Labelling Blog

Funds advised by One Equity Partners (“OEP”) and the H. Turnauer Foundation have agreed to sell their 100 percent stakeholding in Constantia Flexibles to the Wendel Group . Wendel’s offer values the group at around € 2.3 billion (enterprise value). Constantia Flexibles is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flexible packaging products and labels. OEP acquired the company in 2009, when it took over the majority of Constantia Packaging AG, and holds 75 percent of Constantia Flexibles. 25 percent belong to the H. Turnauer Foundation. “We are very happy with the way that Constantia Flexibles has developed over the last five years under the ownership of OEP. Thomas Unger and the management team, along with all the employees of Constantia Flexibles, have done an excellent job. On behalf of OEP, I would like to say thank you for the outstanding cooperation,” said Melchior von Peter, Managing Director at OEP. Constantia Flexibles supplies its products to numerous multinational co

LabelsPlus is the supplier of water cooler bottle labels to Britvic, the global drinking water brand. The leading UK label supplier will provide premium water cooler labels, after Ballygowan, a registered trademark of Britvic Ireland Limited, places their first order of the season; with more orders expected to follow. High quality water cooler bottle labels supplied by LabelsPlus are designed to last the lifetime of the water cooler bottle. The scratch and scuff resistant labels have the capability of withstanding the harsh conditions of sterilising units and washing temperatures of up to 70  ̊C. LabelsPlus will export the Britvic labels to Poland where they will be applied to the brand’s 18.9 litre water cooler bottles. The warmer months of summer are boom time in the water cooler business, and LabelsPlus expect a very busy period within this particular industry. Thankfully, this established label company has the expertise and experience to meet the highest demands; and ensure t

The specialty chemicals Group ALTANA has acquired two companies in Brazil. As a result, the ACTEGA division now has its own sites in South America's largest country. Both of the acquired companies are owner-operated and headquartered in the federal state of São Paulo. Premiata, which operates two facilities under the name of Premiata Tintas and Premiata Especialidades Químicas, specializes, respectively, in printing inks and coatings for the packaging industry with140 employees. Overlake is an overprint varnishes specialist with 70 employees at one site. "Through these acquisitions we are systematically expanding our business in the growing Brazilian market," explains Martin Babilas, Member of the Management Board of ALTANA AG. "As both companies focus entirely on specialty chemicals and tailored customer solutions they are a perfect match for ALTANA." The ACTEGA division's entire Brazilian operations will be concentrated in the new ACTEGA do Brasil compa

Gary Falconbridge, president/CEO of Colordyne Technologies and Andrew Matter, general manager of Colordyne Technologies, provided an early holiday present to the American Cancer Society when they donated $5,000 to the organization on December 16, 2014. The donation was presented to Christine Hazel, community relations at the American Cancer Society, and Ashley Matter, daughter of Andrew Matter and sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Ashley Matter is the Sponsorship Chair on the Planning Committee of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life chapter at the university. Falconbridge and Andrew Matter's donation will partially be used in support of the 2015 Relay for Life event that the university will host on March 28, 2015. "Gary and I have close friends and family that are fighting cancer right now, and decided we wanted to donate in some capacity," Andrew Matter said. "We recognized that Ashley's group was an avenue that could happen th

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

FLEXcon , an innovator in adhesive coating and laminating, today announced the newest in its DPM ® series of pressure-sensitive films designed for Durable Product Marking - DPM ® U 150 Silver V-29 150 Poly H-9. “Our customers need solutions that adapt to multiple environments and meet durability and aesthetic requirements and preferences” The mirror-like finish of DPM ® U 150 Silver offers a brilliant metal look ideal for high-end durable labels, die-cut labels and decorative decals. Its superior conformability allows it to conform to extremely tight mandrel surfaces and around sharp corners, making it optimal for graphics being applied to compound surfaces. Further, it is outdoor durable for five years. DPM ® U 150 Silver V-29 150 Poly H-9 is a 1.5 mil silver urethane film with a permanent pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive and polyester release liner designed for product identification and labeling applications for the durable goods and transportation industries, spanning

To honour the printing-ink manufacturer's 250th anniversary, the hubergroup used a sophisticated, graphic advertising medium: the poster Kirchheim near München, 16 December 2014 – Twelve different posters that reflect both the historical changes and significant aspects of the hubergroup's 250-year-old heritage have been selected as the motifs for next year's wall calendar. The calendar kicks off with a January motif that takes us back to 1750, with a coloured copperplate engraving depicting the indigo extraction process, and closes out the year with a contemporary, award-winning poster created to advertise a US arts festival. The success of posters as information media used both by businesses and institutions to "speak" to the general public began in the 18th century. Alois Senefelder's invention of lithography enabled the simple reproduction of coloured prints and this quickly led to the demise of the cheap and very basic bills of old and the dawn of poster

X-Rite Pantone today announced a donation of their hardware and software solutions to BrobyGrafiska, a graphic arts education center located in Sunne, Sweden. X-Rite Pantone’s donation will be used as part of the school’s programs that study packaging Sandor Tatrai, X-Rite Pantone Sales Manager Scandinavia, “BrobyGrafiska is preparing students for the future by giving them access to the latest technology of today. This donation builds on that good work, giving BrobyGrafiska’s students the technology they need to fully understand and manage color in their packaging designs. We’re proud to have X-Rite Pantone’s products utilized by BrobyGrafiska is a meeting place and educational center dedicated to supporting the study of the graphic arts, including: graphic design, packaging design, web, prepress, and flexographic printing. The school has state-of-the art equipment housed in over 8,000 square meters of modern, customized premises. The technical equipment and talented faculty of the sch

FINAT’s Young Managers Club (YMC) – a lively part of the European self-adhesive labelling association -- announces it will hold its second global congress at the Sheraton Hotel in Bratislava, Slovakia on April 16-18, 2015. In recent years, YMC has selected locations in Central and Eastern Europe for its gatherings as part of its strategy to connect more with members from that region. Based on the positive experience gained from previous YMC meetings, this year’s programme once takes again a very hands-on approach, combining a company site visit, workshops, and panel ‘YMC represents some 80 young managers from companies active in the self-adhesive labelling supply chain across Europe and beyond,’ says Young Managers Club President, Dana Kilarska. ‘The 2015 summit will bring us inspiring management practice and valuable networking opportunities. With the help of professionals and experts we can improve our business performance and learn about changing our behaviour to become more

NiceLabel has been chosen to the FL 100+, Food Logistics magazine’s annual list of the top 100-plus software and technology providers to the food and beverage industry. The goal of the list is to ultimately serve as a resource guide for the stakeholders in the global food and beverage supply chain. Food Logistics this week released the eleventh annual FL100+ list of software and technology providers that hold influential roles in the global food and beverage supply chain. Their products benefit the industry in multiple ways, from reducing food waste and extending shelf life, to facilitating safe and sanitary transportation of product while assuring regulatory compliance. “The impact of software and technology on the global food supply chain is truly profound,” emphasizes Lara L. Sowinski, Editor-in-Chief at Food Logistics. “Software solution providers, equipment manufacturers and numerous technology innovations are supporting growth in our industry while concurrently lowering oper

Sidel has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing the amount of PET used in beverage bottles worldwide, thereby helping producers to save money and improve their environmental footprint at the same time. To allow beverage producers and bottlers to calculate for themselves what savings could be achieved based on their own production parameters, Sidel has introduced an online PET savings calculator. "The benefits of lightweighting PET bottles are well known in the beverage industry. However many producers are still not taking advantage of innovative new bottle designs that could help them make substantial cost savings," says Clive Smith, Zone Vice-President for the Middle East and Africa at Sidel. "According to our calculations there remains a great opportunity for the beverage industry to reduce raw material usage, save costs and improve environmental footprints by adopting new bottle designs, especially for water and carbonated soft drinks (CSD). Furthermore, thes

Universal Converting Equipment are pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Wilkinson as Sales Executive. Mike has a wealth of experience in the converting industry having worked in senior sales and general management roles for Titan, Atlas, Comexi and Kampf. Commenting on the appointment, Alan Jones, Managing Director said, “Mike is one of the top salespeople in the industry. His experience and knowledge are second to none. He was responsible for Titan during its rapid growth phase and most recently he has worked for Kampf who are probably the largest worldwide supplier of slitting and rewinding machines. We have ambitious growth plans over the next three years and Mike will help us reach our targets.” Mike Wilkinson added “When I first visited Universal, I was excited by the potential of their machine range and in particular, their X6 slitter rewinder. I could see the investment that has taken place particularly in the machine and control system design. It was good to see f

The AWA Sleeve Label Awards 2015 – the first ever – are open for entries, to recognize and reward outstanding achievements in the fields of stretch- and shrink-sleeve labeling. The competition closes on February 12 2015, however, so potential entrants are encouraged to submit their work soon. Launched by AWA Alexander Watson Associates, the competition will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts, and winners in five categories -- heat TD shrink sleeves, stretch sleeves, roll-fed MD shrink sleeves, environmental considerations, and ‘Best Sleeve Label Award 2015’ – will be announced, and prizes presented, at the AWA International Sleeve Label Conference & Exhibition in Miami, Florida, USA, on 29-30 April, 2015. Entry forms and competition rules are available at https://www.awa-bv.com/sleeve_awards

Guangzhou’s Pazhou Exhibition Center played host to the biggest Labelexpo South China yet with 2014’s edition reporting a 4% increase in footfall. Held 3-5 December 2014, the three day trade exhibition welcomed 5,297 visitors (up from 5,098 in 2012). Around 150 exhibitors showcased their latest products and services. New product launches included presses from Nuova GIDUE, Venture Electronics and WeiFang DongHang Precision Machine Co. The exhibition was also supported by a two day conference. Well-attended and received, conference program highlights included the keynote presentation given by Jari Haavisto and Heini Lehti of UPM Raflatac along with John Li, senior packaging development manager at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Group Asia-Pacific. Both companies have collaborated to find sustainable labeling solutions and gave their practical insight into how sustainability must go together with profitability in everyday business practises. Another big draw was an overview of the lat

Xeikon announces the 2015 edition of its Xeikon Café Packaging Innovations ( www.xeikoncafe.com ). Hosted by Xeikon and Xeikon’s Aura partners, the event will take place from Tuesday 10 March through to Thursday 12 March 2015 in Xeikon’s R&D and production site in Lier. It is aimed at helping label and packaging printers as well as converters and print buyers worldwide enhance and transform their digital production into a profitable business. A great success story The concept of the Xeikon Café is a proven formula that provides an informal knowledge exchange platform covering the different aspects of digitalizing print production, while cutting through the information overload. The concept exists for some years and kicked off with a series of one-day local events. In 2014, the very successful and highly applauded Xeikon Café Packaging Innovations was organized over a period of three days; participants praised the event and many have already confirmed their attendance for 2015

In the last two years, Universal Converting Equipment has doubled its turnover. To support this turnover growth, Universal invested in additional manufacturing space, designers and assembly staff (Phase 1). However, Universal found that the business was being held back by the lack of capacity of its sub-contractors to meet their increased demands. In the last 12 months Universal undertook an ambitious plan to install its own machine shop so it could be self-sufficient in machined mechanical parts. This Phase 2 investment plan is now complete following the installation of £1m in CNC controlled machine tools. The investment has included a CNC mill for the manufacture of machine side-frames, a CNC lathe for production of rollers, PC controlled roller balancing equipment and a range of CNC machining centres for the manufacture of other parts. Special foundations were built for some of the equipment. For example, the large mill sits on a solid reinforced concrete base over 1000mm deep. Leve

Kodak  has established a new organizational structure to make the company faster-moving, more competitive and more entrepreneurial. The company will have five market-focused business divisions: Print Systems; Enterprise Inkjet Systems; Micro 3D Printing and Packaging; Software and Solutions; and Consumer and Film. These divisions will be end-to-end operating units with responsibility and accountability for portfolio, product design, engineering, services, sales, purchasing and supply chain.       “Kodak has an extraordinary product and service portfolio, groundbreaking scientific and engineering expertise, and a world-famous and highly trusted brand,” Kodak Chief Executive Officer Jeff Clarke said. “We now have the right organizational structure for deploying those strengths to drive growth. We designed this structure to sharpen our focus on performance, predictability and accountability for business results.”       Kodak’s new operating divisions, their markets and leaders are

Retort and hot fill spouted pouches manufactured by Mondi North America have successfully completed hermetic seal integrity tests conducted by The National Food Laboratory LLC, an independent testing organization. The testing offers added assurance to food companies and co-packers that Mondi retort and hot fill pouches meet the highest standards for leak-proof, hermetically sealed performance. Retort and hot fill spouted pouches manufactured by Mondi North America have successfully completed hermetic seal integrity tests conducted by The National Food Laboratory LLC, an independent testing organization. “The hermetic seal integrity test exposes pouches to extremely challenging conditions,” says Roger Vrooman, product development engineer, Mondi Jackson (Mo.). “Mondi’s successful test results should interest packaging managers responsible for a wide range of food products including baby foods and fruit purees.” Mondi’s retort pouches and their contents are sterilized and remain

Mercian Labels today announces that it will be merging its wholly owned subsidiary AC Labels Ltd into its main business. Since its purchase by Mercian Labels in 2010, AC Labels’ reputation for producing high integrity variable data and barcodes has resulted in them being awarded the prestigious IPIA Trade Printer of the Year award twice in two years. In October 2012, AC Labels also received accolades for producing the world’s longest barcode label – an impressive 40 meters long! From 2010, AC Labels’ growth has been exponential, providing excellent barcode solutions to blue chip companies and institutions, mainly via the Print Trade, in industry setting lead times with award winning service. Mercian Labels itself provides many millions of labels annually to both the Print Trade and end users, using a combination of digital, flexographic and hotfoil presses to ensure a bespoke labelling solution that spans all industries. Mercian Labels services over 10,000 business and prides its

X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, announced the newly updated PANTONE Certified Printer Program for commercial printers and packaging converters that addresses new industry standards. The PANTONE Certified Printer Program reviews and analyzes every aspect of color operations— from preflight, file preparation and proofing, to ink formulation and mixing, and process control in the pressroom. This creates total quality management based on industry best practices and procedures that drive consistent and repeatable color. “As a trade printer, you must be lean to be competitive,” says Michael Clark President of Cedar Graphics, an EarthColor company and a PANTONE Certified Printer. “The more I learned about the PANTONE Certified Printer program and how it could help streamline our processes and make them more consistent, the more interested I became.” The outside perspective that X-Rite Pantone brings to the PANTONE Certified Printer program enabled Cedar

Suzhou Advance Printing (Yali) Co., a well-known label converter in China has recently successfully installed its first Xeikon 3030Plus Digital Label Press with the help of long-term partner United Printing Co. The Xeikon 3030Plus Digital Press is the narrow web “higher capacity” entry-level press and a member of the Xeikon 3000 Series presses. With five press models, the 3000 Series is the largest range of digital label press offerings on the market today, ranging from entry level to higher capacity options. All five models deliver the same 1200 DPI imaging quality and are able to print on an unrivalled range of substrates without pre-coating or pre-treatment, including various self-adhesive materials such as co-extruded films, BOPP, PVC and PET, transparent/opaque films as well as paperboards. The 3000 Series presses are divided into two maximum web widths (516mm/20.3 inches and 330 mm/13 inches) and three top running speeds (63 FPM, 49.2 FPM and 31.5 FPM). Entry-level versions a

The third edition of the two-yearly IBIS Communication Awards rewards the best Belgian communication campaigns and communicators. This event is organised by BPRCA, the association of leading Belgian PR agencies, and 3C representing key communicators of companies and agencies. A professional jury was composed of academics, journalists, digital and corporate communication experts. Altogether 27 strong cases were competing for one of the 4 awards B2B, B2C, Non-profit and Corporate Communication, including brands like Coca-Cola, Landrover, AEG, Acerta, Chaudfontaine. duomedia, B2B content & PR agency, and Xeikon, global market leader in digital printing presses for label, packaging and document printing applications, proudly accept the 2014 IBIS Communication Awards in the B2B category. The jury praises the integrated cross-media and strategic approach with smart social communication tactics in high-tech B2B markets, reaching remarkable engagement results. The Xeikon Café on Packa

UPM Raflatac has launched a range of label materials for cryopreservation conditions down to -196 °C, based on the new RP Cryo adhesive. These cutting-edge solutions offer the reliability to safeguard research, forensic investigation and patient safety. Designed for bonding on PP plastic tubes and containers, RP Cryo label materials withstand long-term storage in vapour phase and liquid nitrogen. They tolerate multiple freeze-thaw cycles without cracking, peeling or degrading. The filmic label faces are suitable for printing by thermal transfer, supporting compact and reliable specimen identification and automated samples management. RP Cryo label materials are pharmaceutically pre-tested and ready for customer validation.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Smart Planet Technologies for use of its extruded EarthCoating® technology for adhesive beverage labels in North America. “We are pleased to be expanding our Envi Portfolio® of products through our partnership with Smart Planet Technologies,” said Richard Verney, Chairman and CEO of Monadnock.  “As consumers become more eco-conscious with a continued push to reduce plastic in packaged goods, and while brand owners look for improved performance in labels, the timing is perfect for this new extension to the Envi line.” EarthCoating, when used as a plastic lamination replacement, provides a unique option for demanding wet label applications.  Cost effective EarthCoating minerals enhance fiber bonding strength and surface tack with pressure-sensitive and other adhesives used in beverage labeling. “Monadnock is a leader providing premium, cost effective, and environmentally advanced products to the lab

Xeikon, an innovator in digital color printing technology, will be showcasing a host of market-leading digital solutions for the very first time at Heimtextil. On display will be the most productive top quality digital printing press on the market and an ‘all-in-one’ solution that produces a finished product. The company will also be demonstrating wall-covering production and featuring its latest developments in toner technology. Heimtextil is the largest international trade fair for home and contract textiles and the global benchmark for quality design textiles with innovative functionality. It takes place January 14 to 17 at the Frankfurt Messe. Xeikon will be located in Hall 4, stand F25. Danny Mertens, Xeikon’s director of segment marketing and business development document printing comments: “Heimtextil shows an increased focus on digital production methods and, as such, has become an important milestone for Xeikon to attend. It is the major venue for manufacturers, retaile

Avery Dennison, a world leader in the production of label and packaging materials, has expanded its coating and laminated capabilities for self-adhesive label and packaging films at its plant in Gotha, in central Germany. The expansion of the plant represents an investment of €7m. Avery Dennison has made this investment to respond to growing market demand for filmic products with ultra-high levels of clarity and cleanliness. The expanded Gotha facilities include a tandem silicone/adhesive laminating line, an additional slitting area and a new shipping hall. This increases topcoating capacity by 50 million m2 and adds 33% to the operational space of the plant, allowing Avery Dennison to meet expected short term increases in demand and also to support longer term growth. Gilles Collee, plant manager; Angelo Depietri, vice president and general manager for Avery Dennison Materials Group Europe; Hartwig Harz, Wirtschaftsförderung Gotha. Angelo Depietri, vice president and general ma

New packaging calculator to enable beverage producers to see potential cost savings Sidel, the leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging, has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing the amount of PET used in beverage bottles worldwide, thereby helping producers to save money and improve their environmental footprint at the same time. To allow beverage producers and bottlers to calculate for themselves what savings could be achieved based on their own production parameters, Sidel has introduced an online PET savings calculator. “The benefits of lightweighting PET bottles are well known in the beverage industry. However many producers are still not taking advantage of innovative new bottle designs that could help them make substantial cost savings,” says Vincent Le Guen, Vice President of Packaging at Sidel. “According to our calculations there remains a great opportunity for the beverage industry to reduce raw material usage, save costs and improve enviro