of value engineering," says Logopak UK general manager Wilson Clark. "The result is a machine of universal appeal, offering a small footprint, fewer components than its predecessors, and the ability as standard to provide a host of IT functions with no need for additional sof

The new twin stack Alpha Multi press March 2010 saw Edale open its doors for the launch of the brand new Alpha-Multi to great success, with a series of Open House events held at the Head Office based down in Hampshire. Edale hosted the events over a number of dates throughout March which saw potential and existing customers, as well as suppliers visiting the new show room where the Edale team provided a factory tour as well as a full demonstration of the new Alpha Multi twin stack press.  One of Edale’s many visitors was existing Alpha owner Adrian Steele, MD of Midlands based Mercian Labels, who was impressed with the capabilities of the new machine   ‘ Overall, this is a great piece of design, and should be an easy upgrade for those like us at  Mercian with an existing 4/5 colour Alpha.  In fact, its so innovative that it should really be nominated for an award somewhere, showing what the best of British engineering talent can design’. UK Sales Director, Adrian Morton, demons

ELLCO Etikett Trykk AS (www.ellco.no), a leading label supplier in Norway, has purchased a new Mark Andy Performance Series P7.  This purchase signifies the first P7 sale in Scandinavia and the fourth in Europe since October, 2009.  ELLCO, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, provides labels to a variety of industry sectors, including prime label, cosmetic, health and beauty, and pharmaceutical.  The largest segment ELLCO delivers to is the food and grocery market, followed by beer, wine and spirits.  The company has achieved success through their capabilities to deliver a high level of accuracy, material range and decoration techniques needed to satisfy even the most demanding customer specifications.  The new Mark Andy Performance Series P7 is an 7-color, 13 inch (330 mm) full UV-press.  Added features for hot foil, Stork screen unit and web turn bar are also included for a variety of decorative and two-sided applications to meet customer needs.   Primarily purchased

The London Refining Company is a Leeds based family firm that has been producing high quality cleaning products for over 35 years. Astonish manufactures their environmentally friendly products in a purpose built UK site which are now sold in over 50 countries worldwide. They are committed to launching new products at reasonable cost in fully recyclable packaging. They have purchased a PAGOsystem to apply front, back and wraparound labels, at an output of up to 80 containers per minute. The machine designed for product flowing left to right, it applies the wraparound label by the front PAGOmat. The 2 litre detergent bottle has front and back labels, and the 500 ml hand wash bottle has wraparound labels. The machine is constructed from a robust aluminium extruded base frame with integral frame members that in turn provide the mounting for various auxiliary modules. The base has a stainless steel top and end covers that enclose the base frame. A single belt 2575mm conveyor assembly with

Edale Ltd, the leading manufacturer of narrow web flexographic presses and converting machinery, has this month appointed Sercoyse Sdad Ltda to be the exclusive distributor of its machines in Portugal.  Sercoyse Sdad Ltda are already a distributor for Edale in Spain, so this contract really shows the development and growing popularity of Edale presses in Europe. “I am delighted Sercoyse will now be promoting the Edale brand within Portugal and as a long standing key Edale partner with a great deal of technical knowledge on our range of equipment we see this as a great opportunity to develop further into Europe. Sercoyse have already done an excellent job in promoting the Edale brand in the Spanish market and are very well respected throughout the industry” says Adrian Morton, UK Sales Director of Edale Ltd.  Salesman, Ramon Rius from Sercoyse recently attended the distribution training event which took place at the head office of Edale Ltd where the company went through three days of

RPC Containers Corby is supplying its multi-layer Orion bottle to JSC Kedainiai Canning Factory, a leading vegetable processor and producer of sauces in Lithuania, to provide its range of natural tomato ketchup with an attractive new appearance.   Kedainiai Canning Factory manufactures a variety of products based on traditional tested recipes, including mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and an assortment of flavoured jams. All of their food products are created using the highest quality raw ingredients, and so they required the expertise of RPC to present them with a consumer friendly and appealing bottle that would still communicate this premium value.   RPC Corby’s Orion squeezable headstand bottle meets consumer demand for an easy to use, mess-free dispenser, which also offers accurate portion control. The Orion bottle is blow moulded in PP/EVOH/PP, which provides an advantageous oxygen barrier for an extended ambient shelf life.   The 452 ml transparent bottle allows the consumer to see t

ROTOCONTROL today announced the successful customer installation of the EDM200 Flexo Machine in South Africa.  Onsite to assist with the installation and training was Pascal Aengenvoort, Director from ROTOTEC, the local Agent for ROTOCONTROL throughout South Africa. "The Installation went very well" states Pascal Aengenvoort. "Our customer was astonished with the outstanding print quality of the labels that were printed on the same day of the installation.  It was very easy to train the Operator and the Customer was impressed with the speed and ease of job changeover, the accuracy in putting preprinted labels in register and holding the register throughout the run."  The EDM200 is the world's first ever designed semi-rotary, servo-driven UV-flexo machine, using sleeve technology for both print and anilox cylinders, and working with chambered doctor blade technology. The machine is designed to work mainly as an over-printing machine and has been specifically

Kosme s.r.l., Roverbella, Italy, a subsidiary of Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, has developed an ultra-versatile labeller for the output range between 4,500 and 8,000 containers an hour, called Flexa. Its modularised design provides options for connecting only the stations actually required for the cold-glue or pressure-sensitive label handling involved, or to run combined cold-glue/pressure-sensitive labelling. It is accessible and operator-friendly, which proves particularly advantageous when changing over to a different bottle size, for example, or carrying out maintenance and cleaning routines. The Kosme Flexa scores in terms of compact dimensions and an ergonomically optimised working height, suitable for any integration options within a bottling line. Another important innovation is the is the module mounting, which can be horizontally adjusted to any desired position. It enables the settings for different dress variants to be reproduced whenever needed. The M90pressure-sensi

Both DCM Group companies develop and build Gravure printing presses, one for paper and cardboard, the other for flexible packaging films and laminates. To take full advantage of natural synergies for engineering, purchasing, sales network and for quality customer service, the related departments of both companies have merged together in Nanterre on the DCM USIMECA site. Olivet (Orleans) plant remains the assembly and testing site for cardboard rotogravure printing presses and other machines in the ATN range. The merging is legally done through a rental of the ATN activities to DCM USIMECA  who becomes the sole legal and commercial entity. This new structure will also enable to respond simply to international tenders of machines that combine the two ranges. Alain FARAGO, former CEO of ATN is nominated as the head of the new consolidated company DCM USIMECA - ATN. Source:   DCM Subscribe in a reader

Nowadays it`s common knowledge that the days go smoothly when Brückner and a customer join forces to successfully start a new film production line. This was once again proven when China Soft Packaging Group recently went on stream with their 8.2m BOPP line in Xinxiang City, Henan province. Excellent quality film on the winder only six hours after start-up – and from then on after a continuous production was achieved. A decisive step for the enhancement of the packaging industry in Central China, and also proof of the smooth teamwork during the whole undertaking. In total, China Soft Packaging Group (part of the Fuzhou Jingcheng Group) has ordered six large output, high performance Brückner BOPP lines for their locations in Fuzhou and Henan. Two of them are already successfully producing high quality BOPP film, the third one will be started in summer 2010. Mr. Weng Shengjin, Board Chairman, says: “The packaging industry is still the sunrise industry in the world, BOPP film is the mai

Presstek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRST), a leading supplier of digital offset printing solutions to the printing and communications industries, today announced that Brooklyn-based Advanced Digital Printing has enhanced their production capabilities by adding a Presstek 52DI-AC digital offset press to its equipment portfolio. Previously, Advanced Digital Printing was operating two Presstek 52DIs, one of which they upgraded to the 52DI-AC. With its integrated aqueous coater, the 52DI-AC will not only reduce overall cycle time for the creation of high-production-value printed product, but it will also open the door for many new applications and business opportunities for Advanced Digital Printing. “We are excited to bring this new capability to our customers,” said Elazar Wadler, Chief Information Officer for Advanced Digital Printing. “It will especially bring value to our production of CD and DVD packaging materials. With both a standard Presstek 52DI and the new 52DI-AC, combined with our las

Something else that’s unfamiliar: the hitherto invariably blue Krones logo will in future be found in orange as well, to denote the Kosme subsidiary. At the beginning of 2009, Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, increased its holding in Kosme S.R.L., Roverbella, Italy, to 100 per cent. Under the umbrella brand of Kosme – comprising Kosme GmbH in Austria and Kosme s.r.l. in Italy – the Krones group, the world’s market leader for beverage and filling and packaging technology in the medium and high-speed segments, is now additionally offering a complete range of lines for the low output range as well. As a visible symbol of this shared identity, the subsidiary Kosme has now, in the spring of 2010, also been given the well-known logo of the group’s parent company, while still retaining its corporate colour of orange. This conveniently differentiates the Austro-Italian subsidiary, but also denotes the group affiliation. Kosme Italy focuses primarily on labelling, filling, packaging and con

Stock Bottle breaks new ground in premium food & beverage segments including sauces, dressings, condiments, and R-T-D teas Amcor Rigid Plastics, the world’s leading producer of PET Packaging, has launched a 12oz ring neck PET bottle as a glass replacement option for premium food and beverage brands including sauces, dressings, condiments, and ready-to-drink (RTD) teas and juices. The stock hot fill container breaks new ground because it offers a PET alternative that delivers significant performance and cost advantages including portability (no breakage), light weight, and reduced transportation costs. Consumers are drawn to the attractive, lightweight, and breakage-resistant features of the PET bottle compared to traditional glass containers. Amcor conducted an extensive retail and market study and determined that there was strong demand for a glass replacement alternative. “Many packaging professionals told us they wanted to switch from glass but couldn’t find a PET equivalent,

Fujifilm today announces that it has added web-to-print capabilities to its industry-leading XMF workflow solution, in a move that reaffirms its commitment to helping printers manage both offset and digital print production environments. Fujifilm’s philosophy of offering `best-of-breed´ solutions and choice has been realised in this case thanks to XMF’s open JDF and Pure PDF architecture, with the EFI Digital Storefront now supported through XMF. The addition of these benchmark web-to-print solutions to the recently announced refinements in XMF v3.0 means that XMF is now one of the most comprehensive workflow platforms for managing integrated production. The benefits of ultra-fast productivity thanks to its Pure PDF architecture, comprehensive feature-set (including remote functionality and 3D virtual proofing capability) and now a web-to-print capability make XMF the leading workflow platform John Davies, business strategy manager, workflow, FUJIFILM Europe, comments,

Another major Indian packaging printer opts for production consistency with manroland Two ROLAND 700 HiPrint offset presses will be installed in the first quarter of 2010 to boost printing capacity at the new printing facility of one of India’s leading packaging printers, Parksons Packaging. Parksons Packaging Ltd., Mumbai, has purchased two high capacity six-color ROLAND 700 HiPrint offset presses. At the new printing facility in Rudrapur (North India), the third production site for Parksons Packaging, a ROLAND 700 HiPrint with coating module was installed in the first quarter of 2010. Another ROLAND 700 HiPrint with full UV equipment will follow in the second half of 2010. The printing systems are equipped with TelePresence, which permits fast remote diagnosis when service is needed. The TelePresence Maintenance Manager module provides individualized, condition-oriented press maintenance. The company chose manroland as its high performance business partner based on its upgrade flexi

SIPA exceed a new technological limit with design and industrialization of a 1500 ml bottle size. The last SIPA development in water sector brings to the market another step towards cost effectiveness, lightweight and technology development particularly needed in the water market:  the lightest bottles in the world produced, filled and labelled in the  SIPA Tribloc technology . This innovative system was presented for the first time at last Drinktec.  We are talking about a 1500ml bottle for flat or carbonated mineral water at 22g  blown in SIPA rotary blow-moulders at 2000 bph per cavity and filled and labeled in the new SIPA TriBloc including the innovative PE roll-adhesive labeler (another breakthrough in this industry). For a valuable Greek customer, SIPA has developed such champion bottle,  1.5L, 22g for flat and carbonated water, holding 60kg of top load  and is supplying a complete turn-key line including a SIPA TriBloc and and a SIPA packaging and pallettising line. The TriBlo

Pernod Ricard’s Blenders Pride is India’s leading premium admix whisky. Its popularity is due to its exceptional quality and uniqueness in taste; a blended whisky of imported scotch malts and select premium Indian grain spirits. Blenders Pride is the only premium whisky from India made from grain spirit, whereas others are made from molasses. In recent years India has emerged into a new successful, confident, economically independent and lifestyle conscious India. Claessens Cartils was asked by Pernord Ricard India to redesign the bottle and brand presentation of Blenders Pride to fit this new India. The new bottle, label presentation, as well as the new gift box are a more contemporary presentation, signaling premiumness, style, and success, whilst keeping the core values of the brand alive. Making Blenders Pride the brand of choice for young successful individuals, with a discerning taste and a lust for the bohemian lifestyle. Source:   Claessens and Cartils Subscribe in a rea

UPM Raflatac's latest introduction in transparent films adds an extra effect to the trendy no-label look to provide premium visibility on the shelf. PET Tinted TC 36 has a unique metallised, silvery shade that gives a totally new and eye-catching twist for the no-label look in premium beverage and cosmetics products. The top coated PET face material is optimal for high-quality print , and combined with the durable PET30 liner it maximizes performance during conversion and high-speed dispensing. The optimal adhesive wet-out on the PET30 liner also assures an excellent clarity and transparency . Source:   UPM Raflatac

Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK), a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, today announced that its subsidiary, CROWN Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd., plans to build a new beverage can plant in Hangzhou, China. Hangzhou is a city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China. It is located about 120 miles southwest of Shanghai and is the capital of the Zhejiang province. This ancient city was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty and has become a modern and vibrant economical center with a population of approximately 7 million people. Zhejiang province has a population of approximately 50 million people. The new plant in Hangzhou will be sized to accommodate multiple can lines and will have an initial annual production capacity of approximately 600 million 2-piece, 33cl aluminum beverage cans. Capabilities to make other can sizes will be incorporated in the design. Production is expected to commence in the second quarter of 2011. "Deman

RPC Containers UKSC and Market Rasen have joined forces to provide Bayer Garden with a pack solution for Slug Bait that includes a new bespoke measuring cap developed to prevent overdosing.   Slug Bait was launched by Bayer Garden in response to consumers’ desire for an organic alternative to its market leading Bio Slug & Snail Killer. Fully rain-resistant, the Slug Bait pellets can be used all around the garden and children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas, while its active ingredient, Ferric Phosphate, biodegrades harmlessly in soil and is then taken up by plants, acting as a fertiliser.   The new dosing cap is an evolution driven by Bayer Garden’s commitment to providing gardeners with highly practical, safe and effective solutions. Overdosing is a common issue when using slug pellets, as some gardeners assume that the plants and garden areas requiring the most protection from slug damage should be generously dosed. But this is not the case.   RPC’s solutio

Lyft Visual installs new technology including the :Dotrix Modular, the most productive digital press on the market Agfa Graphics announced today that recent installations of the :Dotrix Modular, the most productive digital press on the market, have provided excellent results for packaging and specialty printing companies around the globe and most recently Lyft Visual in Canada. Lyft Visual was established to provide full service digital capabilities that would complement the traditional offset packaging printing from Boehmer Box, Lyft's parent company. However, to be successful, this strategic vision required a powerful solution. A thorough and expansive search eventually led Lyft Visual to Agfa's :Dotrix Modular. Once management saw the :Dotrix Modular in action they quickly concluded it was the only viable solution in the marketplace that fit their current and future business needs. According to Mark Caines, CEO of Boehmer Box, ":Dotrix is the technology of the future,

Debut of the enhanced RSC Slitter Rewinder Inspection Machine set for March 23rd in Barcelona. Marco Aengenvoort, Managing Director, today announced numerous enhancements to the economical RSC compact slitter rewinder inspection machine product line including a new, moveable operator console, standard motorized slitting system, improved razor slitting cartridge as well as the addition of an onboard, 800mm roll lift option. "We take customer feedback seriously and strive to accommodate special requests" states Marco Aengenvoort. "As part of our continuous improvement program, if a special request is a feature that will benefit other Converter applications, we will integrate it as a standard feature in the next generation product."  The first general release of the RSC new features will be demonstrated at an Open House in Barcelona, hosted by ROTOCONTROL's exclusive agent Esagraf, from March 23rd to the 26th.  Converters will also observe the RSC integrated

In the world of flexo printing, the time taken in setting and adjusting a production run is a key factor when it comes to evaluating productivity. On top of this, returned orders affect the reputation of a company and increase its costs. With these issues in mind, BOBST brings to the market the  iQ 300 , an innovative, high performance, quality control system.  iQ 300  makes it possible to guarantee that 100% of the production form a flexo printer meets the quality standards set by the customer, while simultaneously cutting setting times and reducing waste.  Detection of a 3 mm 2  defect in corrugated board running at 12,000 sheets per hour Thanks to the high level technology employed by BOBST, the  iQ 300  quality control system detects a wide range of print defects down to just 3mm 2  in size.  iQ 300  can be used on board ranging from microflute to double wall, in sizes up to 1300 x 2100 mm, and on presses running at speeds of up to 12,000 sheets per hour. Sheets contai