Labelling Blog

Carlsberg Sweden recently unveiled a radical redesign of their beverage range, Xide. The extensive portfolio of alcoholic mixed RTDs has been injected with a new lease of life via 10 exclusive label designs, printed by Spear. Carlsberg’s design agency on the project was Nine. Nine’s objective was “to bring the X to life”. Spear helped to achieve this by working closely with designers throughout the process to identify the optimum printing processes and finishes for each piece of artwork.   “The redesign of Xide was a complex project, with unique and intricate artworks requiring completely different printing techniques for each flavor in the range. Essentially each SKU was a project in itself and the technical knowledge, experience and support provided by Spear proved invaluable in translating the original vision to an award-winning range of beverage design,” Andreas Linnell, Design Director, Nine. Spear utilised a combination of screen/flexo and foil processes to enrich ...

Celebrating Indio’s 120th year anniversary, Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery set out to do something that was truly unique. Reaching out to eclectic Mexican subcultures, ranging from beatniks to hipsters, Cerveza Indio asked for new label designs. After thousands of submissions, Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery picked 120 of the best designs to be featured on the anniversary’s promotional bottles.   To make the concept a reality, Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery relied on Constantia’s Haendler & Natermann for label printing. Due to the randomized print pattern, Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery did not have to worry about pack consideration to ensure a randomized grouping of bottles. Utilizing gravure print process, H&N was able to recreate the vibrant label designs on the same run and has since been awarded Constantia’s 2013 Innovation Award for the process. Source: http://www.spearinc.com/

Esko ( www.esko.com ) announces that after a long and distinguished career, Jürgen Andresen will retire from his role as Vice President Flexo Business at the end of the month. As of March 1, Thomas Klein, currently Senior R&D Manager for the Flexo Business, will succeed Jürgen in this leadership position. Jürgen’s 20-year career at Esko is distinguished by his vision for the flexo industry and the way in which he made that vision a reality. His inventions, including the CDI, revolutionized flexo printing by taking the manual work out of many of the processes needed to prepare and produce flexo plates. The systematic productivity and quality improvements created by the CDIs made them a standard in the industry. Today, there are more than 2 540 CDI’s installed worldwide and close to 90% of all digital flexo plates from various vendors are imaged on Esko devices.   “Esko has continuously been at the forefront of digital flexo development, and that leadership position is d...

Delegates attending this year’s AWA Global Release Liner Conference & Exhibition 2014, March 20-21 2014 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, will be able to participate in a discussion on the industry’s future during a visionary Executive Leadership Panel, spanning the topics of globalization, innovation, leadership, talent, challenges, and opportunities. Participants in this unique discussion will be Michael Apperson, CEO, Loparex Group; Thomas Blaige, Chairman and CEO of Blaige & Company; Roland Hill, Chairman and MD of Contra Vision Ltd; Dr Bernhard Klofat, CEO of Felix Schoeller Group; and Tomas Rink, President of Ritrama S.p.A. The discussion panel will be moderated by Corey Reardon, President & CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates, global market research and marketing consultancy specializing in the paper, film, packaging, coating, laminating and converting industries. Details of the full conference program, as well as online registration, are available at https://ww...

  Sleever International, exhibitor at Aerosol Forum 2014 stand D19 introduces Sleever® Aerosol , a packaging that opens new horizons in the world of aerosols that is in perpetual search of innovation. Aware of the concerns of the personal care , cosmetics and pharmaceutical markets and the constraints of the traditional aerosol solutions, Sleever International has developed a modern response to the growing brand requirements for personalization, late differentiation and a shorter " time to market". To meet the expectations of personalization of aluminum aerosols Sleever® has developed an opaque white film that brings contrast and light to your designs. These can be created by using a range of printing effects including CYMK for photos, material effects , 3D effects and braille, all of which allow you to create a real difference at the point of sale. Sleever ® Aerosol is also a response to allow late differentiation and a shorter time to market by streamlining the s...

Baumgarten Gráfica Ltda. signed on February 26th, 2014 the acquisition agreement of Autopack S.A., a printing plant located in Pablo Podestá, 30km away from the capital city Buenos Aires. The transaction was completed on February 26th, 2014. “This second acquisition abroad is part of our internationalization strategy for the improvement of our presence in the worldwide market. Our goal is to become a global supplier for multi-national customers and a stronger supplier for domestic customers by offering them the most updated and efficient resources available in the printing business, says the chairman, Ronaldo Baumgarten Jr. The newly acquired printing plant, Autopack S.A. is a 22-year old company, has 110 employees, is one of the most well-known suppliers in the Argentinean market, and has a consolidated exporter profile. It converts packaging, promotional and safety labels. As for the brands, Baumgarten is going to keep the Autopack name in connection with the promotional and saf...

Flexibility, investment in technology, product quality improvement and caring for the welfare of employees are the major factors that determine the growing success of the packaging and labelling company “PakMarkas”. As a result, in 2013 the consolidated turnover of the company’s subsidiaries in Lithuania and Latvia increased by 5.4 percent to LTL 70.7 million. “The packaging market is highly dynamic: both fashion and consumer expectations are changing rapidly. In order to stand out, manufacturers are trying to make use of all possible technological options—from printing techniques, original, unconventional, high-quality packagings to eco-friendly solutions,” says “PakMarkas” director Virginijus Gumbaragis. According to the head of the company, the boost in export volumes resulted in the 35-percent growth of domestic sales of adhesive labels and shrink sleeves in 2013. In addition, sales of gear and automation elements accounted for the 10-percent increase. Such results were influe...

Central to Accraply’s presence at Interpack 2014, May 8-14, is the launch of the Trine Model 4800 roll-fed labeling system to the European market. Offering a small footprint and quick change parts, the Trine Model 4800 features advanced container-control which delivers superior bottle handling at speeds up to 600 containers per minute, a segmented vacuum drum which eliminates the need for re-padding, and a stainless steel guard specifically designed for the beverage industry. A dual label-roll unwind and automatic splice unit further support the higher production speeds.   Integral to this new development is the ability of the Trine Model 4800 to upgrade the hundreds of operating Trine Model 4500 and Model 6500 machines without expensive conveyor changes. An industry standard for three decades, Trine has redefined versatility, operating value and productivity with its new Model 4800. Additionally, and with focus on its expanding shrink sleeve converting and application t...

UPM Raflatac has launched a redesigned website at www.upmraflatac.com , featuring a fresh new look, richer content and enhanced access to product information. In terms of content, the new website offers extensive and upgraded product information for UPM Raflatac self-adhesive label materials. Visitors have access to regionally specific product ranges and downloadable technical product information PDFs, all of which are accessible through a redesigned, effective product search. Visually, the new-look website reflects the company’s technical expertise and attentive customer service attitude that sets the industry benchmark. The responsive new website also scales itself automatically to desktop, laptop and mobile device displays. In addition to English, the UPM Raflatac website is available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish. “We have listened to the voice of our customers and developed the UPM Raflatac website to meet their needs”, says Sari Raunio, M...

Bakeries need to keep up with coding regulations Regulation requires bakeries around the globe to include expiration and manufacturing information on their products, and flow wrapped products are no exception. Different technologies from a mechanical approach to digital printers are used to print these codes directly on the products. Primarily, codes are used to indicate the freshness of the product. A consumer will use a ‘best by’ or ‘sell by’ date to verify that a product is safe to eat. Additionally, this information can be used by retailers to remove expiring items from the shelf. Manufacturing information is also used for traceability purposes as these unique codes allow products to be tracked throughout the supply chain and be recalled should there be an emergency. Some bakeries use coders to print different types of non-regulatory information on their products. For example, some print the price of the product directly on the package to avoid the additional step of adding it...

Leading UK label manufacturer , Royston Labels, is relocating to a new production facility. The move will deliver both greater capacity and increased efficiencies, allowing Royston to continue in its expansion and remain best equipped to meet the needs of its growing customer base. Royston Labels has secured purchase of a 60,000 sq ft production and warehouse complex, which was on the market for £1.5million with agents Cheffins and Brown and Lee. The new complex is on the Orchard Road Industrial Estate, Royston, where the firm already occupies five buildings. “We will be completely refurbishing the property, before moving our entire set-up into the new location.” Said Paul Clayton, Royston Labels’ MD. “The factory will be a state of the art facility – I’m extremely excited about how it will transform and improve our business.” Royston Labels is a major supplier of high quality specialist labels for a wide range packaging types, particularly within the personal care, drinks and pha...

  With a mere ten months to go until EU legislation governing the rules around food labelling is implemented, food manufacturers are projecting concerns that the rules are still unclear. An article published by FoodManufacture.co.uk earlier this month reported the growing worries of food producers and manufacturers, highlighting that these parties are uncertain of how to comply with rules that are to be enforced from December 13th 2014. The UK government in particular is facing criticism for failing to make the changes and amendments to food labelling regulations clear to manufactures. Speaking to Food Manufacturer, Stuart Shotton, Consultancy Services Director of FoodChain Europe , said: “We don’t know how the rules are going to be enforced […] we are using our own interpretations of the EU rules and if the guidance contradicts this, then what does that mean?” The new regulations have been outlined to make the nutritional information more accessible to consumers and to hi...

The Label Printers is pleased to once again sponsor a FIRST robotics team which has been organized by Geneva High School, Geneva, Illinois.  The ROBOVIKES have begun their sixth season of competition. The 2014 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season has begun and the Robovikes are back for their sixth season. They joined tens of thousands of team members in over 90 locations worldwide who tuned in to the January kickoff via live NASA-TV broadcast and webcast for the start of the 2014 season.  A record 2,729 teams from 17 countries must now take their “Kit of Parts” and transform it into a robot engineered and programmed with the skills to play this season’s Aerial Assist game. The FIRST program is designed so that the kids have only 6 weeks to build their robot, with no instructions – one of the many life lessons that are part of this “competition of the mind”.  That six week time frame is a significant commitment of time and effort, which this experienced Robovikes...

Lightweights can be pretty impressive as well: an ultralight PET bottle from Krones was among the winners at this year’s packaging design awards in the “Beverages” category. In recognition of this achievement, the “PET lite 9.9 carbonated” is now entitled to wear the internationally prestigious iF label. The innovative bottle is suitable for being filled with carbonated beverages, and has a capacity of 500 millilitres. It tips the scales at a mere 9.9 grams – making it 30 to 45 per cent lighter than comparable PET containers on the market.   The innovative bottle is suitable for being filled with carbonated beverages, and has a capacity of 500 millilitres. It tips the scales at a mere 9.9 grams – making it 30 to 45 per cent lighter than comparable PET containers on the market.     The lightweight bottle has been developed by a design team at Krones that’s already won several awards for its innovative packaging solutions. One of the designers’ paramount prio...

Xeikon, an innovator in digital colour printing technology, will be showcasing a host of market-leading solutions at Ipex 2014. Located on stand S1-E090, the company will demonstrate its integrated hardware and software solutions specifically developed to help customers raise the bar in digital print quality and productivity for a wide range of applications. Ipex is taking place March 24 to 29 at the ExCel in London.     “Xeikon has been and continues to be a supporter of Ipex and we are excited to be part of the show at its brand-new location,” says Patrick Van Baelen, VP Marketing at Xeikon. “In addition, the UK is an important market for us, and Ipex provides good access to UK printing companies. As such, it is the ideal platform to showcase the capabilities of our digital printing solutions and revealing more details on our Suites." Focused end-to-end solutions At Ipex, Xeikon will be demonstrating its Suites that include not only an outstanding digital p...

There is much to be said in favour of radiation-curing inks, as world-leading manufacturers of packaging print equipment – and their users -- have already discovered. Because UV inks and their EB equivalents cure faster, work throughput is much faster than with traditional print drying tunnels. Just as importantly, UV inks deliver high-quality, crisp, graphics (partly a by-product of their speedy cure, which reduces the ‘dot gain’ flow tendency of liquid inks) at a competitive cost per m 2 . Perhaps most important of all, they achieve all this without emitting any VOCs, making them an environmentally-friendly alternative to solvent-based inks. RadTech Europe is the industry association focused on the use of radiation curing in a number of manufacturing arenas, and it is proactive in promoting and managing the technology’s future in the field of packaging print. Learning lessons Since the first application of UV inks and coatings in the world of packaging print, the industry has rea...

Leading soft drinks manufacturer Britvic UK implements Videojet’s new 1620 UHS, CLARiSOFT® and CLARiNET® software to increase production line speed by 30m/min. A long-time trusted partner of Videojet, Britvic UK looked to the next generation of machines at its Rugby manufacturing facility, in order to meet the increasing production demands of the beverage industry. The advantage of the new Videojet 1620 UHS is that it is over 40 percent faster than its existing printers, allowing operators greater flexibility to run faster or print more content, increasing the line speed by 25 percent to 150 metre/minute and increasing the size of the print character from 7x4 to 7x5 – all without compromising print quality. Paul Ash, Maintenance Technician at Britvic UK, commented: “We now choose to clean the printhead once a week at a convenient time when there is no pressure from the line being down. Due to high print makeup and ink volumes, ink lasts three to four days, maybe more. There is no mes...

The annual event and meeting point for the world’s release liner industry – the AWA Global Release Liner Conference & Exhibition 2014 – takes place on March 20-21 2014 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Organised annually by AWA Conferences & Events, and alternating between Europe and USA, the event is the established – and unique – industry forum for this broad-ranging sector.   The state of the industry This year’s program appropriately reflects the many markets, opportunities, and challenges the industry faces. The conference keynote, examining the state of the industry and its future expectations, is this year delivered by Michael Apperson, CEO of leading release liner manufacturer Loparex Group, and will be followed by an executive leadership panel discussion between Mr Apperson and Dr Bernhard Klofat, CEO of specialty paper manufacturers Felix Schoeller Group, moderated by Corey Reardon, President and CEO of AWA Alexander Watson Associates. Up-to-the-minute marke...

PRATI Company’s STARPlus, high productivity stand-alone glueless turret rewinder enables one of the leading Northern Italian labels companies to approach new markets. ARO SpA, a major Italian company with strong international sales, manufactures rolls for PoS, ticket offices and lotteries, as well as self adhesive labels for food, cosmetics, cleaning products in addition to industrial and logistics labels. Founded in 1977 as a manufacturer of rolls for cash registers and weighing scales, the company nowadays specialises in logistics management and traceability. Over time, expansion of the production department’s facilities – the latest generation of which enables flexographic printing of up to 10 colours on a 530 mm wide web, screen printing, letterpress, digital printing as well as inline reel-to-reel laser cutting has evolved. The new glueless STARPlus from Prati accommodates production of large quantities of labels, so identified by ARO SpA’s production managers for significant...

At Labelexpo 2013 much interest was generated in the new productive and reliable rewinder STAR Plus designed for production of large quantities of simple labels that do not require an inspection system. With this system, PRATI Company is expanding its presence in all areas related to self-adhesive labels.  STARPlus is ideally suited for production of low value-added labels in the logistics, weighing and pricing markets that guarantees the same repeatability, reliability, precision and endurance throughout a job. Those attributes not only apply to STARPlus but characterise all systems produced by Prati whose standards of excellence are recognised as the absolute best in the market. STARPlus series represents the next generation of turret rewinders designed to work non-stop and inline with any narrow web press. This is a four-shaft star rewinder which, thanks to a special system for the automatic control of the rewinding tension, separate from the tension of the main machine...

Avery Dennison has signed on as gold sponsor of this year’s Label Summit Latin America which is being held in Colombia for the first time between 14-15 May. The two-day conference and table top exhibition, which is the label and package printing industry’s premier dedicated event in the region, will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Medellín. The conference program will examine various topics surrounding industry trends, prepress, printing and finishing technologies and brand development, product design and positioning. In addition to being gold sponsor, Don Nolan, president of the materials group for Avery Dennison will also be giving the opening keynote presentation. Exploring new developments in label and package printing, Nolan will also look at the wider global perspective and consider regional dynamics and how technological developments offer future growth opportunities. Aimed at the label and package printing and converting business community, Label Summit Latin Amer...

Epson today announced that SixB Labels , the premiere source for labels, decals and bar codes in the Southwest, has installed the Epson® SurePress® L-4033AW label press to provide a complete label offering for its customers in the graphic, manufacturing, food, service, beauty, and health industries. In addition, SixB Labels is showcasing its high-quality labels at WestPack , the West Coast's packaging exposition and conference, from Feb. 11-13 in Anaheim, Calif. “As a company, our priority lies first in capability, then in quality and reliability. That’s one of the reasons we chose the Epson SurePress – it gives us the capability to print on a large range of substrates and the quality is exceptional, making it a perfect match for us,” said Fari Bakhshian, president, SixB Labels Corporation. “For 35 years we have provided flexo, foil stamping (cold foil and hot foil) and blind embossing, and now by adding digital printing with the Epson SurePress, we will be one of the very few c...

As electronic devices continue to get smaller, complex, and require greater power, the risk of fire increases.  As a result, the pressure on design engineers to use materials that will not add fuel to a fire increases.  Like most electronics devices, barcode tracking or product identification labels are used to help in the manufacture of the device as well as the maintenance of the device over its life.  However, traditional labels can be a source of fuel that may propagate a flame.  To address this need, Polyonics is introducing the XF-611 which is a white polyester, halogen free label material designed to meet the UL 94 VTM-0 level of flame retardants. The addition of the XF-611 to the Polyonics flame retardant product line provides customers with a lower cost alternative to the XF-603 (polyimide) while still exhibiting the same level of flame retardant properties.   “The need for materials that will not propagate a flame in electronic devices and m...

Size and innovation are combining forces in a joint cooperation agreement which includes the impressive reach of INX International Ink Co. and the brand innovation capabilities of Chromatic Technologies (CTI). The global agreement is designed to offer the can manufacturing and packaging industries world-class customer service and specialty ink innovation. Working in concert, the two companies will be a formidable presence: INX is the global leader in inks for beer and beverage cans, while Chromatic Technologies Inc. produces a variety of specialty inks, such as thermochromic, photochromic, ‘Reveal’ and security inks. CTI invented both how to apply thermochromic ink at high speeds to cans and the chemistry behind Coors Light’s cold refreshment guarantee: When the Mountains Turn Blue, It’s As Cold as the Rockies!™ “The new agreement between our two companies will help the packaging world see the most exciting ideas in specialty ink technologies,” said Rick Clendenning, president and...

At Ipex 2014, CHILI Publish   will demonstrate how its online editing solution CHILI Publisher 4.0 brings value to brand owners, as well as anyone involved in commercial print, packaging, digital printing, direct marketing, POS and Sign & Display. The company will detail how working with its fully customizable online editing tool creates new business opportunities, and allows operations to extend the online editing capabilities for a wide range of applications. Ipex takes place March 24 to 29 at the ExCel in London. CHILI Publish exhibits on stand N2-C185, together with its UK distributor Workflowz .   "Building on the successful development of CHILI Publisher for the commercial print market, we are expanding our offerings to other markets including packaging, digital printing, POS, Sign & Display and brand owners. Ipex is the perfect opportunity to showcase the capabilities of our solutions to these markets," says Bram Verniest, CMO of CHILI Publish....

Stuart Kellock, managing director of award winning printers, Label Apeel will be discussing building brand desirability through creative design at this month’s Packaging Innovations show. The seminar will present a case study on how original and unique designs sell products and help build a brand’s reputation and desirability. Kellock, managing director of Leicester-based label printers will sit alongside Simon Pendry, creative director, Blue Marlin brand design agency and Sion Edwards, founding partner, Warner Edwards Distillery, to explain how a successful brand platform was created via packaging for UK start-up gin company, Warner Edwards.     Label Apeel is exhibiting at Packaging Innovations 2014, and has a theme of ‘the science behind the label’ for its exhibition stand. “The science focus lets us showcase exactly how we work,” explains Kellock. “We start by thinking what makes a great label and then look at how we can make it better. It’s simple science. Star...

Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd.  has announced that during 2014 it is celebrating 50 years of excellence in slitting & rewinding technology for its TITAN range of products. To mark the occasion, special '50th Anniversary’ Open House events will be held during the autumn of 2014 at Atlas Converting Equipment Ltd. in Bedford (UK) and at Atlas Converting North America, Inc. in Charlotte, NC (USA), when the latest Titan slitter rewinder technology will be demonstrated. All Titan slitter rewinders sold for delivery during 2014 will feature a special 50th Anniversary machine livery and those customers will also receive a commemorative gift. Pages dedicated to the 50th Anniversary are viewable on the Atlas-Titan website with a history of the company, machines and milestones, which all started back in 1964 in London.   Sales of the Titan SR6 duplex slitter rewinder were the most successful in the history of Titan slitter rewinders (1990 - 2000)   The first Titan ...