Labelling Blog

Advanced Vision Technology (AVT) Ltd., the world’s leading supplier of automatic print inspection, color control and quality assurance systems for the printing industry, announced today that it has been officially included as a partner in the HP Partner Program for the Indigo division, to provide HP customers with high-end inspection solutions for HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Presses and HP Indigo Press ws4500. AVT already has a large installed base within the labels and packaging market, and is seeing growing demand for inspection solutions on digital presses and digital workflows, making this milestone a natural development for the company. HP’s recognition of AVT as an approved partner affirms AVT’s growing importance in the digital printing market, and will enable both companies to supply labels and packaging converters with process control and quality assurance solutions. Together they will be able to provide the customer assurance of good quality, along with the ability to reduce w

The Association of European Adhesives and Sealants Manufacturers will organise a workshop about Migration Modelling for Food Contact Packaging Adhesives on  Tuesday 22nd February  2011 from 9:00 to 17:00 at the CEFIC Headquarters, in Brussels.   The workshop is especially for its own members but attendees from other sectors are welcome providing space is available. The workshop is one of several activities implemented as part of the MIGRESIVES project. Following several events about the MIGRESIVES project, this workshop will focus upon a troubleshooting exercise to explain the use and the benefits of the MIGRESIVES findings and the specially developed software through real life examples. The MIGRESIVES research programme examined the potential for using computer modelling to calculate the migration of substances used in adhesive  formulations for food labels and packaging materials.  It was designed to meet the requirements of European Legislation and standardisation for food cont

The three U.S. subsidiaries in the OYSTAR Group have merged to form “OYSTAR North America.” The company has thus become one of the largest suppliers of packaging machines in North America. The OYSTAR Group has bundled its U.S. business under a single corporate umbrella: With immediate effect, the previous U.S. subsidiaries OYSTAR Jones (Covington, Kentucky), OYSTAR USA (Edison, New Jersey) and OYSTAR Packaging Technologies (Davenport, Iowa) will now have a uniform corporate appearance as “OYSTAR North America.” The existing manufacturing plants will continue to operate, but will now be entrusted to a joint management team. The merger will also bundle the expertise and know-how of the individual locations. From primary to final packaging – American customers will thus receive all of their OYSTAR machines and services from a single source. The company now ranks among the largest packaging machine suppliers in North America. The U.S. merger is a further result of the successful restru

Nuova GIDUE S.r.l. introduces the new QUADRA™-6 press, 370mm web width, a compact inline label press, which includes 6 colours UV flexo, 1 die-cutting, delam-relam, cold foil, Organizer™ for easy loading of die-cutting tools. The QUADRA™-6 is a possible alternative for converters who are looking for high printing quality, at a reasonable price, and a small footprint (the press is less than 4 meters long). Giorgio Deliziosi , GIDUE area manager for the “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) states: “we would like to offer to label converters an affordable alternative to “low cost” flexographic and letterpress presses, with a high quality QUADRA™-6 which includes the patented GIDUE “Flower™” technology, plus other GIDUE “value” adding converting features. We would be happy to make the GIDUE technology available to a greater number of converters, in order to help to support their growth during the years.” The first QUADRA™-6 was successfully installed in December 2010 a

Emibra and KBA rekindle an old flame   An old flame never dies – or so it would seem with Brazilian packaging printer Emibra Industria e Comercio de Embalagens and Koenig & Bauer AG. After switching to another German press brand a while ago following the installation of three KBA Rapidas, in August last year the Suzano (São Paulo) based enterprise fired up a KBA Rapida 105 six-colour coater press. Alongside the durability and high output with which the medium-format Rapidas have made their mark both in Brazil and worldwide, what prompted the return to KBA was confidence in the support provided by its new agency, Deltagraf.   Innovative and green Founded in 1974 by two brothers, Walter and Joao Braghiroli, Emibra soon became a market leader in Brazil’s fast-growing packaging market by delivering innovative products and uncompromising quality. Its customer base includes global brands in the drugs, cosmetics, perfume, hygiene and soap industries, plus chemical, food and auto

When the industry around the world was reeling under the severe impact of a global economic crisis, Angelo Bartesaghi, the founder and owner of Omet was still smiling! The success of his new launch, “ X-Flex” (narrow web label press), had made 2008 a great year for the Italian label press manufacturer Omet Srl. The new X-FLEX press, established a new benchmark for performance in the narrow web industry with its extremely low waste, very rapid changeovers, unmatched print quality and stability on a wide range of materials and exceptional operator ease of use. The X Flex had held the label printers fancy when it was showcased in Labelexpo Brussels in 2007. X-FLEX press was chosen as the leading Technical Innovation of 2008 by the Flexographic Technical Association at the FTA Info flex Forum. Mahendra Shah Director of Renault paper Products, a Manohar Packaging Group Company founded by the enterprising Nishikant Shirodkar, became the proud owners of the first X Flex to have been i

Edale, are delighted to announce that Uflex, the India-based flexible packaging company, have recently installed a brand new five colour Edale Beta modular press at one of their factories in Noida, near New Delhi, India. Uflex are a large backward integrated flexible packaging company focused on the manufacturing of flexible laminate and films and security products, with over 6,000 employees working across their manufacturing facilities based in India, Dubai, Egypt and Mexico, with a strong market presence in over 105 countries. G.P Pathak & Sanjay Saxena of Uflex, by their Edale Beta With over 70 installations around the world, the Beta is proven to be a key product in the Edale range; designed for easy accessibility and flexibility, the Beta has the capacity to incorporate up to 14 print stations and three converting stations and is suited to the production of high quality labels, tags and sachets. Making the unanimous decision, G.P Pathak and Sanjay Saxena, Project Mana

Order placed through IMB Group, the local Agent of ROTOCONTROL leading edge inspection, slitting, rewinding and die cutting finishing machines in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States . Ralph Beier, ROTOCONTROL International Sales Manager, today announced the receipt of a second finishing machine order from Taflex, one of the largest producers of high quality self-adhesive labels in Russia. Azat Gabidullin, Member of the Board of JSC Taflex, originally visited ROTOCONTROL in the AVT stand during Labelexpo Americas and subsequently placed an order for an RSC Slitter Rewinder Inspection Machine. After an on-site visit at the factory for live material demonstrations on their machine, Taflex was impressed with the performance and placed another order for a second machine, an RSP 440 with vertical vacuum splice table and full re-inspection capability. IMB Group, the recently signed local Agent of ROTOCONTROL in Russia, will provide Taflex with local service and technical sup

Less but More Effective Printing with Xeikon at Hunkeler innovationdays 2011 Lier, Belgium, January 2011 - Xeikon will be demonstrating how it can help customers improve their communication through digital printing at the Hunkeler innovationdays 2011. This bi-annual event is expected to bring together more than 5,000 leading practitioners from the printing industry, offering an excellent opportunity to present the company’s extensive experience in Document Printing solutions. Xeikon is eager to showcase how direct marketing specialists can significantly improve campaign results by combining full communication solutions and cross media marketing. As an example, during a recent Xeikon Café, Xeikon created a retail marketing campaign around a customer loyalty program for fashion retailer Modo. The application illustrates the value of print among the broad selection of other media available. The fully dynamic mailing piece will also be demonstrated live during the Hunkeler innovationda

While the book market overall will remain relatively flat over the next three years, digital technologies will provide new opportunities and better processes for content creation, delivery and production.       That perspective was one of many shared by participants during an expansive roundtable discussion about the future of book publishing. Held at the New York Public Library and hosted by Kodak, the roundtable brought together executives from book publishing, manufacturing, retailing and distribution companies, as well as an author.       “Given the sea changes taking place in every facet of the book publishing market, the time was right to hear from a panel of experts about trends, issues, opportunities and predictions,” said Chris Verlander, Director of Book Segment Marketing, Kodak. “While acknowledging both excitement and anxiety about the transformation taking place, there was optimism from the panelists about the benefits and advantages that digital technologies bring to

Web system solutions from Atlantic Zeiser integrate all the components required for challenging high-speed security printing applications and for quality control of the printed products such as tax labels, lottery tickets, event tickets and labels. Direct error detection and an automatic splice station guarantee zero error rates. Inkjet printers and controllers permit rapid job changes and minimise downtimes Increased productivity, greater customer satisfaction and guaranteed zero error rates: Security printers in the public and private sectors achieve all this thanks to the DIGILINE™ Web 300 from Atlantic Zeiser. The modular, fully integrated, complete system solution impresses with printing results comparable to offset printing in terms of quality and production speed. The DIGILINE™ Web solution is ideal for print service providers needing to code and serialise tax labels, lottery and event tickets, or travel tickets and labels. The complete solution consists of a modular continu

FINAT’s Young Manager Club (YMC) announces its first independently organized summit. This is the result of informal and international meetings and initiatives taken last year and embodies the YMC enthusiasm and aspirations. The club is intended to attract young managers and to help prepare them to become the company and industry leaders of tomorrow. The 2011 YMC Summit is being held in Hotel Bristol in Vienna (Austria) on 28-29 March. “Based on a poll, young managers indicated that they like to learn about the latest management tools, processes and implementation methodologies, said Francesc Egea, of IPE Innovaciones Para Etiquetajes, Spain and chairman of YMC. “A lot of business improvement is being left unexplored. New managerial skills and practical tools can help label converters to run their business more efficiently, improve their customer service and become more profitable.” In addition, young managers reported to appreciate the knowledge and expertise transfer through info

he investment, totaling over 23 million Euros, includes the opening of a modern logistics hub in the center of Europe.   With the aim of positioning itself as one of the leading suppliers of self-adhesive materials in Europe and establishing a position in a market with expectations of growing demand, Torraspapel , part of the Lecta Group, has announced the installation of a new self-adhesive machine at its Almazán (Spain) factory. This will double the plant's current production capacity and allow it to offer a wide range of products, including a new line of hot-melt adhesives and film materials for labelstock. This substantial investment represents a significant leap forward in the competitiveness of the Almazán plant, in addition to contributing to the economic and social development of the region in a sustainable manner by creating new direct employment and the corresponding indirect employment generated by increased activity. Furthermore, with the opening of a modern lo

Mark Andy, the market leader in narrow-web printing press solutions, announces that Macaran Printed Products has purchased a Mark Andy Performance Series P7 in-line flexographic press. This is the first Performance Series press purchased by the Cohoes, New York, company which has been delivering high-quality printed film and film labels since the 1970s. Selected to support Macaran in its high-volume, high-impact pressure-sensitive and film work, the P7 was an attractive solution because of its quick changeovers and superior quality output. As the company adds to its pharmaceutical and consumer goods offering and further expands into unsupported film and flexible packaging, the P7 resolves a need for additional capacity while also providing Macaran with increased capability. The combination hot air/UV, eight-color, 17 inch (430 mm) press includes a film package, multiple die stations, delam/relam, and rail-mounted web turnbar and constant tension laminator. This Performance Series pre

Latte macchiato, cappuccino or cold beverages to go in personalised drinking cups: Customers who want to have their own logo printed on cardboard cups can now order them at the online print shop www.onlineprinters.com. The minimum order is 1,000 cups which are custom printed in short production times from 16 to 18 days. This is new in the printing industry where many other suppliers require a minimum order of around 50,000 cups at an average delivery time of 8 to 10 weeks. The product development department of Onlineprinters GmbH has added the trendy cardboard cups with custom printed design to its range of gastronomy products. "The popular drinking cup in personalised design is now also available for smaller events. A niche product until recently, the cardboard cup is now widely available: to small cafés or bistros, large coffeehouse chains, advertising agencies, catering services and many other companies that want to showcase their brand during tradeshows and events", Heiko

Updates to :Apogee 7 include :Apogee Impose, rules-based imposition, extended print buyer online interaction, wide-format inkjet printing hub and latest version of Adobe PDF renderer (APPE)   Agfa Graphics today announced that the :Apogee 7 workflow management suite announced at IPEX, featuring :Apogee Impose, is now shipping to customers. Apogee Impose is an Agfa-developed imposition module that relies on live job information rather than templates to perform imposition. :Apogee 7 also allows print buyers to go beyond the web-to-print screen to create new jobs in the prepress stage with WebApproval. The new version of :Apogee also includes APPE 2.5, Adobe’s latest version of its native PDF renderer. With :Apogee 7, printing companies that have digital inkjet printing capabilities can now manage file distribution to different printers with their own specific application. About :Apogee Impose, brand-new Agfa-Developed Imposition :Apogee Impose is a revolutionary rule

GIDUE launches the new Digital Flexo™ Combat™  Nuova GIDUE S.r.l., a manufacturer of printing and converting machines for the labels and packaging industry, announces the introduction of the Digital Flexo™ technology in the new Combat™ series of presses.  Register set-up and printing pressures adjustments are fully automated, and eliminate the manual adjustment from the operator. The press start-up and production is managed by the Digital Flexo™ technology based on a combination of “intelligent” vision and servo assisted operations on the press. A proprietary GIDUE high resolution camera (PrintTutor™) constantly “reads” all the printing variables (density, pressure, lateral and length register). Seven servo motors on each print unit automatically set-up and correct all the adjustments.  Federico d’Annunzio, MD of Nuova GIDUE, comments: “With the Digital Flexo™ Combat™ we continue a long history of improvements on the GIDUE flexo technology. The press supports the operator in most

Amcor's patented Active HingeTM Technology slashes weight and cost while delivering better performance than rival Hot Fill options. The industry’s first all-natural protein water has been launched in lightweight hot fill containers from Amcor Rigid Plastics, significantly reducing weight and cost while offering better performance than competitive hot fill alternatives. Amcor’s new patented Active HingeTM technology is used for 16-oz PET containers for Spartan Beverages Inc., Valencia, Calif., a manufacturer of all-natural protein waters. Spartan Beverages’ 16-oz PET bottles use 40% less material and cost 20% less than competitive PET containers. The company was able to meet its sustainability commitment by choosing a lightweight, recyclable bottle that significantly reduced freight costs. All of thesebenefits were realized without sacrificing performance. Spartan Beverages’ all-natural protein waters contain the purest whey isolate and are free of gluten and soy. The three

Long-Neck Hot Fill bottle stands out among competitive sports beverage products. Greater>Than’s unique all-natural sports/hydration beverage based on coconut water has been introduced in the first 20oz stock PowerFlex™ polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container from Amcor Rigid Plastics, the world’s leading producer of PET packaging. The hot fill bottle gives Greater>Than a unique shelf appeal by offering a glass-like appearance, a smooth feel, and easy labeling. Greater>Than, a start-up company based in Highland Park, Ill., undertook extensive research to develop a novel beverage formulation and a unique brand concept which capitalizes on Amcor’s distinctive long-neck, panel-less packaging which stands out among competitive 20oz sports drinks. “The PowerFlex bottle is unique,” said founder Mark Sider. “It is taller than other 20oz sports drink containers, clean-looking, and gives us a big edge in terms of providing eye-catching shelf appeal.” The start-up firm teamed

Reproflex 3 Ltd, a leading packaging pre-media specialist in Newcastle is planning a move to larger premises as a result of the significant boost in production capacity using a KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System. Installed in April 2010, the integrated system comprises the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Thermal Imaging Layer, a KODAK FLEXCEL NX Imager and a KODAK FLEXCEL NX Laminator. The innovative technology has brought about a significant increase in business and the company is now preparing to expand in 2011 to a new-build production plant of 16,000sq ft on two floors on an adjacent site. Partners, Andrew Hewitson and Trevor Lowes set the company up in 1996 with a ten year strategy.  Fifteen years on and still growing, they attribute their success to continuous investment in new technologies.  “We started off with a small studio and a dream to invest and optimise the latest technologies in packaging prepress,” says Hewitson.  “Using our long experience in flexography we have enhanced

Kodak will attend Packaging Innovations 2011 at the NEC Birmingham on 16 th and 17 th February.  On stand H50, the company will show packaging owners, marketeers and designers how they can change the way they bring brands to market.  Demonstrating its KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System technology, the company will offer customers advice on how to develop business through innovation. Reproflex 3 Ltd, a Kodak customer, and National Flexibles will also have stands at the show demonstrating creative samples of flexible packaging produced using  the FLEXCEL NX System. Jonathan Moore, Kodak Packaging Sales Director for the UK and Nordic regions explains, “Kodak is asking the packaging owner to take a fresh look at how they bring their brand to market.  KODAK FLEXCEL NX System technology is revolutionary, award winning and ground breaking in the printing industry, but what it can do for sales and profitability really steals the show. Increasing shelf impact, adding depth of co

Chadwicks Shrink Sleeves has created innovative sleeves for the launch of nature’s own sports drink AloeVit. New health drink AloeVit has been given a boost with seven-colour UV Flexo printed shrink sleeves on 50 micron film, designed with subtle colour tone work to provide a quality finish for enhanced shelf presence.   AloeVit is a unique refreshing drink and is the first in Europe to combine vitamins and amino acids with Aloe Vera, which is renowned for its healing benefits and cleansing. AloveVit is available in four flavours including Lemon & Lime, Black Cherry, Orange & Mango and Peach. Each 500ml bottle of AloveVit, produced by Raykash Ltd, is bursting with goodness without any sugars and even replaces electrolytes after exercise, making it both a health and natural sports drink. Richard Cutworth, business development manager at Chadwicks Shrink Sleeves, said: “It is always exciting to be a part of the launch of a new product from the outset, and we were

Leading Edge Labels & packaging has produced a dry peel label for Innocent Drinks France which will feature on 300,000 cartons of Innocent smoothies from 1 st January 2011. The on pack promotion offers consumers the chance to claim a free 750ml carton of their favourite Innocent smoothies upto the value of €2.99. Each dry peel label includes a unique reference code incorporated onto the base, which consumers enter at: www.innocent.fr – this is used to validate their claim; a link is then emailed allowing consumers to download & print a voucher for their free carton of smoothie. Produced through Leading Edge’s specialist Promotional Division, the dry peel label was managed, printed (including unique numbering) & delivered within a short lead-time to allow for application to packs in the UK prior to shipping to French point of sale. Source: http://labelandpackaging.co.uk

Durst Phototechnik Digital Technology GmbH is pleased to announce the foundation of a new daughter company in Brazil, Durst do Brazil Techologia Em Impressão Digital Ltda., based in Sao Paolo. Durst believes that the current growth in large format imaging in Brazil offers great business potential and its direct presence will have a very positive impact on the Brazilian market. The launch of Durst do Brazil, with its own structure, spare parts and consumables, will help to lower import costs, provide higher service to customers and further increase sales in this already exciting market. Mr. Flavio Hirata, appointed as the CEO of Durst do Brazil, said: “I’m proud to be part of a company that is a market leader in image technology worldwide and has an unrivalled reputation for innovation, quality and service. This is a very exciting time for me and my team and I look forward to further helping to enhance Durst’s presence in Brazil.”  Contact: Durst do Brazil Technologia Em Impre

Sooner or later it has to be manroland: the latest sales of sheetfed printing systems in Mexico show this clearly. Five printing companies invested in ROLAND 700 and ROLAND 900 presses, manroland customers as well as printshops that used to work with competitor equipment before. “It is a great compliment for our work to see customers come back and gain new ones,” says Stefan Deuster, Managing Director of manroland latina in Mexico City. “We are proud to be known for finding a solution for all demands.” Different press configurations, different job structures, one unanimous statement: all companies mention manroland’s quality, reliability, and experience as reasons for their investment. Moreover they are all fond of the enhanced productivity they get thanks to manroland’s automation features. Five sheetfed sales demonstrate this versatility: Talleres Estrella in Toluca chose a four-color ROLAND 700 LV HiPrint to print covers within its large-scale production of notebooks for commerc

LINPAC Group, the UK-based international plastic packaging manufacturer, has sold five stand-alone, non-core business units to funds managed by Chamonix Private Equity – the London-based private equity firm.  The sale completed on 31 December 2010. The business units concerned are LINPAC Storage Systems, LINPAC Environmental, LINPAC Recycling, Intellident and LINPAC Metal Decorating – previously collectively known as the LINPAC ‘Speciality Businesses’.  All are based in the United Kingdom, although Intellident also has a small presence in France and the Netherlands.  They are non-core to LINPAC, which will in future generate over 90% of sales from the manufacture, marketing and support of plastic packaging products and returnable transit containers/RTP.  Four of the five operations were previously structured as stand-alone business units of core LINPAC divisions (LINPAC Allibert and LINPAC Packaging) and have been sold as going concerns under asset purchase agreements.  The fifth,

aEpotal Eco contributes to the development of biodegradable packaging materials As producer of Epotal ® Eco, BASF shall forthwith be able to offer the first compostable water-based adhesive certified by the German Technical Inspection Agency TÜV. “Biologically degradable adhesives will play a decisive role in the future when it comes to developing compostable packaging materials,” says Cornelis Beyers from Marketing Industrial Adhesives. Epotal Eco is particularly suitable for the production of multi-layer films for flexible packaging materials based on biodegradable plastics. Possible applications are bags for potato chips or chocolate bar wrappings. Trend towards biodegradable packaging There is growing demand for efficient and at the same time sustainable raw materials in the packaging industry. “In the past, we received, again and again, inquiries for biodegradable adhesives but were unable to satisfy them,” confirms Merle Dardat, Product Manager at DIN Certco, a certificat