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Showing posts from November, 2014

Krones strengthens technology portfolio for direct digital printing

Krones, the leading manufacturer of beverage filling and packaging technology, has acquired a 51% stake in Till GmbH, Hofheim, a German company located in the state of Hesse. Established in 2011 the technology company develops systems for direct digital decoration of containers. The remaining 49% of the shares are held by the company’s founders, who will continue to play an active role in the company. Till GmbH machines are modular in design and suited for high-speed applications in the beverage industry and other sectors. www.krones.com

FINAT Thirty Fifth International Labelling Competition

FINAT announces that label converters can start selecting their best examples of label print as the 2015 FINAT Labelling Competition is now open and will accept entries till 5 th March 2015. The annual FINAT competition showcases the best of self-adhesive label print. It recognizes and rewards achievement in terms of both end use/marketing impact and print and converting quality. Awards are given in the main segments where self-adhesive labels are used: alcoholic beverages, food, household, industrial, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, security labels, (self-) promotion, and booklet/coupon labels and for the major reel-fed print processes. Objectives “The objective of this annual labelling competition is threefold,” says Kurt Walker, FINAT president. “It not only helps highlight the advantages of self-adhesive labels and related products as effective marketing, promotional or identification tools, but definitely also encourages converters to extend their technical and quality bounda

P.E Labellers for Langguth: a single labeller for 32 different formats

Founded in 1789, today Langguth Erben GmbH & Co. is run by the sixth generation of the Langguth family and is active in the main European wine growing regions as well as in the Mornag region in Tunisia. With an average yearly production of about 50 million bottles, the company is one of Germany's largest winemakers. Langguth Erben wines and spirits are sold throughout Germany and exported to over 80 countries worldwide. In 2014, in order to enlarge and streamline its production facilities, the company has bought a P.E. LABELLERS labelling machine, model MODULAR TOP, which was installed in the month of July and is able to process as many as 32 different sizes at a production speed of 330 bpm. The automatic rotary labeller of diameter 2320, the top of the P.E. range, is fitted with two self-adhesive and cold glue interchangeable modules, in addition to the 6 self-adhesive peninsula stations, "High-Performance" 140m/min with "Non Stop" operation and "

Asahi Photoproducts European Conference focuses on the future

Asahi Photoproducts recently celebrated its 40 Year Anniversary of the company at a Conference for its employees.  Thirty Asahi representatives from nine countries spent two days in Athens, Greece meeting their counterparts and Senior Management team from Japan.  The conference reflected on the milestones of the past 40 years and brought the team together to plan the future growth and innovation strategy of the organisation. Asahi Photoproducts is a leader in the production of photopolymer plates for the flexographic printing industry. The company was a world pioneer in the development of photopolymer plate technology, launching a water washable photopolymer APR plate & plate making system in 1971 in Japan.  Subsequently launched in Europe 1973, the company has had a proud history of technical innovation and service excellence over the past 40 years. Dr. Dieter Niederstadt, Technical Marketing Manager, comments, “Asahi Photoproducts is totally dedicated to supporting our custom

Uponor reaps impressive savings with Videojet printers and inks

Uponor first got its start in 1620 forging weapons for the King of Sweden. Today, they are a leading manufacturer and supplier of plumbing, heating, cooling and fire sprinkler systems for the residential and commercial building markets across North America and Europe. Today, Uponor’s North American corporate offices and the company’s manufacturing facility in Apple Valley, Minnesota employ nearly 500 workers. In addition, the Uponor Corporation oversees operations in 30 countries and employs more than 3,200 people globally. Producing thousands of feet of crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping every day for use in plumbing, fire sprinklers and radiant heating and cooling systems, Uponor must ensure its product is properly and clearly coded. Seeking the Right Connection Historically, the manufacturing facility has been using coding and marking printers on each of their extrusion lines to comply with coding requirements set forth by regulatory agencies. Some older printers used by Up

Sidel relocates UK office to better serve customers

As part of its ongoing commitment to offering global experience backed by local sales and service support to customers, Sidel has relocated the UK office to better serve customers in the UK and Ireland. In its continued efforts to strengthen long-term business partnerships, the Europe & Central Asia team has moved to larger, refurbished offices in Hertfordshire, UK. The new offices are already proving popular with Sidel’s customers, ranging from major brand owners to niche beverage producers . In line with Sidel's strategy of working in close proximity to customers through dedicated offices in the regions in which it operates, the new regional office in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, includes Sidel’s sales and customer service departments, previously located at the former site in Hatfield. The new offices, which cover approximately 400 square metres, were chosen for their ability to offer much better access to support customers throughout the UK and Ireland. Giobbe Ri

Nägele Digital Repro GmbH has Extended its Portfolio to Include Direct Engraving with the KODAK FLEXCEL Direct System

Since 1975, Nägele Digital Repro GmbH’s, based in Kempton, Germany, has specialised in prepress work and the production of printing forms for flexographic printing in the packaging field, an area where brand manufacturers and packaging producers are applying increasing pressure on their prepress and printing partners. To meet these challenges, Nägele Digital Repro GmbH has recently extended its production capabilities with a KODAK FLEXCEL Direct System for the direct engraving of elastomer flexographic plates and sleeves. With the FLEXCEL Direct System, the company has acquired a direct engraving solution that is distinguished by its high resolution, productivity and outstanding versatility. “In addition to extending our underlying capacity, the FLEXCEL Direct System now allows us to manufacture high-quality imaged elastomer plates and sleeves. For example, at screen rulings of up to 60 lines per cm, we can engrave a printable tonal range of 1 to 99% by modelling the dot edges a

iSys Label Partners with UniNet as OEM

iSys Label,  Canadian developer and manufacturer of short to mid run digital label printers, is pleased to announce a partnership with UniNet as OEM of their label printing technology. This agreement went into effect September 1 st , authorizes UniNet to distribute the line of printers throughout their global network as the iColor™ 700 and 900. In addition to the sale of these products, UniNet will also provide full service, support, and carry stock of the consumables for the label printing equipment. Designed for in-house production of labels, these short to mid run digital label printers are renowned for printing single-pass, die-cut label labels on demand - making it easy to go from printer to applicator in one step. With media width ranges of 3 to 12.9 inches and lengths up to 1200 feet per roll, they make light work of printing on self-adhesive label stock, tag stock, and approved films/synthetics. These roll to roll digital printers are compact enough to fit in any office envi

Lean Flexibles Install a High Performance Universal X6 Slitting Machine

Lean Flexibles are a fast growing supplier and contract slitter of flexible packaging materials based at Hinckley, UK. Lean offer short lead time supply of a range of materials including PET, OPP, PE, CPP and multi-layer laminates. In choosing the Universal X6 slitting machine, Lean needed a wider web machine which minimised job set up times, produced consistent high quality rolls and was able to run at high speed. The Universal X6 machine is designed for processing flexible materials. A typical specification includes digital web guiding, automatic knife setting (Computaslit), additional tension zone through slitting, closed loop rewind tension control, constant geometry contact rollers, automatic core alignment (Computacore) and a running speed of 600m/min. The machine is designed to be simple to operate with a 22inch touch screen interface. A typical changeover, including setting 20 shear knives can take less than two minutes making the machine ideal for short run work. The integra

CHILI Publish awarded “Most Promising Young Company in Belgium”

CHILI Publish, the creator of powerful online document editing software, is awarded by UNIZO as Belgium’s “Most Promising SMB” in a highly competitive national competition. CHILI Publish was one of five regional finalists selected for this prestigious honor, and the finalist in the competition, with recognition that was awarded last Friday on Belgium’s National Entrepreneur Day. UNIZO is a Belgian advocacy group dedicated to protecting the interests of entrepreneurs, sole proprietors and professionals in all fields and at all socio-economic levels in the Flemish Region, at the federal level and in the European Union. CHILI Publish receiving the award for ‘Most Promising SMB’ during the UNIZO gala ceremony held Friday November 21 st – with from left to right, Bram Verniest (COO), Kevin Goeminne (CEO) and Joeri Paeleman (CTO) “We are absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this important recognition,” comments Bram Verniest, COO of CHILI Publish. “The award is especially excit

Diflex wins over new customers with the acquisition of a KODAK FLEXCEL NX System Overview

Diflex has always opted for technological innovation, offering prepress and supplies for the flexographic industry that set it apart from other suppliers to the market. Its success is based on the experience of its staff, around 60 employees working in the company's three branches located in Madrid, Valencia and Portugal, and on the guarantee of quality and respect for the environment, which have been certified for years. To serve all the sectors of the flexographic market, the company has created three distinct divisions: Diflex embalaje Flexible [Flexible packaging], Diflex División Cartón [Paperboard Division] and Diflex Suministros [Supplies]. Gilles Corbé, Key Account Manager for Packaging and Commercial Imaging at Kodak Iberia, presents the certification to María Teresa Mesa A year ago, Diflex decided to acquire a KODAK FLEXCEL NX System in order to meet customer demand for digital plates capable of overcoming the limits of flexography, enabling the company to offer a

UPM Raflatac offer updated and new Selection Guide for Durables labelling

UPM Raflatac introduces the updated selection of labelling solutions for industrial, outdoor, machinery and appliance labelling in Europe. These products offer a diverse set of specifications to meet the requirements of specific applications. Advanced water-based and UV-cured adhesives offer environmentally responsible choices. As a category, Durables labelling has widely varying requirements for resistance to exposures including heat, chemicals, moisture, mechanical stress and outdoor conditions including UV light. The type of material being labelled also places demands particularly on the adhesive according to the surface energy and smoothness. To meet these requirements, UPM Raflatac’s Durables range incorporates solid face stocks with and without topcoats, plus overlaminating films for extra print protection, mechanical resistance and an extended service life. The latest non-solvent adhesive technology offers the same or better performance than traditional solutions, and with

Directly printed PET bottles in Nature MultiPacksTM win German Packaging Award 2014

Each year under the patronage of the German Ministry for Economy and Energy the German Packaging Award is presented to only the very best ideas and innovations in the packaging industry. This year a specialist jury of 16 selected nominees from a total of 230 submitted entries. One of the prizewinners for 2014 is NMP Systems GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of KHS GmbH, which convinced the expert team with its new Direct Print and Nature MultiPackTMdevelopments – both currently at the prototype stage and which won the award as an overall concept. In combination they produce a multipack where information is printed directly onto individual PET bottles bonded together by dots of adhesive, thus producing a packaging system which is not only completely new but also extremely sustainable. Brilliant print quality In the direct digital printing process PET bottles are decorated with non-migrating UV inks, thus doing away with the need to apply labels. The containers are printed with CMY

Brigl & Bergmeister increases capacity

B&B have ordered a new film press (SpeedSizer) from VOITH for their paper machine at the Niklasdorf mill, replacing the conventional size press. In addition, a non-contact energy-efficient compact infrared and air-drying combination (qDryPro) will be installed, and the steam and condensate systems as well as the air-handling system will be modified. These investments will increase annual capacity in Niklasdorf by 5,000 tons, at reduced energy consumption. In addition to improvements in the quality of the existing product range, this will make it possible to develop innovative speciality papers. Installation is scheduled for September 2015, as an addition to the new headbox already installed in April 2014. At the Vevče mill in Slovenia, too, modernisation and extension measures are being implemented, initiated in 2013 by installation of a film press. Here, development focuses, among other things, on improvement of the barrier properties of flexible packaging papers. Already to

Sales Success in Turkey For GIDUE MX Presses

In terms of profitability, 2014 has been a successful year for GIDUE Technology , especially in the Turkish market. Thanks to the great cooperation of its Turkish certified distributor IMEX Group , GIDUE is proud to announce that in the last few months several GIDUE MX printing machines have been installed to some important converters in Turkey. Among them it is important to highlight Yeniler Etiket . Founded in 2004, Yeniler Etiket is a Turkish converter, based in Istanbul, that is specialized in the production of thermal and logistic labels. The cooperation with GIDUE started in spring 2013 during Printtek Expo , when they decided to purchase their first GIDUE UV Flexo press : a MX 370 mm width, 8 colors and 1 die-cutting station, that was the one exhibited at GIDUE booth.  Following the successful results achieved with the first installation, Mr. Mehmet Akdag , Owner and Director of the company, decided to keep on investing on GIDUE technology and after less then 6 months he in

FTK Ambalaj purchased the second GIDUE M5 UV Flexo Press

The Turkish converter FTK Ambalaj has recently invested on the second GIDUE M5 printing machine. With more than 20 years of experience in the Labels & Packaging industry, FTK Ambalaj is one of the leading companies in the Turkish overview. Founded in 1992 by Mr. Mehmet Asman , Owner and Director of FTK Ambalaj is specialized in the production of Shrinkable Sleeve Labels.  The company’s mission is focused on the complete customer satisfaction that is provided to both the national and the international market, by giving a higher level of products produced with the most updated technologies available worldwide. “ The use of advanced technology is fundamental to boost the company to a higher level. In these years we’ve been working hard to become an international company, a pioneer of Innovations in the Packaging Industry. GIDUE Technology is completely in line with our mission: it is the most up-to-date, state of the art printing technology on the market that help us to reach o

Esko Announces Leadership Transition

Esko today announced that Udo Panenka, Senior Vice President for Global Sales & Marketing will succeed Carsten Knudsen as President on 1 January 2015. Over the near term, Carsten Knudsen will continue to support Esko and Danaher in an advisory role. Carsten Knudsen "Under Carsten’s leadership, Esko has built a loyal and growing customer group, created world class technology, and with a strong team, driven excellent growth and established itself as a leader in its served markets”, said Joakim Weidemanis, Vice President and Group Executive for the Product Identification Platform, Danaher Corporation. Udo Panenka Udo Panenka joined Esko from Kollmorgen, another Danaher business, earlier this year, where he was Vice President & General Manager for Industrial Automation in Europe and India. Udo joined Kollmorgen in 2008 and has served in several key leadership roles with increasing responsibility. “We want to thank Carsten for his leadership and tremendous impact

KODAK Technology, Combined with Passion and Experience, Deliver High Quality Results and Improved Efficiency for DigiFlex Group s.c.

DigiFlex Group s.c., based in Otwock, is a modern flexo prepress company filled with creativity and passion, and success built on a combination of talent and technology. The company’s most recent investment is a KODAK FLEXCEL NX Wide-C System , enabling plate making up to 1067x1524mm and driving optimum production quality and efficiency. Solution - Passion, Expertise and Kodak technology lift DigiFlex Group s.c. above its competitors According to the owners of Warsaw-based DigiFlex Group s.c., Joanna Sychowicz and Piotr Kolera, the combination of creativity, passion and investment in market-leading technology, which includes Poland’s first KODAK FLEXCEL NX Wide-C System, is the cornerstone of the company’s success. The owners believe this has helped it distinguish itself from competitors and has been key to securing an expanding customer base of flexo printers from Poland and abroad. Piotr Kolera (left) and Joanna Sychowicz – owners of DigiFlex Group s.c. The company’s deci

Beverage Innovation Award for the @KronesAG DecoType

Excellently engineered machinery and innovative container design – that convinced the jury: digital direct container printing with Krones’ DecoType machine won the Beverage Innovation Award 2014 in the “best technology innovation” category. Digital direct printing on containers and packages in ongoing production offers huge potential for the beverage industry and the household/cosmetics, converters and glass manufacturer market segments, and unlocks innumerable fresh approaches. Compared to dressing containers in labels, direct printing provides significantly enhanced freedom for attractive, individualised design, and is ideally suited for supporting product launches and marketing campaigns. The use of contemporary decors or rapid-response launching of newly developed products enables clients to react swiftly to changes and new trends on their chosen markets. Increasing demand for individualisation leads to decreasing batch sizes with concomitantly small label runs. Digital direc

South Africa’s first Gallus ECS 340 for RAKO Tamperseal

A Gallus ECS 340 forms the new centrepiece at T/A RAKO Tamperseal (Pty) Ltd., part of the global RAKO GROUP. The eight-colour UV flexographic printing machine with cold foil unit for finishing is the first of its kind in South Africa and another competitive boost for this relatively young company. It was primarily the ability of the Gallus ECS 340 to produce both self-adhesive and SSL labels that led to its deployment a few weeks ago in Cape Town – as this was a major factor in the decision by RAKO Tamperseal to opt for this particular press. The 29-man company can now offer both kinds of technology under one roof and, thanks to the Gallus ECS 340, meet the ever-growing demands of its customers. The Gallus ECS 340 is the first machine from Gallus to be used at RAKO Tamperseal, and so far managing director Uwe Bögl has nothing but praise for the new press: “At just 1.1 m, the extremely short web path between the printing units has dramatically reduced the waste, and the optimized se

Xeikon’s Folding Carton Suite addresses brand owners and packaging converters at Emballage 2014 in Paris

Xeikon will be showcasing a host of innovative technologies for its first time attendance at Salon de l’Emballage 2014. Located on stand 6 E 110, the company will demonstrate its enhanced Folding Carton Suite along with its recently launched Web Varnishing Module. The company will also be cooperating with partners Zünd, CERM and customers Imprimerie Bouley and 5Sept Etiquette to present a wide range of applications specifically developed to address the changing needs of brand owners and packaging converters. The Salon de l’Emballage is taking place November 17 to 20 at Paris Nord Villepinte. “Over the past few years our portfolio of digital solutions for labels and packaging has significantly increased, and we encourage converters and brand owners alike to come check out what we have on display at Emballage. We will be thrilled to meet up with them and engage in some insightful conversations,” comments Filip Weymans, Director Segment Marketing and Business Development Labels &

Lebanon’s leading water bottler, Tannourine water, increases production and improves efficiency with Sidel

Sidel, a global provider of liquid packaging solutions, announced that Tannourine Water, one of Lebanon’s leading bottlers and distributors of pure and natural mineral water, will have its production capacity increased, after installing a Sidel Matrix™ Combi water line with a capacity of 31,500 bottles per hour. Tannourine Water was also able to improve their current bottle design by integrating the patented Sidel StarLite™ water base, which will further help the Lebanese bottler save energy consumption during blowing and reduce the amount of PET needed, while still retaining a great performing bottle and consumer experience. Tannourine Water has been sourcing natural mineral water from the Tannourine Mountains for over 30 years, and with its own expertise has been able to source and bottle one of the purest natural mineral waters in the country. The company distributes its products to all of its customers nationwide and even beyond to neighbouring Arab countries, West Africa and A

UPM Raflatac at Emballage: Safe and sustainable solutions for food and personal care labelling

UPM Raflatac’s Label Experts are present on stand 6 G 131 at the Emballage packaging exhibition in Paris from 17 to 20 November, introducing safe and sustainable solutions for labelling food and personal care products. Labels and regulation in the food packaging chain Under the EU 10/2011 regulation on packaging materials containing plastic and in contact with food, each company in the packaging value chain is responsible for forwarding documentation related to the safety of their products. Label end-users and brand owners in the food industry have the final responsibility to check for compliance, and labels are now classified as part of any plastic packaging and wrapping. UPM Raflatac supplies a wide range of labelstock products in combination with adhesives formulated for food safety and tested to comply with regulation permissions and limits. High quality Declarations of Conformity are available for quick and convenient distribution – significantly reducing the risk of pro

Sego Group Becomes First Printer in France to Invest in KODAK PROSPER S20 Imprinting System

Expanding the capability to meet the demand for short runs and meet its customers’ variability requirements, Sego Group is creating new opportunities with a Kodak high-speed hybrid digital printing solution. The Sego Group, a printer covering the entire graphics supply chain, has decided to invest in hybrid technology. This privately-owned French printing house has opted for the KODAK PROSPER S20 Imprinting System , set to go into operation in November 2014 at its production plant in Taverny, near Paris. The system uses KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology and the KODAK CS410 System Controller to deliver a powerful solution that utilises existing equipment (a 48-page press with an output of 50,000 copies per hour) without compromising on speed. This new technology will enable the Sego Group to provide customers with new advertising opportunities with highly targeted products. “As users of Kodak innovations for many years, from prepress technology with KODAK PRINERGY Workflow to KOD