Packaging Europe Issue 11.3

VOLUME 11.3 – 2016

IN-DEPTH EXHIBITION PREVIEW HP, EFIA, FINAT INTERVIEWS LAUNCHES TO WATCH OUT FOR PRINT MARKET TRENDS RENAISSANCE FOR QR CODES?

Laminated with Cosmo Films’s Scuff Free Matte Thermal Lamination Film

Contents

VOLUME 10.3 – 2015

The cover of this edition has been laminated with a BOPP-based Scuff Free Matte lamination film supplied by Cosmo Films Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of thermal lamination films. This film is used for laminating all kinds of printed and non printed paper. It offers excellent resistance to scuff marks and scratches, which may develop during handling and transportation. The matte surface of the film is ideal for post laminating procedures such as UV spot coating, hot foil stamping, embossing etc. Apart from the luxury packaging applications, the film is best suited for laminating packing boxes of electronic goods such as mobile phones, tablets, power banks etc. For further info, write to enquiry@cosmofilms.com.

3

Editorial Tim Sykes

Comments & Reports 4 Innovations New solutions across the packaging industry 18 Linpac The future is bright for poultry packaging 20 Design Collaborative branding 22 Sustainability EU and the Circular Economy 24 Beverage labelling Craft movement puts spotlight on labels 26 Luxury The second skin 30 Export Strengthening distributor ties 33 Tax stamps A new collective voice 35 ToPo® ToPo® sweetens the sugar tax 36 Events IFFA 38 Events PLA World Congress 39 Events Rosupack 2016 40 Sonoco Alcore Investing in core values

44 47 50 54 58 60 63 67

68 70 72 76

drupa 2016 Practicalities Essential facts & figures Preview HSM presents solutions for the print-processing industry Introducing drupa New themes, big trends Interview HP Indigo on digital print Preview H.B. Fuller: adhesive expertise is key to assuring food safety Commentary QR renaissance?

Interview EFIA on flexo Preview GEA shows automated powerpak line with new labeller & end-of-line automation Commentary All eyes on IML Preview AVT introduces next-gen automation Interview FINAT on labelling News Spotlighting some of the most anticipated drupa launches

94 99 102 104 107 110

drupa 2016 Profiles DataLase Inline with consumers, inline with brands Barberán Tailor made solutions at industrial level for single pass digital printing Habasit Extra-wide timing belts Bostik Smarter adhesive technology Omet Over half a century of excellence Leonhard Kurz New horizons in print finishing

112 114 117 120 123 126 128 131 134 136 139 142

Recyl Delivering new ultrasonic cleaning technology technotrans Group Partner in print MBO Finish first with MBO finishing equipment IGT Testing Systems A testing one stop shop EyeC 100 per cent conformity for high-quality packaging Berhalter Embossed lids never looked so brilliant Highcon Systems Unleashing the power of paper DYO Printing Inks Smarter Printing Solutions ME.RO Know-how is key Heasn Delivering post-press perfection Kama Driving the short-runs revolution IMAF Leading player in photochemicals

146 155 158 162 166 170 174 177 180 184 188 194 198 202 206 209 212 218 224 228 230 232 236 240 243

Industry Profiles ETMA Celebrating 175 years of the tube Diplaris Pole position Alvey Group A company in motion Intelect UK Optimised engineering solutions Arconvert Success that sticks Packaging Valley Pooling packaging excellence R. Weiss Unirob turnkey line with track & trace Rockwell Automation The future of machines Pulse Flexible Packaging Flourishing through investments Polifilm Heading for pole position BluePrint Automation Clear robotic vision Polyketting Accumulating success Kroha Complete solutions for pharnaceuticals Arconvert Success that sticks Pujolasos Inspired wood packaging solutions Rexam Rexam can SP Group Ahead of the game Squid Ink A true solutions provider Samuel Grant Packaging 125 years of innovation DataLase Touch the future of digital printing with DataLase at Drupa 2016 DataLase DataLase secures new patents for revolutionary inline digital technology Rexnord Setting new standards LeanLogistics A game changer for logistics Polyplast Müller Group Old master, new opportunities Polyart The synthetic paper

Advertisers Index A

H

P

Albéa

152

Habasit

45

PakTech

31

Alltub Group

150

Hapa

15

Perfektüp

149

Alvey Manex

161

H.B. Fuller

59

Pilz

192

Heasn

65

PLA World Congress

38

Highcon

82

Polymount

91

HSM

47

Pulse Flexible Packaging

ATS Tanner Banding Systems AVT

9 71

183

B Barberan

77

I

Bemis

37

IGT Testing Systems

Berhalter

93

Intelect

Bericap

12

Bostik

43

Cosmo Films

66 165

J Jiffy

C

R

JVL Industri Elektronik

ii

DHL Global Forwarding Dow

95, 97, 231

E

FachPack Farrel Pomini

L

193

SP Group

217

245

Squid Ink

29, 223

Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG

111

Systech

13

151 19

31

M

79

Max Speciality Films

55

87

MBO

62

Me.Ro

86

Mondi

7

T Technotrans

91

ToPo

35

Toyo Ink Group

85

U Uflex

92

11 242

N

Fedrigoni

89 191

Nestinox

83

G

W 150 196 Zünd

Omet

73

67

Omya International

27

GEW

61

Oppliger

246

Global Werbeaganture

11

Graco

11

Witte y Solà

153

Z O

GEA Food Solutions

| 2 | Packaging Europe

SpanTech

LeanLogistics

Flexlink

GlobalVision

227 41

Neopac

Futec

Samuel Grant Packaging Sonoco Alcore

Linpac

F

173

16

Linhardt

EyeC

R.WEISS Verpackungstechnik

Kornelis

48

Euromac Costruzioni Meccaniche

9

75

25 146

5

RPC Containers

Simco-Ion

Elba Essel Propack UK

Rockwell Automation

63

EFI Endoline Automation

83

Kama 204 51

235

S K

DataLase

Robatech

190

16, 17

D

Rexnord FlatTop

OPTIMA Packaging Group

81 172

66

Editor Tim Sykes

Art Editor Paul Abbott

Deputy Editor Victoria Hattersley

Designers Rob Czerwinski Leon Esterhuizen

News Editor Elisabeth Skoda Journalists Libby White Profile Writers Emma-Jane Batey Alessandra Lacaita Felicity Landon Romana Moares Barbara Rossi Piotr Sadowski Abigail Saltmarsh Marco Siebel Julia Snow Vanja Svacko Philip Yorke Art Director Gareth Harrey

Production Manager Tania Balderson Administration Amber Dawson Kayleigh Harvey Senior Account Managers Kevin Gambrill Jesse Roberts Features Managers Mauro Berini Clayton Green Matthew Howe Dominic Kurkowski

Packaging Europe

Telephone: +44 (0)1603 414444 Fax: +44 (0)1603 779850 Email: Editorial: editor@packagingeurope.com Studio: adcopy@packagingeurope.com Advertising: jr@packagingeurope.com kg@packagingeurope.com Website: www.packagingeurope.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/PackagingEurope Twitter: www.twitter.com/PackagingEurope

© Packaging Europe 2016 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form for any purpose, other than short sections for the purpose of review, without prior consent of the publisher.

A Square Root Company

EDITOR

Web Development Neil Robertson

Alkmaar House, Alkmaar Way, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 6BF, UK

POSITIVE PUBLICATIONS

Tim Sykes

IT Support James D’More

W

elcome to the May edition of Packaging Europe magazine, which focuses on Düsseldorf’s imminent print extravaganza - drupa 2016. Taking place only once every four years, drupa is the undisputed king of print events and many of the biggest names in the industry choose it as the platform for their biggest product launches. In this edition we pick out some of the most exciting innovations and exhibits, as well as taking a wider view of the technological and market trends across print for packaging and labelling.

In the following pages we present three exclusive interviews reflecting quite distinct predrupa perspectives on the industry. Alon Bar-Shany, general manager of HP Indigo Division, talks about the accelerating growth and impact of digital technology within the print space.

Meanwhile, Debbie Waldron-Hoines, executive director of EFIA (the European Flexographic Industry Association), shares a sanguine assessment of the state of the innovative flexo industry. Thirdly, we discover a print user’s viewpoint of the industry thanks to an interview with Jules Lejeune, managing director of FINAT – the international association for the selfadhesive label segment.

In addition, Alan Davies of Essentra surveys the demands and opportunities for labelling raised by rapid growth in the craft beer market, while HAVI’s John Nicholson asks why QR codes were consigned to the ash-heap of history and, looking at a South Korean business model, whether they have the potential to make a comeback. Kim Van Elkan of Hornall Anderson considers a recent fashion / ice-cream brand share, and explores the possibility to go much further in collaborative branding with the help of packaging.

As the UK’s 23 June referendum on European membership looms, many within packaging are contemplating the potential ramifications of the vote for our industry.

In my previous editorial I made plain Packaging Europe’s stance the EU, despite its faults, plays an important role in nurturing the prosperity, innovativeness and sustainability of the packaging industry. In this edition we share the non-polemical perspectives of two British businesses with their eyes on Europe in the shadow of the Big Question. Fiacre O’Donnell of glass container manufacturer Encirc looks at the impact of the EU’s Circular Economy Package on manufacturing and the importance of prioritising sustainability in the midst of the referendum campaign. Within the same context Endoline’s Grigory Belosky tackles the question of European exports.

Elsewhere in this edition we talk In-Mould Labelling, review the role of the International Tax Stamp Association amid the continuing battle against counterfeiting, and pick out some of our favourite innovations and product launches.

In July we are back with a focus on the theme of sustainability. We’ll also be announcing the winners of our annual Sustainability Awards – email me if there are outstanding examples of green packaging innovation or collaboration that you think we should recognise.

Tim Sykes ts@packagingeurope.com @PackEuropeTim Packaging Europe | 3 |

Innovation NEws

REA JET Presents Nondestructive Laser Marking of Thin-Walled Plastics IN

order to save costs and material and improve the environmental performance, the wall thickness of PET bottles has constantly been reduced. REA JET is now presenting a new laser system that is capable of marking thin plastics without the risk of perforation. To meet stability requirements a specific wavelength is used and the important barrier and burst pressure properties are preserved. For the beverage industry the consumable- and nearly maintenance-free laser REA JET CL is available with safety class IP65 for use in humid environment. .

Average CO2 laser systems normally use a wavelength of 10.6 µm to generate an engraving on PET bottles. Outdated or inappropriate laser sources can severely damage thin container walls. In contrast, the REA JET CL can also be operated with the specific

wavelength of 9.3 µm that foams up plastics during the marking process. Thus a perforation is avoided and the stability of the material is kept. A further advantage of this wavelength is the significantly better legibility of the marking. The foamed material appears whitish, while an engraving remains transparent and a contrast is only caused by shadow.

The quality of laser marking not only depends on the material surface but is also influenced by the configuration of the laser system with parameters such as the selection of the emitted wavelength, the used lens and the adjustment of the marking speed. REA JET develops and manufactures all coding and marking systems. The experts therefore are able to customise the laser until the desired marking quality is achieved.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66496

KHS InnoPET Blomax Machines with Newly Developed Preform Inspector U

nder the name of Innocheck PPI (PET Preform Inspection), KHS GmbH is now offering a multistage preform inspection program which it has developed in house. This recognises faulty preforms, finds foreign objects in preforms and detects the tiniest damage. The Innocheck PPI therefore assists operators with their quality assurance and helps to ensure a trouble-free, efficient stretch blow moulding process with a detection rate of almost 100%.

The German supplier of filling and packaging systems has been equipping its KHS InnoPET Blomax stretch blow moulders in series III and IV with inspection devices for many years. This equipment detects errors and damage to preforms and containers. Around 40% of all stretch blow moulders are now fitted with an inspection system. With immediate effect KHS is now integrating its own Innocheck PPI preform inspection unit developed in house into its plant engineering. This supplements the Innocheck portfolio which also includes the successful Innocheck PCI PET container inspector.

“In conjunction with our preform inspection unit this tried-and-tested system now forms a high-quality turnkey system. With it we’re again boosting the product quality and ease of operation in the stretch blow moulding process, whether with a new system or one retrofitted into existing Blomax models,” explains Meike Schulz, line development and product management. The new Innocheck PPI preform inspector thus considerably improves quality during PET bottle manufacture.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66873 | 4 | Packaging Europe

Packaging Europe | 5 |

Innovation NEws New OptiFeed™ platform by Gebo F

or decades now, Gebo’s Aidlin brand has been the benchmark on the cap feeder market. Launching in April 2016, the new OptiFeedTM platform takes the Aidlin range to the next level with optimised ergonomic performance for operators and a significant increase in energy efficiency. Based on the same ‘Waterfall’ technology, the most reliable system on the market, the OptiFeedTM modular platform features a new kinematic set-up which allows for positive, individual handling of each bottle cap or crown.

Capable of handling up to 80,000 caps per hour, this new platform cements Gebo’s position as a leading force in the beverage industry and extends the company’s reach in cap feeding applications in the food and dairy sectors.

With its 100% modular design, the new OptiFeedTM platform comprises 4 key components: the cap hopper which feeds the machine, the Waterfall cap sorting system, the cap distribution and elevation system and the extender arm, so the height can be adjusted to fit the required connection point.

The great innovation of this new platform is to separate the sorting and elevating functions. This new configuration has allowed us to reduce the total height of the ‘Waterfall’ cap sorting and elevating system to just 2.1m, allowing operators to access the machinery from ground level.

Once they have been positioned, the caps are extracted from the Waterfall unit by a servo-motor powered belt. They are then lifted up in a controlled and reliable way, via a second belt with brackets. Gravity carries the caps over the final few centimetres to the capping machine.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67291

Ardagh Brings Digital Features to Metal A

rdagh Group is now able to add a host of promotional and security features to its metal packaging solutions thanks to an exclusive partnership with leading Dutch watermark solutions company Filigrade.

The arrangement enables Ardagh to offer its customers smart interactive print technology that will take their brands into whole new areas of consumer engagement as well as protect them against the threat of counterfeiting.

The technology involves the embedding of an invisible unique watermark code in print ready artwork, onto either a specific area or the entire print design of the product’s packaging. When recognised, the code interacts with a customer’s smartphone or tablet. One simple scan can therefore open up a whole range of possibilities, from providing the consumer with important product information, informing them of promotions and special offers and linking them to marketing campaigns, events and special occasions.

Martin de Olde, Marketing Manager at Ardagh’s metal division explains: “With this feature we have unique access to a system that responds in a very cost effective fashion to the way consumers now want to shop. The benefits are endless, and could add considerable value to much of the packaging that we supply.”

“It brings the digital age to packaging, adding new features to the direct attention of the consumer, and making life much harder for counterfeiters. We are really excited about offering this to our customers.”

| 6 | Packaging Europe

The technology was received very positively at the recent Aerosol & Dispensing Forum for packaging materials in Paris, where visitors to the Ardagh stand could scan demonstration aerosols with the embedded code using a tailor made exhibition demo app.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66687

Packaging Europe | 7 |

Multivac Launches Chamber Belt M

ultivac expands its chamber belt machine portfolio to include a cost-efficient entry-level model with a high cycle output. The new machine is aimed particularly at industrial packagers in the food sector who are deciding to invest in an automatic chamber belt ma-chine for the first time. The B 325 will be introduced at the IFFA 2016 (hall 11.1, booth C11) on 7-12 May in Frankfurt am Main.

The new machine combines all the advantages of Multivac’s chamber belt machine technology in a space-saving machine design and, with a cycle output of up to three cycles per minute, it is one of the fastest machines in its class. With a chamber size of 1000 x 630 x 180 mm (W x D x H), it is suitable for the packaging of fresh meat, sausage and ham products, and cheese. The chamber is equipped in the front and back with two

pluggable sealing bars and can be loaded on both sides. For particularly tall products, the model is optionally available with a chamber height of 250 mm.

The B 325 is equipped as standard with a double-seam sealing from above. The machine can alternatively be equipped with a single-seam sealing from above and below for packaging in aluminium film pouches or especially thick film pouches. For easier servicing, the pluggable sealing bars can be removed without using a tool. The B 325 can be additionally equipped with a perforator, which enables the excess length of the film pouch to be manually cut off. Alternatively, the machine is available with a cutting unit which automatically cuts off and suctions film pouch necks.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/ News/67395

Guala Partnership for ‘Smart’ AntiCounterfeiting Closure Solution G

uala Closures Group and Authentic Vision have joined forces to launch a new anti-counterfeiting closure solution with a wealth of end-consumer marketing opportunities for the spirits, wine and olive oil industries.

The innovative solution will work by enabling smartphone users to verify the authenticity and origin of a product before consumption, while simultaneously interacting with the brand owners.

The end-to-end solution comprises three main parts: 1. A Guala Closures non-refillable closure specially designed to integrate Authentic Vision’s Tag (a highly secure, irreproducible configuration combining a 3D image with an encrypted visual marker such as an ID number, QR code or Datamatrix) inside a secure environment.

2. A smartphone app which reads the integrated closure tag, instantly authenticates the product and lets the consumer know if the closure is counterfeit, or has been tampered with in any way.

3. A web-based portal, giving brands access to marketing, business intelligence and supply chain data for all their products.

“We are particularly proud to have signed this agreement with Authentic Vision. The development of our Group has always been dedicated to and focused on brand protection and final consumer health and this digital technology collaboration means we can further enhance the current level of protection we offer,” comments Maurizio Mittino, head of research and innovation at Guala Closures Group. “As done recently with other strategic partners, what we do with Authentic Vision will certainly help us better meet the needs of the market.”

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67218 | 8 | Packaging Europe

Innovation NEws

Packaging Europe | 9 |

Innovation NEws

Punch Press and Speed Former K

iefel presented the punch press KES 85, with an innovative peripheral punching technology and a KMD 78F thermoforming machine first time at the recent Chinaplas 2016 exhibition. The system enables notch-free processing of formed parts.

For punching and stacking of trays, lids and formed products with special requirements, the KIEFEL KMD 78F SPEEDFORMER combined with the eccentric punch press KES 85 is now the perfect solution. The newly developed system ensures cost effectiveness when it comes to large-scale production and impresses with its vast range of applications.

A robust machine design and an eccentric crank drive are technically indispensable to reach the highest performance level. The production speed of 120 cycles per minute is

outstanding. The vertical punching system minimises the effect of transverse forces. All cycle movements are servomotor-driven.

This concept combines low tool costs with the best stacking solutions. Combined hole punching and periphery punching is possible. The whole tool block can be changed easily and quickly with a crane.

Convenient operation is achieved by the Siemens Simotion control system, which is especially adapted to the user’s needs, and a touch screen with teaching function for new products. The KES 85 is best suited for the production of parts of PS, PP, PE, PVC, PET and PLA and can be combined with every Inline Thermoforming Unit.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66695

Barrier Technology for Better Coffee T

he plastic experts are revolutionising the quality of coffee capsules with a new, perfectly tailored production process. The process uses “multi barrier technology” or MBT, which provides longer-lasting protection for the coffee aroma.

For many people, a good start to their day begins with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. A large number of households have been relying on practical capsule systems that magically produce cappuccino, espresso, and more at the touch of a button. Greiner Packaging is also now getting into the booming coffee capsule market by producing coffee capsules. In collaboration with an internationally known player in the coffee industry, Greiner has spent the past few months working on the implementation that will guarantee the best quality.

The result is a capsule that sets new standards not just in how the coffee tastes, but in sustainability as well. The production process begins with extrusion of the foil from which the capsules are thermoformed. A hole is punched in the centre of each capsule through which the coffee can flow. A precise fit is key here. The same goes for the edge at the bottom of the capsule where a filter is inserted. Only a precise production process | 10 | Packaging Europe

allows smooth processing of the capsules. A fully automated camera system (Vision Control) monitors the entire production process. The packaging is also fully automated and touchless.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66427

Packaging Europe | 11 |

Innovation NEws

UPM Raflatac Develops Pharmaceutical Labelling Range U PM Raflatac has developed a range of pharmaceutical labelling products to support compliance with the Falsified Medicines Directive on packaging for prescription drugs and high-risk, over-thecounter medicines. Few solutions offer the same ease of adoption for meeting the February 2019 deadline.

The Falsified Medicines Directive (2011/62/EU) places two demands on pharmaceutical product packaging.

Packs should carry a unique serial number to identify and authenticate individual products, and they should be sealed in a tamper-evident way which visibly exposes attempts to open them.

Details on how the authenticity of medicines should be verified and by whom, as well as the characteristics of the safety features, were finalized and published this February under Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161.

This supplements core Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use and regarding the prevention of falsified medicinal products entering the legal supply chain.

An estimated 30 billion prescription (white list) or highrisk OTC (black list) drugs are sold and handled annually in Europe. The deadline for pharmaceutical packaging compliance with the Falsified Medicines Directive is 9 February 2019 in the majority of EU member states.

Solutions focused on surety of compliance While the delegated regulation (EU) No 2016/161 stipulates that an anti-tampering device has to enable verification of package tampering, there is no elaboration on mandatory specifications. However, the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety advises that guidance can be taken from the new CEN standard EN 16679:2014 “Tamper verification features for medicinal product packaging”.

This CEN standard is the route UPM Raflatac pursued in the development of tamper-evident labelling products meeting an urgent market need for solutions compliant to | 12 | Packaging Europe

the Falsified Medicines Directive. The result is a range of package sealing materials based on the RP62 EU adhesive.

RP62 EU creates visible cardboard tear when attempts are made to remove labels from typical pharmaceutical drug cartons. The labels cannot be smoothed back down.

RP62 EU is available with a range of clear label films, and an RP62 EUL variant enables missing label detection by luminescent detector. The latest addition to the range is Pharmaclear PP Seal, a destructible label face which visibly stretches on removal. This doubles up on the tamperevident functionality of the adhesive for an even higher level of security, and also prevents misappropriation of the label onto counterfeit products.

Easy adoption with existing pack designs As per the Falsified Medicines Directive, drug package serial numbers and integrity are verified at the point of dispensing, where medicines are released to consumers and patients. The serial numbers are checked against the drug manufacturer’s database, and the package integrity by visual inspection.

“UPM Raflatac actively engages with the pharma industry and anticipates legislative change, focusing our materials development precisely for market needs. For many pharmaceutical product lines, our PSA label solution is the preferred option. It comes down to the combination of effective tamper-evidence and simplicity of implementation,” explains Markku Pietarinen Labelling Solutions Manager for Pharma at UPM Raflatac EMEIA. Combining the RP62 EU adhesive with clear filmic label faces which blend seamlessly with current carton designs is key to the ease of adoption.

“As a concept it’s quite straightforward,” Pietarinen says. “There’s no simpler way for Pharmaceutical manufacturers to achieve the tamper-evidence required by the Falsified Medicines Directive, and continue with existing package layouts and packaging stocks.”

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67533

Packaging Europe | 13 |

Innovation NEws

Groninger Introduces FlexPro 50 R

equirements for filling and finishing equipment have shifted from high speed filling lines towards the processing of significantly diverse biotech products in smaller batches. This market trend requires new solutions for aseptic processing from machine building companies.

Groninger & Co. GmbH recently introduced the FlexPro 50, a modular filling and closing system designed to process Ready-To-Use vials, cartridges and syringes, as well as vials in bulk and trays. FlexPro 50 lines can be executed with manual or fully automated process steps depending on the requirements. The machine concept is based on modular machine trolleys used in standardised isolator modules supplied by Franz Ziel GmbH.

Although nested Ready-To-Use vials, cartridges and syringes can be processed on one line configuration by just changing format parts, additional flexibility is given by exchanging the machine trolleys to process also vials in trays or vials in bulk in the same line configuration. “This flexibility for processing small batches is unique compared to other machine designs in the market and grants huge benefits for our customers.� states CEO Jens Groninger.

Depending of the line configuration, an output of up to 4700 objects per hour is possible. The standardised isolator modules were designed around the processing steps with the results of a very compact machine design and space savings of about 40%.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67379

Sandon Launches Over Varnishing Sleeve System for Can Making S

andon Global Engineering has developed a revolutionary new over varnishing system for two-piece can making designed to increase efficiency and profitability through the use of light weight, sleeve technology as an alternative to gravure.

The new GravLite sleeve has been developed to replace heavy and cumbersome gravure cylinders that on average, can weigh up to 24 kilos each and take up to 45 minutes for changeovers. The down-times associated with this traditional process for applying decorative or protective coatings means lower production and profitability. The innovative, patent pending, GravLite system from Sandon offers a sleeve design weighing only three kilos enabling rapid change-overs of approximately one to three minutes allowing users to modify coating parameters quickly and efficiently. This quick change system significantly reduces down-time and maximises machine productivity. Additionally health and safety advantages are significant with the GravLite design that reduces manual lifting and risk of injury as well as damage to the expensive gravure unit itself.

GravLite can be retro-fitted to 95% of metal decorating lines and making the switch from traditional gravure to sleeve is a simple operation. GravLite can also be refurbished and the cost of shipping due to its lightweight design is greatly reduced in comparison to a conventional gravure cylinder greatly reducing the product’s carbon footprint.

Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67393

| 14 | Packaging Europe

Packaging Europe | 15 |

Innovation NEws

| 16 | Packaging Europe

Packaging Europe | 17 |

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR POULTRY PACKAGING Innovation in poultry packaging is driving change in the sector as European packers and retailers look for more sustainable and novel solutions to maximise sales, according to Alan Davey, Innovation Director, at fresh food packaging manufacturer, LINPAC.

T

raditionally, polypropylene (PP) has been the material of choice for poultry packaging in several parts of Europe, but limitations in terms of its environmental credentials, barrier performance and shelf appeal have resulted in increased demand for Rfresh PET packaging.

Mr Davey at LINPAC said: “Changing consumer lifestyles and heightened awareness of environmental issues, such as food and packaging waste, are behind this shift from PP to Rfresh PET packaging.

“PET has been a popular choice for poultry packaging for some time but the full range of benefits that the material has over PP are only just beginning to be recognised by packers and retailers. Beyond the aesthetic benefits given by PET’s clarity and sparkle, lie environmental credentials and much better gas barrier performance. But PET also introduces greater production efficiencies to packing lines.”

Trays manufactured using rPET laminated to PE can be sealed at reduced temperatures in comparison to PP trays and as a result use less energy. For example, to seal 70 million PP trays at 200°C requires 196,000kWh of energy compared to 131,000kWh to seal the same number of rPET/PE trays at 150°C. Environmentally, rPET fulfils the criteria for creating a circular economy by conserving resources and reducing waste. At LINPAC, a wide range of PET/PE and rPET/ PE poultry trays are manufactured that are fully compatible with existing packing and sealing lines and available with complementary lidding films, offering customers a high performing complete pack solution.

Mr Davey continued: “Our rPET trays are manufactured using in excess of 95 per cent post consumer recyclate, which has been supercleaned in-house at LINPAC to ensure all food safety regulations are being exceeded.

“At the end of their service life, the trays can also be recycled back into the food packaging chain. This is not the case with PP trays though as PP is commonly used for a number of non-food packaging applications, for example chemical garden products, that end up back in the same recycling chain, contaminating the flake and making it unsuitable for further food packaging use.

“Furthermore, the carbon footprint of our rPET trays is typically 10-15 per cent less than competitive PP trays thanks to the use of recyclate allied to the latest tray designs produced by the LINPAC Lightweighting For Excellence (LIFE) programme that’s been running at the company for the past four years.”

But there’s even better news! The Rfresh® Elite solution from LINPAC is the ultimate sustainable solution for poultry packaging. The novel design uses a patented sealant on the tray flange to create a secure seal with the lidding film, removing the industry standard laminated PE base film and creating an rPET tray which is recyclable at the end of its service life just like a PET bottle.

The unique sealing system offers the strongest seal strength in its class delivering excellent pack robustness to enhance shelf life and reduce food waste. The excellent seal quality results in less packs failing during packing, transit, and in store, minimising mark-downs and food waste in the store and at home.

PET is also more suited to the demands of a global supply chain, offering a significantly improved gas barrier compared to PP, enhancing the shelf life of poultry contained within and helping to minimise food waste both in-store and at the consumer level. | 18 | Packaging Europe

“Barrier performance is increased by up to 50 times when using PET packaging,” said Mr. Davey. “Whilst consumers may be shopping more frequently, the supply chain is becoming more complex so it is imperative that packaging helps to retain product freshness so that poultry looks appealing once it reaches the supermarket shelf.”

Research has shown that consumers spend three times longer choosing their meat and poultry in store, in order to assess its freshness, compared to other food items. PET aides purchasing decisions by offering crystal clear tray presentation compared to the cloudy appearance of PP. However, this clarity can also present a challenge for retailers as poultry isn’t always attractive in its raw state.

Mr Davey added: “As a result, innovation in poultry packaging is currently very much focused on improving on-shelf appearance through the use of high quality graphics, novel shapes and sizes, as well as encouraging purchasing by promoting convenience and ease of use. Generally, consumers dislike handling raw meat, particularly poultry, so any type of packaging which promotes a ‘happy chicken story’ and minimises handling in the kitchen is liked by shoppers, particularly in view of the latest campylobacter scares.”

New technologies and innovations for the poultry market include ‘straight-to-oven’ bags, flexible flow packs, vacuum skin packaging (VSP), packs complete with complementary sauces, laminated back boards or trays which offer traditional designs helping to present poultry as farm fresh or organic and boxed packs with windows.

For example, the LINPAC range of Rfresh rPET ‘split packs’ help to reduce food waste and tap into the consumer need for convenience. The packs allow contents to be divided into separate portion-size compartments so that consumers can store food in the fridge for longer without compromising food safety.

Mr. Davey said: “Well-designed packaging can help consumers buy the right amount of food and then keep it in the best condition for longer. Our split packs are designed to meet the “eat me, keep me” trend. For example, consumers can buy four chicken fillets, open one side of the pack and use two, then put the remaining two in the fridge in a pack which is still completely sealed, with all the properties of an unopened pack.

“The drive towards sustainable packaging is already changing the poultry packaging sector – the move from PP to PET is evidence of that – but as retailers look beyond environmental credentials to boost sales of poultry products it appears that innovative pack design, on-pack graphics and added value packaging that offers increased convenience will be critical factors for packaging manufacturers to take notice of.”

Packaging Europe | 19 |

Collaborative Branding: Häagen-Dazs Tries to Melt Fashionista Hearts Fickle fashionistas are a notoriously difficult audience to engage. However, there is one lifestyle brand which continues to engage and remain fresh: Liberty of London. News that the original ice-cream with personality, Häagen-Dazs, has chosen to release its new ‘floral’ limited edition exclusively to Liberty’s shoppers is a natural but forward-thinking match, writes Kim Van Elkan, managing director of Hornall Anderson.

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imited editions are a fun way for brands to reappraise their audience and surprise and reach new consumers. The traditional Häagen-Dazs look is very distinctive with the rich use of burgundy and gold. With fresh new artisan ice-cream brands emerging, Häagen-Dazs perhaps looks a little less exciting than it once was, when its clever adverts made consumers think that the brand would improve their sex lives. It became an aphrodisiac through branding, heavy breathing and heat sensitive imagery making the most of the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ aspects of the brand.

| 20 | Packaging Europe

The new floral limited editions of two special flavours ‘Raspberry Rose’ and ‘Apricot Lavender’ are presented in beautifully designed tubs which take their cues from the world of fragrance. But it’s the partnership with quintessentially British fashion retail icon Liberty that makes it stand out. Being exclusive to Liberty of London adds to the cachet.

If Häagen-Dazs had been really clever, it would have gone the full hog and used Liberty print as the full packaging story rather than the more subtle ‘perfume’ look. The distinctive Liberty print can be found appearing in many brands, including the new Uniqlo fashion

Design Opinion

partnership, which has fused the London store’s signature heritage floral prints with the fashion stores forward-thinking design.

Liberty print Häagen-Dazs tubs would be collectable – and provide a low price point into the exclusivity of the Liberty brand (rather than one of their scarfs or fashion items).

Häagen-Dazs might even be able to look at creating mini Liberty print tubs to hand out during Fashion Week or at VIP events. It could even help the brand challenge against smaller, artisan ice-cream companies.

Thought-through limited edition partnerships can provide high desirability amongst shoppers. We saw this with the launch of the Vaseline special edition Crème Brûlée Lip Therapy, which partnered with Selfridges to become the fasting selling product in the store’s history. It was a guilt-free affordable treat that allowed consumers a slice of Selfridges style.

Branding collaborations The film and fashion industries often team up with alcohol and FMCG brands to great effect.

The tie up between Cîroc vodka and Zoolander 2 for example, was a match made in marketing heaven. Cîroc vodka used the ‘Blue Steel’ pose made famous by Ben Stiller in the cult 2001 film Zoolander as its inspiration, creating an attractive limited edition bottle which resonated with its target audience. The Blue Steel Limited Edition Cîroc Vodka was ready in time for the premiere of Zoolander 2. It is one of the aspirational jet-set, Ibiza-loving club crowd’s favourite drinks brands and is famously supported by hip hop entrepreneur Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs.

It’s inspiring to see brands doing something different and unexpected, but you’ve also got to admire a brand that knows exactly who its audience is. Cîroc was bang on target with this limited edition. It markets itself to a glam crowd, who frequent hip bars and who give their looks a high priority. Cîroc wants Kim Kardashian and her fans to be seen quaffing Cîroc in exclusive VIP bars, whilst pulling a ‘Blue Steel’ and taking selfies on their mobile phones, then sharing these experiences on social media.

It’s also encouraging to see brands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Cîroc is a spirits brand that wants to have a laugh. It only launched in 2003, so it doesn’t have any of the history that many spirits brands display on their sophisticated packaging and branding.

Instead this is a brand yelling: ‘Drink me and we can all imagine we own a private jet and holiday on Mustique.’

Earlier this year Bovril released a limited edition ahead of the release of the Dad’s Army film, based on the much loved 1970s British comedy. The collectible jars highlight Bovril’s heritage as an iconic brand, which was used as part of military rations for soldiers during World War II. Three Dad’s Army-themed jars featured reinterpretations of some historic war time messages – such as ‘dig in for victory’, ‘beef up for the home front’ and ‘Dad’s Army wants you beefy’. Bringing together these two very British brands for a limited edition creates packaging which consumers want to keep and which will attract fans of both brands. Bovril was joined by fellow Unilever brand Colman’s to deliver a competition to win

prizes such as a holiday in Yorkshire; a trip for two to Bletchley Park, where messages were decoded by British intelligence agents during the war, and Dad’s Army merchandise.

A tie up between Tia Maria and Grazia ahead of Christmas was a more unusual special limited edition, as it’s not too common to see publications teaming up with alcohol brands, but bringing together a fashion and celebrity news magazine and a liqueur created a product with considerable appeal. The eye-catching limited edition gift packs were launched to celebrate Grazia’s ten-year anniversary and it was launched ahead of Christmas to boost sales during the party. The pre-Christmas push for the attractive monochrome bottle was supported with campaigns across social, traditional and digital media. Billboards featured stylish and influential women (who were big on social media) and sported the catch line: ‘All we want for Christmas.’

Teaming up two iconic brands will of course always help with a limited edition, whether that is Cîroc vodka and Zoolander 2, Dad’s Army with Bovril and Colman’s, Tia Maria and Grazia, or Häagen-Dazs and Liberty. Each brand can benefit from each other’s story and retell it in a new way. And the collectible packaging is more likely to stay on consumers’ shelves, as a reminder to buy the product again. By making a product truly exclusive, consumers are more likely to go out of their way to track down a limited edition - and it can push up resale prices on eBay, which is the test of truly special limited edition packaging.

It is yet to be seen if the new packaging from Häagen-Dazs will be desirable enough to appear on eBay, but the ice cream tub is guaranteed to be empty, as one thing we do know is that ice-cream doesn’t travel well. It’s a shame, because cookies and cream surely is one of the world’s best inventions.

Packaging Europe | 21 |

Sustainability must remain a priority for packaging manufacturers Fiacre O’Donnell, head of strategic development at leading glass container manufacturer Encirc, looks at the impact of the EU’s Circular Economy Package on manufacturing and the importance of prioritising sustainability in the midst of Britain’s EU referendum.

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raditionally, the UK has always held strong trade links with the European Union, with around half of all British exports being sold to member states. With this in mind, industries around the country are in a state of heightened anticipation in the run-up to June’s EU referendum. The packaging sector is no exception, as any impact on EU-UK relations will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect on British manufacturing.

In the months prior to the big day, polls show that the general voting population is split.

For manufacturers however, there does seem to be an industry stance. The most recent statistics from the EEF suggest there is a strong and widespread level of support for the UK’s continued existence as part of the Union. The survey concluded that more than 80 per cent of British manufacturers believe that being part of the EU is a positive aspect of the business environment. On top of this, around half are looking to expand into the European market. Less than one in 20 said they weren’t interested in selling into the EU in the future.

Safeguarding sustainability According to Government figures, CO2 emissions from UK manufacturing, including food and drink production, have been on a downward trend since 1999. While the issue and focus on | 22 | Packaging Europe

sustainability in the sector is becoming ever more prevalent, in the midst of all the uncertainty around the EU, one thing remains clear – to continue supporting the wider industry, packaging manufacturers cannot afford to lose their focus on their environmental commitments.

In recent years, the UK’s packagers have made great strides pursuing a low carbon and environmentally friendly future and much of this has been driven by green EU policies. At the end of 2015, thanks to the announcement of Europe’s long-awaited circular economy (CE) package, sustainability was highlighted as a key area for development with the targets set out by the EU providing a clear route towards a more cyclical future.

The CE package has given all industries operating within the UK’s circular economy some exciting and achievable objectives to work towards. These include getting to the stage where European economies are collectively recycling a minimum of 65 per cent of municipal waste and 75 per cent of overall packaging material within the next 15 years.

The most recent figures from the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) suggest that the UK is well on its way to meeting these goals. As data from the latest annual waste report suggests, 72.7 per cent of UK packaging waste is currently being either recycled or recovered.

Sustainability

What more can be done?

Keeping green in 2016

For glass, an infinitely recyclable material, the benchmark has been set higher, with targets fixed at 75 per cent by 2025 and 85 per cent by 2030. The current figure stands at around 68 per cent, according to FEVE (The European Container Glass Federation). This is a very positive result, but when compared to countries like France, Germany and Italy, all of which have equivalent figures above 70 per cent, it’s clear that there is still work to be done.

As well as the recently released CE package, there are other, more long-standing eco-targets set out by the EU which effect UK packaging manufacturers. For example, the body’s low-carbon economy strategy proposes that member states should agree to cut emissions to 80 per cent below 1990 levels.

Of course, it’s not just EU policy that has kept sustainability at the top of the agenda for British packagers. The UK Government has also taken it upon itself to encourage green manufacturing over recent years. The publishing of the Industrial Decarbonisation and Energy Efficiency roadmaps, for instance, outlined national goals for each producing sector to meet in a bid to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The UK’s own emissions targets set out under the Carbon Change Act follow suit, also calling for carbon output to be reduced by the same amount.

In March 2016, energy minister Andrea Leadsom told Parliament that the Government plans to take the next step by introducing a law mandating a 100 per cent cut in emissions, in line with its commitments at this year’s climate conference in Paris (COP 21). This suggests that even if the UK is to disband from the Union, Britain’s industries will still continue to lead the way in terms of cutting carbon outputs. For packaging manufacturers, this will undoubtedly encourage the sector to continue to green up its industrial processes.

2015 figures indicate that the country’s emissions are now at around 35 per cent below 1990 levels, meaning the current momentum in the fight against climate change must be maintained if it is to meet its targets. Whichever side prevails in the forthcoming referendum, environmental responsibility must remain at the forefront of the agenda for manufacturers. By keeping sustainability at the top of our list of priorities, the UK’s packaging sector can ensure that it produces a clean and viable future for Britain.

Visit: www.encirc360.com Packaging Europe | 23 |

Beverage Labelling

Craft Movement Puts Spotlight on Labels The premium alcoholic beverage industry and its packaging requirements – particularly as they relate to labels – are expanding as brand owners seek to engage customers from first sight through to the last drop. To understand the evolving requirements for labels, it is best to start with a basic review of industry trends. Commentary by Alan Davies, global design studio manager, Essentra Packaging.

Alan Davies, global design studio manager

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onsumers are more adventurous than ever, and are continually seeking new flavours and experiences. In addition, alcoholic drinks are increasingly an expression of a consumer’s personality and reflect some aspect about their lifestyle. Over the past few years, discovery and delivery has been enhanced by the craft movement – which is now highly visible from beers to ciders, wines and spirits – with the drive for authenticity being of fundamental interest to the consumer. Indeed, the story of the craftsmanship of the beverage – the unique method of brewing or distilling – is an important element of what makes the product distinctive.

Shelf impact With all these new product introductions, differentiation – from the concept of the drink, its flavour profile, shape of bottle, how it is served, delivered and its label - should play a part in enhancing this story.

The label holds an important space for brands, as it is the label that will be visible to the consumer from first sight on shelf. Even if the product is on shelf in a carton, the label will be the lasting impression of the consumer, as it remains intact until the final drop is poured from the bottle. As a result, labels are moving beyond providing informative and factual product details, and are now being used to tell the story of the beverage – how it was made, why it was made and the inspiration behind it. Labels are now required to express the emotion of a brand and convey feelings through the features employed. | 24 | Packaging Europe

In addition, labels are becoming multi-dimensional, incorporating tactile effects to further enhance the consumer’s experience. Tactile effects can be functional, by providing additional gripping surface – particularly for beverages that may be served cold – or may simply provide a further, memorable enhancement to the message of the brand by mimicking some aspect of the story being told. Labels, and how they are constructed, further express some aspect of the brand. For example, they can be made specifically to reflect the seasonality of certain products, such as Oktoberfest special edition brews, where the labels reflect the colours and textures of the season. Labels are also being used to create the feeling of exclusivity – for example, the look of small batch whiskey labels will often be that of high-quality simplicity, giving consumers the feeling that an individual personally wrote the batch number on the label with a fountain pen.

Labels make an impact by enhancing the story and making a brand memorable when selecting and consuming a product. Techniques such as embossing, de-bossing and the use of metallic materials may be complemented with the use of varied substrates and varnishes to physically enhance the visual and tactile variation on the bottle. In addition, smart packaging technologies may enable brands to communicate beyond the bottle, from tracking the bottle through the supply chain to the point of opening to allowing consumers to further interact to the brand digitally.

In conclusion, it is an important time for labels in the premium beverages industry, as they are being used to support the genuine and authentic expression of brands and their stories to an ever more complex consumer base.

Packaging Europe | 25 |

Luxury

Second Skin – Luxury packaging trends driving packaging innovation David Peters, creative development manager at API, highlights how the latest luxury trends and innovations in luxury packaging are driving innovation and helping brands to truly represent product values and add greater significance for consumers.

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eeping up to date with the latest trends is essential in order to enable packaging to contribute to a brand’s success. Luxury and premium goods are ensuring their packaging effectively conveys their brand values by acting as a ‘second skin’ through representing and highlighting the product and brand qualities. Examples such as the use of bold and bright colours or metallic finishes that interact with the latest print technologies, and the incorporation of softer tactile finishes that help represent femininity or luxury demonstrate how premium packaging solutions are becoming truly relevant to their brand.

The concept of packaging acting as a ‘second skin’ in that it not only contains and protects the physical product but also represents the qualities of the brand, can be seen in a variety of markets from wines & spirits to cosmetics, personal care and luxury gifts and is driving designers, printers and suppliers to ensure the latest packaging solutions truly represent product qualities.

Brand understanding Luxury brands demand packaging that reflects their position as leaders in their category.

It is therefore important to understand the specific needs of each individual brand within every project brief. Packaging companies must work with design teams to create a better brand understanding between themselves and their clients, enabling them to find a suitable packaging solution that truly fits the product. By understanding the unique selling points for a product, designers and suppliers can advocate these through the packaging and build an emotional relationship with the customer before purchase.

Recent research has shown that consumers have less and less time in which to make a purchasing decision. In a large store environment, where there can be in excess of 40,000 product lines, it is essential that brands communicate with customers in the most effective way. Packaging can provide a platform to improve the chances of success through creating an emotional impact and response from consumers.

One such example is the family-owned Champagne house, Taittinger, which looked to its packaging to effectively represent its iconic product. By using a Fresnel lens effect on gift boxes, Taittinger added an additional layer of sophistication through the tactile holographic lens that provides both visual impact and also represents the unique bubbles, so essential to quality Champagne.

Only by working closely with Taittinger’s marketing team to understand the brand was the final ‘Bulles en Fete’ champagne gift carton solution possible, and the result is a pack that has become an integral part of the brand messaging on shelves today.

The definition of luxury Not surprisingly, consumers have varying opinions as to what exactly ‘luxury’ is, and this will also vary from market to market. What is important is that as the term luxury becomes increasingly used, so brands need to work harder to define their place in the market.

Whereas in the past using the correct combination of colours and styles could be effective, today this is no longer enough, and luxury packaging is now the result of a combination of materials, print and surface features that work together to deliver the best results. | 26 | Packaging Europe

As part of this, companies are seeking to provide consumers with a multi-sensory experience. Increasingly seen across consumer goods markets, new print techniques, inks, laminates, foils and coatings are helping to add texture and interest to packs in order to meet the trend for more sophisticated ‘haptic’ packaging. The way in which a pack looks, feels, smells and performs is integral to the impression that a product can have on the consumer. This particularly rings true in areas such as beauty where the smell of a product can have just as much of an influence as the feel.

As brands seek to further segment and differentiate their markets, the launch of highend ‘super premium’ products has taken off. In terms of packaging, some have chosen to differentiate themselves by using paperboard film laminates to add a premium high-end finish right across the pack. Others are opting to add a more subtle, but specifically placed ‘touch of class’ through a metallic effect. Growth in this area is possible due to the development of new print and application technologies, which allow materials to be placed more accurately, quickly and efficiently. Packaging designers and printers now have greater functionality from base materials, in addition to the ability to combine print and substrates.

All this enables them to create a wide range of metallic colours and screen effects, including multi-colours and half tones, which add real depth and sophistication to labels.

Identifying trends For the customer, the first point of contact for any product will be the packaging so its sphere of influence can be immense. The use of labelling, for example, can make a huge difference in how a product is perceived. Decorative foiling and laminating adds a standout shelf appearance that helps to generate interest from new customers and reassurance amongst existing ones.

Working with the latest trend boards that capture the main themes, packaging manufacturers are able to identify some key future trends for brand owners. For example, brands that support a graceful and feminine style look to make use of soft linear florals with placement prints, repeat patterns, or stencil effects in a ‘graceful’ trend. Here packaging makes use of over-exposed photos and water colour marble effects as well as half-tones. This trend pushes the need for sophisticated techniques and the development of iridescent effects through the combination of print, inks and materials, creating an impression of natural beauty with a feel of romantic nostalgia.

In contrast ‘monumental’ is a trend that David Peters, creative wants to be seen, using a bold and engagdevelopment manager at API ing approach to add luxury to male brands

Packaging Europe | 27 |

Luxury

and products. Featuring big graphic blocks and building intense interlocking 3D shapes, this trend features strong structures with sharp angles and faceted forms. The availability of metal alloys, heavy embossing and laser cuts in combination with tactile effects and layering provide opportunities for packaging designers to create more advanced final pack solutions. The latest inks also offer a more tactile raised finish, and combined with laminates, foils and substrates provide a much more luxurious effect.

The focus on groups of trends and how they can be relevant and represent the ambitions of luxury brands to reach out to their customers in a striking and meaningful way is critical. | 28 | Packaging Europe

Demonstrating real value and quality starts with a product’s packaging. If a pack can represent what the product is, it is more likely to generate interest and appeal among the target market.

Packaging often is the brand and is no longer seen as an add-on at the very end of the product development process, but identified at the start of effective development plans. By working closely with customers and from a much earlier stage, packaging designers and manufacturers can ensure that brand owners see real value from their involvement and support – developing luxury packaging solutions that use the latest technologies to present the essence of the product and brand values.

Packaging Europe | 29 |

Strengthening Distributor Ties on the Road to Export Over the years UK SMEs have gained a reputation for being notoriously reluctant to explore international markets and this is supported by the news that the UK will miss Chancellor George Osbourne’s ambitious 2020 target of £1 trillion exports by over a decade – writes Grigory Belosky, European sales manager, Endoline Machinery.

Grigory Belosky, European sales manager

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hile the growth in SMEs exporting may have begun to gain traction, at the end of 2014 a survey by YouGov reported that exporting amongst this business sector was set to increase by 20 per cent by 2016, this figure seems to have dropped slightly in recent months. Whether SMEs are holding their breath until the outcome of the looming EU Referendum is revealed remains to be seen. Nevertheless the Government are pushing forward with Osbourne’s optimistic 2012 plan, with their ‘Exporting is GREAT’ campaign. Pushing SMEs to export will, in their belief, fuel a healthy export market and strengthen the UK economy while delivering sustainable growth.

So, if exporting is as great as the Government professes and there is little doubt that British products are in high demand, what else could be holding small to medium sized companies back? According to the Confederation of British Industry, SMEs are 11 per cent more likely to survive if they do export. Many cite language barriers, reams of paperwork and understanding different cultures as deterrents, while some business owners, who emerged intact following the recession, adopt ‘Island mentality’ where they prefer to play it safe and remain trading in the domestic market. In fact only 28 per cent feel their business is strong enough to enter international markets, even the ones on our doorstep.

The economic fallout a decade ago was the push from the Island that Endoline needed to begin exporting again. Having dabbled in international sales over the years the company

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seriously began exporting in earnest in the face of UK instability. Today we have a global presence spanning almost 40 countries and are reliant on both a successful domestic and international economy with 50 per cent of export sales contributing to turnover in machinery sales. As with all business expansions however, lessons were learned along the way.

While our history with major UK Blue-chip companies led to introductory meetings with their international counterparts this alone didn’t open too many doors. We quickly realised that to ensure we reached our target audience we needed to utilise distributors and OEM partners, using their local sales people who could communicate with the end-user.

These partners were often discovered through local exhibitions and trade shows, however market research tools provided by the UKTI, such as the OMIS report, were also invaluable and there are several Government schemes available to help push things along.

Pre-arranging meetings with prospective distributors during exhibitions is essential, as is contacting potential partners based on existing and new projects/enquiries coming from the market.

While a strong distributor network is critical in our ability to strengthen ties with our international neighbours, these relationships, as with all key accounts, need nourishment. Principally this should be done through specialized resources, such as employing a dedicated European Sales Manager whose sole objective is to cultivate a

Export

Packaging Europe | 31 |

Export

strong European partnership network. In-house provisions should also be made to improve the quality of relations through continuous sales and marketing support, visits and meetings, joint exhibitions and training programs together with factory visits and machines acceptance tests.

Working with distributors requires day-to-day cooperation and motivation, sharing best practice information and experience is the key to make the distributors successful. It’s important to make it personally interesting for them to work with a certain supplier which comes from their experience with margins, equipment quality and manufacturer’s reputation, communications and service quality.

Working within such a high end automation industry it is critical that any manufacturer working with an international distributor has full confidence that their system’s technical requirements are understood. Our machines are often installed as part of a larger, complex project and any technical mistake can lead to critical issues during the installation and acceptance tests. In a bid to overcome any potential risks it’s essential that distributors are technically intelligent and understand the packaging business and automation processes.

Training on all systems is, of course, fundamental here.

As with the barriers which accompany direct selling to international markets they are often the same with distributors. From fluctuating exchange rates and local competition to the lack of direct project control and contact with the end-users. For far flung destinations there is also the added complication of distance and time difference which makes communication more complicated with flights, extra travel costs and infrequent meetings.

However through strong communication, especially in light of the digital age we are living in, the majority of these issues can be ironed out. Testament to this is our most successful international installations, which featured brand new bespoke designed systems, in Australia and the Middle East.

Of course as these countries are outside of the EU the red tape is often longer and we face greater complexity through customs clearance procedures and non-standard requirements like local certificates, which can negatively impact lead times on delivery, compared to EU countries. That said there are barriers to working within each country and the key is to find an appropriate channel, whether through a distributor partnership or direct customer contact. This, of course, begs the question of how to encourage already reluctant SMEs to export with the threat of a Brexit.

There is little doubt that trading with EU members, with its open trade rules, widely helps UK manufacturers to grow their business and I believe that the current trade legislation influences our opportunities in the EU and export margins. For instance with the current EU membership terms we are more competitive than with extra exporting costs and lead-times.

Ultimately, however, the referendum on EU membership is a decision for the people of Britain. Whatever that decision is, our focus will continue to be on serving our customers. | 32 | Packaging Europe

Tax Stamps

A New Collective Voice for the Tax Stamp Industry Juan Yañez, Thomas Greg & Sons de Colombia, and newly appointed chair of the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) explains the role and responsibilities of the newly created organisation.

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ver recent years a range of fiscal, socio-economic and anti-counterfeiting factors have led to the proliferation of excise tax stamp programmes around the world.

The focus of these efforts has been the development and deployment of innovative tax stamp technologies and systems capable of increasing government revenues and, at the same time in many cases, provide effective barriers to counterfeit products and illicit trade.

In many respects tax stamps have a unique role. Their original and primary role remains as an excise security issued by the government, treasury or finance ministry of a country or state to confirm that duty on ‘excisable’ goods has been paid by the manufacturer and/ or consumer.

However, the modern tax stamp is also being increasingly used to curb illegal trade in products for which an excise duty is payable, thereby helping to avoid money laundering.

It does this by incorporating ‘track and trace’ elements and by providing a mark of verification or authenticity, not only to demonstrate that the product itself is genuine but also that the trade channels used in its distribution are legitimate. Also, by being positioned over the opening of a tobacco package or alcohol bottle, tax stamps can also act as an anti-tampering/anti-reuse seal.

A global industry Among this myriad of roles and applications for tax stamps, the global challenges are continually growing. For example, the deteriorating global economic environment means that the effective enforcement of excise duty rules to maximise the recovery of tax revenues has become critical for governments to enable them to finance national spending plans.

At the same time, the introduction of a global marketplace and international brands has encouraged counterfeiting to become one of the fastest growing economic crimes of modern times. In particular, high value goods on which excise duties should be paid are a particular target, with the ever increasing illicit trade in tobacco and wines and spirits costing manufacturers and national treasuries huge sums of lost revenue each year.

Of course excise duties on some products are high in part because, as well as raising tax revenues, governments have wanted to discourage smoking, drinking and driving. It follows that illicit trade in these products therefore not only deprives governments of tax revenues, but can also have an impact on important public health issues.

In the face of such challenges, the tax stamp sector is continuously evolving.

Over 250 revenue agencies at both national and state levels now use tax stamps as their method of collecting excise duty, with a combined requirement for over 140 billion stamps annually.

Packaging Europe | 33 |

Tax Stamps As the applications for excise taxes have grown, so has the value of the stamps representing them, and this, in turn, has made it more worthwhile for criminals to produce counterfeit stamps for the purpose of disguising illicit, untaxed product.

As a result, tax stamps need to be secure enough to combat the criminals who try to smuggle, counterfeit, re-fill and otherwise find ways to avoid paying the taxes.

This phenomenon has led to the need for stamps to carry robust, visible security features – much like those on a banknote – to distinguish them from fake stamps.

Another driver of the evolution in tax stamps involves the breakthroughs in data processing capabilities and mobile communications, which have allowed products to be marked in-line during production with their own unique codes, recorded in a database. The codes may then be used to verify the product in remote locations and provide key data on source, destination and authenticity.

In response to these challenges a specialist industry has developed to supply tax stamps and this has led to the introduction of a variety of technologies and methods of issuance, as well as differences in tracking, control and collection processes.

Clearly as the industry has grown and become more complex, we have now reached a stage where everyone involved – suppliers, product manufacturers, revenue agencies and enforcement organisations – would clearly benefit from a collective understanding and approach.

In addition, everyone would benefit from the generic promotion of tax stamps through education, media and lobbying programmes – encouraging wider understanding and focusing in particular on the need for holistic solutions, be they based on physical or digital stamps.

Overall there is therefore an obvious need for authoritative information on tax stamps to be more easily available and more readily communicated to those who need it.

A standard approach This situation became particularly apparent with the formation of a new ISO Working Group to create a new standard for tax stamps.

The normal vehicle for funding such working groups is via industry associations, which represent the collective view of their members. However, in the absence of such a body for the tax stamp association, at the first meeting to define the scope of the new standard, representation was provided by a number of individual tax stamp producers – something of an anomaly for standard-writing procedures which was pointed out at that meeting.

This situation provided the catalyst for change within the industry and as a result, a number of producers at that initial meeting have taken the initiative to push ahead with creating a formal body to represent their views.

The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) has therefore been created to provide a broad advocacy role for the tax stamp sector. It will bring together and represent the industry producing tax stamps, but it will do this without differentiating between technologies and methods of issuance, control and collection.

Currently comprising 15 leading companies in document and product authentication and traceability, the not for profit organisation is now formally open for membership from legally incorporated companies and businesses that supply tax stamp components and features, as well as finished tax stamps, equipment for stamp design, manufacture, application and authentication, and systems for coding and marking stamps.

Initially, with the development of a standard (ISO19998) for tax stamps already underway, the priority is for ITSA to engage and actively contribute to the drafting process.

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The standard itself will be a significant step for the sector and to improve the overall quality of tax stamps in use and thus their effectiveness as a collection and criminal-fighting tool. By providing guidance on the content, security and issuance of tax stamps (whether physical or digital) it is intended to facilitate adoption of effective tax stamps by revenue agencies.

However, moving forward, the new trade association will also have a much broader role in helping to ensure a better understanding of the benefits of tax stamps and tax stamp technology, and to promote high professional standards through education, research and advocacy.

In fulfilling this role it will also seek to develop and promote best practice by providing a collective voice for all those involved in the industry at a time when the sector faces some unique challenges.

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IFFA: No.1 for the Meat Industry IFFA, taking place on 7-12 May in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is the leading international trade fair for processing, packaging and sales in the meat industry. It has been the international platform for the meat-processing industry and the world’s foremost forum for investment decisions since 1949. Thanks to the great depth and breadth of the range of products on show, as well as the exceptionally large number of international exhibitors and visitors, IFFA gives a convincing demonstration of its outstanding position in the sector every three years.

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2013, 60,000 trade visitors from around 142 countries came to Frankfurt to see the range of products and services offered by 960 exhibitors. The proportion of trade visitors from outside Germany rose significantly compared to the last event three years ago, to 61 percent – more than ever before. The presence of all market leaders, the high international profile of exhibitors and visitors and the outstanding degree of innovation displayed in the technologies on show have made the fair the industry number one. All key sectors – production, butchery, retail and service – come together here.

The top themes at IFFA 2016 take up the latest subjects and trends and reflect the forces currently driving the sector. Read here about the superordinate objectives and tasks facing manufacturers of machinery and equipment for the meat industry, and discover the strategies being used by butchers to meet the challenges of today’s market.

Top themes meat industry

Monitoring and inspection across the whole production and packaging process provide additional safety. Furthermore traceability must always be possible, for example through data saved from control equipment and operating-data records.

Flexibility For companies in the meat industry the ability to innovate is vital if they are to survive in the market. Flexibility is the answer to changing consumer trends, variety of products, different packages and packaging sizes. Every year thousands of products come onto the market.

New recipes, convenience products with and without meat, new package shapes, package functions and sizes. For technology this means: it must respond rapidly, be adaptable and flexible. It is often only in this way that new ideas can be realised at all, or at least realised much more simply, without additional capital investment.

The international demand for machinery and equipment for the meat industry has seen an upward trend for years. This is not surprising, since the global meat industry is a very dynamic growth market. The worldwide consumption of meat is growing by 2-3 percent annually. At IFFA 2016 companies will present innovative technologies, trends and future-oriented solutions for all stages of the meat-processing chain: from slaughtering and dismembering, via processing, to packaging and sales. Manufacturers from Germany and abroad develop their innovations with IFFA in mind and launch them there to an international audience of trade visitors. Which overall trends will play a central part at IFFA 2016? Four different focal topics determine the meat industry plus their suppliers in equal measure:

Resources

Safety

Automation

Safety has top priority: in the meat-processing industry the products must be manufactured safely and hygienically, in order not to endanger the health of consumers. One of the most important components of product safety is the hygienic design of plant and machinery. Machinery must be constructed as to ensure that product residues cannot nest, and they must be easy to clean. Only in this way microbiological risks can be excluded.

Automation of processes is a permanent trend in the meat industry, since the level of automation, compared with other food industries, is lower – because more difficult – due to the product characteristics of meat. Innovative automation solutions, however, are not just about profitability factors. Automation has many facets: improvement of hygiene in production, constant product quality, and improved conditions of work.

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A responsible approach to resources is a megatrend, which has become a guideline in many branches of business life. For various reasons, but with the same effect – viz. to produce without waste and while saving resources. The supplier industry already offers numerous solutions: in many branches of meat-processing technology, over the last few years, there has already been major progress with regard to consumption of resources: easy-to-clean machines save water and cleaning materials, the use of efficient components makes a vital contribution to optimising the energy consumption of plant and machinery. The use of process heat or re-cycling of process water, for instance, can also contribute to a positive energy balance.

EVENTS

Meat Industry 4.0’: Digitalisation an important factor for value creation Announced some five years ago, the revolution to be initiated by Industry 4.0 has failed to materialise so far. Instead, it appears that the digital transformation is taking place in numerous small evolutionary steps. The direction being taken is already shown by a wide range of applications from the fields of product and processes monitoring, labelling technology, packaging, distribution, logic, servicing and maintenance, whereby the main players are software, sensors, data and networking.

Trend topic: smoking plant automation The IFFA gives trade visitors the opportunity to learn about innovative, economic and ultra-efficient meat industry solutions for smoking, maturing, cooking, cooling and heating technology. The current trend is towards multi-functional systems with intelligent, programmable controls, programme selection memory functions and continuous capture of process data.

News about ingredients and additives in the manufacture of meat products IFFA has become the driver behind trends across the whole sector and this also applies to the product segment of spices, ingredients and casings for which the IFFA is a trend barometer. Major names involved in producing ingredients that provide taste and functionality and also casings present their product innovations in hall 4. Trends in food and the nutritional ‘zeitgeist’ are in the spotlight.

Visit: http://iffa.messefrankfurt.com

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Fourth PLA World Congress PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from renewable resources, and one of the bioplastics materials with the greatest significance. It is being used today for films and rigid packaging, for fibres in woven and non-woven applications. Automotive industry and consumer electronics are thoroughly investigating and even already applying PLA. New methods of polymerizing, compounding or blending of PLA have broadened the range of properties and thus the range of possible applications. Blending PLA with other bioplastics or other blend-partners as well as mixing it with natural fibres such as flax, hemp or kenaf broadens the range of applications even more.

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hat‘s why bioplastics magazine is now organising for the fourth time the PLA World Congress.

Experts from all involved fields will share their knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive overview of today‘s opportunities and challenges and discuss the possibilities, limitations and future prospects of PLA for all kind of applications. Like the three congresses before the 4th PLA World Congress will also offer excellent networking opportunities for all delegates and speakers as well as exhibitors of the table-top exhibition.

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The conference is being held on the 24th and 25th of May 2016 in Munich, Germany and will cover subjects such as: • Latest developments • Market overview • High temperature behaviour • Nano technology • Nucleated PLA • Applications (packaging, bottles, automotive, electronics etc) • 3D printing • Fibres, textiles, nonwovens • Reinforcements • Sustainability • End of life options (recycling, composting, incineration etc) More Information on the conference is available at: www.pla-world-congress.com

EVENTS

RosUpack 2016 The 21st International Exhibition for the Packaging Industry RosUpack will take place 14-17 June 2016 at IEC Crocus Expo, pavilion 1 in Moscow. The exhibition has been taking place since 1996 and once a year brings together main domestic and international leaders of the packaging industry. RosUpack has gained the right to be called the largest packaging exhibition in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe.

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he exposition covers the whole packaging industry, with dedicated sections for equipment, finished packaging and labelling, raw and expendable materials, and bulk packaging and warehousing systems. RosUpack is a key meeting place: a platform for networking, negotiating and signing agreements with Russia’s packaging industry.

RosUpack 2015 showcased packaging machinery and technology, equipment for food and food processing, packaging materials and finished packaging, labelling equipment, logistics and warehousing equipment. More than 500 packaging companies from around the world congregated in Moscow, and Crocus Expo and welcomed over 18,000 visitors from 55 countries. Exhibiting companies displayed packaging innovations from 29 countries, including Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, Turkey, United States, France, Belgium and many more. In its anniversary year, RosUpack again reinforced its reputation as the main event to target the Russian and eastern European packaging industry. About 50 companies returned to the event to exhibit for their tenth or more year.

In addition, the exhibition also featured 89 newcomers, including companies such as Beland, Rusal, RPC Superfos, Dozakl, Orfer and Knauf Penoplast. RosUpack’s official opening ceremony made note to its 20th edition. Vladimir Chiukov, President of the National Confederation of Packagers (NCPACK) in Russia, commented: “Over the past 20 years the exhibition has significantly changed. The first exhibition was very modest, there were only Russian firms and no international companies. Now, we can see how much progress the exhibition has made during that time.”

Honoured guests in attendance at the opening ceremony included Sergey Lisovsky, First Deputy Chair of the Committee on Agrarian Policy of the Russian Federation; Gennady Kudiy, Deputy Head of the Administration of Periodicals, Book Publishing and Polygraphy of the Federal Agency for Printing and Mass Communications; Evgeny Tiurin, Chair of the Committee on Forestry, the Printing Industry and Packaging of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation; Viktor Ivanov, President of the Russian Union of Chemists; and Oleg Kovardakov, General Director of Repropark, the General Sponsors of RosUpack 2015.

RosUpack 2015 also delivered a diverse and educational business programme. The programme, organised with support from professional associations and leading industry companies, brought together many industry specialists. A highlight was the Logistics Market in Russia: Effective Solutions during the Crisis Conference. Speakers included Vasily Zachinsky, General Director of Logistics Systems; Anton Mizunov, Director of Development for Expo Media Group, and Alexander Tsagareishvili, Director of Sevko.

The exhibition also featured the fourth edition of the PART Awards (Packaging, Art, Research and Technology). Industry awards were given to packaging companies in three categories: Manufacturer of the Year, Concept of the Year, and Label. Among the winners were well known companies such as Gotek, Conflex SpB, Komus, Upakovka, and others.

Visit: www.rosupack.com

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Investing in core values

Sonoco is a global leader in a broad range of consumer packaging businesses from rigid paper, flexibles and plastics to industrial products such as tubes and cores, reels and spools. It is also one of the world’s largest recyclers. Philip Yorke talked to Florian Heil, the company’s new Paper Mill Core (PMC) and key account manager, and Markku Ronnila, Sonoco Alcore’s product manager for paper mill cores, about their latest products and move into new markets.

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onoco is a $5 billion global provider of industrial and consumer packaging that was founded over 115 years ago in Hartsville, South Carolina, USA. The company’s first product was a cone-shaped yarn carrier used for winding and transporting yarns. Since most of the textile cones of that day were wooden, paper cones were a novelty and this resulted in the company soon becoming the leading manufacturer of cones in the United States. Sonoco has grown consistently and today leads the world in its chosen packaging disciplines with 330 operations in 34 countries worldwide that serve customers in almost 100 countries on five continents.

Sonoco works in close collaboration with its clients to develop and deliver innovative packaging solutions that enhance and optimise manufacturing businesses efficiency and profitability. Today Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customised packaging solutions to meet its customer’s individual needs.

Driving paper mill packaging performance Sonoco Alcor is the leading provider of cores for all printing and writing grade core applications. Recently this important Sonoco division appointed a new segment and key account manager for its PMC, EMEA operations. Florian Heil comes from a background in corrugated and paper packaging working in the past for several pan-european market leaders. His appointment heralds a new era in the creation of innovative products and enhancement of customer services at Sonoco.

Today the company’s M-cores and HQ™ series of cores lead the field and are designed for high-speed rotogravure and offset printing processes, as well as for all other high performance applications. Sonoco offers a complete line of additional printing and writinggrade cores customised to meet customer’s specific applications, including sheeter cores for internal and external cut size operations.

Sonoco is also the leading provider of high quality cores for rolled pulp and nonwoven materials. The company’s vast range of core sizes and features are designed to meet every application and to reduce overall operating costs.

Ronnila said, “We tailor-make core products for each and every requirement and location and e.g. our RFID cores help significantly when it comes to operational savings and logistics. To meet process requirements of wide and fast printing machines we build a green field plant to Grunsfeld by utilizing our patented wide ply technology already available in Finland. We develop packaging paper cores for winding speeds up to 3000 metres a minute and our new technology means that these speeds can be achieved without the risk of vibration.”

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Heil added, “We are the clear technology leaders, we sell total solutions and we can offer turnkey solutions for our customers. We are committed to creating innovative products that add value and efficiency to our customers’ manufacturing processes. We have two labs in Finland and one in Germany dedicated to core technologies involving such things as dynamic strength and constant speed. We have plants throughout Europe and have just bought three in Russia. In fact, you will be able to learn more about this acquisition and our latest products at the Rosupack, Moscow trade fair from the 14–17 June this year, where we will have a major presence.”

In addition to its M-cores and HQ™ paper mill cores, Sonoco also provides cost-effective, high quality cores for linerboard and bleached board applications. The company offers a wide range of cores with customisation available for unique applications.

For further information about Sonoco paper mill cores and customer services visit: www. sonocoalcore.com

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drupa 2016 Extended Preview Practical information Interviews Print trends Exhibition highlights

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drupa Practicalities When?

Tickets:

May 31 – June 10

Day ticket: Online pre-booked: 45 € / on site: 65 €

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3-day ticket: Online pre-booked: 120€ / on site: 175 €

Where?

Your eTicket entitles you to free travel to and from the exhibition grounds on the day of your visit, with all modes of transport within the VRR and VRS public transportation network.

Messe Düsseldorf, Halls 1 – 17 Address: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, D-40474 Duesseldorf, Germany

5-day ticket: Online pre-booked: 190 € / on site: 290 €

Info: News & commentary: http://drupa2016.packagingeurope.com

U-Bahn: lines U78 and U79 drupa homepage: www.drupa.com Satnav: D-40474 Düsseldorf, Stockumer Höfe

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HSM presents solutions for the print-processing industry at drupa in Düsseldorf

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rom 31 May to 10 June 2016, HSM GmbH + Co. KG, the south German manufacturer of baling presses, PET solutions and document shredders, will present its extensive range of products “Made in Germany” at drupa, the world’s leading trade fair for graphical and industrial printing, in Düsseldorf in Hall 16, booth B68.

The fully automatic channel baling press HSM VK 4812 is versatile in the printing and paper industry, the processing industry, in trade and commerce, and in document shredding companies, etc. With an extremely high pressing force of 480 kN and a large format fill opening, the HSM VK 4812 is suitable for the widest range, including most bulky, of materials with a bulk density of up to 60 kg / m³, such as paper, edge portions from printing and punching machines, cardboard, shredded material and foils. To integrate the baling press into the automated industrial production processes, continuous feeding of the baling press is recommended. There are various possibilities for this, such as feeding conveyors, air feed, etc. Depending on the material, the highly compressed bales reach a weight of up to 550 kg, have a bale mass of 1,100 x 750 x 600-1,200 mm and is held together by a fully automatic, horizontal 4-fold wire strapping. The optimal bale sizes and bale weights guarantee efficient use of the truck.

The HSM stand will also be exhibiting the “max” variant of the vertical baling press HSM V-Press 860 (sliding doors and hydraulic door lock) with a pressing force of 548 kN. It efficiently reduces the volume of cardboard and foils, is equipped with the low-noise and energy-saving fast approach technology and is thus the economical and environmentally friendly solution for the widest range of disposal activities. Special retaining claws optimise compression of the pressed material and reduce the number of ill operations. A 4-fold wire strapping (with belt as option) keeps bales weighing up to 480 kg in shape, whereby the maximum bale size is 1,200 x 780 x max. 1,200 mm (L x W x H).

The shredder-press combination HSM SP 5088 is a complete disposal station. HSM has combined the powerful conveyor belt document shredder FA 500 3 with a channel baling press. It is then particularly suitable for use in archives or central offices for destroying documents, including large volumes, which are then pressed into bales of up to 90 kg, depending on requirements. The HSM SP 5088 is available in security levels P-2, P-3, P-4 and P-5, and, depending on the security level, shreds between 100 and 550 pages in one operation.

HSM trade fair booth at drupa 2016: Hall 16, booth B68

HSM GmbH + Co. KG Austrasse 1-9, 88699 Frickingen, Germany Tel.: +49 7554 2100-0, Fax: +49 7554 2100-160, Email: info@hsm.eu, www.hsm.eu

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Introducing drupa 2016 The print and media industry is changing. New technologies are establishing themselves and disruptive technologies emerging. Messe Düsseldorf’s drupa, Europe’s quadrennial, premier event for the print world, will again be listening to the pulse of the industry this spring. With the headline themes of print, functional printing, packaging production, multichannel, 3D printing and green printing, drupa responds to and reflects this change. In the process, the exhibition will introduce new visitor target groups to state-of-the-art technologies and new solutions.

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ith all 19 halls of Messe Düsseldorf once again sold out, drupa will be the focus of the global print industry at the end of May, and the stage for many of the year’s biggest product launches and announcements. Alongside the exhibition, the organisers have worked hard and innovated to ensure that the show is also the place to be for top-level discussion about today’s big trends, challenges and opportunities.

“touch the future” Under the motto of “touch the future” drupa 2016 will focus more heavily on futureorientated technologies such as printed electronics, 3D printing and inkjet printing with its industrial applications. These innovative technologies are driving the market forward and are opening up significant opportunities and growth potential worldwide, primarily in the field of packaging, functional and industrial printing. According to Smithers Pira (UK), sales in the packaging print sector will rise annually by four percentage points to US$ 970

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billion by 2018. There are also indications of growth in the industrial and functional printing sector. Since 2008 this market, that includes printing processes for the production of decorative and laminated surfaces, ceramics, vehicle parts, promotional items or electronic products, has risen annually by 13.4 per cent and in 2013 achieved a volume of US$ 43.7 billion. Experts from InfoTrends (USA/UK) currently value the market at US$ 100 billion.

“We recognised the growth potential of these markets very early on and successfully set in motion the special “PEPSO” (Printed Electronics Products and Solutions) exhibition at drupa 2012, for example,” explains Werner M. Dornscheidt, chairman of the Messe Düsseldorf board. “At drupa 2016 we will cover this topic with additional events in the specialised programme and in the form of special shows, known as “touch points”.”

The market for 3D printing is developing even more dynamically. The global market volume is currently estimated at around US$ 2.2 billion. The Association of German Machine and System Engineers (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau) that

recently founded the company Additive Manufacturing, is anticipating an annual growth rates of 25 percent. “We have therefore developed the “3D fab+print” brand specifically for this market segment,” says Werner M. Dornscheidt. “At drupa and other relevant Düsseldorf trade fairs, we are joining forces with other exhibitors in 3D printing technology and bringing greater focus to the entire topic of 3D”.

The response from the industry to this strategic realignment at drupa is clearly positive, as confirmed by the level of registrations. Claus Bolza-Schünemann, chairman of the drupa exhibitor advisory board and executive president of Koenig & Bauer AG, welcomes the new drupa. “In the online age,” he comments, “there has been much discussion in our sector about the usefulness of trade shows. However, the internet simply cannot replace direct contact with people and ideas in the global print and media marketplace, or indeed direct experience of the latest technologies and solutions for this enormously varied market. At drupa 2016 we are again expecting lively interaction for both tried & trusted and the very latest ideas in all areas of print and crossmedia. The slogan “touch the future” clearly highlights the focus on innovation and new concepts. New topics such as functional printing, printed electronics or 3D printing will be reflecting the capacity for change and the need for innovative printed matter in our industry far beyond the confines of the trade show halls.”

The relevance of drupa for the entire sector is also underlined by Kodak: chief marketing officer Steven Overman says, “Kodak looks forward to being at drupa 2016. drupa’s new focus on future technologies suits Kodak perfectly. It’s the ultimate venue to show our integrated print solutions to customers and partners – publishers, printers, advertisers, manufacturers, consumer electronics suppliers and other tech companies”. You’ll see Kodak’s process free plates that reduce environmental impact, systems that make smart packaging more eye-catching, the world’s fastest and highest quality inkjet presses, and micro 3D printing processes to mass produce touch sensors.”

The relevance of new markets and target groups was recognised early on by drupa 2016 exhibitor Mimaki and as a result the company is giving the show its full backing:

“drupa 2016 will be the number one show to spot trends in print & crossmedia solutions, so that is where Mimaki will be,” emphasises Mike Horsten, general manager marketing, Mimaki Europe. “Our expanded portfolio consists of a myriad of printing solutions for any print service provider. Be it large volumes, personalised printing on particular substrates or peculiar objects, Mimaki can deliver the right solution to get the job done. This diversity in our customer base challenges us to select the right show for the right audience. But drupa delivers a heterogeneous attendee crowd and offers exhibitors and visitors alike the chance to get inspired to touch and print the future - we have to be there.”

Crossmedia and multichannel The internet and digital communication overall has changed print in a fundamental way.

This is emphasised by the current ‘drupa Global Insights’ report entitled ‘The effects of the internet on printing – the digital flood’. Interaction is the name of the game. Big data, webto-print, variable data printing and internet-supported tools such as augmented reality and QR codes characterise and impact the entire cosmos of printed products and the complete workflow. Here drupa is pulling out all the stops with its highlighted topic of multichannel printing. Hewlett-Packard, an active member of the drupa committee since 2013 and a top ten exhibitor at drupa, confirms the new direction: “Communication between people is evolving just as quickly as technology,” reflects Francois Martin, worldwide marketing director at HP Graphics Solutions Business. “The new crossmedia strategy at drupa with the integration of digital and analogue printing as well as print and online will show that the printed product continues to play a key role in communications. Change in an industry requires courage and firm decisions. The realignment does exactly that and I hope that everyone realises that a new journey is beginning. The new drupa stands for effective and sustainable communication in a social, mobile and cloud-based world.”

EFI, a company that has also very recently become an active member of the drupa committee and top ten exhibitor at drupa 2016, also believes that drupa is taking the right

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path: “In a world where the ‘future’ quickly becomes ‘now’, drupa 2016’s realigned aim to ‘touch the future’ perfectly describes what visitors would like to see,” says Guy Gecht, CEO EFI. “In a fast-changing world working in an often challenging industry, customers deserve to have the opportunity to explore and compare future investment options. No other event allows for that better than drupa. The show truly reflects the direction of our industry for the four years following each show. The best way for EFI to honor drupa’s 60+ year legacy is to make the 2016 event a world-class showcase of future technology and innovation that allows printing companies to take the lead in an ever-evolving, opportunity-filled industry.”

Another company offering definite support for this strategic realignment is another top ten exhibitor at drupa 2016 – Konica Minolta. general manager, Toshitaka Uemura, CP Business Division/Sales Headquarters, Konica Minolta, Inc explains: “With drupa’s strategic realignment and particular focus on print & crossmedia solutions, package printing and highlighting the industry’s innovative strength, Konica Minolta is the perfect match for drupa 2016: We are constantly delivering new business opportunities by virtue of our deep understanding of the production printing market and our customers’ needs combined with our high-end technology. It is the right time for innovative approaches and optimized workflows for a successful future for the commercial printing and graphic arts industry and we are well positioned to prepare our customers’ businesses for the new digital era.”

Also giving their backing to the digitisation of the sector and the repositioning of drupa is Landa Nanographic Printing: “drupa plays an important role in the printing industry’s evolution into a 21st century communications medium. Our choice of drupa 2012 as the launch platform for Landa Nanographic Printing was the start of an incredible journey, both for us and

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for the industry. We expect that drupa 2016, at which we will almost double our stand space to some 2,600 square meters, will be another historic milestone on the road to the digitization of the printing industry”, states Ila Bialystok, VP of Marketing, Landa Digital Printing.

drupa cube The drupa cube, the conference and event location at drupa 2016, promises a lively and relevant forum for discussion. The primary partner for development and delivery of innovative content for drupa cube 2016 is international innovation firm The Medici Group and its founder and CEO Frans Johansson. Johansson caused somewhat of a furor with his 2004 book The Medici Effect, and since then has been the go-to expert for the concepts of thinking and acting outside fixed limits and the ‘out-of-the-box principle’. Worldwide brands such as American Express, IBM, Nike, Volvo and The Walt Disney Company have already been drawing on the strategic expertise of The Medici Group. Now drupa is doing the same. “With The Medici Group, we have precisely the right partner at our side for drupa cube. A consistent approach to change management is absolutely necessary to master the challenges in the print, packaging and media sectors”, says Sabine Geldermann, director at drupa. “I extremely pleased that we will be presenting a high quality and clearly structured programme that will appeal both to the print and media industry as well as to web agencies, brands and print buyers, with The Medici Group and other impressive thought leaders at its core.”

In his opening keynote on 31st May, Frans Johansson will base his talk on the drupa theme ‘touch the future’ and ‘Intersectional Thinking’. The core question that will be addressed is ‘what happens when technological revolutions meet an industry that has

been around for a millennium?’ The second keynote on 2 June will build on this and explore key situations where one can forge a route to a future vision. The third keynote speaker on 6 June, Silas Amos (founder of Silas Amos Ltd. Design Thought), has worked as a designer and strategic partner for several firms in the FMCG industry, including AB InBev, Bacardi, Diageo, Heinz, Mars and Unilever. The final keynote will be held on 8 June with Shane Wall, chief technology officer at HP and global head of HP Labs, as the speaker.

There will be a mix of the following five sessions across the eleven days: Business Evolution: twelve 30-minute slots are aimed primarily at decision-makers in the printing industry who are focusing on increasing efficiency and profits within their companies. Accordingly, both “best practices” and business models, as well as investment strategies and human resources management will be discussed. Already on the list of speakers are: Ronan Zioni/HP, Neil Falconer/Print Future, Ulbe Jelluma/Print Power and Chris Bondy/RIT’s School of Media Sciences.

Technology: eleven 30-minute slots will focus on technological innovations and their new areas of application. How can these innovations be integrated into existing workflows and what will be the consequences? These and other topics are aimed at decision-makers and management at printing firms, and will also appeal to all other drupa visitors who have an interest in technology. One special event of note is the three one-hour “Gladiator Sessions” comparing two converging technologies where the pros and cons are discussed with a moderator. The following speakers have already committed to participate: Chris Bondy (RIT’s School of Media Sciences /USA), Joanna Stephenson (DataLase/UK) and Lilach Sapir (Massivit 3D printing/Israel).

Intersectional: these six sessions, led by The Medici Group, will focus on “Innovation @ the Intersection” and will encompass the six highlight topics of drupa 2016 (multichannel, print, functional printing, 3D-Printing, packaging production and green printing). In each interactive lecture slot, several of these highlight topics will be combined with one another using specific application examples, such as functional printing & packaging print, 3D printing & sustainability or multichannel & print.

C-Level: the four invitation-only slots in this programme segment are aimed at a fixed, defined subscriber group at management level as well as at exhibitors and visitors. These C-level sessions will directly follow the four keynotes and are formatted as interactive workshops where strategic insider knowledge is conveyed. The keynote speaker whose talk precedes each session will act as the moderator.

The strategic and creative design of the programme and on-site implementation have been entrusted to London-based brand experience agency FreemanXP. “Just as Gutenberg revolutionised communications by converging the spoken word with print, we are seeing new crossroads that are spawning unimaginable results in every sector.

Be it personalisation of printed products, ‘fabbing’ or even human organ printing, drupa is a showcase for how we ‘Touch the Future’ of print. With The Medici Group, drupa Innovation Partner 2016, we have evolved the drupa cube experience to encourage conversation and convergent thinking that will lead to the co-creation, re-imagination and re-invention of the future of printing,” added Jordan Waid, Vice President Brand Experience, FreemanXP EMEA.

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The Digital Interview As we look ahead to drupa, Tim Sykes conducts three interviews with representatives of very different corners of the printing and printed world. In the first of these Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo Division, discusses the technology that is redefining the rules of packaging and labelling.

TS ABS

What are the big CPG trends impacting today on digital print?

It’s a time of change. Consumers like differences, like to be seen as the unique individuals that each of them is. Expectations have also changed – they expect to receive something more personal, be it a service or a product. We live in an era of instant communication, and this new habit of sharing news, photos, ideas being supported by technology makes consumer expect this kind of personal experience from every

product – not just from their instant message platform. And while this can be challenging for traditional brands and converters, it also represents a great opportunity. Brands want to serve these customers as if they succeed in getting personal with them, the loyalty and therefore longer terms relationship, and therefore longer term business is granted.

Distribution models need to change as well. Brands have to redesign their distribution channels to still maintain the volume(s) they are used to delivering, but add to it the possibility to be much faster on shelves and much closer to the customer. We are in an industry redesign, from the cheap and efficient due to volume to what is really needed, when it is needed in the version the most appropriated.

At the same time, there is no room to compromise on quality. Therefore, the ability to match brand colours and to reproduce them on a wide variety of substrates, and to do so irrespective of geography, across presses and sites, is another reason why brands love Indigo. This, together with ongoing innovation and a strong partnership, is one of the key reasons our customers remain a step ahead of the market, whatever changes the environment around them brings.

TS

Are there any less obvious market drivers, apart from well-known factors such as shorter production runs and campaigns and mass customisation?

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Alon Bar-Shany, general manager, HP Indigo

Conceptually there are two major market drivers: the ability to add value (for example, through differentiation or an increased emotional connection with the consumer), and cost reduction. Digital printing has had tremendous impact on each of these – enabling ground-breaking campaigns across a variety of verticals that drive the relationship between brands and consumers to a whole new level, and disrupting the entire supply change to bring major efficiencies in cost, waste reduction and time to market.

A third pillar is sustainability, and here too, digital printing has played a key role with its inherent advantages, for example, in reducing the waste associated with setup, warehousing or obsolescence, or in the choice of more sustainable materials and processes.

Consumers identify with brands and products and services that have a net positive effect on the environment. In particular, when it is coupled with at least one of the other main drivers, sustainability becomes a force for change.

ABS

leading brands are using these solutions to bring innovative products to the market. Brands love Indigo and the versatility and possibilities they open –top quality products, shorter runs, supply chain efficiencies and lower costs and waste by printing only what is needed, and where and it is needed. The industry was looking for similar services for other types of packs than just the ones with a label. Now that a technical solution exists, we can predict its growth will be much faster that for labels. The technology is mature, is known, and the demand is certainly there.

At the moment, we are approaching one hundred units of the Indigo 20000 and 30000 installed at customers worldwide, and multiple customers are adding their second or third unit. We are expanding into additional areas, and have just announced the first product in the HP Indigo Pack Ready ecosystem. We see the pull from brands and work together with brands and customers to develop and explore new possibilities. The future looks exciting.

TS ABS

TS ABS

Is the regulatory environment playing some role in the way digital print is impacting on the industry, e.g. in the context of serialisation and traceability?

We are seeing an increase in the pressure coming from the regulatory environment, particularly in North America and across the European Union, across a wide variety of segments. For example, in pharmaceutical, there are stricter requirements for transparency, and for improved traceability and unique identification of packages down to the individual dose. There are also directives aimed at preventing the falsification of medicines, and add safety features to the packages. This represents a trend that affects both converters and brands, both of whom must continuously adapt to remain compliant. Another example is food packaging, where there is growing concern over UV inks and increased pressure to use low migration inks, not just on the primary package itself but also on labels.

TS

For many years the whole packaging segment has been watching with interest how and where and how quickly digital print will penetrate the market. Is it accurate to say that this process has accelerated over the last two or three years? What is the commercial outlook for the digital print market today?

ABS

It’s clear to me that there has been an acceleration of the transformation of packaging to the digital era over the past two or three years. It reminds me of a similar trend that began around 10 years ago in narrow web labels – and today, we digitally printed labels are the undisputed leader.

When we unveiled the Indigo 20000 for flexible packaging and the Indigo 30000 for folding cartons in drupa 2012, we did not just showcase hardware solutions, but stated a clear vision of where we believed, together with our customers and partners, the industry would be heading. It’s satisfying that two years after their market release, the world’s

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Are there any areas of innovation or any new applications of digital printing technology that particularly excite you right now?

We are very excited about innovation in multiple areas. One example is HP Indigo Pack Ready, a new set of post-print solutions designed to maximise the benefits of digital printing. The first solution, Pack Ready Lamination, brings the ability to create high performance applications like retort pouches, and dramatically improves time to market by enabling zero cure time for laminated packages.

We are also driven by the innovation in materials and inks. The continuous innovation in this area is one of our core strengths, and we recently brought to market new ElectroInks such as Premium White, which brings the largest range of opacities for labels and flexible packaging printing, or the new light-fast ink set for applications that require outdoor use.

We strongly believe in the ability to address the specific needs of core applications, and this continues to be our focus.

And of course we continue to develop our core liquid electro photographic (LEP) technology, taking print quality even further, making colour management easier, expanding applications, extending the ecosystem and expanding possibilities for business with HP Print OS. We are in a continuous dialogue with our customers, our partners and with brands, and strongly believe that this is the way to best address their needs.

TS ABS

Observing the print market as a whole, how would you say the emergence of digital print is influencing traditional print technologies?

It’s curious to see the evolution of the reaction in of traditional, analogue print vendors at the rise of digital print. At first, it was dismissal, and they were slow to react. The focus was on improving the efficiency of the analogue processes, of adding

automation and improving their setup time to try and better compete with digital efficiencies. Of course, digital gained more ground, and brands and converters saw the possibilities and the versatility that digital made possible, so more change was needed.

A second wave of change took place with conventional partners announcing hybrid conventional/digital technologies. In the world of labels, for example, I remember the change we saw last Label Expo. I don’t believe there was a single conventional player that did not showcase inkjet heads as part of their stand. While this approach has advantages over conventional, in my view, it also carries over many of the disadvantages, and in particular, it does not fully leverage the value of digital.

The last wave for analogue vendors is one of moving towards fully digital solutions.

While the approach is still analogue (e.g. bringing only pallets and not drawers into a sheet fed press) there is increasing understanding in the industry that the single best way to compete in a digital world is to design for digital equipment.

In addition, besides a focus on hardware and workflow, we are placing strategic importance on HP’s core advantages of ink and materials. These advanced capabilities in ink becomes more apparent and will be focused not just on our presses, but also on the technology and innovation area.

And finally, we will focus on the full packaging ecosystem, including the new Pack Ready solution.

In short, we continue to strengthen and work on a complete digital solution, designed to maximise the unique value that the unique Indigo technology has to offer, from top quality and matching brands colours, or with Print OS, unique inks, post converting processes and more. We look forward to drupa to continue our conversations with brands, converters and experts, and to continue driving the next wave of the digital revolution in packaging together.

TS ABS

What will be the focus of HP’s exhibit at drupa? Can we expect some major announcements and launches?

A very large part of our 6200 sqm at drupa will be dedicated to labels and packaging, including all of our presses for labels, folding cartons, and flexible packaging, including the newly announced Indigo 8000 press. They will be showcasing a wide range of applications and end-to-end capabilities together with our workflow, finishing and media partners.

A large focus will continue to be brands, including innovation brought to the market by our diverse customer base, and working with a multitude of brands, using many different approaches.

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Adhesive Expertise is Key to Assuring Food Safety Giving food safety the focus it deserves, global adhesive specialist H.B. Fuller is helping to ensure that packaging adhesives meet the requirements of food safety regulations.

The regulation of food contaminants migration The potential for migration of harmful contaminants from packaging materials into food is a major concern in the food industry and requires careful scrutiny of the materials used in the production of packaging intended for direct food contact.

The monitoring of possible migration of substances is a regulatory requirement set by the EU Framework Regulation (EC) 1935/2004. The Regulation (EU) 10/2011 relates specifically to plastic materials and consolidates the previous regulation, but a number of important non-plastic materials groups, such as adhesives, printing inks and coatings, still lack a harmonised European regulation.

The choice of adhesives for any kind of packaging will continue to be crucial for food safety. H.B. Fuller’s technical experts help converters find the right solution to meet their needs. Under the Flextra® brand, H.B. Fuller offers a complete adhesive portfolio for a wide range of flexible packaging applications and a variety of substrate combinations.

These solutions can help converters comply with food safety regulations, whilst improving production output and product performance. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about H.B. Fuller’s adhesive solutions at Drupa, booth 14D10.

Visit: www.hbfuller.com

Food contact guidance for adhesives Food manufacturers and packaging converters rely on the information provided by their suppliers in order to demonstrate food safety compliance of the final packaging. FEICA, the association representing Europe’s adhesive and sealant manufacturers, has produced clear guidance on food contact status declaration for adhesives, covering both the obligations of the adhesive supplier and those of the adhesive user – a response to the existing regulatory gap on non-plastic materials.

With more than 15 years of experience in regulatory affairs regarding food contact compliance, Alexandra Ross, H.B. Fuller’s product regulatory specialist, chairs the FEICA Paper and Packaging Working Group, which developed these guidelines.

Through its close co-operation with FEICA and other industry organisations in their dialogue with legislators, H.B. Fuller is helping to shape the development of new regulations and ensure their practicality. This activity also places the company in a perfect position to comply fully and to give customers up-to-date information and advice on adhesive formulations and regulations.

Ensuring food safety and production efficiencies in flexible packaging H.B. Fuller’s expertise covers a wide spectrum of adhesive technologies used in packaging, which may require different approaches when it comes to food safety.

Alexandra Ross comments, “Adhesive related migration risks can vary, depending on the adhesive technology, the packaging substrates used and the final purpose of the packaging. For example, hot melt adhesives used in secondary packaging, or water-based adhesives for labelling, corrugated packaging and carton sealing can generally be classified with a rather low migration risk. On the other hand, lamination adhesives for flexible packaging applications, and particularly those that are used in direct food contact, need to provide the highest possible level of food safety to protect consumer health. This requirement is a must for any supplier of lamination adhesives for flexible food packaging.”

Ross continues, “Fast curing adhesive systems provide the benefit of a rapid decay of primary aromatic amines (PAA), allowing converters to achieve compliance of their packaging materials with the regulatory guidelines on PAA shortly after the lamination process. Storage costs can therefore be reduced significantly.” | 58 | Packaging Europe

Migration test cells

Flextra® is a trademark of H.B. Fuller Company (“H.B. Fuller”) or one of its affiliated entities and is registered in the European Community and other countries.

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QR Renaissance?

Dubbed ‘the next big thing’ only a few years ago, QR (quick response) codes were predicted by many industry analysts to transform the way in which we interact with products. From the entering of competitions, to the comparing of prices, the possibilities of this new technology were thought to be endless. Yet the QR code phenomenon never truly came to fruition. A recent survey revealed that only 15 per cent of smart device users knew how to scan a QR code properly, while a mere 9.4 per cent regularly scan them to get more information while in a store. John Nicholson, senior manager, Innovation at HAVI Global Solutions, poses the question of why QR codes were consigned to the ash-heap of history.

And more interestingly, do they have the potential to make a comeback?

IN

order to fully assess these questions, it is important to look at the uses QR codes already have in our everyday lives, the limitations surrounding them, and the extent to which millennials are likely to engage with this relatively underused technology.

The birth of the QR code Back in 2011 it was difficult to visit your local coffee shop, pick up a colleague’s business card, or simply browse the internet without seeing the infamous black and white pixelated box. The message then was very much clear – QR codes are here to stay. The possible applications of this new technology were as varied as the locations in which the codes were found, ranging from instore promotions to online shopping experiences.

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Yet the adoption of QR codes did not come close to the figures initially predicted by industry experts, the reasons for which are varied and wide-ranging. The most prevalent barrier to consumers engaging with QR technology was the location in which the codes were placed. For instance, for a QR code to work, the user had to have a smartphone, be connected to the internet, and have enough time to load the page. It’s therefore unsurprising that QR code promotions found in underground stations, where consumers spend only a fraction of their time with little mobile phone coverage, the interaction rates were incredibly low.

An additional common error which prevented full engagement with the technology were codes which directed users to websites not optimised for mobile viewing. The key selling point for QR codes is their potential to make life easier for the consumer. The fact that QR

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codes were, in many instances, making consumer processes more complex goes a long way in explaining their initially low engagement rate.

A lesson from Asia While many now deem the QR code to be dead in the water, those advocating its return in the West point to Asia as an example of the technology being put to proper use, and where it is transforming the way consumers interact with products, particularly in the retail industry. A key example of this can be seen in South Korea where Tesco – now Home Plus – sought to increase its market share within the retail industry without increasing its number of stores. Their answer was to create virtual stores in select underground stations – those with mobile coverage – to allow commuters to purchase goods by scanning the QR codes of the items they wanted. Selected items were then added to their online shopping basket and delivered to their home address after work.

A similar example of QR code technology being combined with innovation was seen with the collaboration between Taco Bell and Mountain Dew, where QR codes were added to drinks cups which provided links to free music downloads. As a result, some 200,000 downloads were made, with the same number of consumers engaging directly with the brands.

Although many brands seem to struggle with getting the best out of QR technology, the most successful approach is often the simplest one – if the consumer experience can be made more seamless by the technology, it is bound to succeed.

The millennial potential Aside from the specific problems of where to place QR codes, and to what platforms they provide links to, there is the much broader issue of consumer groups not having an awareness of how to use the technology. This could not be more true for the ever-important demographic of the millennials. Recent research has shown that over half of consumers aged 16-24 are interested in additional content which could be accessed through QR codes, undoubtedly a huge window of opportunity for the brands of today.

Moreover, the potential uses of the technology when it comes to food packaging are equally telling and speak volumes for the priorities of the millennial generation. For example, the application of the technology which generated the most interest was the opportunity to receive vouchers by scanning the code. This was closely followed by the

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John Nicholson, senior manager, Innovation, HAVI

possibility of downloading recipe ideas, confirming the foodie trend which is dominating the millennial demographic.

To claim that QR codes are truly dead in the water fails to take into account their true potential when utilised correctly, demonstrated by their success across the continent in Asia. It also neglects a huge window of opportunity for brands today – the opportunity to capitalise on the millennial market. Only when organisations recognise this potential will we see a true QR code renaissance.

The EFIA Board: Debbie Waldron-Hoines pictured on the right.

The Flexo Interview In our second exclusive drupa interview, Debbie Waldron-Hoines, executive director of the European Flexographic Industry Association (as well as a founder of Women in Packaging and a board member of the newly founded FTA Europe) shares the perspective of the flexo printing industry with Tim Sykes.

TS DWH

What are the most important European trends in the packaging and labelling end use markets that are impacting on flexographic printing at the moment?

As a Board we at EFIA see both macro and micro trends driving the packaging and labelling market, which impact the use and value of flexo. At a high level, economic volatility over the past five to ten years has seen the trend toward shorter print runs to manage stocks, forecast accuracy and waste minimisation and this is where flexo really scores compared with gravure.

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At a more micro level, the increased retailing competitive intensity with the shift from big box to convenience retailing, the entry of the discounters and the growth of online in Europe, has seen the number of new product launches and fragmentation of retail categories soar, creating enormous demand for flexo printed packaging on a shorter run basis.

Retailers and brands are seeking higher value, differentiated packaging and the range of capabilities flexo printers can offer today in terms of specialist finishes (e.g. soft touch, paper feel, spot UV etc.) and integration of smart technologies (apps, track and trace, QR codes etc.) into their designs is impressive. Added to this is the advantage flexo has on being able to print on a variety of substrates.

However, there are a number of studies available outlining the packaging needs of brands and consumers and all continue to indicate that cost down and sustainability are still a key focus. The flexo industry has responded well over recent years including the steady adoption of fixed colour palette printing to enable brand consistency at reduced cost and a trend toward environmentally friendly inks, coatings, substrates, plates and processes. However, innovation always comes with a cost and with the increasing competitive intensity of the print, packaging and retailing industries, it is likely there is a limit to what suppliers can deliver if they cannot achieve the desired margins and premiums for their innovation investments.

TS DWH

How is the regulatory environment affecting the industry at the moment?

The changes to labelling regulations in 2014/2015 drove a considerable number of new product launches that created abnormal demand for the flexo industry. This has now slowed and demand is returning to ‘normal’. However, potential future needs for even more health information on packaging could affect demand again.

Plain packaging legislation in the tobacco industry has also created challenges for members involved in tobacco packaging, particularly as brands are moving out of Europe into Asia, where their growth continues to flourish.

The Board of EFIA is pleased to see the heightened awareness of the need for more skilled labour in mature economies to support industries like the print and packaging sector and many Governments increasing funding and legislation to enforce implementation of apprenticeships and practical skills training. At EFIA we have invested our members’ subscriptions over several years in the development of the EFIA Academy – an online flexographic skills training programme (see www.efia.uk.com) to support new entrants to the industry as well as develop the knowledge and understanding of the entire supply chain from pack concept to consumer. We welcome further intervention by government to

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increase funding for skills training as this will be vital to the future of the print industry with its aging worker profile.

EFIA UK, through its collaboration with other print related associations, is also supporting the new trailblazer initiative which will make it easier for companies to use the apprenticeship schemes for their employees. This will again help to bring much needed young blood into our industry.

TS DWH

How is the emergence of digital print affecting (and influencing) flexo?

The impact of digital has been a key topic of debate for the Board of the European Flexographic Industry Association and in truth, we’ve come to the conclusion that it is entirely a complementary technology to flexo and we see many of our members installing capacity alongside their flexo lines. It can enable companies to diversify and expand their portfolio.

Customisation and personalisation of packaging still remains niche and digital still has many weaknesses in commercial production relative to flexo. However, we recognise that with shortening overall run lengths due to the speed of retailing and business today, then digital holds a very valuable strength in enabling quick-turnaround, flexible printing, for custom packaging and print.

The benefit of this type of technology was demonstrated in our recent EFIA Print Awards, where an inline digital printing technology developed by DataLase Ltd. won gold for technical innovation. The judges saw the unique value of a highly efficient inline capability being integrated into packaging and filling lines, post flexo printing of a laser reactive patch, for digital printing of packaging and products.

TS DWH

In the light of the trends discussed above, what are the most exciting and significant areas of innovation and technological development in the flexographic industry?

Flexo is by no means standing still and continues to show exciting and interesting developments. The first obvious development over the last couple of years has been HD Flexo (High Definition Flexo). There were two key trail blazers of high definition solutions. Firstly Esko who developed its HD Flexo System to combine the benefits of 4000dpi high definition optics with tried and tested screening technology. The second one was Kodak’s Flexcel NX technology which uses a key aspect during lamination to ensure the closest contact between the layer and the plate thereby eliminating oxygen, providing a stable, flat topped dot. It can now be argued that high definition flexo printing

can produce the same or equal quality result as gravure or litho but at a cheaper price. HD flexo is being more widely used and is being combined with fixed colour palette which is improving production efficiencies, improving quality and reducing cost.

Future developments in the flexo industry will be seen in the continual increase of using digital as a complimentary process to flexo, growth of augmented reality applications and an increase in the use of recycled materials including technological advances in alternative substrates such as flexible films and plastics.

Water based inks will grow, especially due to the issues of ink migration on food packaging. Meanwhile, anilox manufacturers will continue to perfect the open cell technology, which allows presses to run faster while keeping the dot gain at an acceptable level. Again, this helps the printer improve OEE and keep down costs.

TS DWH

What is the commercial outlook for the flexographic industry? Where are the opportunities for growth?

The commercial outlook for growth in flexographic printing is good. There has been a lot of investment across Europe in new flexographic printing presses. Growth in flexible packaging, with the trend of rigids, metals and glass packaging applications converting to plastic and flexible solutions, continues to provide additional demand for flexographic printers. Label companies continue to diversify into narrow web flexible packaging.

Growth is also seen on the paper side, especially corrugated, as the demand for multi-functional packaging continues to grow. Brand owners need one pack to protect the product during transit but also to have good stand out shelf appeal which means high quality and consistent flexographic print.

There is also a significant upswing in gravure work converting to flexo in mainland Europe as brands become more educated on the cost effectiveness, quality consistency and flexibility that HD flexo now achieves. Many brands remain unclear on the quality

performance flexo can deliver today, considering a basic carrier bag print as typical of the technique. drupa will be an exciting opportunity to again demonstrate the sophistication of the technology in 2016.

Finally, ‘hybrid printing’, with the worldwide success of the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign, is likely to deliver further growth for flexo utilising combined techniques of flexo printed graphic designs with digital over-printing for personalisation or mass customisation.

TS DWH

Will EFIA be active at drupa? If so, what activities are planned?

Yes, EFIA will be active at drupa as a founding member of the FTA Europe, an umbrella association to represent the common interests of flexo on a European level and to provide a common platform for European exchange, collaboration and alignment. During drupa, on the 2 June, FTA Europe will be holding the first ever Diamond Awards at the Hyatt Hotel in Düsseldorf. All the Gold winners of the respective FTA country print awards have been submitted to an overall European awards programme, where the winners will be announced at a dinner.

Of course, all the members of the Board will also be at the show over the ten days, supporting members, networking and promoting the benefits of the technology.

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All Eyes on IML No one could describe in-mould labelling (IML) as the new kid on the block and perhaps having been around for so long makes it easier for brand-owners and packaging converters to overlook it. This is despite the fact that the balance between costs and benefits has actually undergone a considerable shift in recent years points out Nigel Flowers, managing director of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK. For those who have not revisited IML in the light of these developments, it may be time to give it another long, hard look.

I

ML is gaining traction in the UK and Europe and generating interest beyond the automotive sector and yellow fats food categories. Now, other packaging categories such as DIY and a much wider range of foods are reaping the benefits.

Industry analysts signal that while Europe commands the IML market with 58 per cent of overall demand, its growth is barely on the radar compared to emerging markets including South America and Asia Pacific – which have enjoyed an annual growth pattern of 17.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively. Based on global IML volume the injection moulding format (IML-IM) dominates at 68 per cent in comparison to 31 per cent for IML extrusion blow moulding and a mere one per cent for thermoforming. This reflects the much deeper penetration of the technology in Europe, where, currently 95 per cent is IML-IM compared to the other IML alternatives.

Looking ahead, a new study by The Freedonia Group Inc. predicts that IML will grow the most rapidly of all primary-packaging label technologies between now and 2019, with stretch, sleeve and heat-shrink labels also experiencing solid growth.

When it comes to the application of labels, techniques vary. In injection moulding the most common approach is to index pre-cut labels into the mould using a dedicated robotic arm, and immobilise them using vacuum or static electricity. The polymer is then rear-injected into the mould, while heat and pressure are carefully adjusted to deliver the required degree of melt in the film.

Experience counts Converters and brand-owners in the UK and of Europe may express concern about entering a whole new market with a different set of suppliers. However, because the networks and reputations have had plenty of time to bed in, new entrants stand a much better chance of latching onto established supplier relationships.

Europe’s track record in IML-IM, along with its tried-and-tested supply chains, is a real advantage in this maturing primary packaging market. An experienced eye can conjure up cost savings – and other benefits - from unexpected sources.

IML Injection Moulding offers a cost effective method of

The modular flexibility of the IML injection

forming robust thin-wall containers with lots of visual shelf appeal

moulding incorporating peel off IML cover

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Nigel Flowers, MD of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK

Our company, for example, has actively recruited more in-house packaging specialists.

Having access to this type of knowledge is invaluable, as packaging tends to need bigger and more complex moulds than other sectors. But at the same time, it typically requires less clamp force. Recently, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag reduced the machine specification for one packaging application from 160 tonnes, initially down to 130 tonnes, and now to just 100 tonnes.

The use of materials in IML also offers benefits. With the weight of packaging more closely scrutinised than ever before, IML-IM offers a cost effective method of forming robust thin-wall containers with lots of visual shelf appeal.

Most filmic IML labels are around 40 microns. Enhancements in pre-mould handling technology give converters the option of using label materials at the thinner end of the spectrum.

While label substrates have become thinner, they have also advanced from decorating a small portion or strip of a pack to covering the entire container. For food packaging this is a big development as labels can incorporate multilayer barriers and even provide full coverage to minimising oxygen penetrating the pack, extending shelf life and reducing product waste.

The cost of converting to IML is equally encouraging. At Sumitomo (SHI) Demag the capital costs of systems have declined at an estimated 12-15 per cent. Much of this can be attributed to the simpler integration of robots, which in the last five years has stripped out some significant expenditure in IML installations. Meanwhile, IML cycle times have got faster, varying from four seconds upwards.

Zott produces 16 yoghurt cups every 4.8 seconds with a label storage system simultaneously processing cups with two different IML motifs

Catching the consumer’s attention No sector is immune from today’s much fiercer competition for the consumer’s attention, and IML has proven benefits in terms of image quality, consistency and overall visual impact. Tactile and visual finishes gives a container a unique standout and that’s driving brand owners towards IML. Previous challenges, such as label distortion on deeper containers (for instance ice cream tubs and yellow fats) have been solved. It is now possible to apply labels to containers 80mm deep, while staying consistent and true. What’s more, the modular flexibility of IML-IM systems today means you can run a wide range of packing shapes and label types through one system. So, smaller production runs are now feasible.

Higher-quality results are largely the result of dependable supplier relationships between IM machine manufacturers and tool, downstream equipment and IML robot manufacturers.

This joined up approach is vital in label converting to ensure the ideal machine calibration to achieve optimal functionality.

For those contemplating converting to IML, the wider IML machine footprint must be factored in. Effectively, a label insertion system requires the same amount of space again as the IM machine itself! However, converters that have the physical capacity to expand, and the imaginative capacity to spot the opportunities, will offset any drawbacks against the huge – and growing – advantages offered by this technology.

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At DRUPA, AVT to Introduce Next-generation Automation and Quality Solutions for Packaging and Label Markets AVT Comes to DRUPA as the World’s #1 Provider of Automatic Inspection Systems for Label & Packaging Segments.

Debuts at DRUPA Include Digital Press Inspection & Control for Leading Vendors, New Inspection for Labels & Packging Web Applications, and Next-generation Cloud-based Automation Solutions, Among Others.

H

od-Hasharon, Israel – AVT, the world leader in print inspection, print process control, and quality assurance, will introduce an extensive roster of new solutions at DRUPA, May 31-June 10 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Located at Hall 9, Stand C60, and with more than 15 systems across its partners’ stands, AVT enters the show as the world’s top automatic inspections solutions provider in the global labeling and packaging industries; currently, approximately 50% of all highend inspection and quality assurance systems in these two sectors are AVT platforms. At DRUPA, AVT will introduce a set of next-generation solutions and technologies, including a new cloud-based quality standards and automation platform; digital press inspection & control solutions; inline color management solutions; and several new inspection platforms for web and sheet-fed packaging applications.

With over 20 years of experience and more than 4,000 installations worldwide, AVT’s leadership status is bolstered by one of the print inspection industry’s largest R&D groups, as well as supplier partnerships with the most prominent names in printing, including key digital players such as HP Indigo, Landa and Gallus-Heidelberg.

New Cloud-based Quality and Automation Platform A big premiere is AVT’s new iCenter Platform, a next-generation cloud-based solution for quality control automation and production performance insights. With the iCenter platform, printers can now offer brand owners around the globe consistent product quality as well as production reports showcasing these heightened quality standards.

The iCenter platform provides solutions to set cross-site quality standards, autoanalyze PDF files for inspection, and extract business intelligence from the production floor with a seamless connectivity to MIS and prepress solutions for optimized automated workflows. The platform’s cloud-based nature empowers printers to manage and control quality and production standards for facilities around the world, ensuring cross-site consistency for both quality and color.

DRUPA also represents an opportunity for AVT to showcase the industry’s widest range of proven solutions for workflow automation. With over 500 installations at the largest printing groups, AVT offers a broad range of solutions for setting quality standards and auto initiation, such as ProMIS and Zero Setup. Moreover, AVT’s complete Workflow Link solution increases line efficiency and productivity, stopping only for designated defects. Slitter rewinders can run at top speeds and, by selecting the extraction of only critical defects, rewinder stops can be reduced by up to 50% for vastly improved productivity.

In addition, AVT’s latest version of its well-regarded Offline Setup provides quality standardization and shortens setup time. The solution standardizes inspection results, thereby reducing the “human factor” in the inspection process. The result is reduced waste and streamlined setup workflows, all under the same global quality standards.

Leader in Digital Inspection & Press Control AVT also draws distinction as the unrivaled leader in advanced inspection and workflow solutions designed to meet the specific needs of digital printers. The company offers a variety of solutions tailored for short run print jobs and digital workflow: 100% inspection and workflow for HP label and packaging presses, 100% inspection for Label Inkjet presses, and close loop quality engine press control for digital inkjet, as explained below.

AVT also will showcase its close partnerships with many of the digital printing space’s most prominent leaders. For example, during DRUPA AVT will present four systems on HP Indigo presses. These include the debut of Apollo 30K, which was designed for the HP Indigo 30000 Folding Carton press and features a dedicated end-to-end solution for

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100% sheet inspection with various workflows supported, including single pack ejection for optimal quality and automation. Also presented are the Apollo 20K and Helios solutions for the HP Indigo 20000 flexible packaging press and HP Label press series.

These solutions offer 100% inspection with AVT’s ZeroSet setup feature for print and inline finishing.

The new Jet-IQ is the only proven closed loop solution for digital inkjet presses.

Installed on digital presses from Heidelberg, Landa and other prominent vendors, Jet-IQ is a quality engine that works in synergy with press controllers to maintain exemplary print quality, offering full connectivity to all steps and solutions of digital printing. Jet-IQ allows digital printers to gain a competitive advantage through enhanced print quality at high speeds, reduced press down time, and full reporting capabilities.

Proven Inline Color Measurement Solutions AVT also will introduce its SpectraLab II, a new generation of in-line spectral measurement for nearly any application, including transparent flexible, paper, cartons, etc.

SpectraLab II offers new compact design, advanced color workflow management and improved inline-to-offline measurement correlation. Based on the proven SpectraLab, with more than 30 packaging and label customers worldwide, and AVT’s Clarios, which is used on over 700 in-line color systems throughout the worldwide offset printing landscape, AVT’s color management prowess offers real-time, in-line spectral measurements like LAB, DeltaE and dot gain.

downstream from the production process, detecting any defects on press and eliminating them from the rolls at any finishing station.

Also on display will be AVT’s leading inspection solutions for sheet-fed applications such as folding cartons, metal packaging and corrugated. For the folding carton segment, AVT will feature a live demonstration of its new Apollo 30K for HP folding carton presses, while for the metal sector the company will present its Titan 100% inspection solution that brings proven results of waste reduction and higher quality standards. For the corrugated market, AVT leverages its strategic alliance with Erhard and Leimer (E+L) who will present a 100% inline inspection solution at its Drupa stand.

Finally, DRUPA affords AVT a forum to showcase its myriad partnerships with key market players – alliances that provide its customers a seamless bridge to production automation. AVT’s quality and process control solutions have been intimately integrated into the presses of many of the world’s most respected labeling and packaging equipment manufacturers.

Web & sheet-fed Packaging and label Inspection solutions Among the portfolio of AVT systems presented at DRUPA are the new Argus Turbo and Helios Turbo 100% Inspection platforms for label and packaging applications, offering a breakthrough in end to end quality automation and workflow management. With the new AVT Workflow Link for packaging applications, customers can now control quality

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The Labelling Interview In our final drupa interview Jules Lejeune, managing director of FINAT (the international association for the self-adhesive label industry) provides a point of view from the world of labelling.

TS JL

As we look ahead to drupa, what do you see as the most significant current trends and areas of technological advance in print from a labelling perspective?

A key trend remains the coming together of digital and analogue print technologies for label and packaging print. Enhancements like UV/EB curing, will make it possible for the label printer to embrace both short and long print runs and a wider portfolio of label formats, from self-adhesive and wet glue labels to wraparound, in-mould, shrink- and stretch-sleeve labels, and even flexible packaging.

The addition of QR codes and other devices, printed electronics and personalisation as part of label print is also expected to grow in 2016.

More than 20 per cent of the label converters in Europe are now offering more than just self-adhesive label solutions. Of all the non-self-adhesive markets, adoption rates among European converters remain highest in the sleeve sector. Western Europe is the globe’s second largest consumer of sleeve labels after Asia, and the region’s projected growth rates over the next five years for sleeves is estimated at two to three per cent per annum. One out of five converters are already active in printing of in-mould labels. While the technology only has an estimated two per cent share of the labelling market worldwide, in-mould continues to grow as new application opportunities open up in the food, beverage, personal care and nutraceutical sectors. The European in-mould market is projected to grow an estimated two to three per cent annually over the next five years. Other growth areas include the European stand-up pouch market which is forecast to grow at 5.5 to 6.5 per cent per annum over the next five years, more than twice the projected volume growth in the region’s flexible packaging sector as a whole.

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TS JL

What questions might FINAT members go to drupa hoping to answer?

What are the key future trends I should be aware of as I think about the future of my business? What should be my next investment? How do I improve my production performance, and in turn, my profitability? How can I work more closely with my customers? What markets should I look toward to win and build new business?

TS JL

In what ways are developments in print technology affecting the labelling industry?

FINAT’s RADAR report found that digital production represented 10.7 per cent of total aggregated sales revenues of all participants. This number is just slightly higher (1.5-2 per cent) than the conventional/digital breakdown of the region overall. Digital sales revenues averaged 17.7 per cent for the entire respondent group that indicated they have digital presses.

Some other key findings were: that the difference between planned digital technology investment in inkjet (54 per cent) & toner based technologies (46 per cent) is very small; more than 30 per cent of converters are planning investment in at least one press or other type of equipment; more than 50 per cent have planned digital press investments in inkjet; and more than 20 per cent of converters are already active in sleeves, flexible packaging or in-mould.

The report found that the global labelling sector continues to see a steady decline in average run lengths. FINAT’s most recent survey asked respondents to break down run

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Scheduled FINAT webinars: 12 May, 16.30 hrs CET – LCA Harmonised Guidance Document 7 July, 14.00 hrs CET – Brand certification - GMI 22 September, 14.00 hrs CET – Colour proofing/standardisation 20 October, 15.00 hrs CET – Succeeding with an excellent pitch, by Jacob Kiblböck (hosted by FINAT YMC) 24 November, 14.00 hrs CET – Succession Planning (hosted by FINAT YMC)

lengths per end-use vertical for both their conventional jobs, as well as their digital jobs (for companies that had digital presses). Conventional remained the clear leader in in the food and beverage sectors. It is also interesting to note that digital run lengths for eight out of 11 sectors fall within a range of 266 – 769 linear meters per job.

TS JL

What are the key developments in retail trends and regulatory affairs that are having an impact on labelling at the moment?

Label volumes will continue to increase in 2016 despite the growth of internet sales.

This is because a product’s primary label still represents the prime medium for establishing branding and the first contact with a potential customer. The move to shorter label print runs and just-in-time delivery will also continue while international health and safety legislation will make demands on the available space on a label. This will particularly be the case as far as food labels are concerned, encouraging the use of such options as multi-layer leaflet labels, linerless labels and clear film labels on clear container substrates (the ‘no-label’ look) where back print on the label is possible.

TS JL

How would you describe the market outlook for the European self-adhesive labelling industry?

In 2015, demand for self-adhesive label materials in 30 European countries reached 6.7 billion square meters (roll and sheet materials together). This was an increase of 5.4 per cent compared to the previous year (in 2014, year-on-year growth was 5.7 per cent).

When you look at specific demand over the last two decades, there has been a rapid emergence of high-end, filmic roll label applications as a vehicle for product decoration and identification applications. Non-paper roll label materials now account for more than 25 per cent of the total labelstock demand in Europe (back in 2000 this was only 15 per cent).

Paper roll demand over that same period more than doubled, with paper rolls still holding a solid 70 per cent share of total demand in 2015. This points to ongoing growth in filmic label being the result of acquisition of new business generated by product development and process innovations, and not a substitution.

Regionally, the emergence of eastern European markets as a significant factor is evident from the fact that these markets almost doubled their share in total European labelstock demand to 21 per cent in 2015. The top five countries in Europe (Germany, UK, Italy, France, Spain) still account for 60 per cent of the total label market volume in Europe.

TS

Not long after drupa, FINAT is staging its own event: the second European Label Forum (ELF) at the Moevenpick Hotel in Amsterdam from 16-18 June. Could you please tell me about the format and aims of the forum?

JL

The European Label Forum will kick off with futurologist Magnus Lindkvist will present an outlook of the disruptive trends that will ultimately impact the future for labels and packaging. The first morning will also feature smartphone interactivity via Buzzmaster when Rens de Jong, Business News Radio talk show host and moderator of the year in The Netherlands, will conduct interviews with key stakeholders.

The ELF programme will focus on value creation and innovation, and there will be interactive parallel workshops on the respective topics. The FINAT RADAR and labelstock

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market reports will be presented by FINAT’s MD Jules Lejeune, VskE’s correspondent Herbert Knott will summarise drupa 2016 developments. The transfer of knowledge and education all starts at the top. Business leaders will therefore be encouraged to compete in teams and test their knowledge at hand from the various Label Academy modules available during the so called ‘Label Masters Challenge’. To conclude, former Formula One racing executive Mark Gallagher will present an ‘outside in’ perspective of a winning and innovative future.

TS JL

Among the topics to be discussed at the Forum are the importance of value creation and of collaborative innovation. Could you expand on these ideas?

Value creation and innovation are two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, label printers are servicing mature, competitive markets and are facing the challenge to differentiate their existing product and solutions and avoid commoditization. On the other, the European Label Forum 2015 taught us that end-users are more and more open to work with their strategic labels and packaging suppliers on the joint development of new solutions.

To accommodate both aspects of healthy business development, FINAT is hosting two interactive parallel workshops that will enable participants to gain new insights, tools, tips and skills that will help them and their business to enhance profitability. We encourage business leaders to take advantage of this dual opportunity by bringing colleagues in charge of sales and marketing as well as product development.

TS JL

What are FINAT’s broader organisational priorities this year?

The newest FINAT project will look at best practices and legislation related to release liner recycling initiatives in the EU member states in order to better understand unique geographic and legal challenges and how these can be met. This report will be officially presented at the European Label Forum 2016.

Together with our American sister organization TLMI, FINAT has just released a harmonised LCA Guidance Document. More and more members of our respective organisations are facing questions from customers about the environmental impact of their products during their life cycle. Purpose of this document is to help our members to understand the principles and goals of LCA, get insight in the overall environmental impact of their products and the main ‘hot spots’, identify improvement opportunities, increase the innovative and operational performance of their organization etc.

There are a number of planned webinars, too, designed by the New Converting Technology taskforce in close cooperation with FINAT’s Young Managers Club, which offer Jules Lejeune, the latest updates on management, technolmanaging director of FINAT ogy and sustainability developments.

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Zünd Launches Ultra HighPerformance Cutting System N

owadays productivity increases are the driving force behind all growth in industrial manufacturing. For this reason, Zünd is making its efforts to further optimise efficiency and flexibility the central theme of the company’s exhibit at drupa.

Under the banner “Double your productivity...”, Zünd will be presenting a variety of highproductivity finishing solutions in Hall 9, booth C05.

The highlight of the Zünd exhibit will be a newly developed, ultra high-performance cutting system that takes productivity to an entirely new level. This revolutionary new cutter from Zünd is based on growing demand from packaging manufacturers and print service providers. It immediately doubles production throughput without any compromises in output quality. The new cutter features a variety of technological innovations as well as superb flexibility in handling the widest possible range of materials.

“With the new Zünd cutter, we increase the productivity and efficiency of our customers, thereby strengthening their business, which makes this a completely failsafe investment,” says Roman Hasler, product manager Packaging. Zünd is showing the new cutter in conjunction with the high-performance Board Handling System BHS for fully automated board loading and unloading. With this configuration, Drupa visitors will be able to see in action a cutting system at the ultimate level of automation and productivity.

The modular design of all Zünd cutting systems allows the user to be extremely responsive and flexible in reacting to customer demand. Another system on display at Drupa

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will be a Zünd S3 with automatic Sheet Feeder. A great example of a total automation production system, the S3 is equipped with QR-code capture capabilities for automatic file retrieval as well as a collaborative robot for automatic off-loading and stacking. By significantly increasing net throughput, this fully automated cutting system helps customers become more profitable and more competitive.

Having an intelligent digital production workflow is paramount to efficient, optimised production with the shortest-possible time to market. Zünd Cut Center - ZCC is a powerful yet user-friendly software suite that functions as virtual control centre for the entire digital finishing process. With such new features as a powerful nesting module and user-definable register marks, ZCC now offers even greater flexibility and ease of use.

“Our digital cutting solutions make up a significant portion of overall productivity increases; however, just as importantly, the trend towards automation involving different phases of production also demands seamless data flow. By combining the new Zünd ultra high-performance cutter with modular automation solutions and Zünd Cut Center – ZCC software, we can offer obvious added value to customers looking to make their production both more efficient and more profitable,” says Lars Bendixen, product manager Graphics.

Hall 9 / Stand C05 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67183

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Windmöller & Hölscher Premiers New Generation of Presses W

indmöller & Hölscher Group will present its comprehensive product portfolio on more than 1000 sqm in Düsseldorf. A new generation of flexo and gravure printing presses will be premiered at the event. “As is customary for W&H, we will unveil our newest technologies at drupa where visitors from all over the world can have a close-up view,” says Dr. Jürgen Vutz, Chairman of W&H. Live machine demonstrations will run several times daily.

At this year’s tradeshows, W&H will focus on the concept of Packaging 4.0, the com-

pany’s vision of Industry 4.0 applied to the production of packaging. “We will show how intelligent machines, integrated processes and intuitive handling are already increasing efficiency during production and bringing customers substantial added value,” adds Vutz.

In addition to the booth at drupa, W&H will simultaneously host an in-house Expo with further machine demonstrations in its new 3000 sqm technology centre in Lengerich.

Hall 15 / Stand A41 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66919

Dow and Nordmeccanica to Collaborate on New Technology TO

further accelerate the development of packaging innovation, The Dow Chemical Company has signed a global innovation and business development agreement with Nordmeccanica SpA, a worldwide leader in coating laminating and metallising machinery. Both companies see enormous potential to advance solutions for the flexible packaging industry by combining adhesive development with machine pioneering that target new technologies for faster commercialisation to market.

Dow and Nordmeccanica will both be exhibiting at drupa 2016 in order to introduce the first significant innovation milestone resulting from this strategic collaboration.

New developments can be expected from the joint collaboration with Dow and Nordmeccanica through Dow’s Pack Studios in Mozzate, Italy. Customised to address the needs of Dow’s adhesives customers, this innovation and technology training centre offers a huge collaboration space and hosts an industry-scale Nordmeccanica Super Combi 3000 laminator line. This state-of-the-art equipment allows international customers to test, prototype and bring forward innovation in packaging lamination without interrupting their own commercial production. The collaboration agreement between Dow and Nordmeccanica will also enable similar capabilities at additional Pack Studios across the globe.

Pack Studios provide customers an opportunity to leverage Dow’s expertise, broad product portfolio, and product and application testing capabilities to accelerate the development of innovative solutions. Pack Studios also connect customers with Dow’s global

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network of capabilities, and enable collaboration across the value chain - including resins, lamination, packaging design, converting, and prototyping.

Aiming at faster commercialisation of new adhesive solutions, Dow and Nordmeccanica are working on joint projects in order to bring several new technologies to market in 2016.

“This formal development agreement reflects another milestone in Dow’s strong commitment to the adhesives industry, coupled with the strong participation in the flexible packaging market through our polyethylene and specialty resin offerings,” states Greg Bunker, Dow’s global business director for Adhesives for Packaging, Textiles and Hygiene. “It truly builds on Dow’s tradition of collaboration across the industry to accelerate innovation to market, taking advantage of Dow’s back integration in polyurethane, acrylics and polyethylene.”

“Nordmeccanica truly believes in the power of these two companies to drive innovation,” Vincenzo Cerciello, Technical Manager Nordmeccanica Group, adds. “Technology these days is in fact so advanced that innovation is the result of the combined efforts of multiple players. With this strong collaboration we will continue to fuel the growth of the flexible packaging industry that touches almost everyone’s life on the planet. This industry is also one of the most significant to drive sustainable packaging development, with the most efficient material usage, as well as reducing food waste along the global food supply chain.”

Hall 15 / Stand A29 (Dow) and B52 (Nordmeccanica) Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67042

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Global Trends Report 2016 W

ith just days to go before drupa 2016 opens, the results of the 3rd drupa Global Trends report have been published. The report finds that although recovery from the financial crisis in 2008 is incomplete and uneven, printers everywhere are increasingly optimistic about their prospects throughout 2016, despite tightening margins and falling prices. This is influencing their plans for investment in production equipment. The three reports have drawn on a global panel of about 750 printers to survey the state of the printing industry and expectations about its future over the three years leading up to drupa 2016.

Sabine Geldermann, director drupa, Messe Düsseldorf, said: “This year’s drupa is a showcase for the latest developments in the global printing industry. By commissioning the series of drupa Global Trends reports, we are able to put these new developments into the context of the state of the industry as a whole. Anyone visiting drupa this year will find the reports make an invaluable backgrounder.”

The research and writing of the reports were handled by Richard Gray and Neil Falconer of the specialist consultancy and market research company Print Future. “The previous report in 2015 was upbeat in general, globally,” says Richard Gray. “In 2016 the picture is patchier, with some regions thriving, such as North America, others are struggling, including some of the developing regions. Similarly whilst packaging and functional markets are in general doing well, those in the commercial market are more challenged and those in the publishing market particularly so.”

In each report the responses of printers have been gathered and averaged to produce a barometer of economic confidence. Some 37 per cent of the global panel of printers described their current condition in 2015 as good, although a significant 12 per cent said their condition was poor, giving a positive net balance of 25 per cent. Looking ahead, printers were in general more positive with 50 per cent expecting their economic condition to improve in 2016 compared with just six per cent expecting it to deteriorate – a positive balance of 44 per cent.

Taken by region, everywhere is more optimistic for 2016 than 2015, but the biggest increases in positive feelings are in Africa, Australia/Oceania, Middle East and Asia. Taken by sector, all the 2016 forecasts are more optimistic on balance, with commercial and functional (sometimes called industrial) printing showing the greatest increase compared to 2015.

Digital prospects Looking at some 14 common print processes, the report found that, as might be expected, digital technologies are growing fastest (on average by 28 per cent per annum), but that sheet fed offset lithography is also seeing significant growth, particularly in publishing (net positive growth of 7 per cent) and packaging (+12 per cent). Flexography is also doing very

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well in packaging (+18 per cent), and gravure is also seeing a modest but definite growth (+3 per cent) in this sector. Functional printing is a growth area for screen printing (+11 per cent), though digital is very important here too.

While the bulk of turnover still comes from conventional print, there is a steady increase in the volume and value of digital print, with the exception of packaging where only 13 per cent reported that it represents more than 25 per cent of turnover, compared to 35 per cent for commercial, 24 per cent for publishing and 59 per cent for functional. The ability of digital to print variable content is important, with 59 per cent of functional printers and 35 per cent of commercial printers reporting that more than 25 per cent of their digital turnover was variable.

Web to print seems to have stalled, with only a percentage point of growth from 2014 (25 per cent of printers had it) to 2015 (26 per cent). Only North America as a region and Functional print as a sector saw significant increases in volumes going through web to print.

Limits to growth Both printers and suppliers cited strong competition as the biggest constraint to growth, with lack of sales being almost as large a factor. When asked the reason, the largest factor (58 per cent) was finding new customers, with finding good sales staff second at 35 per cent. About 32 per cent blamed lack of demand for conventional print, but only 10 per cent said the same for digital.

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BOBST Leads Innovation B

OBST will use drupa 2016 to showcase innovation solutions that will drive customer productivity higher, open up new capabilities and protect customers’ global investments.

Jean-Pascal Bobst, CEO of BOBST, said, “2016 will be a milestone year for BOBST as we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the formation of our company. This drupa will see us clearly demonstrate that we are going forward with the same dynamism and commitment that first won us our reputation in the industry. The Group continues to expand technologies and services to continuously improve its performance supporting our increasing customer base in their variety of applications. We will unveil innovations that will address the needs of brands and their suppliers for maximum efficiency, reduced time to market and optimised printing processes. Our Services offering will continue to expand and new customer features will be unveiled covering the entire product portfolio.”

BOBST delivers technology to the industry that is based on its extensive in-house ‘savoir-faire’ and on continuous polling of both its customers and brand owners about the challenges facing them. As a result, BOBST leads the way in innovation, leveraging state-of-the-art technologies to deliver the solutions that the industry needs, in both the conventional and digital arenas.

Among the highlights that BOBST will present at drupa 2016 will be the world premiere of a brand new MASTERCUT 106 PER. This new model will be the most productive die-cutter ever available to the industry, thanks to a range of ground-breaking innovations that will set new standards in die-cutting. A new MASTERFOIL 106 PR hot-foil stamping press that incorporates FOIL UNWINDER+, a system which delivers up to 30% more press productivity and a reduction of up to 50% in foil use. A new folder-gluer to be launched at the show, along with the new MASTERCUT and new MASTERFOIL, feature increased automation, shorter set-up times, lower running costs, easier use, and will allow packaging manufacturers to realise ‘zero fault’ production.

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A brand new version of the M6 UV flexo press, configured with folding carton production in mind, which will challenge offset printed carton production by offering job changeovers in under a minute - thanks to Digital FlexoTM technology; high running speeds; and high-speed in-line sheeting. Cartons produced on the line can then be converted using the BOBST die-cutting and folding & gluing equipment available to most carton makers.

The seven-colour M6 offers what no other press in the market can – the cost benefits of purchasing board on reels, allied to the production benefits of the no-water, no-solvent, fast changeover UV Digital FlexoTM process.

Innovative and effective alternatives to offset printing for the production of folding cartons and flexible packaging. Using new low migration UV curable inks and Digital FlexoTM automation, BOBST will show solutions that offer comparable set-up times to digital, allied to the highest productivity.

Extended colour gamut (ECG) printing, using four or seven fixed colours, on new ECG optimised presses, taking full advantage of substantial developments in ECG printing technology.

New CI flexo, in-line flexo, gravure and new digital printing presses; laminators; coaters; and metallisers, many featuring digital automation technologies for easy, repeatable and reliable operation in a digital printing and converting workflow.

New tooling software for the production of high-performance die-cutting formers, using BOBST branded precision die-board wood, ejection rubber and rules.

Enhancements to BOBST maintenance and helpline services, and a new generation Pick&Pay solution which will increase operator safety and reduce machine downtime by making first emergency and wear parts available on the machine.

Presentations by a specialised team of the breakthrough high-output Digital Printing Press for corrugated board and Digital Printing Press for folding carton, paper and film.

Hall 10 / Stand A60 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66976

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Xeikon Launches Flatbed Die-Cut Unit X

eikon, an innovator in digital colour printing technology, will unveil its newly developed Flatbed die-cut unit, the Xeikon FDU at drupa 2016. Developed to aid efficient end-to-end printing and converting for folding carton printers, the Flatbed Die-cut Unit is ideal for nearline finishing of digital work but can also accommodate offset litho runs.

Jeroen Van Bauwel, Xeikon product management director, comments, “Our Flatbed Diecut Unit was designed specifically for Xeikon technology, although it can also be used for materials printed using conventional printing methods. The Xeikon FDU enables converters to rapidly finish quick turnaround jobs in a cost effective way. This approach streamlines throughput, eliminates bottlenecks, improves production flexibility and increases overall plant capacity. Sheets are accurately and automatically registered for precise cutting and creasing without the need for time-consuming set-ups.

Van Bauwel continues: “There was a real gap in the market for an easy, affordable and fast-set-up solution to handle the growing volume of short run, fast turnaround jobs. A key benefit of the used technology is its ability to support smaller dies and counter plates

for a more cost effective production. The fact that no nicks are needed between cartons is a valuable proposition for pharma and cosmetic boxes. It is also capable of embossing, which allows printers to offer value added services, including Braille.”

This 2000-sheet-per-hour flatbed system handles sheet sizes from 400 x 400mm (15.7”x 15.7”) up to 530 x 1000mm (20,9”x 39,4”) and a maximum die cut size of 490 x 700mm (19.2 x 27.6”). Substrate thickness can range from 160 to 890 micron for paper and carton board and also microflute corrugated board can be finished, making it ideal for completing offset as well as digital runs.

Van Bauwel concludes: “The Xeikon FDU completes our Folding Carton Suite. Bringing this product to market illustrates our continued investments in technologies that focus on meeting the needs of our customers. Visitors to our stand at drupa will see first-hand how the Flatbed Die-cut Unit can benefit their businesses at a compelling price point that is unmatched in the industry.”

Hall 08a / stand B20 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67198

Touchpoint Packaging O

ne of the key highlight topics at drupa 2016 will be packaging production. Papers with outstanding sensory appeal combined with excellent finishing techniques turn packaging into first class advertising media. Electronic displays and sensors make packaging intelligent; digital printing permits personalisation and versioning. As a result, according to current forecasts the packaging market will increase to 975 billion euros by 2018. A separate special show, Touchpoint Packaging, reflects this market relevance. “Our aim is to use the visionary Touchpoint to identify potential in packaging design and production and address important vertical markets”, says Sabine Geldermann, director of drupa, highlighting the idea behind this part of the show. Touchpoint Packaging is aimed at brands, packaging designers and service providers already operating in the packaging sector or who want to enter the sector.

This special forum in Hall 12 is being designed and implemented in close collaboration with the European Packaging Design Association (epda), Europe’s leading association of brands and packaging agencies. “We will be covering the whole spectrum of the

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packaging world: technical/functional requirements, cultural and ethical considerations, cost-effectiveness and efficiency, the wide range of substrates through to the technologies used”, explains Claudia Josephs, Project Manager at epda. To be in a position to fulfil the special needs of the various user industries better, Touchpoint Packaging is divided into four “future labs” – specifically into “food & beverage”, “non-food”, “pharma” and “cosmetics”. Successful practical examples as well as potential future production solutions will inspire visitors and leave a long-lasting impression. A special programme in the Forum itself will cover very specific topics.

The Touchpoint Packaging gives companies from the packaging design and production sector the opportunity to present their innovative technologies, inspiring solutions and visionary concepts. This offering is free of charge for drupa exhibitors. As the number of partners is very limited, immediate registration via epda is required.

Hall 12

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HP Unveils Industry’s Most Productive Label Press A mong the vast array of solutions on display in HP’s Hall 17 exhibit will be the newly launched HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press, the industry’s most productive digital narrow web press, offering end-to-end label production at double the speed previously available. Meanwhile, HP has also announced upgrades for the HP Indigo 20000 and 30000 Digital Presses as well as new ink and substrate options, offering converters and brands unmatched application possibilities at faster speeds.

“Leading brands are increasingly leveraging HP Indigo labels and packaging solutions to engage with consumers in targeted, meaningful and measurable ways,” said Alon Bar Shany, general manager, Indigo division, HP. “With today’s announcement, converters are uniquely positioned to redefine labels and packaging standards with greater productivity, versatility and turnaround times for a wide range of applications.”

Setting a new productivity benchmark in digital narrow web printing, the HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press offers high-volume converters end-to-end label production at doubled speeds up to 80 meters per minute or 262 feet per minute. Working in-line or off-line with an ABG FAST Track semi-rotary die cut unit, the press provides an efficient all-digital workflow as well as real-time quality assurance, using AVT inspection technology.

The HP Indigo 8000, WS6800 and 20000 Digital Presses support HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White, a versatile new ink that helps converters deliver a wider range of opacity levels. Additionally, the HP Indigo 8000, WS6800 and 20000 Digital Presses feature a new colour automation package that perfects colour accuracy, consistency and repeatability, enabling converters to reach any brand colour in minutes.

The HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press now features an upgrade package that enables: compatibility with new substrates, such as polyethylene and stretchable materials, for a wider range of high-volume flexible packaging, shrink sleeve, and in-mould and pressuresensitive label applications, including lids and laminated tubes; new colour capabilities, allowing advanced colour matching and colour consistency across jobs, presses and sites; faster turnarounds than previously possible with HP Indigo Pack Ready Lamination, which

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eliminates cure time, enabling immediate time to market; and support for the new HP Indigo ElectroInk Premium White in high-concentration 20-kilogram ink pails for industrialscale productivity.

Additionally, optimised converting solutions from Comexi, AB Graphics, Karville and other partners provide faster near-line and in-line finishing as well as reduced waste and shorter setup times.

The HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press upgrade package increases productivity up to 30 percent and enables dozens of folding carton jobs per day.(3) The press allows new highmargin opportunities with synthetic media as well as metallised boards, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate materials. The HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press also provides new and improved security features, such as micro text and barcodes.

Designed especially for in-line finishing with the HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press, the TRESU iCoat 30000 now offers protective and spot varnish in one pass as well as new embellishment capabilities with gold, silver and other high-viscosity flexo inks. The HP Indigo 30000 Digital Press is also compatible with HP partner converting solutions for inspection, creasing, folding and gluing. Integration with AVT’s inline inspection system ensures error-free production, automatically ejecting defective sheets.

The HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press and the HP Indigo WS6800, 20000 and 30000 Digital Press upgrades will be commercially available in 2016. All HP Indigo digital presses offer HP PrintOS connectivity, allowing customers to monitor print status remotely as well as track and improve production performance over time. HP PrintOS is expected to be available for customers on May 31, 2016.

Since drupa 2012, HP customers have more than doubled HP Indigo WS6000 series Digital Press installations to 1,000+ units and have installed more than 80 HP Indigo 20000 and 30000 Digital Presses.

Hall 17 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67216

Stora Enso: What a Tree Can Do R

enewable materials specialist Stora Enso’s stand will provide a wide display of paper, consumer board, and re-board offerings as well as eye-opening digital experiences on ‘what a tree can do’, now and in the future.

Hall 1 is the most visited location of the fair and dedicated to the printing machine provider Heidelberg and its expert partners. There will also be presentations running in the auditorium daily, with a number of topical speeches by Stora Enso’s experts. “The joint appearance is all about innovation. We demonstrate how we bring our respective core competencies together and integrate into solutions for our customers. Stora Enso will be displaying a wide array of paper and board solutions, ranging from sustainable paper making to innovative print and packaging designs. The Stora Enso papers and boards will be running on several printing presses in the hall as well as on other machines at drupa,” says Katariina Tanner, VP marketing, Division Paper.

“Year 2016 is an especially exciting year in the consumer board business. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of our Performa and CKB product brands. We will also be starting up a new, state-of-the-art board machine in Beihai, China. And we will have a number of new and unique packaging innovations from our Recreate Packaging design contest to display at our stand at drupa. It will be a great exhibition with lots of innovations based on renewable materials,” says Jonas Pettersson, VP product management & marketing, Stora Enso Carton Board.

Hall 1 / Stand B04 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67431

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Xaar to Exhibit Major New Technology Platform X aar, the leader in industrial inkjet technology, will present its range of premium inkjet printheads and products, announce a number of exciting new developments and launch a new Thin Film silicon MEMS technology platform at drupa.

Xaar’s printheads are at the heart of a vast number of industrial inkjet print systems around the world delivering both production efficiencies and increased manufacturing capabilities only possible using inkjet technology. A broad base of manufacturers operating in ceramic tile manufacture, packaging and label printing, direct-to-shape decoration, graphics production and additive manufacturing rely upon Xaar’s bulk piezo technology.

At drupa Xaar will highlight the Xaar Print Bar System, the Xaar 501 printhead, the new Xaar 1003 printhead (launched March 2016) and more.

The Xaar 1003 family of printheads, which incorporates Xaar’s unrivalled TF Technology®, is the latest generation of the trusted Xaar 100x series of printheads. It sets a new benchmark for industrial inkjet printing and achieves the longest maintenance-free production runs in the industry. With its all-round superior performance, high productivity and versatility, the new Xaar 1003 builds

on the market-leading Xaar 1002 and its predecessor, the original and groundbreaking Xaar 1001.

The Xaar Print Bar System adds single-pass inkjet capability to analogue web presses.

Launched at Labelexpo last year, the Xaar Print Bar System allows users to take advantage of the benefits of digital printing easily and economically to deliver more creativity to their customers. This is a versatile, easy-to-configure solution ideal for personalised, variable data, special effects and short-run printing for a range of applications, including labels and packaging, and saves the considerable cost and time associated with analogue production methods.

The feature-rich Xaar 501 printhead delivers excellent reliability, high production up-time and exceptional print quality. It incorporates the unique PrecisionPlus architecture which optimises the printhead actuator performance to give more uniform drop formation across the print swathe and, therefore, exceptional print quality. For added reliability, particularly key for harsh environments, users can benefit from Xaar’s TF Technology®.

Hall 6 / Stand C05 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67285

Kodak Brings ‘Science to Create’ K

odak will be featuring a series of new products on its stand at drupa.

With a broad range of new developments and enhancements, Kodak continues to drive the evolution of the graphic arts industry.

Building upon its record of introducing important technology innovations at drupa, Kodak will this year announce a new process free plate. With demand for its process free KODAK SONORA Plates growing to over 3000 customers, Kodak’s latest addition to the SONORA Plate portfolio is designed to meet the rigorous demands of UV print applications.

At drupa 2016 Kodak will also showcase its KODAK AQUA-IMAGE Pressroom Chemicals range to help printers reduce variability and improve performance in the pressroom, and KODAK ELECTRA MAX Thermal Plates and KODAK LIBRA VP Digital Plates for commercial and newspaper printers.

Debuting at drupa 2016 will be the new KODAK FLEXCEL NX System ’16, which builds on Kodak’s award-winning NX Advantage technology. Brand new system features include NX tags for the application of multiple patterns on a single plate layout, and Advanced Edge Definition, a Kodak patented technology that controls ink flow at the edge of objects, resulting in cleaner print and greater visual edge definition.

Kodak’s stand will feature a KODAK ULTRA NX Experience room to showcase environmentally-conscious plate technology. The company will also launch its next generation inkjet technology platform, KODAK ULTRASTREAM Inkjet Technology.

Built on the company’s continuous inkjet Stream technology, ULTRASTREAM will

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move production inkjet into the mainstream of commercial printing and packaging.

On display on the Kodak stand, visitors will also see: live demonstrations of the KODAK PROSPER 6000C Press with inline finishing, Kodak’s Extended Gamut + Varnish (XGV) technology demonstration for flexible films produced on narrow-web, and This is Inkjet! Loft, an apartment decorated with Kodak Stream digitally printed products including laminate flooring, countertops, furniture, wallpaper, napkins and water bottles.

Additionally, Kodak will be presenting: the new KODAK NEXPRESS ZX3900 Digital Production Color Press, an enhanced version of the KODAK NEXPRESS SX Platform, KODAK NEXPRESS White Dry Ink for NEXPRESS devices for the Fifth Imaging Unit, and the new Multi-Cassette Unit, Single Cassette Unit and In-Line Punch System for the KODAK TRENDSETTER and KODAK ACHIEVE Platesetters to deliver better functionality and performance to drive efficiency, but with a compact footprint.

“Kodak is at the forefront of the print, packaging and publishing industries,” said Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke. “Our products deliver what printers want today and need tomorrow with new technologies and enhancements to help printers strengthen their businesses and streamline their printing processes. drupa provides a global platform to share our expertise with industry leaders and printers, and we look forward to meeting many of them at this year’s show.”

Hall 5 / Stand F09 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/66835

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KBA-Flexotecnica to Showcase Hybrid Web Press K

BA-Flexotecnica, a member of the Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA), will be showcasing the new CI flexo NEO XD LR HYBRID on the KBA stand measuring 3000m². It is engineered for printing with solvent and water-based inks as well as curing ink systems, such as UV-LED and EB. With up to twelve colours, a cut-off from 400 to 1200mm, a maximum web width of 1650mm and a maximum printing speed of up to 500m/min, in terms of automation and operation this extremely innovative press meets various production demands in flexible packaging.

The next flexo evolution developed by KBA-Flexotecnica embodies the essence of strategic principles which were synonymous with the latest new generation of the “X” EVO XD and EVO XG series from KBA-Flexotecnica, such as the application of innovative solutions aimed at assuring added productivity even with the shortest of print runs, excellent print quality and the eco-friendliness of the converting process.

According to KBA-Flexotecnica the NEO XD LR is the first fully hybrid machine featuring the unique possibility of using different flexo printing technologies ranging from solvent or water-based inks, UV-LED or EB inks, either as single printing process, or as a multi-process combination; on the main central drum printing group as well as on inline downstream units. And all this on a wide range of substrates ranging from flexible film to paper and board offering flexo printers utmost flexibility and availability.

Cutting-edge technical solutions have been applied to the NEO XD. These include a new ultra-stiff printing unit designed to minimize the effects of vibration and plate bounce in the most severe printing conditions ensuring an excellent print quality at maximum speed.

During the EVO XG’s development phase, the focus was on safety which was addressed by new wrap-up safety covers with protective glass doors ensuring maximum operator health and safety. A new level of press ergonomics, which makes anilox and plate sleeves change faster and easier even in the case of large web widths and repeat sizes, guarantees efficient and economic production.

A newly designed system for easy extraction of the inter-colour dryers and a new access door on the top of the central drum printing group frame, together with the renowned PIPELESS doctor chamber design that removes all ink piping and related adjustment parts from the operating area, make maintenance easier and faster.

Considered as a model of efficiency among flexo presses, the NEO XD is equipped with a number of new integrated electronic solutions carefully selected to make the machine’s automation and control systems more effective and easier to use. Latest generation touchscreen panels serving as a user-machine interface for data and operation are an effective response to printers’ increasing demands for easier interaction with the machine’s control system.

A revised ESP (energy saving package) including latest generation electric and electronic components, the improved ventilation system with a redesigned air recirculation

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network and a new washing system with integrated cutting-edge viscosity control ensure maximum process performance with the lowest energy consumption delivering the highest level of environmental friendliness. Moreover, the NEO XD LR is equipped with an array of novel integrated solutions aimed at minimising waste during start-up and production.

Following a growth in sales of almost 20% last year, KBA-Flexotecnica aims to strengthen its prestigious position among the world’s leading manufacturers of high-tech and high-performance flexo presses in the mid to high-end market segments. It aims to do this with the proven productivity, efficiency and reputation of its high-quality presses as well as with the KBA Group’s global sales and service network.

With the new NEO XD LR HYBRID, KBA-Flexotecnica demonstrates its commitment to developing cutting-edge, ergonomic and flexible solutions for the market as well as meeting the growing pressures for efficient and cost effective production with the lowest environmental impact. KBA-Flexotecnica looks forward to greeting visitors at this year’s Drupa in hall 16. Packaging printing with various technologies and processes will play a central role on the KBA stand at the trade show.

Hall 16 / stand C47-1 Visit: www.packagingeurope.com/News/67283

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DATALASE: INLINE WITH CONSUMERS, INLINE WITH BRANDS Digital printing is evolving quickly as the packaging industry looks to deliver ever-shorter print runs economically in order to maximise consumer engagement through customisation and personalisation.

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ccording to The Future of Digital Print for Packaging to 2018 report by Smithers Pira, the most dynamic area for change in digital printing will be within packaging. Worth an estimated $7.3 billion in 2013, the digital print for packaging market is forecast to grow to $15.3 billion by 2018 with cartons, rigids, flexibles, metal and corrugated sectors increasingly moving towards the digital printing option.

DataLase is leading a revolution in the advancement of digital printing with its inline technology as requirements for higher value digital production grows.

Mark Naples, DataLase vice president of business development Europe and Asia, says: “Brands are increasingly seeking smaller print runs and looking to add more engaging and customised graphics to their packaging so that they can appeal to consumers in more innovative ways, subtly enhancing brand transparency and confidence.

“Furthermore, consumers today have higher expectations of product packaging.

They are much more open to being engaged and targeted by brands; indeed, customisation and personalisation of product packaging forms part of the purchasing and product experience.”

According to Mintel, brands will look to use digital printing to engage customers on an emotional and personal level, taking it beyond limited editions and into mainstream packaging.

DataLase is a global leader in inline digital printing technology. At its core is laser reactive, colour change pigment technology which is supplied to ink manufacturers and suppliers around the world. The pigments are incorporated into finished coatings and inks, which are supplied to printer converters, and then they apply the laser reactive ink to a substrate, using conventional print methods, before sending the coated substrate to the end user packer filler for inline digital printing.

Mr Naples says: “The most important element of this process is that the printer converters use their existing flexo, gravure or lithographic assets in order to make a substrate or a product work with DataLase inline digital printing technology. The printer converter does not need to invest in new printing equipment or digital printing equipment in order to make and offer these solutions to end users. We’re utilising existing supply chain assets that have been paid for, that the company has experience in using and they can really optimise to get the best out of the system.

“By using a laser, it means that it is an inkless technology at the point of printing that results in a high resolution, permanent and irreversible image or graphic. By installing inline digital printing, consumables are eliminated from the production line environment, operational efficiency and equipment effectiveness is boosted significantly and there is no ink or mess – exactly what the industry wants.”

Inline digital printing enables faster printing and higher throughput rates which makes it an ideal, economically viable solution for short notice requirement changes and late stage customisation. Label designs can be changed rapidly with DataLase inline digital printing in comparison to flexo or offset printing. Lines can run at two metres per second which equates to more than 100,000 products per hour and each product or label can | 94 | Packaging Europe

be unique in its design whether that is the language, promotional codes, expiry dates or tailored marketing messages.

Furthermore, printing on demand means less waste, ensuring that new packaging, graphic designs or changes in ingredients do not result in redundant stock.

“Without the operational and production benefits associated with inline digital printing, late stage, mass customisation and personalisation isn’t cost-effective,” adds Mr Naples.

Increasingly, brands want to tailor their packaging according to seasonal changes, regional demands and events so that their product stands out on the shelf from others.

Mr Naples says: “We have carried out a great deal of market research into finding the ideal target window of opportunity for digital printing to ensure it achieves the maximum relevance to the consumer with the highest value to the brand owner.

“We believe that this timeframe is within 24 to 48 hours of any event occurring. To really unlock the potential of digital printing, then whenever an event happens, brands should aim to have product on the shelf in the shortest time possible, ideally within 24-48 hours of the event happening.

“An example might be a world football tournament or the Olympics. Both are time specific events and if brands want to respond to specific circumstances, such as “Bolt wins gold”, that can be designed on to a pack for a particular country, such as Jamaica, literally in the moment. Inline digital printing enables brands to take this even further - branding a product towards those who won silver and bronze too without inheriting excessive costs or production inefficiencies.”

Mr Naples adds: “Brands are now able to tap into human emotions and feelings by developing new marketing initiatives and campaigns that haven’t even been considered before because the technology hasn’t been there. DataLase is now bringing the capability and technology to the industry. We are able to meet the production line demands of today and tomorrow.”

Mark Naples, DataLase vice president of business development Europe and Asia

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DATALASE WINS GOLD AT EFIA PRINT AWARDS The leader in inline digital printing, DataLase, won the gold award in the outstanding technical innovation category at the prestigious European Flexographic Industry Association (EFIA) annual print awards, which were held at The Vox, Resorts World in Birmingham.

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ataLase claimed the top prize in the outstanding technical innovation category for its inline digital printing solution for secondary packaging, which revolutionises the way packaging and products are printed.

The judging panel, made up of industry representatives from a cross section of printers, suppliers, brand owners and retailers, complimented DataLase for delivering new market standards in digital print solutions that improve productivity and provide consistency and repeatability whilst offering sustainability, which can be incorporated into flexographic assets.

CEO of DataLase, Dr. Chris Wyres, said: “We are proud of our EFIA award win and the recognition for delivering another industry changing solution. DataLase is leading the way in developing truly innovative technology for the print and packaging industry and will continue to work closely with it’s global strategic partner network to deliver inline | 96 | Packaging Europe

digital printing solutions that will change the way brands print products and packaging and interact with consumers”.

DataLase technology uses patented laser reactive pigments that are incorporated into a coating which is conventionally printed on to a product or package, without the need for any additional printing equipment to be purchased by the printer converter. When exposed to a low power CO2 or NIR laser, inline at the point of manufacturing, packing or filling, a colour change reaction is generated resulting in a high definition, premium quality digital print.

The DataLase solution enables high-speed, fast turnaround printing, which is ideal for late-stage customisation and real time marketing, maximising relevance to the consumer and value to the brand owner.

DataLase has offices in the UK, Japan and USA, with exclusive distribution in Asia by SpeciaLase Ltd., based in Tokyo.

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DATALASE ASIA PARTNERSHIP GATHERS MOMENTUM SpeciaLase, a unique partnership between DataLase Ltd., the U.K headquartered market leader in inline digital printing, and SATO Corporation, a leading provider of Auto-ID solutions, is cementing its future in the Asia-Pacific region with the forging of new business relationships.

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ataLase and SATO joined forces back in October 2015 and launched SpeciaLase to introduce the groundbreaking inline digital printing technology to Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

Since then, SpeciaLase has made several appointments within its sales and technical teams to help secure and grow its position in the market. Discussions with potential partners and customers, including corrugated box manufacturers and those in the foodservice sector, have been taking place with above expectation results Hisashi Asai, president of SpeciaLase, said: “During the last four months, SpeciaLase has been focused on developing new business partnerships with laser suppliers and ink manufacturers in the region with the aim of expanding sales of our revolutionary IDP solutions. We are proud of our new partnerships and what they will soon bring to the Asia-Pacific market.”

DataLase inline digital printing technology offers a high-quality, cost effective alternative to other digital printing solutions and can be used for the printing of barcodes, variable information, images or graphics. Patented laser reactive pigments are incorporated into an ink or coating and conventionally printed onto a product or package without the | 98 | Packaging Europe

need for any additional printing equipment to be purchased by the printer converter.

When exposed to a low power CO2 or NIR diode array laser at the point of packing or filling, a colour change reaction is generated resulting in a high definition, premium quality digital print.

The DataLase solution enables high-speed, fast turnaround printing, which is ideal for inline customised print and real time marketing maximising brand owner and consumer value. In addition, the system is inkless at the point of printing, thus removing the need for consumables in production environments at the point of packing and filling.

In the short term, SpeciaLase will concentrate on direct marking and labelling solutions across a range of markets and applications including pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and fast moving consumer goods.

Mark Naples, VP business development Europe and APAC at DataLase, added: “Our strategic partnership highlights the belief that SATO has in our technology and how we will work together to deliver world-class solutions. SpeciaLase will allow us to deliver revolutionary inline digital printing solutions to the Asia-Pacific region, resulting in greater value to customers.”

TAILOR MADE SOLUTIONS AT INDUSTRIAL LEVEL FOR SINGLE PASS DIGITAL PRINTING As a family owned company, Spain-based Barberán offers solutions to the furniture, construction and decoration industries, and more recently to the packaging industry. Export manager Dennis Van Ijzerloo talks about the company’s impressive product portfolio and its upcoming appearance at Drupa in Düsseldorf in Germany.

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arberán was established in 1929. Since then, the company has continually delivered the best solutions in the furniture industry of coating, printing, drying, profile wrapping, laminating, post-forming, profile sanding machinery as well as a wide range of complementary machines. Office and facilities cover an area of 27,000m², and are located in Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain; a convenient location for exporting products worldwide thanks to its proximity to the port and airport of Barcelona.

Barberán has been a reliable supplier of industrial digital printing solutions to the wood & PVC industries since 2007 and entered into the corrugated industry in 2011 with clients like Hinojosa, Smurfit Kappa, Bennett Packaging and Abbe Corrugated.

“We develop tailor-made solutions for finishing all kinds of surfaces, and production lines that are really efficient and profitable for customers around the world. We export more than 90 per cent of our production and our machines operate in thousands of factories in the five continents. Our machines are specially prepared for high performance

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factories with continuous production. Barberán represents an insurance for reliability, quality and profitability,” Mr Van Ijzerloo is proud to report.

He points out several milestones in the company’s long and successful history: “In 1972 we manufactured our first gravure printer for the furniture industry and since then our engineers have been involved in the design and development of new technology adapted to the real needs of our customers: high printing solutions and reduction of manufacturing costs. In 2007 we launched our first Single Pass digital printer and in 2011 we received the Best Industrial Printing Solution Award from European Digital Press and in 2013, the Best Innovation Golden Award from FEFCO.”

USPs Barberán boasts a deep knowledge of substrates and how to prepare them to reach the highest resolution and highest efficient printing with less ink consumption.

“This, combined with the industrial production speed of our printers, makes our machines very effective compared to existing digital printers and other existing technologies such as litho label or flexographic printing,” Mr Van Ijzerloo points out.

Barberán has been supplying digital printing solutions since 2007 and has made a name for itself in the European marketplace. The company specializes in sheet fed single pass printing technology up to a maximum size of 1890mm printing width and in roll to roll printers for the printing of paper and PVC foils up to 350mm in width.

Presenting solutions at drupa Barberán will participate for the first time in the next edition of the drupa exhibition in Düsseldorf in Germany from May 31st to June 10th, 2016, in Hall 9 at stand D26, showcasing high quality printing at industrial speed for corrugated sheets,

coroplast and SBS. At the show, the company will display a working production line using corrugated sheets.

“Our goal is to get in contact with new clients from around the world and to be able to show them the high quality print and speed of our machines, offering a speed of 60 m/min with single pass printing technology and DOD print heads compared to the slower multi pass flatbed printers,” Mr Van Ijzerloo adds.

“The drupa show will enable us to reach a much wider audience around the world and in different market segments, showing the possibilities of our machines.”

Customers are looking for speed and quality, and he is confident that Barberán’s machines can deliver both and are among the first to be able to do so in the corrugated industry. “Our aim is to establish our name in the market as a supplier of complete integrated industrial solutions.”

Visit: www.barberan.com

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The right surface for every application: A particular strength of Habasit is the very flexible fabrication of the timing belts.

Extra-wide timing belts CeMAT 2016: Habasit presents new timing belts for driving and conveying.

Habasit will be presenting its extensive line of drive belts as well as conveyor and processing belts for intralogistics and power transmission engineering at CeMAT 2016 from 31 May to 3 June at Hannover Exhibition Grounds. One focus of the trade fair is a new wide timing belt with impressive dimensions from the manufacturer’s line of timing belt products. This expands the HabaSYNC® range of timing belts for conveying tasks, and, with a width of up to 600 millimeters, it is the widest timing belt currently available on the market. Trade fair visitors to Habasit will also find a wealth of information on the topics of process and cost optimization in conveyor and power transmission engineering.

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lways in motion: precise, synchronized movement and linear positioning have a continuously expanding role in product assembly, handling, and automation. Habasit’s ongoing development of new materials, processes and fabrication technology means we also have the right timing belts and conveyor belts for the most demanding conveying and linear movement applications.

And with simultaneously low operating costs thanks to durable materials and simple maintenance processes. Visitors to CeMAT can inform themselves about | 102 | Packaging Europe

the extensive range of belts and tapes as well as covers for very different areas of applications at the Habasit stand (Hall 27, Stand J16).

Wide timing belts in new dimensions A new product that is being presented at CeMAT for the first time is the HabaSYNC® wide timing belt in the colors white, blue or transparent, which is available in a width of up to 600 millimeters. Up to now, only timing belts with a maximum width of 500

Premiere: At CeMAT, Habasit will be presenting the HabaSYNCÂŽ wide timing belt with a width of up to 600 millimeters, currently the widest timing belt available on the market.

millimeters have been available on the market. The new dimensions of the timing belts allow them to be used in a wide variety of applications, for example in the tire industry, food production, hygiene product manufacturing or in the beverage industry.

The timing belts with a T10 pitch made of thermoplastic polyurethane (polyamide fabric on the tooth side or polyamide fabric on the tooth and conveying side) have a tensile member made of aramid and can be individually fabricated depending on the intended purpose, for example through milling, perforations, covers or cleats. The thermoplastic polyurethane with a hardness of 88 to 95 Shore A (depending on the color of the basic material) is also a material that has excellent properties in very different areas: On the one hand, it is resistant to oil, grease and chemical agents, and on the other hand, it is resistant to hydrolysis and has an FDA/EU food safety certification.

Flexible and individual: The HabaSYNCÂŽ wide timing belts are suitable for very different conveying applications.

Perfectly fitted A particular strength of Habasit is the very flexible fabrication of timing belts. Not only can the width and length of belts be optimally adjusted to customers’ requirements; any number, shape, and sequence of cleats can be placed on the back of the timing belt and suitable surface covers can be selected for very different conveying requirements. It is also possible to punch holes and mill grooves, for example to weld on tapered guides. There are virtually no limits to variants.

Timing belts are supplied open or joined endless as desired, and they can be mounted on the installations on site by technicians if needed. A further practical alternative are the mechanical timing belt joints from Habasit, which considerably simplify belt maintenance and replacement.

Visit us at CeMAT: Hall 27, Stand J16 or online: www.habasit.com Packaging Europe | 103 |

Smarter adhesive technology Bostik is a global leader in the development and manufacture of industrial adhesives. The company’s products are used for a wide range of applications such as packaging, tapes, labels, flexible lamination, construction, automotive and aerospace. As a pioneer of flexible packaging technologies, Bostik’s cutting edge solutions provide high performance outcomes that meet today’s most challenging packaging demands. Bostik continues to set the standards in packaging adhesives with its latest ‘smart’ adhesive technologies.

Its newest packaging solutions will be showcased at the forthcoming DRUPA trade show. Philip Yorke reports.

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ostik is one of the world’s largest and most successful adhesives companies.

The company’s customers come from markets that range from industrial manufacturing, packaging and disposable hygiene, to construction and the consumer sectors.

Bostik was founded in 1889 in Chelsea Massachusetts and by the late 1920s this pioneer of the emerging footwear industry had expanded across three continents and employed more than 1000 people. Today it is a global player with over 5000 employees operating in 50 countries.

Transforming food packaging technology Bostik revolutionised the food packaging industry with its patented reseal packaging solutions and was the first company to develop extrudable reseal adhesives. Bostik continues to transform food packaging standards with its latest ‘Smart’ packaging technology.

The company’s reseal adhesives provide less wasteful, more environmentally friendly and easier to use alternatives to conventional non-re-usable containers. By eliminating

the need for secondary packaging such as zippers and slider re-closures, Bostik reseal technology improves product performance, operational efficiencies and a company’s cost-effectiveness. Recently Bostik’s ‘re-sealability’ packaging was named as the food packaging innovation that has had the biggest impact on consumers in the last 25 years.

Smarter adhesives Bostik’s ‘smart’ adhesives are designed to be safer, more flexible, efficient and responsive to the dynamic changes in the environment and consumer demands. The company is on a constant quest to discover new, smarter ways of doing things and improving the quality of life for all. Innovation is at the heart its heritage and remains one of its priorities to this day.

Bostik industrial adhesives are used in a wide range of sectors and the company partners with some of the biggest names in manufacturing. As a true pioneer of flexible packaging technologies, Bostik’s cutting edge solutions provide high performance, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions that define modern flexible packaging.

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For specific food applications, such as cheese and meat packaging, Bostik has a technology to meet its customers’ needs and offers innovations that are one step ahead of the latest food safety regulations. In addition, its solvent-free products are specially designed to provide environmentally friendly, cost-efficient adhesives for production at high speed.

These adhesives are perfect for general purpose applications such as film-to-film and film-to-metalised film for confectionary, salty snacks, bakery, meat and cheese packaging.

New products unveiled at drupa In addition to presenting a range of new innovative ‘smart’ laminating adhesives, at this year’s drupa Bostik will take the opportunity to showcase three other ground-breaking products. The company will present Vitel ® Copolyester Resins, which is a unique ingredient that enhances material performance. Fields of application include flexible packaging for heat-seal applications, inks, textile lamination, flexible electrical circuits and many more.

Bostik will also unveil its new Herberts® High Performance UHP150, which is a twocomponent polyurethane adhesive designed for deep drawing applications, and combined with a new C4 hardener, UHP150 is suitable for food contact. The new product offers high bonding value on aluminium foil whilst guaranteeing zero primary aromatic amines.

The third new, innovative product to be displayed is the company’s new range of extrudable resins for re-closable lidding applications, MWW31, with low melt flow index, and MMW65 with high melt flow index. These two advanced resins exhibit an extraordinary improvement in terms of odour reduction and taste transfer, while keeping the recognised performances of standard products.

Innovation driving sales Innovation has always been a top priority at Bostik and it is the main driver for its future sales. Today almost 15 per cent of Bostik’s sales come from new, innovative products, with over 3 per cent of total sales being invested in R&D. To anticipate the future needs of its | 106 | Packaging Europe

customers, Bostik has a global research and development network that is comprised of three ‘smart’ technology centres, based in Asia, Europe and the Americas. In addition, it has 11 applied technology centres to meet regional needs, as well as over 500 R&D specialists who develop consistently higher performance adhesives and sealants.

Bostik’s innovation strategy is focused on materials science: its research chemists constantly explore the boundaries of adhesive technologies to develop advanced materials for tomorrow’s bonding solutions. The company’s R&D activities cover upstream, downstream and open innovation and they combine to meet the pressing customer challenges of the future.

For further details of Bostik’s innovative adhesive products and services visit: www.bostik.com

Over half a century

of excellence

OMET was founded in 1963 and for over 50 years has been manufacturing narrow web printing presses and tissue converting machines with about 1500 installations on every continent. OMET group now consists of several businesses and employs more than 300 people. Sales and Marketing director Marco Calcagni talks about the company’s impressive expertise and its upcoming appearance at drupa in Düsseldorf.

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MET’s packaging printing machines business unit is located in Lecco, Italy, 50km north of Milan in an area of 3000m2, with 2000m2 dedicated to production. The company is proud of its motto ‘Innovation with Passion’.

“A continuous investment in research and development year on year has guaranteed our leadership in printing technology, both for flexography and hybrid solutions with offset, gravure, screen and digital. A very strong presence worldwide is another main feature of OMET, which allows pre & post sales assistance of the highest level,” Mr Calcagni explains.

Vast product range OMET is involved in the manufacturing of packaging printing presses for labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons. The company’s packaging printing machine portfolio includes multi-technology, multi-product, and multi-application narrow and mid web platform machines for labels and packaging printing, plus complementary services including ancillary equipment, consultancy and accurate pre- and post-sales service programmes.

“The company’s range of machines covers all needs from small presses for label printers to complete lines for printing and converting packaging, to customised special solutions designed to satisfy the specific needs of customers,” Mr Calcagni adds.

Focus on Drupa OMET will be exhibiting at the upcoming Drupa exhibition in Düsseldorf in Germany, in Hall 3, booth D90, showing its impressive machinery for flexible packaging hybrid web printing, offset and flexo.

At the show, OMET will show the new Varyflex V2 Offset 850. This press can target various sectors, in particular flexible packaging, for food or non-food, and IML labels which today are still printed on sheet fed offset presses. This machine is also convenient for short runs, thanks to the lower cost of the printing plates compared to flexo polymer and rotogravure cylinders. The machine will attract a wide range of customers, as Mr Calcagni explains: “There will of course be flexible packaging converters aiming at widening their market range, as well as potential label printers moving towards this technology and sheet fed printers which generally have a lot of experience in offset printing and want to enter the packaging market.”

He goes on to talk about the benefits the machine offers: “Varyflex V2 Offset is one of the few machines in the world able to combine and integrate all printing technologies in-line and even change their position depending on necessity. The offset unit recently developed by our R&D department has an innovative ink system with a high-precision Packaging Europe | 107 |

ink duct for automatic ink control, which reduces set-up time and waste. It has a patented pressure control system which guarantees the perfect stability of colours in acceleration and deceleration. Last but not least, it offers the possibility to print on a wide range of substrates, from thin film to carton, just by changing electronic parameters from the operator pane in one touch. To sum up: Varyflex V2 Offset can print with the maximum flexibility.”

The combination of different technologies provides benefits when it comes to specific jobs. Being able to combine offset and flexo enables the printer to take advantage of the peculiarities of each technology and merge them to give higher added value to the final product.

OMET’s press is ready to print either in wet-on-dry mode by installing inter-deck UV curing systems, or in wet-on-wet mode, through a UV or EB curing system at the end of the line, which enables it to maintain absolute flexibility.

“We chose the Electron Beam system because we believe that packaging curing quality needs to be fully guaranteed, especially for complex jobs with high-coverage colours, but even more importantly to safeguard food packaging safety.”

A growth market

“Another tendency is to use less and less solvents for health reasons, and we are able to satisfy this important necessity by using food compliant offset UV inks and an EB curing system. We see high potential in our new Varyflex V2 Offset especially for prospective customers who are using rotogravure technology, which normally requires a high quantity of solvent inks and is not able to satisfy short runs due to high-cost equipment.

Offset printing technology guarantees high quality through efficiency and low equipment costs,” he says.

He concludes by pointing out how the Varyflex V2 Offset is ideally positioned to be a valuable addition to the marketplace.

“There is no doubt that Varyflex V2 Offset can compete in this market, because runs have been shortening and the costs of rotogravure and CI flexo equipment are much higher, not to mention their limitations in terms of process and configuration flexibility.

In fact, CI flexo reaches eight to ten colours max, whereas the need for job diversification requires more than ten colours. There are definitely a few very interesting market niches ready to offer big chances to this new press.”

Visit: www.printing.omet.com

Mr Calcagni has also observed a growth in the flexible packaging market, in particular in the demand for hybrid-printed products, which require both high quality performances, provided by offset technology, and high density printing, a flexo standard characteristic.

He is keen to point out that both these crucial market requirements can be fully satisfied through OMET’s flexo-offset hybrid technology.

Varyflex Offset 670

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Particolare 2 V2 Offset

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New horizons in print finishing

special flip-flop effects to be implemented. Current methods for easier die mounting and shortening setup times will also be demonstrated. The company will also be presenting its latest stamping foil developments that allow processors to effortlessly master even difficult stamping conditions.

Leonhard Kurz is presenting innovations for the hot stamping, cold foil transfer and digital metal sectors at Drupa 2016.

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sing the theme ‘Creating New Horizons’, Kurz will be presenting numerous new developments for a variety of finishing processes at Drupa 2016. For the Digital Metal process, which was developed and named by Kurz and is used to produce metallic effects in digital printing, the company will be demonstrating at its Drupa trade fair booth the latest generation of its DM-Liner transfer unit. For the cold foil transfer sector, Kurz will be presenting its new stamping foil grades and a Distorun module that enables single images to be applied on narrow-web cold foil systems.

Nanoembossing stamping die for ultrafine structured stampings In the area of hot stamping, Kurz, together with its subsidiary hinderer + mĂźhlich, will be demonstrating a novel stamping technology for producing hot stamping designs incorporating nanoembossing. The new process enables extremely fine filigree structures, delicate gradients and matt finishes, photographic effects and

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Hot stamping and cold foil designs with a special colour effect Visitors to the Kurz booth will also be able to see numerous design innovations that can be employed in both the hot stamping and the cold foil sectors. These include design lines where the rainbow colour play of conventional holographic foils has been modified to produce elegant matt white tones as the predominant colours. Novel OVDs (optically variable devices) that offer a particularly high level of counterfeit protection while also being highly decorative will also be shown, for example the DuoColor with a colour flip effect that has been overlaid with a diffractive design incorporating additional colour glitters. Another OVD with unusual holographic effects is the MultiColor, where coloured elements have been positioned on intermediate layers with high registration accuracy. The Luxor MTS Polarlight design foil also offers a special colour play. It shows two completely different colours depending on the viewing angle. For further information, visit the KURZ booth D60 in Hall 3.

Kurz will also be represented in hall 3, booth E74, at the Drupa Innovation Park in hall 7.0, booth E10, at the Touchpoint Packaging in hall 12, booth B53 and at PrintCity in hall 12, booth C51.

Visit: www.kurz-drupa.com

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Delivering new ultrasonic

cleaning technology

Recyl is a leading European supplier of specialist equipment and cleaning products for Flexo, Gravure and Offset printers. Philip Yorke talked to Anthony Petrier & Arunkumar Venkataraman, the company’s deputy directors, about its latest products and plans to launch some new ground-breaking solutions at DRUPA this year.

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ecyl was founded in France in 1989 and from the outset created strong demand for its advanced cleaning products that significantly improved printing quality.

Thanks to the development of its special formula for deep-cleaning Anilox rolls called Recyl Cobra, the company was able to produce a unique range that is ideal for de-clogging ceramic rolls, whatever the ink type or varnish, in order to guarantee optimal ink transfer in the long term.

Located in the picturesque Geneva valley with Switzerland across the lake and Italy on the other end of the Mont Blanc tunnel; Recyl’s products are available worldwide thanks to its global reach gained with over 100 distributors and resellers as well as major OEM partnerships. Apart from its flagship product Recyl Cobra the company’s extensive product range includes other maintenance products for Anilox such as the Clean Range, as well as a daily cleaning range called QuickWash, for parts and plates.

Recyl also recently introduced a new range of improved ink filters that feature a steel lid offering greater resistance than plastic. Furthermore, thanks to their filtering baskets in different mesh sizes the new Recyl filters improve the inking quality and decrease Anilox wear by retaining all the particles and metallic waste. | 112 | Packaging Europe

Diverse technologies In addition to its advanced cleaning chemistry, Recyl offers machines for cleaning automation and a special range of accessories integrated into a printer’s workflow, including doctor blades, brushes and optical instruments that add further value. As a chemical company dedicated to the printing industry, Recyl goes one step further than its competitors by offering machines, chemicals and accessories in order to provide its customers with all they may need from a one-stop shop.

Anthony Petrier explains, “What we do best is ensure the right solution for the right customer as there is not one single cleaning chemical or mechanism that suits everyone.

We constantly invest in research and development to create a mix of different products so we even have some custom-made chemicals. The same R&D investment strategy applies to our entire range of machines. This year at Drupa we are launching new Ultrasonic equipment and will unveil a narrow-web model for Anilox cleaning. This range of machines, christened NextWave incorporates the very latest in ultrasonic technology simplifying all the technical operations into one integrated console. Our technology is miles ahead of other players in the industry as our ultrasonic generator controls the impact of

the waves created by the transducers every 30 seconds with a closed-loop control system.

This creates the optimal cavitation resulting in an unforeseen quality of cleaning combined with added layers of security for the Anilox. We look forward to launching the larger NextWave models for the mid & wide web printers very soon and in the meantime, they could get a sense of our R&D with the narrow-web model we will have on display at Drupa.”

“In addition, the integrated console may be connected using an Ethernet link. With this functionality – firstly, all aspects of running operations can be monitored and tested in real-time, offering complete transparency to the end-user and therefore a lower risk of downtime resulting in significant savings. Secondly, this means that Recyl can carry out diagnostics even if the machine were in Australia or Alaska. Any potential problems will be itemised and the frequency and power can be tested and troubleshot instantly. All with a patented technology 100 per cent Made in France!”

“We are also planning to make some important announcements at Drupa. Furthermore, we are looking to expand as well as announce some new partnerships with OEMs and internationals.”

Innovation driving sales Recyl relies on its own in-house research and development teams to create the innovative products designed for the printing machinery and packaging

companies of tomorrow. Venkataraman said, “We work on a product for several months before we come up with different formulae, after which time we test different inks in our labs, which is followed by several months of testing with our sales teams and our customers. We also do a lot of prototyping with chemical products as there is such a wide range of applications to consider. We are also looking to expand our R&D capabilities in order to meet the growing demands of the Flexo industry.”

“Over the last few years regulations on usage and transportation of chemical goods have become increasingly complex. At Recyl we go to great lengths to ensure our labels, safety documents, transport declarations are precise and fully compliant. This makes the process of approval such as environmental or employee security as well as maritime, road/rail or air-freight importation easier for our partners or customers. By this approach, Recyl can offer local support in as many countries thanks to its vast network of distributors. We have extensive global reach and are able to offer cleaning products, accessories and automation solutions all from under one roof.”

The Recyl team will be in Hall 11, Stand C 32 at Drupa this year.

For further information about Recyl’s innovative range of products and services visit: www.recyl.com

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Partner in Print The technotrans Group, which produces, sells and modernises applications in the area of liquid technology, has plans to cement its status as ‘Partner in Print’ at the upcoming drupa exhibition 2016. With 21 locations, the company based in the Münsterland town of Sassenberg enjoys a presence in all major markets worldwide, and its applications include cooling, temperature control, filtration, measuring and metering. Packaging Europe spoke with Peter Boecker, sales director, to find out about the company’s plans to exhibit its latest products and solutions at drupa 2016, and its forward thinking growth strategy.

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he group is organised into the technology and services segments. As a manufacturer of peripherals, technotrans is a leading system partner to the printing industry. Through product innovations and targeted acquisitions, the group has moreover steadily moved into new areas such as the laser industry, machine tools, stamping and forming technology, batteries and inverters, as well as medical and scanner technology. At the heart of the corporate strategy is sustained, profit-led growth. technotrans is a stock corporation listed in the Prime Standard (ISIN: DE000A0XYGA7 / WKN: A0X YGA) and employs around 830 people worldwide. The company achieved revenue of €122.8 million in the 2015 financial year.

The technotrans Group prides itself on its customer orientation, network and experiences, and has a sales and service structure implemented around the world. | 114 | Packaging Europe

Providing individual solution orientation is key to its success, and the company offers competence in regard to its product technology.

Application know-how and valuable product design are the final strings to the company’s bow. Peter Boecker comments, “We are market and technology leader in some areas and it´s our ongoing goal to strengthen this position. Therefore we invest continuously in R&D and new products.” technotrans has 20 subsidiaries worldwide, where motivated employees take care of its clients and partners in the most important international markets. Customers value its innovative approach and inventiveness, and it places a strong focus on developing new products whilst improving on existing products.

Technological challenges are normally jointly evaluated. The wide range of existing technologies and components provides a highly flexible base for the develop-

ment of completely new solutions. Feasibility studies, as well as market and demand analysis are also offered by technotrans, as well as the individual calculation of ROI for the prospective users.

Exhibiting at drupa 2016 technotrans has been a partner for printing companies and machine manufacturers for more than 30 years. Consequently, the motto for this year’s drupa trade fair, where the company will present its innovative solutions for various fields in cooling and fluid technology, is ‘Partner in Print’. Four areas are of particular importance: cooling systems for digital printing and UV printing applications, sustainable and resource-efficient solutions, and interconnected, smart control systems. technotrans will present all of this in Hall 2 at Stand A04.

The company has been a renowned system supplier of cooling and fluid technology for the printing industry for several decades. It is also active in the digital printing area, offering its solutions from the planning phase up to the commissioning of the systems.

This also includes separate or secondary processes, e.g. the cooling of a folding unit or the separation of toner and oil. A highlight at the trade fair is the presentation of chiller models from 200 up to 250,000 watts. The product series cools digital printing presses for the lower to medium power range with a particularly high level of efficiency. technotrans will also present unique cooling modules for applications involving highly reactive UV inks. The reliable and efficient cooling of the UV LED dryers guarantees a long service life and consistent results. Another system for highly reactive UV inks, which will be presented to the visitors of the drupa stand, is an ink supply system with a patented piston sealing system along with the ink agitators of the ink.mate series.

These and other solutions are viewed by technotrans as integral for sustainable production. In this context, two combination units for dampening solution circulation and

ink unit temperature control are particularly noteworthy. The power-controlled alpha.c eco system is suitable for small to medium formats, whereas the beta.c blue system is used for medium to large formats. Both systems offer energy-efficient cooling concepts for the infinitely variable adaptation of the refrigeration capacity to the actual demand. Resourceefficient solutions, e.g. the alcosmart AZR with a particularly high level of alcohol dosing accuracy, will also be presented by technotrans at drupa.

With the presentation of its smart systems, which facilitate simultaneous operation and monitoring, the company from Sassenberg provides visitors with an interesting look to the future. These systems increase the process reliability and efficiency of the systems. At drupa in Düsseldorf, technotrans will debut its new control concept for the uncomplicated and reliable on-site or remote operation. Another exhibit is the smart data network for ink batch management.

In addition, numerous established products are being updated for drupa, offering an even higher level of efficiency and increasing savings with regard to material and time.

Peter Boecker comments, “We will look to increase our network in this interesting market, and will be focusing on finding new applications and potentials for our products and solutions. We expect to be involved in a lot of discussion with users from around the world, and collecting new input of the requirements and trends we need to create valuable products and address needs.”

Digital progress technotrans has not changed with the rise of digital printing. Customers are supported from the project planning phase up to the commissioning of the solutions.

The cooling systems for digital printing applications are part of the highly efficient and flexible technotrans series omega.line and smartchiller. The systems are customised in line with very specific requirements, thereby guaranteeing the desired temperature ranges for small- to large-format digital printing presses. This enables Packaging Europe | 115 |

the printing companies to achieve consistent, top-quality printing results.

Prime quality is not the only asset of the product series: their high level of efficiency helps to reduce costs, thereby creating a competitive advantage for the users. In addition, the systems require only little maintenance and are highly resistant to wear.

However, cooling is not limited to the printing press alone. Separate or secondary processes, e.g. the cooling of a folding unit or the separation of toner and oil, are also included in the company’s performance portfolio.

Growth strategy “Print is an ever more demanding and fast moving market, which requires new ideas to grow. It will remain an important and big market, and has a lot more growth potential if all aspects are considered and implemented. We need to provide solutions which enable all market participants to make their business grow,” Peter Boecker explains.

He continues, “Working out concepts and systems for different applications with an acceptable ROI and reliability is our challenge, for the ever widening trends of digital, UV, LED UV and green printing.”

A number of new applications on the market require new solutions, and technotrans aims to address the needs of the market such as by providing cooling solutions for digital presses and finishing systems, and LED UV systems. New ink supply systems have been developed for UV printing, and technotrans’ intelligent cooling systems and networking solutions address the needs of print/ industrie 4.0.

The company can look back on an extremely successful 2015 financial year. In the period under review the company increased its revenue by 9.3 per cent to €122.8 million, thus exceeding its own forecast. The board of management expects to see the positive business performance continue in 2016. technotrans expects robust demand for digital and flexographic printing presses in the 2016 financial year, while business for offset printing will stabilise at least | 116 | Packaging Europe

at the prior-year level. The laser and mechanical engineering markets, stamping and forming technology, energy storage technology as well as medical and scanner technology will remain the Technology segment’s growth drivers. 2016 should also bring a further slight growth in revenue in the Services segment.

The technotrans Group continues to progress steadily along its strategic path. The board of management will focus its activities on a combination of organic growth and expansion through potential acquisitions.

Visit: www.technotrans.com

FINISH FIRST with MBO Finishing Equipment MBO, with its headquarters in Germany, has grown to be a global leader in machine manufacturing for finishing equipment.

Thanks to its dedication to new technology and services, the company has been a reliable partner to bookbinders and print finishers for 50 years. Frank Eckert, President and CEO of the MBO Group, talks about the company’s successful product range and its upcoming appearance at drupa in Düsseldorf in Germany at the end of May.

MBO

was founded in 1965 by entrepreneur Heinz Binder in Oppenweiler, near Stuttgart, where the company’s worldwide headquarters with R&D, manufacturing, assembling, sales, service, marketing and administration departments are still situated today. In 1984, MBO Portugal was founded, and a manufacturing and assembly plant was constructed in the city Porto. A year later, MBO America was set up as a sales and service organisation in Marlton, New Jersey. In 1999, a merger between MBO and specialist for the finishing of mailings, pharmaceuticals, packaging and customised solutions Herzog+Heymann in Bielefeld created valuable synergies. Later, in 2003, MBO China opened in Beijing as a sales and service organisation. MBO France was founded in 2005 to support especially the French customer demands.

“With these five subsidiaries around the world, the MBO Group has a global market presence, and is working with dealers across the world as well,” Mr Eckert adds.

Unique experience With 50 years’ experience in manufacturing of finishing machines for offset and digital printing, as well as for special solutions, the MBO Group is one of the global leaders in the industry.

“All equipment provided from the MBO Group is designed to fulfill the customers’ expectations. The technology driven solutions are manufactured with expertise, are highly reliable and are built for a 24/7 production environment. The MBO Group is a family owned company with a flat hierarchy, which ensures the direct contact and makes it easy to react fast on customers’ special demands,” Mr Eckert is happy to report.

Extensive product range MBO Group’s product range consists of four different sectors. The folding sector includes the worldwide widest spectrum of Buckle Folding and Combi Folding machines with a format range from 35cm – 165cm working width, feeders and deliveries to accomplish the performance of the folding machines and up to 20 buckle plates.

Furthermore, the company offers web-finishing equipment for in-line and offline use for 20” and 30” web width. This equipment is used for the finishing of commercial printing, books, pharmaceutical leaflets, mailings, and much more. MBO offers diverse products like unwinders, rewinders, sheeters, fold units (also selective and variable fold units to be able to change the format on-the-fly), plow fold

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modules, split and merge modules, dynamic perforators, stackers, ejection modules and more – all for a paper range from 40-400 gsm with a running speed up to 300 m/min. Additional features like die-cutting, stripping, gluing and quality control systems can be integrated.

In addition, the MBO subsidiary Herzog+Heymann offers equipment for mailing, pharmaceuticals and packaging. With the expertise of Herzog+Heymann products like glued or stitched booklets, pharmaceutical leaflets, manuals, maps and mailings can be produced – also in combination with pick and place applications, gluing and integrated die-cutting.

In addition to its equipment, the company also offers a consulting service and spare parts, provided by a team of highly trained and motivated MBO staff worldwide.

“The MBO Group analyses the complete production process and all aspects around, calculates necessary steps and recommends improvements. Our spare parts are available in three time zones,” Mr Eckert explains.

Showcasing innovation at drupa MBO will be exhibiting at drupa in Hall 6, Booth B40. With its slogan ‘Finish First’, the company will show new technologies which help to maximise the efficiency and productivity of folding which will gain more and more importance in the changing market place.

“One of our exhibits will be a completely new product which will focus on the maximization of the efficiency and productivity of signature folding. We don’t want to reveal too much before the show, but we invite interested decision makers to our booth B40 in hall 6 to learn more about a revolutionary way of the high-speed finishing of high-volume jobs,” Mr Eckert points out.

For the first time the fast Combi Folding machine K8-RS will be combined with MBO web-finishing equipment to produce signatures directly from the digital printed paper reel.

Alongside a Creasing- and Folding Station for high grammages, Herzog+Heymann will show a Vario Line that will merge different single sheets. Furthermore an Outsertline for new folding concepts and packaging solutions will be presented. In addition, the packaging line “Stamina” will be exhibited. In this line equipment from die-cut specialist Bograma is integrated. “Stamina” can die-cut, fold and glue folding cartons as well as place and glue pre-produced leaflets inside the cartons.

“The interested visitors will see solutions and new technologies which will help them to be (or get) profitable in the current and future market environment. We will be very happy to welcome decision makers and interested printers and finishers to discuss with us their future opportunities,” Mr Eckert adds. | 118 | Packaging Europe

Market trends and future outlook MBO’s developments will reflect the company’s understanding of the changing print market. It will display equipment in all major areas in printing which will grow in the coming years. The current markets reflect the need to adapt faster to the changing environment.

“We see the increasing requests for higher efficiency, reduced set up times, less labour and optimized productivity especially in the folding and digital finishing market. Furthermore we observe higher numbers in niche markets like the processing of pharmaceutical insert or outsert applications, personalized high quality mailings or in investments into digital printing. We see a trend for customized solutions to archive the best possible set-up to fulfill the customers’ demands. The MBO Group with its wide product range and expertise in different markets can supply all these as a single source provider which is a very big advantage for our customers,” Mr Eckert explains.

“The MBO Group will handle everything from the first idea up to the after sales.

The machines are independent of the printing machine manufacturer which makes it easy to integrate them into nearly every running production process.”

In order to keep up its success in the future, Mr Eckert lists several key points MBO will follow: “We will keep listening to our customers and understand their needs, provide exactly the solution to cover their needs, and increase business with our new developments and help to maintain our customers’ profitable business.”

Visit: www.mbo-folder.com

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A testing one stop shop With its new headquarters in Almere, in the Netherlands, IGT Testing Systems has a long tradition in testing and research. The company specialises in printability testing equipment, quality control and test services, consultancy and on demand research and development. Elisabeth Skoda spoke to managing director Wilco de Groot, about the transformation from a government institute to a successful company, and what it hopes to achieve from its upcoming appearance at the drupa 2016 trade show in Düsseldorf.

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GT Testing Systems originated as a government institute and research centre for the graphic, paper and ink industries, the TNO Institute for Graphic Techniques, which started operation in 1939.

“In 1981, the government decided to shut down operations, as the industry had shrunk and the home-market for IGT almost disappeared by that time,” Mr. de Groot explains. “Some of the employees decided to take over commercial activities, including sales of instruments to research institutes, and large research labs in the paper and ink industries. This was expanded into quality control within the industry, eventually resulting in what IGT Testing Systems is today.”

IGT works on the development and marketing of printability and tack testing equipment, quality control and test services for buyers and users of new or used printing presses, consultancy services and customised on demand research and development.

Sales of instruments makes up around 80 per cent of turnover; other activities relate to third party laboratory research, investigations for court, or whoever is interested in solving a problem.

“We are dealing with printability, the science of getting something printed on anything from newsprint, to special liquids in the electronics industry for example for solar panels, | 120 | Packaging Europe

printing on medicine, eggs, glass, ceramics etc.,” Mr. de Groot says. “We are always stuck right in the middle between ink manufacturers, substrate manufacturers, and printers.

Substrates vary from paper, plastics, glass, ceramics to metal. We also deal with printing processes, from offset, gravure, flexo, screen print, digital printing technologies, and special applications, including security printing.”

The market is well divided over the continents, IGT Testing Systems sells and operates world-wide with offices in the USA, Singapore and Japan and representatives in many other countries.

IGT Testing Systems is very active in international organisations such as in working groups of TAPPI, ISO and CEPI, which is very important in terms of learning about the market demands, as Mr. de Groot points out.

“In the past it has been difficult to standardise printability testing methods, as the same materials can be used in so many different ways, for example, a copy paper sheet can be printed on in offset, gravure or inkjet, and different specifications are required for each different scenario. As a consequence, we can only

describe the way of testing, but never the results, which makes standardisation difficult.

This brings us a lot of work in the sense of testing for third parties and developing dedicated test methods for specific customers. This goes up to the level of adjusting, modifying existing instruments or developing special instruments on customer specification.”

Expanding reach A few years ago, IGT Testing Systems acquired Testprint, an authority on measuring Tack, the stickiness of ink, in particular of offset inks.

According to Mr de Groot: “We have taken over this company because it fitted our existing equipment and product range. We are a small company with 36 people worldwide, and we have around 50 international agents, as well as local offices in Singapore, the US and Japan. With the acquisition we increased turnover and market exposure, acquiring e.g. much interest from the security paper and security printing industry.”

In November last year, IGT Testing Systems moved to new premises, with new offices and production to cater for new demands.

“We have set up a complete paper testing lab, something we had many years ago but was no longer commercially feasible for a small company without a substantial home market. As all independent paper labs in the Netherlands have closed and there is still a demand for testing we have taken up this responsibility and serve the market with these services.” Mr. de Groot adds.

He observes an increasing need for easier to operate instruments, and more focus on automation in the industry: “In many countries specific education levels specific for our industries have dropped dramatically, young people want to live and work in urban areas and not in paper mills in the middle of Finland or Canada. There have been big changes in the paper industry, and companies are relying less on manual labour and more on automation. In all ranges of our ink and paper testing equipment and colour matching equipment we have tried to improve automation, and by automation, the ease of operation. Additionally, we have harmonised the operation throughout the range of instruments, knowing the operation of one, one can operate all of the IGT testers without difficulty. This way also reducing the learning curve to a minimum.”

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Standing out IGT Testing Systems is one of the few organisations in its field, and is proud to serve its customers in a very complex field, where every testing situation is different and depends on a wide range of parameters.

Mr. de Groot explains what sets IGT Testing Systems apart from most companies in the market.

“We give a lot of initial support to customers, as we cannot just ship the box and say good luck, see you in ten years in case it gets damaged. Standard procedures are available, but often, initially, customers send us material samples, we do tests, and then program instruments with optimised testing procedures, and then instruments are shipped with optimum settings for specific products. Of course all standard procedures can still be used and the and all can be changed later on.” drupa innovations At drupa 2016 in Düsseldorf, at stand C.16 in Hall 6, IGT Testing Systems will present the latest developments in printability testing, including the Amsterdam series of printability testers, a range of flexible, multi-purpose testers with one or two, up to a maximum of six printing stations. Through the use of the latest technological features in motor controlling it is possible to reach very small times between successive prints, dampening and print, print and counter print or set-off prints, something which has not been possible before and which allows customers to do tests at speeds comparable, and exceeding, the current state of the art printing equipment.

IGT will also show a completely new flexographic printability tester with increased flexibility.

“We have added more controls and can basically print on any material, to cater for more complex demands. This is proving very popular, and we have already sold the complete pre-production series,” Mr. de Groot is proud to point out. | 122 | Packaging Europe

Thirdly, the company will showcase a sizing tester, a device to determine the inner content, the sizing and the glue inside the paper body.

“There are different methods, and the one we choose is relatively simple, it’s fully automated, and there is very little contamination. Most of the instruments in this area are quite dirty in operation, you need 40, 50 ml of aggressive liquid (e.g. ink) which you have to throw away each time. With this instrument it’s all concealed in one box, you put on a paper sample to measure, and you get a video you can store, print or keep the results on a memory stick or database, a cleaner, environmental friendly, solution which saves a lot of work,” Mr. de Groot explains.

Drupa is an ideal platform for IGT Testing Systems to make contact with potential customers, especially those from outside of Europe, who otherwise would not get the chance to visit IGT Testing Systems and see what they have on offer.

Positive Outlook The acquisition of the testing company for the ink industry has boosted IGT Testing Systems, as it is balancing the negative spiral in the paper industry with the positive sales in the ink industry, resulting in healthy growth.

Mr. de Groot concludes: “We see huge growth for us in the packaging market in all geographic regeons, whether it is in paper, plastic, printing or converting, as there is a strong demand worldwide for better quality control. Quality requirements have changed and increased, over the last year we saw a lot of development in the area of food contact with inks and with packaging materials. We see a lot of new regulations in that area and we do some of the legwork for. We do ink testing, laboratory testing, and certification of companies and materials. More, and especially bigger companies demand certifications, which benefits us. In particular, the acquisition of a complete paper laboratory helps us to combine printability with other paper properties.”

Visit: www.igt.com

100 per cent CONFORMITY FOR HIGH-QUALITY PACKAGING From the first artwork to the final product, EyeC helps quality-conscious companies keep an eye on their print quality.

Covering the needs of the complete print cycle, EyeC’s systems provide customers with a compelling return on investment. This year, the company will introduce exciting innovations for folding cartons with a focus on high-quality packaging. Libby White spoke with Dr Ansgar Kaupp, CEO, to find out more about the company’s innovative solutions and imminent plans to exhibit at drupa 2016.

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hree experts in vision systems, Ansgar Kaupp, Dirk Lütjens and Sören Springmann, created the private company EyeC GmbH in 2002. The company, who first offered inspection systems for labels, has rapidly developed a full product range and become one of the top market players in print inspection. Headquartered in Hamburg, it currently has sales and support offices in more than 22 countries. A strong innovative culture, highly skilled and experienced employees, and loyal customers are the cornerstones to its success.

Print inspection specialists EyeC offers a complete range of artwork comparison and print inspection systems aimed at companies involved in the production of packaging and print material, for printing, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food manufacturers. Customers can expect user-friendly and highly automated systems for easy and accurate quality checks. Moreover, they benefit from total support from the project initiation to the installation, training and after-sales service.

Dr Kaupp says, “Our main differentiating factors are that we offer an entire range of products - from in-line to off-line, and from pre-press to finishing -, and keep companies at the forefront of technology through our focus on user-friendliness and innovation.

Besides this, we are also a company operating on a global scale, ensuring that when we work with multinational companies we can provide support wherever they are.”

EyeC’s solutions allow companies to check the quality of all types of packaging materials from folding boxes, labels and inserts, to foils and tubes. Its software is produced in conformance to applicable norms, such as GMP and GAMP 5. Dr Kaupp comments, | 124 | Packaging Europe

“We provide a fast and accurate solution to verify packaging quality at each of the production stages and are able to answer some of the most demanding requirements, for example the ones from the pharmaceutical industry.”

Focus on high quality Since the company’s inception, drupa has been the major show of importance for EyeC. “Our main objectives for attending are to meet new contacts and become the partner of choice for companies looking to improve their quality and reduce production costs,” says Dr Kaupp.

Dr Kaupp is also keen to highlight EyeC’s focus on buyers and manufacturers of high-quality packages and to introduce its latest advances in print quality control at drupa 2016. He underlines, “We are now able to offer buyers and manufacturers of highquality folding boxes efficient solutions for total quality control. We are able to meet their three main needs of ensuring a 100 per cent outgoing control of folding boxes with complex finishing, reducing production costs through ever faster quality checks, and providing a comprehensive range of solutions for a suitable integration in their budget and environment.”

Visitors can see a number of solutions at the EyeC stand (located in hall 3, booth 3A92). The EyeC ProofRunner Carton Pre-Feeder is a movable and flexible module which can be connected to any folder gluer and has the ability to check the complete quality of the processed packaging materials before delivery. Customers can benefit from the economical and convenient solution whereby they are able to add print inspection without replacing their existing machinery.

Also on show will be the EyeC ProofRunner Carton HiLight, which is a new inspection head for the products of the EyeC ProofRunner Carton range. It has the ability to verify the quality of the most complex folding boxes (such as the ones combining hot foil stamping and embossing), and it provides a secure answer to the requirements of luxury packages.

EyeC will be showcasing its new EyeC Proofiler, an off-line inspection system. Three different scanners will be presented at the booth: for A3, A2 and large formats. Fully optimised in order to enable an ultra-fast sample checking, the Proofiler can now proof large printed sheets (as for instance from 1060 x 750 mm) with maximum accuracy (600 dpi) in an impressive less than two minutes.

In addition to the booth, EyeC will also be presenting at the stands of some of the major machine manufacturers who combine their own equipment together with EyeC’s solutions. For example, the latest in-line inspection systems for presses from KBA and Manroland are fully integrated to the production process and monitor print quality in real time whilst reducing material waste and production costs. 100 per cent print inspection for folding cartons can be seen integrated to an independent sorting unit, such as the one from Kohmann, or directly integrated to folder gluers on the Kama, Masterwork and Vega stands. Atlantic Zeiser will be showcasing serialisation units with EyeC’s inspection systems.

Dr Kaupp enthuses, “In short, this will be an appointment not to be missed for all companies wanting to reduce costs, and improve their quality and productivity.”

Future growth

Dr Kaupp shares that the demand for inspection is growing: “I see the market is moving in a way that inspection is increasingly needed to establish quality and ensure products comply with a controlled standard. Clients ask for higher quality and print inspection will become more and more usual. This is now technically possible, and thus expected. I believe that in five years there will be almost no new press delivered without inspection, the same goes for finishing systems for the packaging industry.” He adds, “Before it was only labels, but this is widening into other packaging such as folding boxes. With our new solutions for folder gluers and presses, we aim to become the number one provider for inspection systems in the market of folding boxes.”

EyeC sees drupa as a major event for the print industry, which gives the company a great opportunity to connect with new OEM partners, and to discover new needs, tasks and areas that could be addressed by inspection. Dr Kaupp comments, “We will also meet companies who do not currently use inspection, but it may be the ideal fit for their needs.” He gives a shining example, “Back in 2004, we exhibited at drupa and were approached about an inspection system for Braille. We believed this was a good push for us to invest into this type of inspection so we developed both off-line and in-line testing methods for Braille.”

He concludes, “When developing new solutions, we keep aims to stay ahead of the game when it comes to addressing the needs of the market, whilst nourishing longstanding partnerships with our customers. New requirements and needs from our customers will always be broached at exhibitions like drupa, so the show always comes with exciting possibilities.”

With an eye to the future, EyeC looks to reduce inspection time, increase installed base and procure more contracts with OEMs.

Visit: www.eyec.de

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Embossed lids never looked so brilliant Berhalter – Switzerland’s leading manufacturer of high-performance die-cutting machines – is presenting a unique technology at Drupa exclusively for embossing lids on the sealing rim area.

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erhalter will be presenting the newest generation of high-performance diecutting machines at Drupa in Düsseldorf, along with trendsetting innovations, which Berhalter AG is pioneering worldwide.

The first of these, the SMARTembosser™, is the logical evolution for pre-cut lids.

As the name says, the SMARTembosser™ is a smart way to produce embossed lids.

This Berhalter-patented system is unique and offers fantastic opportunities for rim-embossing, logo-embossing and de- embossing of pre-cut lids. The SMARTembosser ™ makes every lid special and gives additional technical advantages.

With the application rim-embossing (embossing is done only in the sealing rim area) the lid is shining brighter and greatly enhances the clarity of colour edges.

It allows for the printing of considerably smaller, yet readable lettering, which is important for product placement as well as for the food facts required under food regulations. Last but not least, the SMARTembosser™ for rim embossed lids can influence the productivity of filling and sealing machines enormous.

The application logo-embossing and de-embossing gives customers the opportunity to produce non-printed pre-cut lids with highlighting of the brand logo, sign or writing.

Using the patented Berhalter SMARTembosser ™ technology, lids can be printed with intense colour and more space for graphics and product information can also be achieved. Pre-cut lids never looked so brilliant.

The mark of flexibility

High-tech die-cutting on a low budget

Come visit us at DRUPA, Hall 11C70!

BERHALTER – the number one in die-cutting

Berhalter is also presenting a worldwide first: a new die-cutting tool concept for inmould labels (IML) that offers the advantages of favourable tool cost in combination with short lead times.

The Berhalter LABEL-light™ punching tool is a patented concept combining the improvements of the flat-bed die-cutting, such as unique print-to-die registration and perfect handling properties.

The cost for a LABEL-light™ punching tool is up to 70 per cent lower compared to a traditional punching tool, even allowing a label contour correction of +/- 0.5 mm.

Furthermore, there is no need for re-grinding a LABEL-light™ tool – the cutting components can be easily exchanged by the operators in order to continue production immediately.

This punching tool has been designed specifically for a cost efficient production of small to medium size IML label volumes

Die-cutting is a piece in the complete supply chain of a final product. The diecutting solution you choose affects the appearance of the product, sustainability, quality as well as efficiency.

Over the past few years, BERHALTER has reacted continuously and highly flexiblly to increasing market demands and has introduced a number of innovations to the market. Alongside its capacity for constant innovation, BERHALTER is synonymous with the production of efficient and customer-oriented die-cutting systems. It specialises in the manufacturing of user-friendly but highly productive die-cutting machines.

This applies for the flat packaging of lids from aluminum or polyester, such as Nestlé yoghurt lids, as well as for packaging lids with relief impressions, like Philadelphia lids for cheese spread. Deep-drawn aluminum lids such as those used for pet food like Sheba or Cesar enhance the extensive range of product opportunities.

But BERHALTER die-cutting machines can also be used to produce paper labels, e.g. on beer bottles, and labels for IML applications, such as those on Starbucks coffee cups.

The company has the unique ability to supply die-cutting machines and tools according to the specific market demand.

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Unleashing the power of paper Since its foundation in November 2009, Highcon Systems Ltd has quickly grown to be a leader in the digital cutting and creasing machinery industry, thanks to its development of a unique patented converting solution for post print processes in the folding carton converting and commercial printing industries. Elisabeth Skoda spoke to Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, the company’s VP marketing, to find out more about Highcon’s game changing innovations and upcoming appearance at the drupa trade fair in Dßsseldorf, Germany. | 128 | Packaging Europe

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ighcon was founded by Aviv Ratzman and Michael Zimmer, both of whom have extensive experience in the finishing and digital print markets. Company headquarters are situated in Yavne in Israel. Mr Ben-Shitrit comments, “They spotted a gap in the market to bring digital technology to post print, particularly in the area of packaging, where there was a gap between the efficiency of digital printing compared to post print capabilities.”

Game changing technology The company’s first machine, the Highcon Euclid, was developed in record time and was first shown at drupa 2012. It is based on the concept of separating the cutting and creasing process within the machine, which has some advantages compared to the usual method of combining them, as the two processes have different needs. This was followed by the Highcon Euclid II, offering advances in quality, productivity and functionality.

“At the heart of the Euclid is the creasing process, which is referred to as digital adhesive rule technology (DART). The creasing data is uploaded as a digital file to the machine, and is then sent to the DART canister, which releases a special polymer on to a Highcon DART foil in the form of rules that, once cured, will produce hard raised lines.

Once the DART has been written, it is ready for production. At the cutting station, an ar-

ray of high powered lasers perform the cutting according to the digital file’s requirements, and the sheets come out the other end,” says Mr Ben-Shitrit.

This technology is ideal for packaging manufacturers. Mr Ben-Shitrit explains why: “Euclid technology gives packaging manufacturers the ability to do short runs profitably.

The set-up time is quick – digital DART is much quicker than any conventional method – and the digital service means it is possible to make last minute design changes. In the conventional package production process, the actual approval process can sometimes even hold up a product release. With Euclid, supply chain complexities are reduced, on demand requests are possible and short runs are made profitable. Most importantly, it enables a much higher degree of design creativity and flexibility. The result is much better designs that stand out on the shelf.”

Addressing customer requirements Highcon has a unique way to ensure its newly developed products fit the market and customer demands perfectly, as Mr Ben-Shitrit explains: “For Highcon Euclid and Euclid II, we already sold 26 machines to customers all over the world, consisting of a mix of packaging converters, commercial printers and trade-finishers. We went back to all of them and also people who were interested in buying a Euclid but haven’t done so, and

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asked them how we could improve the machine. We had requests for faster speed, different formats, a different price, different substrate thicknesses, improved quality, and finally more applications.”

Finally, Highcon Axis is a 2D to 3D platform, enabling packaging manufacturers to add online ordering capability to the services they offer. It was created in collaboration with industry leaders XMPie and Esko.

Technology at drupa

Opening up new possibilities

Having taken all the feedback into account, Highcon will appear at this year’s drupa in Düsseldorf from May 31 to June 10, 2016 in Hall 9 at Booth C50, showcasing several new products: the Euclid III, the Highcon Beam, the Highcon Pulse as well as the software platform, the Highcon Axis.

The Highcon Euclid III offers an output of 1500 sheets per hour in the B1 format, and comes with two new applications on top of Euclid’s standard functionality: variable data cutting and 3D modelling.

“Variable data cutting enables personalisation of boxes through the cutting out of different shapes, or etching a name on the box by changing the depth of the laser cutting.

There is also the possibility of etching a serial number on the carton, providing opportunities for serialisation. Variable data cutting allows to have a dozen different boxes, each with a different name cut out on them. Thanks to the data being stored on a digital file, different layers can be cut out. For example from a stack of paper, each sheet can be cut out slightly differently, which creates a 3D model from the paper. The hole that is remaining in all these sheets can also be used as a mould,” Mr Ben-Shitrit says.

Furthermore, the Highcon Beam digital cutting and creasing machine extends the digital finishing revolution to mainstream production. With a speed of up to 5000 sheets per hour, this breakthrough machine was developed as a robust solution to the challenges facing folding carton converters and print service providers.

In addition, the Highcon Pulse will be showcased, another machine with an output of up to 2000 sheets per hour in B2 format. The Pulse offers a smaller footprint at a lower price.

Highcon’s slogan for drupa is ‘Unleashing the power of paper’, as Mr Ben-Shitrit explains.

The slogan underlines how Highcon is literally taking paper to a new dimension.

“Our machines can handle paper and folded carton from down to 120 micron up to 2mm, i.e. microflute to e-flute. This means that the applications available to customers are huge, stretching to not just packaging, but promotional and display items, greeting cards, POS display items, and even 3d models. With our technology, printers can produce brochures, packaging and point of sale items all in one, reducing the need to outsource.”

Mr Ben-Shitrit sees drupa as a platform to present the technology to a much wider audience of customers. “We are hoping to show the benefits of this technology to a much wider audience of customers at drupa. At the previous drupa, we targeted mainly early adopters, handling short runs. With the Highcon Beam we are going mainstream, attracting large commercial printers. We offer them all the chance to differentiate and compete in the marketplace,” he says.

With its innovative technology, Highcon hopes to be able to stop the slide into selling on price, as Mr Ben-Shitrit concludes: “Our customers are able to add value at the finishing stage and charge money on it; we enable them to sell on value rather than price. We see drupa as a launch pad for a year in which digital cutting and creasing has become a growth engine for the industry. We really want to drive the message home that paper isn’t dead, and we are enabling our customers to produce designs that couldn’t be produced conventionally in an efficient and profitable way, while significantly reducing time to market.”

Visit: www.highcon.net

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Smarter Printing Solutions

DYO Printing Inks, the premier ink manufacturer in Turkey, finalised its merger with the Toyo Ink Group of Japan in January this year. Today, rebranded as Toyo Printing Inks, the company continues to lead the packaging, press and printing industries with its innovative products in a highly competitive marketplace. Philip York reports.

Smarter solution from Toyo Printig Inks Liquid Inks • • • •

Solvent Based Flexo Inks Water Based Flexo Inks Solvent Based Gravure Inks Lacquers and Additives for Flexo & Gravure Systems

Security Inks • Simultan Offset Inks • Invisible Inks • Termocromic Inks

Sheet-Fed Offset

Web Offset Inks

• •

• • • • • • • • •

• Conventional Cold-Set Inks • Heat-set Inks • Fountain Solutions & Printing Adhesives

Mineral and Vegetable Based Conventional Inks Trichromatic printing inks series (coated paper, uncoated paper, board, metallized paper) Pantone Colors Metallic Inks Overprint Varnishes (Oil based & water based) Fountain Solution Rheological Additives (Ink thinning oil , tack reducer gel , anset paste) Dryers Antitork Spray Anti set-off Powder Cleaning Auxiliaries

Metal Deco Inks & Can Coating • • • • • •

Conventional Inks Uv Inks White Base Coats for can, aerosol and aluminium tubes Gold lacquers (inside lacquers) Silver lacquers (overprint lacquer) Printing Aids (dryers, thinner, fountain solution)

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ounded in 1968, DYO Printing Inks reached a major landmark in January 2016 when Toyo Ink SC Holdings, the parent company of the renowned Toyo Ink Group of Japan, took over 75 per cent of the company. Now trading under the Toyo Printing Inks name, the company continues to build on its long-standing success founded on a strong commitment to customer service and the high quality of its products. Toyo Printing Inks offers an unlimited range of colour options and an uninterrupted service for 365 days each year. It is also unique in that it provides a range of five different related sub industries to its customers in the region. In addition, the company has its own in-house research and development department that is capable of matching any individual client specification for high performance inks.

Toyo Printing Inks is a truly international brand and is fully certified to quality standards for ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO140012 (Environment), ISO18001 (Occupational Health) and ISO EN 50001 (Energy Management). It established a new manufacturing plant in Manisa, Turkey in the year 2010 and exports its products to more than 30 countries.

Acquisition generates new value With the acquisition of DYO, the Toyo Ink Group continues to expand its manufacturing activities, operating in more than 20 countries worldwide that span Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The Toyo Ink Group produces a diverse array of items used in everyday life and these include the pigments seen on TV screens and the adhesives and coatings found in smartphones. The company’s marking films are used by supermarkets for the packaging of food and daily necessities found in grocery stores worldwide. Today, | 132 | Packaging Europe

Toyo Ink technology is providing new value and greater efficiency throughout the supply chain of consumer and professional products everywhere.

The Toyo Ink Group is one of the top three largest ink producers in the world; with the acquisition of DYO has reinforced its presence in the region with the aim of increasing the business volumes in both its national and global markets with new products and services. Toyo Ink Group CEO Katsumi Kitagawa said, “DYO Printing Inks will be known as Toyo Printing Inks from now on. We will continue to grow our business with Toyo Printing Inks and contribute to the lives and cultures of both Turkey and neigh bouring countries. Toyo Printing Inks undertakes an important role for our group’s global growth and we will expand our company with the support of Yasar Holdings, which has always been trusted by Turkish society owing to its long history and experience. Yasar is our strong business partner and we trust in their support.”

Smartest offset inks One of the many positive outcomes of the acquisition of DYO is the launch of a number of exciting new products to be showcased at Drupa this year. The latest ‘renewable sources’ inks from Toyo is its Dyozen Premium Ink series, which are vegetable oil based inks with a very high gloss finish. These ‘smartest’ advanced sustainable inks are formulated and developed with varnish technology derived from vegetable oils and renewable sources. Vegetable oils provide low and stable tack even at high speeds. For long-run printing, this speciality ink reduces the risks of set-off and piling. Minimum piling on the inking rollers gives ink excellent runnability for 4–10 colour presses.

“DYO Printing Inks will be known as Toyo Printing Inks from now on. We will continue to grow our business with Toyo Printing Inks and contribute to the lives and cultures of both Turkey and neighbouring countries. Toyo Printing Inks undertakes an important role for our group’s global growth and we will expand our company with the support of Yasar Holdings, which has always been trusted by Turkish society owing to its long history and experience. Yasar is our strong business partner and we trust in their support.”

These new, environmentally friendly inks meet the growing market demands for fast setting and drying properties for every kind of printing material. Dyozen Premium series inks are ideal for almost all printing materials including uncoated first grade papers, cartons and coated papers and in particular for matt-coated papers.

High precision inks Toyo produces high precision inks for Web Offset printers. The company’s Cold-set and Heat-set ink series offer superior technical features and are able to present the cleanest and purest colours to consumers. Toyo also produces a wide range of security inks for printing on valuable papers such as banknotes, cheques, passports, graduation certificates and special types of packaging for the pharmaceutical

industry, designed for the prevention of counterfeiting, by the inclusion of special security features.

Toyo also leads the field in the design and manufacture of metal decoration inks and can coatings. These can be produced to meet the precise requirements of each customer.

Products include gold and silver lacquers, ink dryers, thinners and fountain solutions, as well as UV inks. The company’s range of liquid inks include all types of Flexo and Rotogravure inks dedicated to the packaging industry and these include solvent based and water based inks, as well as lacquers and additives for Flexo and Gravure systems. n For further details on the Toyo Printing Inks visit: www.dyoinks.com; contact info@dyo.com.tr Packaging Europe | 133 |

Know-how is key A global leader in surface modification techniques, ME.RO specialises in the production of large machinery for converting and packaging, as Daniele Garavaglia reports.

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a niche market worth €150 million annually and growing at a rate of 5 per cent a year, ME.RO SpA ranks among the top three players worldwide, with a 10 per cent market share. The company, based in Lucca, was founded in 1962 by the Mennucci family and specialises in the production of machines and systems for treating plastic surfaces.

Managing director Armando Mennucci represents the second generation of entrepreneurs that has built up this small company, with a staff of 40, an annual turnover of around €15 million and a sales office and technical assistance in China: “At the end of the 1960s we began to develop machines for the surface treatment of plastic films, which today is still our core business. In order to be printed or coupled, or in some way converted, the plastic film should be treated with the so-called ‘corona treatment’ system, composed of

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a power generator and a discharge station. After this process, the film changes its surface tension and becomes suitable for the coating of inks, glues or any substance required for the subsequent application.”

Global supplier Today more than 8000 ME.RO machines for corona treatment operate globally and every year, another 400 are added. Over the past 15 years, the user base of the equipment has widened: “Our machines are used by extruders who, in order to sell plastic films to printers or to couplers, must process them with corona treatment.

Because this treatment decays over time, some printing and converting companies install our machines in their facilities in order to ‘refresh’ the treatment and bring back the surface tension parameters to appropriate levels for application.”

Several years ago, to support OEM customers in developing the best technological solutions, ME.RO chose to assist them in their foreign markets, becoming a reference point for leading companies in Europe, Asia and America for converting (Rotomec-Bobstgroup, W & H, Cerutti, Uteco, Nordmeccanica, Flexotecnica, DCM, Soma), Bopp-Pet plastic films (Bruckner Maschinenbau) and extrusion (W & H, Reifenhauser, Colines Group, SML, Bandera, Macchi).

Core capabilities “We produce a wide range of machines for corona treatment, but we are specialised and renowned for the top systems, for the treatment of film over six metres in width and up to 10.5 metres. In these facilities, our machines must ensure high speeds, up to 650 metres per minute, and the maximum homogeneity in treatment. This

involves constant reliability and very high power, with generators that provide up to 90 kilowatts. We can handle these complex electronic and mechanical problems thanks to the consolidated experience we have accrued over half a century of activity,” explains Mennucci.

This experience is based on renewal and innovation, in order to satisfy the market’s evolving needs: “Investment in research and development is a fundamental asset. Manufacturers tend to increase speed and treatment widths of plastic films: the system that produced 100 yesterday must ensure doubled productivity today. We try to meet these demands by improving our know-how, in close relationship with the manufacturers of raw materials.”

In addition to corona treatment, ME.RO has devised other technological systems, such as plasma treatment, both in vacuum and in atmosphere. Vacuum plasma treatment is used in metallisation systems, where it is necessary to deposit a metal layer on the plastic film. Plasma treatment in the atmosphere is instead a crown system where the discharge takes place, not in the air, but in a gas mixture which changes the chemical values of the surface treatment: “This system is used to obtain results of greater value and durability compared to traditional corona.”

ME.RO will be showcasing yet more innovations at drupa 2016, the international exhibition dedicated to materials and technologies for printing, converting and packaging: “We will propose a new model of discharge station and a new range of digital generators, in the context of traditional technologies.

But we are already working on a high-impact innovation, which exploits the properties of nanotechnology: a nanocoating treatment based on plasma discharge,” concludes Mennucci.

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Delivering postpress perfection HEASN specializes in exporting high quality post-press Chinese machinery worldwide. The company’s success lies in the fact that the quality of the brands it represents clearly match European standards and offer buyers considerable savings.

This is without compromise on performance or service. Philip Yorke talked to the company’s general manager Mr. Henry Wang about its new range of folder-gluers and other new equipment to be showcased at Drupa this year.

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Since it was founded in 2008, HEASN has developed a broad portfolio of high quality machines that complement each other in order to provide the optimal systematic solutions for folding carton converters. The company’s products can be divided into: printing surface finishing machines for printed sheets, which include hot-foil stamping machines, film laminating machines and coating machines. Its other machines cover equipment for folding boxes converting machines, which include die cutters, folder gluers, litho-laminating machines, window patchers and flat-bed cutting plotters.

The company has been very careful to select only the equipment that offers the highest performance along with the best value. Unlike many other trading companies, HEASN has not simply accumulated a wide range of products in a random manner merely to extend its catalogue offering. Instead, it has carefully followed the technology processes for print surface finishing and folding carton converting machines to integrate the best possible and most compatible equipment.

Wang said, “As a privately owned company we are very flexible and can offer unrivalled customer service. We only represent manufacturers that are financially sound and have a flawless reputation, as well as being successful for many years in the domestic market. We export to Europe and North and South America, as well as to the Middle East and South East Asia.�

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A new folder gluer show in Drupa In Drupa this year, they will launch a new SCM brand folder gluer with automated set up function, model WO-750PCR-A. For most standard straight-line and lock-bottom boxes, the whole machine can be automatically set-up within a few minutes after input the blank sizes into the touch screen. And all settings can be stored for repeat jobs by means of servo drive technology. The high speed performance with max. 420m/min assures it as an ideal solution for short and medium run jobs. With the high flexibility, the machine can also carry out inline print quality inspection, inline tape application, and inline window patching processes as optional. The material can be folded from 200-600gsm cardboard, to E flute corrugated board.

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Meanwhile, they will cooperate with Valco Melton to introduce the color bar code detection and gluing detection to avoid faulty during folding and gluing.

Wang said, “The SCM brand is well known as the most advanced folder gluer in the world and compares favourably with top brands such as Jagenberg, Bobst and Signature, but with a far lower investment required. HEASN became the exclusive export partner for SCM brand folder gluers since 2014. In the future, our main focus in terms of exports is to consolidate our European sales and then to increase our presence in the USA.” For further details of HEASN’s extensive range of print finishing and converting machines for folding cartons, visit: www.heasn.com.cn

Driving the short-runs revolution Kama is a global leader in the manufacture of innovative finishing solutions in commercial printing and the folding carton industry.

Philip Yorke talked to Marcus Tralau, the company’s CEO, about its plans to launch a revolutionary finishing product at DRUPA this year as well as showcasing some trend-setting converting equipment for the digital workflow.

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AMA has a long and proud history dating back to 1894 when it was founded in Dresden, eastern Germany. Following the German unification KAMA became a privately owned company established by Mr Marcus Tralau and his business partner. The company can claim many firsts in its long history including the development and manufacture of the world’s first automatic die-cutter in 1936. Today the same spirit and culture of innovation exists at KAMA, and this is aptly underscored by the company’s launch of a range of revolutionary ‘short-run’ products that offer the first complete converting solution for short runs of folding boxes.

Today KAMA’s solutions combine maximum flexibility across many applications and the company offers a diverse range of products designed to provide maximum efficiency with short runs and fast set-up’s that introduces a whole new concept for the production and individualisation of folding cartons.

A world premier This year KAMA is presenting an entirely new range of highly innovative finishing solutions at the international Drupa Trade Show, which is featuring the mega-trends in the digital packaging printing industry. At the company’s 200m2 booth in Hall 2/A15, it will be displaying revolutionary equipment that offers the first complete converting solution for short runs of folding boxes. This is heralded as a breakthrough product and another world premiere ‘first’ for the company.

The company’s innovative solutions include the DC 76 ASB, an automatic die cutter that embodies the latest in servo technology, as well as the newly developed KAMA FF 52i, which is the first folder-gluer dedicated to short runs. KAMA’s combined solution has been further optimised for very fast format and job changes, as well as for electronic job tickets and it fits perfectly into the digital workflow by carrying out all applications from printed sheet to the ready-to-deliver folding box. With their extremely short set-up times, faster finishing, inline stripping without tools and automated set-up, the solution paves the way for making short-run converting of folding boxes both efficient and profitable. | 140 | Packaging Europe

Tralau said, “There are many aspects of our company that sets us apart from the crowd, however the main difference at this moment in time is that we have concentrated all our innovative know-how and experience in order to focus exclusively on providing optimal solutions for short runs. This means that all the products in our portfolio are designed for maximum flexibility to accommodate shorter length runs. We have focused our technology to minimise set-up time. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries for example 1000 sheets and 5000 boxes require only between 15 to 30 minutes set-up time compared to the traditional two hours.”

Tralau added, “We can also connect machines together via the internet for realtime servicing, maintenance and trouble-shooting. Therefore if a customer wants to run 20 to 30 jobs a day, then my vision is that the process can start automatically and then provide data to the next machine and so on to the printing machine, and this

software is in development at KAMA right now and we expect to be able to go ahead with this advanced technology next year. We are also working in close cooperation with Hewlett Packard (HP) on their international project ‘Printo-OS’, which will make it possible to connect with digital packaging printing machines worldwide and we will be part of this technological revolution. We are also represented on the HP Solutions stand in Hall 17 where our solutions are on display in relation to the latest HP Indigo press.”

Five-minute changeover With its beta-phase testing now successfully completed, KAMA will launch its innovative folding box gluer FF52i at Drupa as a serial production model in the 52cm format.

The company will demonstrate how operators can easily affect the changeover from straight-line to straight-line carton in a remarkable five minutes. KAMA will also present a module for the production of crash-lock bottom cartons, and, important for folding

cartons in pharmaceutical packaging, inspection systems for all relevant parameters such as gluing line, flap codes, pharma codes and printed image to achieve for the first time a true 100 per cent inspection programme.

In addition KAMA will present a new die-cutting and embossing machine customised for short runs packaging. The KAMA DC 76 ASB is based upon the highly successful ProCut model for commercial runs and has been optimised for use in folding carton production especially for short runs, digitally printed runs and versioning featuring an AutoRegister. Furthermore, the company’s stripping and blanking unit KAMA SBU, works without the use of any tools. A further highlight for the KAMA finishing die cutters is the servo-controlled hot foil stamping unit with up to 50 per cent more performance on offer and greater flexibility for the professional user.

For further details of KAMA’s latest innovative and revolutionary digital packaging printing solutions visit: www.kama.info

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Leading player in

photochemicals IMAF is a well-known Italian chemical company specialising in the graphic arts sector. Laura Travierso takes a look at its history, current production profile and state-of-the-art facilities.

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stablished in 1961, IMAF soon became a leading player in the production of chemical products for pre-printing and offset, focusing on damping solutions and solvents for the cleaning of printing presses. Over the past 25 years it has been manufacturing exposure frames and processing machines for treatment and recycling processes.

A 5000m2 advanced automatic plant is equipped for the production of solvent mixtures for printing press cleaning, rubber blankets and films. Photolithographic workshops, photoengravers, photocomposers, printing shops, lithographic shops and publishing houses all choose IMAF products; all of these are often directly supplied from the company’s headquarters in Peschiera Borromeo or by its sister companies based in Piedmont and Veneto. At the same time a huge network of authorised dealers covers the whole Italian territory.

Bruno Zaghis, managing director of the company, explains that 50 per cent of its turnover comes from exports. “We have over 200 dealers, covering 70 countries spread over the different continents; our main focus is still Europe, followed by Asia and North Africa.”

At the beginning, IMAF’s core business was the photographic industry. However, the use of film has declined steadily as the digital age has progressed. This rapid technological development has transformed the industry and many films applications have been discontinued owing to a decrease in sales. In light of the growth of digital technologies, IMAF’s entire print process chain has been radically altered with the introduction of new applications and solutions to open up new fields of business.

“Thanks to the expertise and hard work of a handful of people,” says Mr Zaghis, “we have changed our core business, moving towards digital and packaging printing, and exploring new technologies and components that go beyond anything we have made before.”

He goes on: “If print has changed the world, our company offers a uniquely powerful combination of products, services and expertise. It’s more important than ever before that our customers have an overview of the latest new products and technologies, so we are also inspired to invest in new solutions.”

Printing green Sustainability is more important than ever. Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) and compliance with green standards are developing into an important competitive factor: the world requires green printing solutions. “The focus on sustainable developments is our main goal,” says Mr Zaghis. “In 2012 we set in train a rigorous and ambitious policy with regards to health, safety and the environment. We are proud of having been one of the first Italian companies to establish a photovoltaic system in our farm.”

Production overview IMAF’s production ranges between different applications, from the pre-printing to the printing room. When it comes to pre-printing, the company’s capabilities include: exposure frames for offset plates; plate processing machines for traditional positive and negative plates; processing machines for CTP plates, a complete modular

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line for the treatment of traditional and CTP plates; water filtration systems for plate and film processors; stickers, mounting tables, overhead lights and viewers at normalised light for the colour control of printed items; and baking ovens for plates.

The capabilities of the printing room include: automatic cooling units for printing presses; the water filtration systems and automatic plate wash machines. IMAF’s range includes products for daylight, darkrooms, autopositives, negatives, scanners, phototypesettings for every light source of photoplotters and transfer. It also offers damping solutions for traditional, alcohol systems and for small offset applications.

The company’s photolithograpy and phototypesetting solutions include plate processing machines, traditional and thermal CTP, as well as a complete modular line for plate treatment covering development, retouch, washing, gumming, baking oven and stacking. The facility also has stackers for plates, reverse osmosis equipment and baking ovens for plates.

IMAF’s solutions are ideal for all pre-printed corporate stationery and commercial communications. It makes films for daylight and darkroom conditions, for phototypesetting with various light sources. Print rooms must continually demonstrate the on-going added value they can provide to clients through the supply of fast, affordable and efficient services. The company is able to offer its customers a wide range of printing room products. The range includes fountain solutions for traditional and alcohol systems and for small offset.

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Other products include solvent mixtures for washing rubber blankets and rollers, using both automatic and hand-operated systems; gums and auxiliary products for all press exigencies; rubber blankets and inks.

Cleaning products IMAF’s portfolio of products is completed with its Floor Clean, Fold Clean and Pentapolish lines. Its concentrated Floor Clean detergent was developed for cleaning the footboards of printing presses and for the floors. Its solvent and degreasing action eliminates grease and fats, and is also very effective in offsetting ink stains. The Pentapolish is a solvent-degreasing detergent for the cleaning of painted elements on printing machines. It does not attack paint; rather, it eliminates the offset ink stains. Fold Clean is an odour-free cleaning system for folds in rotary offset machines.

“We will be taking part in the next Drupa trade show,” concludes Mr Zaghis.

“This is one of the most relevant specialist trade fairs for our market in the world and here we will introduce the new Flexo range. We are very excited about this new prospect and we will keep you posted!”

Visit: www.imaf.it

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Celebrating 175

Years of the Tube

Tube producers, machine manufacturers, suppliers, clients and other packaging specialists from all over the world are anticipating the upcoming World Tube Congress on 2 June 2016, hosted by the European Tube Manufacturers Association under the motto ‘175 Years of Flexible Tubes – And Still Going Strong’. Packaging Europe will be attending the Congress, with the honour of sitting on the jury for the ‘tube of the year’ contest, and will be providing up to date news from the event.

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016 marks 175 years of the tube, which was invented in 1841 by the American John Goffe Rand, and ETMA extends an invitation to the World Tube Congress, held in Berlin, to help celebrate this remarkable milestone.

When John Goffe Rand applied for a patent in 1841, this was the beginning of an impressive success story, the final chapter of which is nowhere to be seen even today: the tube is still a widely used form of packaging after 175 years and continues to be modern and up to date thanks to a host of innovative developments.

Particularly in times like these, the tube offers convincing arguments thanks to its multitude of benefits and its attractive qualities, which are simply indispensable for certain products and applications.

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Time for celebration Reasons enough, therefore, for the tube industry to celebrate this anniversary in a fitting manner. etma, the European tube manufacturers association that is managed as a division of the Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V. (GDA), is extending an invitation to attend the World Tube Congress in Berlin on 2 June 2016.

“It will not just be a case of looking back,” emphasises etma general secretary Gregor Spengler. “We want to discuss the tube’s future potential as a form of packaging and give it a new impetus. This is why we think it is important that, besides our member companies, this trend-setting congress should be attended by representatives of the whole process chain, not only from Europe but worldwide.

The congress programme has been designed accordingly.”

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Diverse programme In the morning of 2 June 2016, the opportunities and challenges of the European, North American and Asian markets will be presented and the latest trends demonstrated. To round off the first session, an outlook will be given for price and capacity developments of relevant raw materials.

In the afternoon, attention will be directed completely to the future. A global brand owner will formulate his future expectations and what he requires from the packaging and tube industries. ‘Supply chain 4.0’ in the tube industry will then be outlined. The afternoon session will close with a look into future purchasing behaviour and its effect on the packaging industry. A demanding and varied programme that should arouse plenty of interest.

Why attend?

The etma president Dr Monika Kopra-Schäfer can see another reason for making the trip to Berlin: “Besides the high quality presentations and expert discussions our congress will, of course, offer an excellent platform for successful networking; spanning various fields of industry and truly global. I am thinking here not least about the gala dinner in the evening, which will provide a festive setting for etma’s ‘Tube of the Year 2016’ competition.”

The congress registration fee is €690.00 plus VAT. Further details, together with the complete congress programme, are available in the form of a digital congress flyer by calling +49 211 4796141 or sending an email to info@etma-online.org.

About etma The European Tube Manufacturers Association (etma), founded on 25th April 1959, is an association of producers of flexible aluminium, plastic and laminate tubes for packaging purposes. etma represents the interests of 41 companies from 18 European countries. The association’s activities focus on: representation of the European

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tube industry to third parties, supply of statistics and packaging market information for its members, supply of packaging and raw material market information, monitoring of the European packaging, food contact and environmental legislation, creation of European collapsible tube standards, public relations, and cooperation with other packaging and flexible tube associations. etma’s aim is to enter into an open dialogue with public and other stakeholders in order to promote tubes as packaging and the products of its members. Each year etma carries out the contest ‘Tube of the Year’ which time and again reflects the innovative power of the industry, and will again be a mainstay of this year’s congress.

For more information, visit www.etma-online.org

Pole position The company Diplaris was established in 1966 by Stathis Diplaris during a very difficult time for the field of packaging, which despite this has evolved into one of the biggest packaging and printing companies in Greece today. Anastasios Noitakis, sales manager, spoke to Packaging Europe about how the company has achieved success in the field of graphic arts and box manufacturing, and its future prospects.

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iplaris has managed to achieve a leading position in the field of printing and packaging by manufacturing products of the best quality, as well as through the organisation and staffing of its production, administration and sales department with experienced and proficient associates. Everything is produced in house in the company’s state-of-the-art factory facilities.

The company was set up in a time when, according to the founder of the company, one had to take action and try hard to convince the customer of the usefulness of packaging in the promotion and sale of their products. Anastasios Noitakis comments, “There are numerous categories of products for which we manufacture packaging and advertising material, therefore we will approach separately the most essential ones. Diplaris produces every kind of paper boxes for packaging with a very large scale of products for the food, spirits, cosmetics, drugs, industrial and agriculture sectors. It also produces stands, displays, bags and flyers.”

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Diplaris has worked closely for a long time with suppliers such as MEL SA which is the biggest paper company in Greece, as well as Druckfarben, Mayer Melnhof, and Umka. Samples of the company’s work have drawn much attention and have been acclaimed by many packaging organisations and businessmen in Europe, the USA and several other parts of the world. Anastasios Noitakis is proud to point out, “Many of our packages have received awards in international competitions, and have assisted in the huge success of several products.”

Modernisation In the past few years, Diplaris has developed an impressive programme of growth and modernisation of its infrastructure and mechanical equipment, by investing amounts that have reached unprecedented levels for the Greek market. Evidence of the company’s focus on modernisation can be found in the fact that most of its equipment does not date back further than the year 2008.

Anastasios Noitakis explains, “Firstly, we have constructed a new privately owned factory in Petreza, Spata, Attica, which is situated very close to the new airport El. Venizelos near Athens. This new facility is able to house and exploit the further investments of Diplaris. Secondly, we have created a complete atelier of graphic arts.

Thirdly, we have focused on the purchase of new machinery and equipment. Last but not least, Diplaris has restructured the organisation and employment of administration and sales department with experienced and proficient partners.”

Together, these fundamental investments and changes will accelerate Diplaris even further into the forefront of packaging and printing.

Anastasios Noitakis concludes, “Our company can develop in the future through advancing the organisation of more exports and by strengthening our equipment further.” Through its many offerings, strong background and expertise, Diplaris truly can convince its customers today of the importance of packaging in the promotion and sale of their products.

For more information, visit www.diplaris.gr

Future growth On top of its modernisation and investments, the Diplaris will be focusing on the development of a sales network mainly in Germany, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Israel and the UK, with further expansion into several other European countries expected shortly afterwards.

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A company in motion Alvey Group, with its headquarters in the Czech Republic and subsidiaries in Belgium, France and the UK, specialises in tailor-made industrial automation projects increasing plant efficiency in the handling of secondary packaging, semi-finished or finished products. The group’s managing director Maarten van Leeuwen talks about recent developments in the company, ensuring the ability to provide customers with the highest standard and best value.

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A

series of exciting recent developments and initiatives has taken the company forward. “We obtained ISO 9001 certification for our Belgian site,” Mr. van Leeuwen told Packaging Europe. “We have developed, together with Wenglor, a new photocell and support for complete integration into our conveyors.

We have a new, adjustable slat divider ready, which will give our customers more flexibility for changes in packaging and pallet patterns, whilst also reducing time for our engineers to commission the systems. In addition, we are replacing our engineering systems, where for mechanical engineering we’re implementing Windchill from PTC. For sales support, we have selected Factory Design Suite. Both systems should be operational in the coming few months. Once that is done, we will start updating our ERP system, which we need to do in order to obtain an integrated system at group level.”

In the middle of 2015 Alvey moved to a new site in Derlijk in Belgium, and the company is now reaping the benefits of this successful move.

“The Deerlijk building is a dream,” Mr. van Leeuwen is happy to report. “The main advantage is that it is a comfortable work place for our employees, who are our single most important asset, and at Alvey Safety and Wellbeing always come first.

We now have pleasant offices, a very good cafeteria which our employees actually use, which in turn improves team spirit. In addition, all employees are now located close to one another, which was not the case in the previous building. This again improves team spirit and communication, of which we can never have enough in our project environment.”

Alvey has further strengthened its position in the UK. In addition to its long standing agent Reg Woods, a small company was set up in the UK - ‘Alvey Systems and Services’.

“There we have two excellent, experienced and motivated employees. It may not sound much, but it is a start. On the commercial side we have scored a number of successes in the recent months. The overall objective is for the UK company to be able to work in an ‘autonomous’ way within the next two years, i.e. they should be able to identify, sell, and execute projects without needing assistance from elsewhere in the group, just as we have done for our French company recently. Of course we still share resources whenever it makes sense.”

Mr van Leeuwen underlines how busy Alvey Group has been. “Not only do we have many projects recently sold, we also have a good workload in our sales department,” he says. “This should give us good chances to remain busy for the foreseeable future.”

One recent key project has been a large installation for a customer whose entire factory was destroyed by fire. The project was sold in October 2015, systems were partly operational in December 2015 and it was completed in February 2016. “It was completed at record speed, and we are very proud of this achievement,” Mr. van Leeuwen affirms.

Another project he highlights is a large project in France, to be realised together with partner Egemin Automation: “We are very excited about this project for a number of reasons. Firstly, we will integrate 12 AGVs together with our excellent partner and AGV specialist Egemin Automation. Secondly, we sold our newest Maestro+ version including a WMS module. Last, but certainly not least, and on a personal note, this is a customer I follow personally and I am very happy they are growing so fast and are so successful.”

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Highest quality Alvey has recently introduced a range of standard pallet conveyors, a portfolio of modular units - roller conveyors, chain conveyors, transfer units, turning tables, and empty pallet stackers - which cover 99 per cent of common pallet handling operations. The company’s philosophy is to overspecify its products to achieve maximal reliability and robustness possible: delivering top notch quality at competitive prices.

“We are now in discussion with multiple integrators who are either already buying this product from us, or are considering it,” says Mr. van Leeuwen. “We have developed a pricing tool so integrators can very easily calculate their own budgets. Of course, there is some resistance as integrators have their own engineering departments who are used to the products they are using now. Another challenge is our philosophy of ‘one drive = one pallet position’. This generally increases the number of drives, which makes SEW happy but increases the costs. However, we are fully convinced that we gain this money back during programming and commissioning, and that the end result will be a more reliable system for the end customer. It is hard to convince our own sales force of this sometimes, let alone third party integrators! Therefore, we now offer the option of connecting multiple sections to one drive, if the integrator so wishes.”

In order to increase competitiveness even further, Alvey continually improves its range, for instance by reducing the costs of its chain conveyor by five per cent without affecting quality.

“Such changes take time, as we want to be 100 per cent sure the changes do not affect quality,” Mr. van Leeuwen remarks. “Therefore, we do stress tests during several months before we release changes on the market.”

Inspiring CeMAT showcase At the upcoming CeMAT trade show in Hannover in Germany, Alvey will introduce Evolink, a system using distributed intelligence, designed initially for Alvey’s own pallet conveyors. Later it will be adapted for other conveyors and products. Visitors can find Alvey at CeMAT in Hall 27 / Stand F26. | 160 | Packaging Europe

“It is probably the most exciting innovation Alvey has ever launched,” Mr. van Leeuwen says. “In short, it will significantly (we guess 50 per cent or more) reduce programming, installation and commissioning of systems. Therefore, we reduce costs, increase throughput and the customer gets his installation operational weeks or months earlier.

Evolink will be available to both Alvey customers and integrators, with conveyors or on a standalone basis. The design of the system is such that, providing Integrators respect certain communication standards, they can very easily integrate their own higher systems such as WCS, WMS and Scada into the platform.”

He adds that the company hopes to create awareness and interest, and through this increment business and profits. Mr. van Leeuwen concludes: “Obviously, as shareholders we have a personal interest in the wellbeing of the company. Strangely enough - and many of our employees do not believe us in this - it is not even our primary concern. Our primary concern is to keep Alvey an exciting and safe place to work for our highly talented employees. Without them, there is no Alvey.”

Find out more about what the company has to offer, and read Mr. van Leeuwen’s monthly editorials at www.alvey.eu

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Locations in Teesside | Humberside | Midlands

Optimised engineering solutions Intelect UK is a market leading engineering company that provides high-tech expertise to the food and beverage manufacturing industries, Water utilities, energy and heavy industry sectors

I

ntelect was founded in Middlesbrough in the UK in 1997 by the four existing directors of the company working under the leadership of Francis Cormican. Today the Intelect brand leads the field in its chosen disciplines and has turnover in excess of £20 million per year.

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Simple values driving growth Since it was formed in 1997, Intelect has blossomed into an engineering powerhouse on the strength of the work commissioned by many of Europe’s leading brands, including Nestlé, Mars, PepsiCo and Walkers. In the past 12 months alone the com-

pany has gained many other major contracts from food and beverage brands such as KP Snacks and Tetley Tea. Its position in the market is enhanced by the fact that it is one of the strongest independently owned engineering companies to specialise in the installation of food process and packaging equipment. Its ability to innovate and tailor-make its services to suit a precise need has helped promote it to the industry’s top table.

Mr Cormican said, “The culture has always been friendly with a family feel. The organisation has grown from the initial four people to associated companies with over 200 directly employed personnel. Our values have always been very simple: to give a dedicated service and value for money. It’s nothing more elaborate than that. We find if we stick to these values we have plenty of repeat work and we build up great customer relationships. Our core strength is our employees: we have assembled a very disciplined and experienced workforce that is fully competent in all aspects of food industry manufacturing, packaging and distribution.

“The defining features of Intelect UK are its reliability and being able to offer the full turnkey solution. We are finding more and more these days that engineers want a onestop solution. That is, a company that can manage the customer’s engineering needs from initial concept and installation of machinery to the installation of services and commissioning, both mechanical and electrical. This is in addition to us providing fully compli-

ant automation and control with relevant control panels, software and a dedicated team of experienced personnel to cope with the installation of equipment within demanding time constraints.

“These services are all backed up by our engineers and unrivalled project management experience. Intelect holds all of these disciplines in-house which ensure we can supply the optimal quality and reliability that our customers have come to expect from us.”

Innovation built-in Research and development have always played a pivotal role at Intelect as industry attitudes and specifications have changed over the years, especially with reference to hygiene, infestation prevention and, more recently, allergens. The company also remains innovative in relation to the installation of its products and how it designs and manufactures platforms and conveying systems with these considerations in mind. The electrical installation techniques have been adapted over the years from enclosed trunkings to open, full-welded stainless steel basket trays that can easily be washed down. It always considers the whole production cycle of the product with the need for on-going access, maintenance and so on.

Mr Cormican added, “Our growth has been organic over the 18 years we have been in business, but we see potential to work with the many companies who have not heard

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of the Intelect brand name – the smaller food manufacturers who do not have the full engineering support and back-up of some of the larger organisations. We think that a total engineering solutions company such as ourselves will be a perfect fit.

“Our short-term goals are to continue consolidating our position as a leading expert within the field and to expand the brand which is Intelect. Our medium-term goals are to expand our workforce, build upon our very strong customer base and be the company of choice when a food process/packaging project is being discussed. We successfully exhibited recently at the Foodex trade show at the NEC Birmingham in April and were very excited to be involved. This international event gave us a unique platform to explain to both new and potential customers about the services we can offer to the industry as a whole.”

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Close inspection Intelect ensure at all times we are ahead of legislation, we are currently accredited to ISO9001:2008 and more recently BS EN1090 for steel fabrication for platforms and access.

All electrical installation work is inspected and tested by fully qualified engineers and is completed in accordance with the British Standard BS7671 and the NICEIC governing body. All electrical work is closely supervised by the company’s own NICEIC qualified supervisors to ensure that electrical work is compliant with the current version of the IET Wiring Regulations and in accordance with the Electricity at Work Act 1989.

These coupled with our health and safety accreditation ensure at all time we offer a first class service to both our client and our employees.

For further details of Intelect UK’s innovative products and services visit: www.intelectuk.com

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Success that sticks In just 25 years, Arconvert has become a world leader in the production of self-adhesive materials for the labelling of durable and consumer goods by focusing on innovation, quality and product customisation. Daniele Garavaglia reports. | 166 | Packaging Europe

H

ow can you become a leader in your field in a mere two and a half decades?

Arconvert S.p.A. can provide the answer: the company based in Arco (Trento) has become a global player in converting, and a specialised manufacturer of self-adhesive material. It is also involved in the customisation of a wide range of paper and film, specifically designed for the labelling of durable and consumer goods as well as other industrial and commercial items.

Founded in 1989, Arconvert S.p.A. today operates worldwide in cooperation with its ‘sister’ companies, Arconvert S.A. (Spain) and Arconvert Brasil (Brazil): together they make up the converting division of the Italian group Fedrigoni (nearly €1 billion in revenues in 2015). Carlo Codermazzi, general manager of Arconvert, states: “Our market is basically represented by two large channels: large scale utilisation products for the labelling of durable and consumer goods on the one hand; and high value added products on the other, focused on the specific requirements stemming from the food

& beverage and wine & spirits sectors. This latter category also encompasses security, for both counterfeiting and institutional purposes (stamps, visas, fiscal bands, revenue stamps and so on).”

Environmental issues Arconvert is a world leader in both its key fields, owing to its continuous research and innovation on various fronts. Ecological issues are in pole position: Mr Codermazzi says: “Environmental sustainability in the use of products is a constant research endeavour for the manufacturers of self-adhesive materials. The environment is key to doing business and affects our way of working. This explains why material recycling and energy savingare imperative. Furthermore, since a self-adhesive item has a protective layer that needs to be peeled off and discarded, one of our goals is the reduction of their grammage or the introduction of recyclable plastic material. Responsibility towards our common habitat

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is a cornerstone of our parent company Fedrigoni: most products leaving its paper mills – also representing the biggest procurement source of raw material for Arconvert – are certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®).”

Labels combining aesthetics and quality Another of Arconvert’s major innovations is related to the performance characteristics of the products themselves: “Our goal is the creation of the best self-adhesive materials for the labelling industry, spawning long-lasting products that are also more resistant and versatile,” points out Mr Codermazzi. The latest product, currently being launched on the international markets, is a ‘greaseproof’ treatment that keeps paper labels free from the absorption of oil and drippings. This solution was devised for high-end olive oil labels which adds, in conjunction with waterproof paper, another technological feather to the Arconvert cap.

“The technical performance of our paper enables designers to generate labels that combine aesthetics and quality. These are dual issues that directly affect brand enhancement,” adds Mr Codermazzi. Arconvert has recently proposed another innovative solution featuring high standards: Constellation Snow, the whitest and brightest among the 200-plus self-adhesive papers within the Manter range. Its resistance to humidity and dedicated anti-breakage treatment makes it ideal for the design of sophisticated labels requiring complex printing systems.

Upgrading staff and facilities Its extensive manufacturing capacity – with plenty of available room – coupled with the highest quality standards means that Arconvert can still expand its market share, which today stands at €110 million: “Demand on the global scale for self-adhesive labels has been growing by 5–6 per cent per year: with a production capacity of 450 million square

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metres annually, our company is in a position to quench a remarkable portion of that demand, concentrating mostly on Europe and the American continent. Continuous investments in the hiring and training of staff in addition to the upgrade of facilities will enable us to increase productivity and guarantee an even more efficient service to our customers, with delivery times of just 48/72 hours.”

The company’s growth strategy is guided and supported by the parent company that has now signed two new acquisitions abroad: a paper factory in Brazil and an adhesive material-paper distribution enterprise in the US. Visit: www.arconvert.it

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Pooling packaging

excellence

The association Packaging Valley Germany e.V. networks over 40 companies in the packaging industry, including packaging machine manufacturers, manufacturers of component and bespoke machines, as well as service providers for the packaging industry and machine manufacturing. It is situated in southern Germany, around the cities of Schwäbisch Hall and Crailsheim, in the area between Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Nuremberg. Managing director Kurt Engel talks about the association’s many strengths and the upcoming Packaging Valley Days.

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P

ackaging Valley was founded to bundle the unique competencies of companies specialised in the packaging industry clustered in the region.

“Our approach is to help customers to find the best possible supplier for their packaging solutions. We started with a couple of companies in 2007 and grew to more than 40 companies headquartered around the cities Schwäbisch Hall and Crailsheim. Included are packaging machine manufacturers, manufacturers of component and bespoke machines, as well as appropriate service providers,” Mr Engel explains.

Nowadays Packaging Valley is an organic union that presents distinct and supplementary specialists at a glance, with more to come, as Mr Engel is happy to report. “We want both our members and our member’s customers to benefit from this network. We regularly exhibit at major trade fairs in Germany and internationally. Furthermore, Packaging Valley plays host to industry events, in particular, the upcoming Packaging Valley Days, an event that discusses current industry topics and combines efficiently know-how and practice over two days. Another one to highlight is the ‘Student meet Entrepreneurs’ event. Students benefit from company visits and personal contacts to Human Resources. It is our purpose to provide know-how and insights in the packaging industry and promote young talent in a future-proof branch.”

Becoming part of Packaging Valley As an association, Packaging Valley is keen to keep up diversity and ensure there is added value for members’ customers, so new members are selected with great care.

“We check potential new companies in great detail. The company should be a specialist in the packaging industry, or provide core competency and innova-

tive technology that is useful for packaging machine manufacturers. Additionally, the company or at least a branch office, should be located in the Schwäbisch Hall district or surrounding area between Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt. After all, Packaging Valley describes a region that is famous for the clustering of packaging companies,” Mr Engel explains.

Joint projects, cooperation and a unified presence on the website and in the printed brochure are some of the benefits a Packaging Valley membership provides.

Both small and big companies profit from a common trade fair booth. Mr Engel highlights the association’s appearance at the upcoming Fachpack in Nuremberg.

“When you visit us, within a moment you will notice this huge booth under the umbrella of one brand and one colour. All of our members, even those with a smaller budget, have the opportunity to introduce themselves and bring their company into focus and attract more attention. Moreover, there are many projects our members cooperate in and plenty of them complement each other. This is another reason why it absolutely makes sense to present a single company in a strong union.”

Packaging Valley members are famous for a range of technologies and innovation, for example in the pharma or food industries. “There are several technologies our members are famous for. All over the world you can find technologies from the Packaging Valley, for example in the pharma or food industry,” Mr Engel adds.

VR Centre in Schwäbisch Hall Amongst the highlights to be showcased at Packaging Valley Days will be the recently opened VR (Virtual Reality) Centre in Schwäbisch Hall. “It is a joint project of Packaging Valley and some member companies and provides access to virtual applications and 3D presentations. The Virtual-Reality-technology with its many-faceted possibilities is a key future tool, especially for the specialist machine

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engineering sector. It can be used by architects and other production, design and development industries, too. Machines are presented in a virtual environment that enables definitive spatial concepts and views from different perspectives which would often not be possible in reality. It is yet a perfect facility for training and workshops with both staff and customers. Further possible applications are currently being worked on by experts and partners of the network. Ultimately the prime target is that of driving forward the power of innovation in conjunction with efficacious cooperation and development,” Mr Engel says.

Packaging Valley Days 2016 Packaging Valley Days, an international conference in the packaging industry, is organised every three years. It will take place for the third time this year. Mr Engel is keen to explain more about the event, which this year is run under the topic of Virtuality meets Reality – packaging processes 4.1.

“On the first day visitors will listen to expert lectures and talks about new developments and challenges that could turn into risks if companies do not react in time. ‘How can we secure Industry 4.0 environments’ will be one issue. Another presentation is about track & trace systems as it becomes a really important topic due to a new law. Several experts will discuss ‘Standards driven by Packaging

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Valley’, for example how standards can improve processes and the communication between people and machines. Talking machines are a key tool for improving packaging processes, and virtual reality are pioneering topics that accompanies the packaging industry.”

The second day enables visitors to see for themselves what individual member companies have to offer. “There will be shuttle services to bring visitors to our member companies. Be there to gain a special view behind the curtain of their production, new developments and highlighted products. The VR Centre Schwäbisch Hall will be part of the company tours as well. You can see a detailed programme at http://packaging-valley.com/die-packaging-valley-days/programm2016/,” Mr Engel concludes.

Packaging Valley Days can help visitors to stay ahead of developments and changes facing engineering companies, for example changes in mandatory legislation.

“It is important to understand future progress and to think outside the box to turn new developments into useful innovative technologies. That is why we started the industry event Packaging Valley Days. For the upcoming event, keynote speakers will give answers to current issues in the packaging industry and will talk about trends and challenges, giving visitors valuable insights,” Mr. Engel concludes.

Visit: www.packaging-valley.com

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UNIROB Turnkey Line

with Track & Trace

R.WEISS Verpackungstechnik from Crailsheim, one of the leading German manufacturers of packaging machines, has developed a highly flexible high-speed turnkey line for the packaging of pre-assembled in flow packs packed pharmaceutical products into carton boxes for a globally operating pharmaceutical company. The development of the line also involved the integration of a serialisation concept according to the latest standards.

BY

the beginning of 2001 R.WEISS had already begun to develop the UNIROB toploading machines with overhead positioned robots. The overhead positioning of robots using optimum access with large safety gates and doors affords a very good oversight of packaging processes. The product infeed and material flow can take place from all sides and can be flexibly adapted to the individual needs of each customer. This invention has been developed over several decades, so that today an extensive UNIROB construction system with a wide range of packaging applications is available to customers. The UNIROB concept is completed by a consistent, user-friendly and open control system according to the latest standards.

Modular construction system

boxes. In addition to the usual GMP standards, the capacity for a quick line changeover with minimum effort was necessary. Special demands were also made on the quality assurance and serialisation.

On the basis of these requirements, R.WEISS developed a unique UNIROB toploading picker concept, enabling the totally independent product flow between production and packaging line. With its modular construction it adapts perfectly to the customer’s spatial conditions. This was realised by the integration of the proven R.WEISS transport module Intelligent Shuttle System (ISS), which might have been designed for this task.

Intelligent Shuttle System

Based on standardised modules, particular flexible solutions for various applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, food, confectionery and bakery as well as non-food are developed at R.WEISS. Additional services such as serialisation and validation, as well as taking overall responsibility for large and complex turnkey lines, completes the R.WEISS portfolio. The expertise of this packaging machine manufacturer, together with the flexible and expandable UNIROB packaging solutions, enabled it to win its latest leading pharmaceutical customer.

The Intelligent Shuttle System (ISS) is a highly flexible modular transport system, which enables the completely independent transport of product and packing material throughout the packaging line. The carton blanks are directly erected in single shuttle and transported to subsequent stations such as the toploading area, the closing or labelling area.

Another special feature that impressed the customer was the ISS’s extremely intuitive operator interface. Using a modern HMI touch screen the machine operators can manage the position of every individual shuttle. This means the product and packaging material can be loaded or unloaded from any position.

Flexible solution for new product

Serialisation and track & trace

For its new product, this leading pharmaceutical provider was looking for a packaging concept that would increase production flexibility. Furthermore, it needed a variety of carton boxes to be handled on this packaging machine. With the modular UNIROB construction system this customer found the right solution: a highly flexible packaging concept that could be individually tailored according to its specific demands. The task was to handle up to 300 products and 100 cartons per minute in several formats of carton

The modular UNIROB construction system offers users the ability to integrate serialization, including the connection to ERP-Systems by the initial installation, or to be retrofitted at a later time. In a manner of speaking, the serialisation can be considered as a module of the construction system itself. When in combination with easily programmable shuttles available at any position, serialisation, quality control and integrated inline production control (IPC) the possibilities are endless.

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Effective erection of carton blanks The bespoke modular line developed by R.WEISS was also required to erect 100 carton blanks per minute: for this purpose, two identical UNIROB Erector modules have been integrated into the packaging line. Every module contains easily accessible and ergonomic chargeable multiple magazines for carton blanks. The blanks are glued, formed with a folding plunger and a folding frame and placed directly into the shuttles positioned below. Subsequently, the boxes are transported individually or in groups according to the particular packaging process required.

High-speed packing Alongside the erection process, the products can be placed unevenly at the interface to the R.WEISS conveyor belt. A camera system is able to recognise the position of every flow pack and passes the information to the R.WEISS Delta-Pickers. The closing flaps are kept open, while the Delta-Pickers pick the flow packs and place them into the carton boxes.

The product stream is processed by four R.WEISS Delta Pickers, with the last Delta Picker with sufficient power reserves ensuring that all products get into the carton boxes.

The control system of the Delta-Pickers and the machine is an operator friendly open control system developed by R-WEISS.

Closing module After the loading unit has done its work, the ISS transports the carton boxes to the closing module. Here they are guided once more over a hot glue nozzle and closed using a special closing tool. The same tool picks the boxes and places them on a conveyor belt, which transports the filled and closed boxes to a labeler and checkweigher.

Case packer The closed carton boxes are finally transported to a UNIROB case packer. Before the case packer places them, an integrated bypass guides the single cartons to a | 176 | Packaging Europe

stretch bander. Here the cartons are bundled in various formations, and these bundled units are subsequently guided to the case packer. Corresponding to the chosen format, the case packer is able to insert single cartons and bundles of cartons into shipping boxes. The shipping boxes are labelled with several labelers for different countries. Furthermore, the above described requirements of a quick and easy changeover and serialisation are implemented through connection to the customer’s ERP system.

In summary, the customer was very satisfied with the cooperation over the entire project, not least because R.WEISS and its modular UNIROB system took into account its specific requirements in every particular. Excellent project management as well as strong customer service and support will no doubt ensure further cooperations between this customer and R.WEISS Verpackungstechnik.

Visit: www.r-weiss.de

The Future of Machines Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs about 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries. Libby White spoke with Dominic Molloy, EMEA marketing director, Urs Marti, EMEA industries director, about Rockwell’s latest innovations and interpack developments, and Davide Brancaleoni, EMEA packaging segment leader to find out more about trends driving technological advancements.

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ver the past couple of years Rockwell Automation has cemented its strong presence on the packaging market, and has had a huge impact at the interpack exhibition held in Düsseldorf every three years. Rockwell Automation has increasingly witnessed over the last few years a drive for more productive, smart machines in the CPG industry (life sciences, food & beverage and home & personal care). It has a strong focus on addressing new developments in the industry such as the internet of things, smart manufacturing, industry 4.0 and factories of the future.

Celebrating innovation Rockwell Automation will be concentrating its stand at interpack 2017 on The Connected Enterprise as well as showcasing a range of its latest technologies. Dominic Molloy comments, “We will focus on highlighting how our technologies can enable OEMs to produce low cost, highly efficient, highly productive machines that can be easily integrated into an end users environment to help them drive their productivity.”

Rockwell Automation is to launch a new global award at interpack 2017 that will recognise and reward engineering innovation and machine design – especially in terms of addressing the future needs of this very demanding industry.

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Urs Marti: EMEA industries director

Davide Brancaleoni: EMEA packaging segment leader

With major worldwide end users on the judging panel, it will also be a superb opportunity for machine builders to showcase and discuss their technology in front of some of the industry’s most influential companies.

Urs Marti comments, “In this industry, OEMs innovative spirit drives adaptation and investments in new technology. We have created partnerships with a number of OEMs globally to develop machines, and interpack is the perfect platform to jointly present and show our strengths. “interpack is the perfect event for showcasing innovation. As well as addressing the needs of one of the most demanding markets globally, many exhibitors use the show to launch their latest innovations and machines. Speaking as a major supplier to machine builders in this market, we are always hugely impressed with the level of technological advancement we see at every event and we felt that it was time to recognise these achievements with an award specifically for innovation. The award also fits perfectly with the back-up and programmes we offer machine builders at interpack, in terms of co-marketing, product availability and on-site technical show support. If 2014 is anything to go by, we know we are going to have a tough job picking a winner. In 2014 there were over 220 machines equipped with Rockwell Automation products and solutions and in 2017, we target this number to double. All of these machine are eligible for entry.”

Connected Enterprise Dominic Molloy discusses one of Rockwell’s latest responses to the market, “The Connected Enterprise uses our technology to enable smart manufacturing facilities. The ability to have highly productive, highly efficient machines that are also flexible is critical in the food and beverage & Life Sciences market.”

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of information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) into a single unified architecture to capitalise on operational, business and transactional data for improved enterprise, operations and supply chain performance.

As such, The Connected Enterprise leverages technology to better gather and analyse data, and transform it into actionable, real-time insightful information. It enables the connection of global operations to the enterprise and extended business systems, allowing for better collaboration, faster problem-solving and improved innovation.

Equipment and devices are transformed into intelligent assets capable of reporting a wealth of production information including diagnostics and energy. Having this knowledge enables faster and better business decisions that can help increase productivity, improve quality and help to meet demand more precisely and cost-effectively. The Connected Enterprise enables operations managers to manage and improve manufacturing and industrial processes more profitably. IT executives are able to reduce network complexity and risk, providing visibility of the information that drives better decisionmaking, eliminates inefficiencies and nurtures collaboration.

Dominic Molloy comments, “CPG’s are very much consumer driven, so the ability to change for the market demands is critical, with machines that can change their function easily without much downtime. With an integrated packaging line, a machine may stop, but it might not necessarily be the machine that has stopped which is causing the problem. We want to promote the use of automation technology to bring smart manufacturing and a smart machine environment to the workplace, in order to increase productivity and solve existing problems.”

Urs Marti comments, “We believe Connected Enterprise will change the environment going forward in a way which we haven’t seen before- it is a hugely important step for the manufacturing environment and the IT world. It is already a reality for larger accounts and global opinion leaders across the consumer markets and our own company as

Dominic Molloy: EMEA marketing director

Rockwell Automation who see it as a huge opportunity to differentiate themselves, whilst running their manufacturing with less risk and higher productivity.”

Dominic Molloy casts his eye on reports from the last few years, “There has been much discussion of a rise in the middle class population globally, in emerging markets such as India, China, the Far East and Latin America. This will drive consumer spending which generates a huge opportunity for manufacturers. It is critical that with this global opportunity, manufacturers can compete on a global scale. Labour can be a high proportion of the manufacturing costs, so manufacturers may struggle to compete in emerging markets which are low labour cost based economies.

“So, from our viewpoint if you want to compete, you need highly productive manufacturing, which we can provide through The Connected Enterprise. The smarter the machines are, the smarter the environment, and we can offer aspects such as simplified integration, information enabled real time analysis, operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, meaningful diagnostics and flexibility.”

Development programmes Urs Marti explains that Rockwell Automation’s account managers are specialised to either support the machine builders or the end user accounts. “This is important as we can bring the two sides together which is the secret to having a shared success. We organise ‘speeddating’ events for example where OEMs can talk to end users such as Nestlé, P&G and Unilever to find out learn about their expectations and how to become strategic suppliers.”

He continues, “We have built first class competency centres where OEMs are invited to come and simulate and test their new solutions.” The Rockwell Automation Competency Centres combine unparalleled engineering know-how with state-of-the-art testing equipment to help OEMs achieve new and innovative solutions which are also reliable and field-ready. Rockwell Automation Competency Centres are located in Bologna, Italy; New Delhi and Bangalore, India; Beijing and Shanghai, China; Singapore; and Melbourne, Australia.

Rockwell works with many OEMs around the globe to design, develop, and deliver innovative equipment with its solutions that drives business value for the OEM’s customers and gives them a competitive advantage. Some of these OEMs are recognised as OEM Partners within Rockwell’s PartnerNetwork program. They show a commitment to use Rockwell Automation content across their portfolio and together Rockwell searches for the most innovative solutions to suit their needs.

Rockwell Automation also prides itself on providing technical consultants to help machine builders as part of this programme to help make improvements. Urs Marti adds, “These are just a few examples of what we offer, showing our collaborative approach in developing a strategy and the related execution with co-shared objectives together with our partners.”

Trends driving advancements Rockwell Automation looks to market demands which drive the technological advancements it develops. Davide Brancaleoni outlines these demands as improved time to market, reduction of the total cost of ownership, improved management of manufacturing risks, and flexibility.

To address these requirements, he comments, “Rockwell Automation is ready to meet all of these demands with Integrated Architecture, a complete portfolio of controllers, integrating process batch, discrete, drives, safety and motion into one connected and segmented plant wide infrastructure, offering the highest scalability from small to large systems. The new Compact Logix and Control Logix have pre tested function blocks to simplify the development time, through a standard Ethernet IP network, with the possibility to have Integrated Safety.

At Interpack 2017 we’ll also be able to show machines equipped with iTRAK- which is having a profound impact on the way in which machines are developed at the moment. iTRAK is a breakthrough in fast, flexible motion control with faster production changeover. We have several applications at the moment in the market, increasing the throughput of machines by 30–100 per cent with an average of a 50 per cent approximate increase in production capability. Some manufacturers have reported that the iTRAK system has reduced the changeover time by 80 per cent.”

Serialisation and traceability in the supply chain are also critical elements. Davide Brancaleoni comments, “This has been prominent in the pharmaceutical market but is progressively present in the food industry for several reasons: from legislative pressure, to brand protection.”

Rockwell Automation’s serialization solution takes a holistic approach, giving both OEMs and end users a single solution to address current and upcoming regulations, product counterfeiting and product recalls for the pharmaceuticals and food and beverage industries. This is a complete turnkey solution, from packaging to MES to ERP to Cloud.

Davide Brancaleoni adds, “We can provide a mechatronic approach which is revolutionary in the way we can change machine engineering, leveraging innovative electronic technologies in order to overcome the limitations of mechanical technologies. This creates higher flexibility, and an increased productivity and output. Rockwell Automation has recently acquired MagneMotion, specialising in intelligent conveyor systems based on linear synchronous motors, this acquisition continues our strategy to build a portfolio of smart manufacturing technologies that brings next generation performance to our customers today.”

With such a progressive portfolio focused on the future of machines, Rockwell Automation looks set to support OEMs and end users well into the future.

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Flourishing through investments Pulse Flexible Packaging Ltd has evolved since a considered MBO in May 2014, establishing itself as an independent business and a leading UK flexible packaging supplier for the food and beverage industry with a turnover of around £60 million. Libby White spoke with Mike Collins, managing director, about the shift in objectives for the company and the investments it has made to achieve its goals.

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he UK board of directors and pension trustees acquired the UK operations of Printpack Enterprises Limited from Printpack Inc. Today, Pulse Flexible Packaging operates from two sites based in the UK: a headquarters and production site in Bury, Lancashire, and a further state-of-the-art production site in Saffron Walden, Essex.

Mike Collins comments, “We have been committed to investing in the business since day one of Pulse Flexible Packaging. So far, we have invested between £15–17 million to enable us to provide the right solutions for our customers today, and into the future.”

Broadening horizons In order to provide a better service to the markets and customers it serves, as well as to increase its range of offerings, Mike Collins says, “Since the MBO, we have made investments and many improvements across the business. We secured support quickly from the regional growth fund, and we kick-started the first stage of investment in a new eight| 180 | Packaging Europe

colour Novoflex W&H flexo press with a downstream gravure unit. We knew this press would increase our flexibility and improve on capabilities we had previously been lacking in our offering before the MBO.” On the back of this investment, Pulse Flexible Packaging won a significant contract, which required a further investment into a large extrusion laminator. Mike Collins adds, “For this new equipment, we also needed to add a significant extension to our facilities The extrusion laminator will be commissioned this April 2016.”

Pulse Flexible Packaging has also invested in a 10-colour flexo press and a total of six slitting machines, with incorporated automated robotics.

In addition, it has expanded into pouch making with a new machine that has been up and running for around six months. Mike Collins points out, “The pouch market grows at a significantly higher rate than the flexible packaging market organically. We are really focusing on how we can provide enhancements for pouches; we have a broad offering includingour reseal applications, spout options and easy-open and reclose functionalities.”

Extensive range Pulse Flexible Packaging offers an impressive range of printing technologies to suit the needs of its customer who can benefit from flexo, HD flexo, gravure, high resolution gravure and inkjet.

The company has also recently launched and exclusively developed HRG. This is an established and proven technology that offers an engraving resolution of 300lpi up to 1200lpi. HRG offers excellent quality reproduction, unrivalled print repeatability and, thanks to the high impact graphics, a greater on shelf appeal.

Mike Collins comments, “With our new pouch making capabilities, and our comprehensive range of printing options, we can provide customers with whatever solution they require; offering a one-stop solution for pouching .. We can also enhance their products by partnering with other companies, for example we work with a leading security provider and can incorporate some of their features into our packaging, such as holograms.

We have also expanded in to the digital market through strategic partnerships.”

Employees Mike Collins is keen to share the asset of the workforce at Pulse Flexible Packaging. “We have 330 employees in total and we benefit from an incredible commitment from our employees, we have invested in our human capital and have retained decades of knowledge and experience. We even have a number of examples where we have two generations of one family in our business-which is fantastic.

“We are very proud of the skill set of our employees and their loyalty to our company.

To recognise this, we provide a strong route of progression, I came into the business myself in 1991 and moved through various roles in my time here.”

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To complement its recent investments, the company also ensures it refreshes its skills internally, while also focusing on succession planning with targeted key appointments.

Pulse Flexible Packaging currently has a total of seven apprentices in various disciplines to help energise the business. One of its engineering apprentices, Katie Sadler, has already been awarded with a Starpack Rising Star Award, and the Rising Star Award for an outstanding young professional at the UK Packaging Awards in 2015.

Future growth Pulse Flexible Packaging is partners with some of the world’s most trusted brands, such as PepsiCo, Mars, Nestlé, and KP Intersnack. As an established and trusted packaging supplier, the company is looking to expand into new sectors and expand its customer base.

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Mike Collins remarks, “With the investments we have made, and the additional employees we now have to complement our skill set, we are in a strong position to expand.”

He concludes, “First and foremost, our future growth will come from leveraging our investments. We already have a contract with a multinational corporation and look to build new contracts with existing and potential customers. We are looking for partners who seek different and innovative solutions.” In its second year, Pulse Flexible Packaging has cemented on its previous foundation of knowledge and experience, whilst growing into a versatile and responsive business in order to meet the demands of the n market today.

Visit: www.pulseflexible.com

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Heading for pole position Germany’s leading manufacturer of extrusion and protective films, Polifilm has been enjoying steady year-on-year growth since it was founded by Lutz Runkel in 1972. Run today by Mr Runkel’s two sons, Bastian Runkel who is responsible for Polifilm Extrusion and Christan Runkel who is responsible for Polifilm Protection, Polifilm now employs over 1400 people at its state-of-the-art facilities. The company has been dedicated to films since it was established and consequently its expertise in the field is unrivalled across the country. Packaging Europe spoke to CEO Bastian Runkel, MD for extrusion, about the business.

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he long-standing traditions of Polifilm are excellence in films, quality awareness and a commitment to individual solutions for our customers,” remarked Bastian Runkel. “We believe that our decades of solid customer relationships and continued positive corporate development are living proof that we succeed in our traditions every day. We have been increasing our turnover by an average of 10 per cent every year since our foundation.”

Bastian Runkel continued: “Our added value doesn’t derive from having Europe’s largest extrusion plant, although that helps, of course. Our added value comes from our human capital – the people who sell our products, listen, and find process solutions for our customers.”

Last year the Polifilm’s turnover stood at just under 500 million euro. The group has 10 production plants in Germany, in France, in the USA, in Israel, in Brazil, and in China, and it exports to over 70 countries. Polifilm is now one of Germany’s leading manufacturers of extrusion and protective films.

This position is the result of a steady and strategic expansion of product portfolio, customer base and family of companies over the last four decades. “In 1979 we started our coating production capabilities, with film extrusion starting in 1983,” Bastian Runkel explained. “We also established our first overseas branch in 1980 and our first acquisition was in 1990 when we purchased the French company that became Polifilm France SAS. Acquisitions in China followed, as well as various management developments. It’s been a careful yet colourful history that has proved very positive for Polifilm and our customers.”

Investing in bricks and people To this day the business continues to invest in bricks and people. In 2015 Polifilm Extrusion GmbH acquired the German Consumer Packaging plant at Osterburken, in central south Germany, from the Mondi group, and the High Density film specialist WMS in Engelskirchen, not far from Polifilm’s Cologne headquarters.

“From a strategic perspective, the companies we acquired are strongly aligned with our nominated growth segments, and both provide the ability to substantially improve the value proposition for our customers,” remarked Bastian Runkel. “We will make sure that both businesses achieve the synergies we have had in mind since we saw the opportunity to acquire the Osterburken and Engelskirchen plants.”

Polifilm’s acquisition of Mondi’s film manufacturing site in Osterburken/Germany has doubled the market share in sealant films, where it is now comfortably the market’s leading independent manufacturer. “We do everything possible to stay on the right path to the declared growth strategy by Lutz Runkel.

POLIFILM’s strategy for the sealant films market: Sustainable and profitable growth, driven by our technical know-how in the manufacturing of sealant films that address the rigorous requirements of strength and performance for sealed packaging applications.

The takeover of Osterburken takes this strategy into account. We are the market leader by far as an independent manufacturer of technical films. ”Bastian Runkel commented.

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Commitment to innovation

Specialist solutions

‘Innovative’ and ‘high efficiency’ are key words in the Polifilm ethos, and play an important role in the design process. The company has its own laboratory facilities at all production sites, employing more than 70 technologists and chemists in research and development. Global headquarters coordinates the work, and a group platform keeps the cooperation between the different R&D departments closely knit – and the company’s growing number of patents is proof of the success of this approach.

“We additionally work closely with universities and research institutes, not only in fundamental research, but also to assure that they will train our future employees according to our needs,” Bastian Runkel revealed. “We keep investing in technological equipment at our production sites, in expanding our global presence by moving onto new markets, and we keep investing in training and qualifying our employees.”

Last year the company invested €1.1 million in a 150m2 Group Technical Platform, which opened its doors in October 2015. The Group Technical Platform, or Technikum, will be a meeting place for ideas the different R&D laboratories spew out at the nine different production sites that can be found on all continents.

In the Technikum with the seven-layer blown film plant now in commission, it is now possible to expand for improving quality in the area of surface, wrapping and layer structure. Furthermore, new possibilities will arise owing to the expansion of the five-layer cast system on five extruders. A new desiccant air dryer allows the use of hygroscopic raw materials and makes the extrusion process more robust. The days of manual inspection are over. As needed the new mobile inspection system can be integrated into any of our lab scale lines. Gels and other defects are detected and logged automatically. They are removed before samples are sent off reliably. During experiments, relevant process data and machine settings are captured and recorded.

Simultaneous visualization on multiple screens is only one of many beneficial features the upgraded software provides. With the technical centre as a showcase for its range of services, Polifilm is on its way to becoming Europe’s largest solution provider in the PE film industry.

Have you ever tried to put your car in a plastic bag? Probably not. Nevertheless, a car needs to be protected on the way to the customer against damage. This also works with a plastic bag, our plants also dominate this large format. The vehicles can no longer be moved, doors can’t be opened and wheels not turn. This is necessary so that the cars can be driven on railroad cars or ships. To obtain the full functioning of the car, self-adhesive films are used, which covers all sensitive surfaces during transport and storage for example from scratches and bird droppings. The films can be removed even after months from the car paints without leaving residues and allowing so that the customer can accept a visually perfect vehicle.

Another example: in a market where more than 10 per cent of all hand stretch films are discarded due to damage, Polifilm’s Poliflexx is a product which offers significant environmental benefits. Poliflexx is a film with reinforced edges and is wrapped softly to provide perfect protection even if handled with less care. High-performance resins offer superior tear resistance and maximum load-stability.

Indeed, Bastian Runkel was keen to emphasise the sustainable credentials of Polifilm’s business model: “In order to save resources, for instance the edge strips and rejects are put in a recycling system. Our recycling facilities as well as our extrusionlines work nonstop, around the clock.” he said. Our Poliflexx film is a good example of how we and our customers can save on materials. The Poliflexx hand stretch film reduces packing costs and has less damage related material loss – a gain for both us and our customers.”

Building on the same foundations of quality and strong ethics which have always characterised this family business, the brothers look to the future with great expectations.

Bastian Runkel concluded: “POLIFILM has been blazing a successful growth path in the last 40 years, we are focusing on specialty products and continuing to increase capacities. As we visit more international trade exhibitions and present our ‘excellence in films’ solutions, we are confident that we will maintain and enhance our position as a leading international producer of extrusion and protective films.”

Visit: www.polifilm.com

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Clear robotic vision BluePrint Automation is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of turnkey end of line packaging solutions and vision guided robotic systems. Philip Yorke talked to Jos Van Oekel, sales director, about BPA’s Delta Robotics and integrated case and tray packing technology.

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luePrint was founded by Bob Prakken in 1980 and has since grown steadily to become one of the world’s foremost providers of innovative and versatile solutions for case packing for flexible bagged products. The company provides high-tech solutions for the food industry, including frozen foods, snacks, baked goods and confectionary, as well as for non-food applications, such as personal- and home care products. BPA serves multinationals, as well as smaller mid-sized companies worldwide.

The company offers a broad systems portfolio, including high speed vision guided robotics for sophisticated picking and placing of individual packed and nonpacked items for loading into cartons, cases or wrap-around containers.

BPA’s case and tray packing solutions provide state-of-the-art packaging technology with a range of tailor-made turnkey options for flexible and other tough-tohandle packages. Furthermore, the company provides unrivalled wrap-around case packing capabilities, especially for retail-ready packaging requirements. Complete turnkey packaging systems are also readily available that enables the customer to take complete control of its packaging lines from the end of the processing cycle right through to final palletising.

Innovative integrated solutions Innovation and customer service have always been at the heart of BPA’s culture.

With the strategic acquisition of Racupack in 2013, BPA has widened its expertise in carton handling technologies offered to its customers.

“Customers are demanding more total integrated solutions with a smaller footprint,” remarked Mr Van Oekel. “With the additional Racupack carton expertise, we are able to offer product- and carton-handling in one monoblock frame, resulting in higher output per square metre and still keeping performance rates at 98 per cent and higher. A good example of such development is a monoblock designed casepacker for our biggest confectionary customer.”

This machine with twin infeed includes integrated case erecting for four different case designs, Delta Robots for case transport and filling at a rate of 330 bags/min, integrated case labelling, inkjet, closing with lid, tape or hotmelt and case weighing.

The overall footprint of this BPA case packing solution is less than 30 m2.

With another global manufacturer for food and non-food products BPA developed hand-in-hand a very standard and modular-designed Delta Robot. “With this Delta Robot we are offering competitive solutions that can handle products such

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as ice-cream sticks, doy-packs with soups and sauces, as well as flexible bagged detergents all within the same machine execution,” Mr Van Oekel observed. “Of course, we also offer this modular Delta Robot design to other customers with different application demands, such as bakery and confectionary products or non-food products such as flow-packed wet wipes.”

He continued: “In addition, for our traditional markets such as frozen food and snacks, we are developing innovative and cutting-edge new technologies and machine designs. We are still seeing strong growth in these traditional sectors and with these new developments we also serve this important existing customer base.”

Flexibility is in BPA’s DNA and the company strives to ensure that it offers the optimal solutions and the best possible fit. Although BPA is increasing levels of standardisation and modularity, it still finds there is a substantial demand on the market for customised solutions. With the vast experience within the BPA engineering group, the company is very well placed to provide the best solution for each individual case-packaging challenge.

Twin infeed monoblock Quest casepacker

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Over the last couple of years BPA has been growing 20 per cent year-onyear. The company moved into its current factory, which was built for the long term future, in 2000. With the impressive growth of the last years and the promising outlook for the coming years, BPA is now making a major investment in a brand new facility in the Netherlands. Construction of this ultramodern 14,000 m2 plant will commence in May of this year and the move is scheduled for early 2017. The new premises will include offices, workshops and assembly halls all under one roof. Racupack will also be fully integrated in this new location.

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“Our new building will support the further development and growth of the company with greater flexibility and efficiency than ever before,” said Mr Van Oekel. “This means we can offer a truly one-stop-shop service for end of line case packing operations. With the move to the new factory and the forthcoming Interpack in Düsseldorf, 2017 will be an exciting year. With new innovations on display at Interpack and the inauguration of the new plant, we want to show that BPA is ready for the future!”

For further details of BluePrint Automation’s innovative packaging solutions visit: www.bpa-flexolutions.com

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Accumulating

success Established in 1956, Polyketting BV has developed its conveyor technology over the years and since the 1990s has focused on accumulation. Today the company offers all kinds of FiFo accumulation solutions as well as internal transport systems like conveyors, dividers, mergers, vertical transport etc. Packaging Europe spoke with Mr Henk-Jan Visser, sales director, to find out more about its latest innovations and expansion plans.

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Mr

Visser underscores the success and motivation of the company, “It’s not just about the mechanical parts, of course that has to be solid, hygienic, etc., but it is more about understanding the process of the customer, creating a good lay-out and having knowledge about the machinery and processes involved.

“In a production line there are a lot of different machines with their specific capacities, availabilities, flow requirements and stops. To be able to get the most out of the total line (OEE), we transform the data to the best possible production flow. In this process there are always restrictions and challenges like limited space, budget, time or just odd shaped products. The solutions we create is what makes us unique and also what we love about our job.”

A rich history Polyketting has a long history in the dairy and juice industry, which is partly due to its good relations with a lot of OEM partners including a.o., Elopak and Tetra Pak. For the primary packaging sector, Polyketting provides practically all kinds of bottles (PET, HDPE, glass), drink cartons, cans and jars, although pouch and flowpacks are no exceptions. Products are directed at the FMCG market and can be used for soft drinks, beverages, ice creams, and primary and secondary packed goods in the food industry. Servicing the filling area to the palletiser area, Polyketting’s products can be used in environments that are established for the use of stainless steel.

“Our activities extend all the way up to the tray-packer and palletizer. In the secondary packaging we take care of transporting and manipulating the flow of trays, shrink wraps and cartons,” says Henk-Jan Visser.

Polyketting works with several OEM partners in the primary as well as in the secondary packaging industry. It also holds a strong long term relationship spanning

over 25 years with Intralox, who is not only a supplier, but also a customer. Other well known suppliers are a.o., SEW, Siemens, SICK and Movex. Polyketting’s preferred suppliers meet the industry standards and help to maintain the quality of its products.

New innovations In the last two years Polyketting has made some major innovations regarding secured product transfer and product flow regulation. The company has achieved secured product transfer by designing its own gripping element which it has integrated into its FTms FiFo accumulation.

Mr Visser comments, “Due to this innovation our horizontal accumulator can perform at speeds up to 30.000 units per hour or can handle odd shaped products like tapered bottles or cups. Another benefit is that product orientation is maintained at all time.”

The gripping element Polyketting is using on the satellites of the FiFo accumulator is truly one of a kind. The special designed pattern and rubber will fix the product on a gentle, but firm way. Not only that, it also will lift the product slightly to prevent the bottom touching the belt transfer. This unique principle is patented in the Netherlands since 2015. The proceedings on a patent for the whole of Europe and the USA are ongoing.

Another innovation from Polyketting is its self-regulating balancer called the DLms. This device can balance inconsistent product flow without any form of backpressure and uses the same (patented) transfer-technology.

It will level the peak capacities that are characteristic for discontinuous operations, to an average levelled product flow. Mr Visser adds, “A lot of machines perform at their best if they receive a constant flow without peaks. Sometimes it is even required by the supplier.”

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The DLms also enables lane indexing and flow separation without stopping the product flow. “This technology we use in our own FTms accumulation table in cases where we do not want to stop the flow,” says Mr Visser.

Future expansion Polyketting has achieved impressive steady growth in the past few years, and consequently needed more space. In 2015 it invested in an existing building with 13, 700 m2 at its disposal. The new building is strategically situated in the same village of Zelhem, The Netherlands, as the existing facility, which fits the company’s needs perfectly.

Henk-Jan Visser comments, “The relocation will be executed in three stages and will take about a year. The result will be a doubling of our production capacity and also we are planning to grow our stock of spare parts for a fast response time.

“We deliver systems on a global scale, since we have a lot of international OEM’s as a customer. For direct business we concentrate on Europe, outside Europe we are working on a network of local partners to support growth.”

He observes that in the past few years, food producers have done a lot of acquisitions. As a result, Polyketting has on the whole experienced less, but bigger customers, hence bigger projects.

He adds, “Our growth will come from our strength and that is: to unburden our clients so they can concentrate on the things they are specialized in. Regardless if it is the end user or an OEM partner, they all want a perfect lay-out, a good operability and line overview, and above all, the highest output possible.”

Polyketting is capable to take the responsibility and supply what is needed. Henk-Jan Visser concludes, “In that piece we play a part that is written in our DNA.” For more information, visit www.polyketting.nl

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Complete solutions for pharmaceuticals

Kroha GmbH has been manufacturing folding boxes and packaging inserts for the pharmaceutical industry for 45 years. Helmut Rank, the company’s CCO, speaks to Elisabeth Skoda about recent investments and ensuring customer satisfaction in a competitive market.

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ermany-based Kroha GmbH has achieved a steady increase in turnover of about 2–3 per cent each year, with a recorded turnover for 2014 of €37 million. It has 260 employees in two sites in Barleben near Magdeburg, and Miesbach.

“We are proud to still be family owned and run by CEO Franz Kroha, supported by COO Marc Prior and myself as CCO,” Mr Rank adds.

Competition from nearby Poland and other eastern European countries has been growing over the years, but Kroha GmbH has remained successful by being close to its partners and customers and by reliably exceeding expectations every single time.

“I’ve been in the folding box business for 20 years and have seen a lot of big changes and mergers. We want to make sure that Kroha GmbH remains the intelligent dolphin in the shark pool,” Mr Rank points out.

Impressive product range Kroha GmbH’s product portfolio includes folding boxes, labels and packaging inserts, with features such as hot foil embossing, varnishes, extra-high relief embossing and fine screen ranges as well as wet labels and adhesive label rolls. Carton products are available from plain white to up to 12-colour prints. Special inlays and window gluing are also at the customers’ disposal. Effects available include special folding boxes with a back lining adhesive window and different varnishes for various gloss effects.

“Our certified subcontractors are able to support us with all specialised finishing versions,” Mr Rank adds.

Kroha GmbH also offers a wide range of leaflets, from a single, small flat leaflet to bigger ones that can be folded down to small packs and sealed with labels on the outside, combining paper and carton.

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Each year, Kroha GmbH completes nearly 30,000 jobs, each involving from 200 to 3,000,000 units, resulting in an average of 24,000 units. Both smaller batches and large volume orders are processed with the same close attention to detail and divided into deliveries that meet all the needs of the customer.

Regular investments Kroha GmbH recently invested in a state-of-the art digital printing machine by HP, which is competing with a new Heidelberger medium format printing machine. Both machines were installed in order to cater for the demand for shorter runs, enabling the company to offer extremely fast deliveries at shorter volumes.

“In addition to this, we also invested in a new finishing line by ABG that again helps us to produce those smaller runs. This line can carry out different types of varnishing, foiling, embossing, hot-foil stamping, cold foil transfer and diecutting.

“And then, just six weeks ago, we bought a new Kama gluing line which is also ideal for small runs. It has a fully automated set-up, making job and format changes very fast,” Mr Rank says.

Kroha GmbH has always invested continuously in state-of-the-art printing and folding machines. With this new equipment boxes can be stamped, folded and varnished in a range of different styles. Consecutive numbering and coding is also available, in line with the requirements of the EU directive 2011/62, preventing counterfeit medication from entering circulation.

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“We also produce special constructions providing tamper evidence for the closure of pharmaceutical packs, especially boxes, complying with the ISO16687 standard,” Mr Rank adds.

In order to make information flow even more efficiently, Kroha GmbH has been working hard on creating a new ERP system. This will provide a further boost to the company’s e-business efforts, which consist of online operations allowing customers to achieve even shorter lead times.

A reliable partner Kroha GmbH is proud to be a trustworthy partner for its customers, with speed, reliability and quality as key factors, as Mr Rank explains. “We are continuously working on improving and streamlining our processes, resulting in less waste, fast changes and short lead times. We offer very fast runs within the factory once an order has come in. Our ISO 9001 certification is permanently supervised and developed further, and recently we received an ISO 50001 certificate for energy management, which is key to supporting our customers in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Mr Rank looks towards the future with optimism despite the current challenging times. “I believe that we will open more factories in the coming years, and not just in Germany. I also see a lot of potential beyond our core business of pharmaceutical products, in other consumer markets. We are already having some success in markets such as cheese or games, and I see the potential to further expand on that,” he concludes.

Visit: www.kroha.de

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Success that sticks In just 25 years, Arconvert has become a world leader in the production of self-adhesive materials for the labelling of durable and consumer goods by focusing on innovation, quality and product customisation. Daniele Garavaglia reports. | 202 | Packaging Europe

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ow can you become a leader in your field in a mere two and a half decades? Arconvert S.p.A. can provide the answer: the company based in Arco (Trento) has become a global player in converting, and a specialised manufacturer of self-adhesive material. It is also involved in the customisation of a wide range of paper and film, specifically designed for the labelling of durable and consumer goods as well as other industrial and commercial items.

Founded in 1989, Arconvert S.p.A. today operates worldwide in cooperation with its ‘sister’ companies, Arconvert S.A. (Spain) and Arconvert Brasil (Brazil): together they make up the converting division of the Italian group Fedrigoni (nearly €1 billion in revenues in 2015). Carlo Codermazzi, general manager of Arconvert, states: “Our market is basically represented by two large channels: large scale utilisation products for the labelling of durable and consumer goods on the one hand; and high value added products on the other, focused on the specific

requirements stemming from the food & beverage and wine & spirits sectors. This latter category also encompasses security, for both counterfeiting and institutional purposes (stamps, visas, fiscal bands, revenue stamps and so on).”

Environmental issues Arconvert is a world leader in both its key fields, owing to its continuous research and innovation on various fronts. Ecological issues are in pole position: Mr Codermazzi says: “Environmental sustainability in the use of products is a constant research endeavour for the manufacturers of self-adhesive materials. The environment is key to doing business and affects our way of working. This explains why material recycling and energy savingare imperative. Furthermore, since a self-adhesive item has a protective layer that needs to be peeled off and discarded, one of our goals is the reduction of their grammage or the introduction of recyclable plastic material. Responsibility

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towards our common habitat is a cornerstone of our parent company Fedrigoni: most products leaving its paper mills – also representing the biggest procurement source of raw material for Arconvert – are certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®).”

Labels combining aesthetics and quality Another of Arconvert’s major innovations is related to the performance characteristics of the products themselves: “Our goal is the creation of the best self-adhesive materials for the labelling industry, spawning long-lasting products that are also more resistant and versatile,” points out Mr Codermazzi. The latest product, currently being launched on the international markets, is a ‘greaseproof ’ treatment that keeps paper labels free from the absorption of oil and drippings. This solution was devised for high-end olive oil labels which adds, in conjunction with waterproof paper, another technological feather to the Arconvert cap.

“The technical performance of our paper enables designers to generate labels that combine aesthetics and quality. These are dual issues that directly affect brand enhancement,” adds Mr Codermazzi. Arconvert has recently proposed another innovative solution featuring high standards: Constellation Snow, the whitest and brightest among the 200-plus self-adhesive papers within the Manter range. Its resistance to humidity and dedicated anti-breakage treatment makes it ideal for the design of sophisticated labels requiring complex printing systems.

Upgrading staff and facilities Its extensive manufacturing capacity – with plenty of available room – coupled with the highest quality standards means that Arconvert can still expand its market share, which today stands at €110 million: “Demand on the global scale for self-adhesive

labels has been growing by 5–6 per cent per year: with a production capacity of 450 million square metres annually, our company is in a position to quench a remarkable portion of that demand, concentrating mostly on Europe and the American continent. Continuous investments in the hiring and training of staff in addition to the upgrade of facilities will enable us to increase productivity and guarantee an even more efficient service to our customers, with delivery times of just 48/72 hours.”

The company’s growth strategy is guided and supported by the parent company that has now signed two new acquisitions abroad: a paper factory in Brazil and an adhesive material-paper distribution enterprise in the US. Visit: www.arconvert.it

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Inspired wood

packaging solutions Spain-based Pujolasos focuses on the development and production of wood packaging for the fragrance and cosmetic sectors. Angel Pujolasos, the company’s CEO and operations manager, talks about the advantages of using wood as a decorative and functional element, and what sets the company apart from the competition.

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ith its origins dating back to 1967, Pujolasos is already a consolidated company with a strong business development in luxury packaging market.

“We are on the way to completing half a century on the go. We started out by producing ornamental and furniture finish products and, as we detected new sectorial needs, we strived to adapt to the market in order to satisfy our clients.

All these changes led us to delve into the world of whiskey and brandy caps in 1998, as well as enter the perfume and cosmetics field in 2001, when we began to work with a few world-known brands. Today we have become a quality reference in the premium segment for wood packaging related to a great deal of designs for cosmetics, perfumes and beverage,” Mr Pujolasos is happy to report.

Manufacturing, decoration, finishing, and assembly are the primary steps taken at the ISO 9001:2008 certified Pujolasos plant, with over 12,000m² of operating space.

Outstanding product range Pujolasos has accumulated plenty of experience working with major brands in the perfume and premium cosmetic fields, who trust the company’s know-how and seals of quality and sustainability such as FSC and PEFC. Mr Pujolasos is keen to point out several aspects that make their products stand out: “On the one hand, the whole elaboration process takes place entirely

in our two plants in Sant Pere de Torelló (Barcelona): from support during the design phase to later lacquering, varnishing and assembling of all components.

This allows us to take control of the finest detail and thus guarantee the best quality. Moreover, we have a very modern robotised and numerical controlbased system specially created for always offering our clients the best solutions.”

Wood as a packaging material Mr Pujolasos is convinced that wood provides a touch of distinction to any product: “This is even more evident in industries such as cosmetics and perfumes, where packaging is absolutely essential. Wood appeals to our bond with nature and reminds us that we are part of it, at the same time transmitting certain values and sensations a great brand simply cannot give up.”

R&D and investments R&D is essential for Pujolasos, and the company doesn’t just talk about it, but puts it into practice.

“For many years now, Pujolasos has had its own R&D department which investigates new properties and applications of all materials we work with, since we know that in our market creativity is crucial, and it cannot be implemented without a proper quality test plan.”

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The company continuously invests to be even more competitive. “Last year we acquired a new industrial unit and, at this time, we already have more than 12,000m² devoted to our activities, with advanced automatic equipment which allows us to constantly improve our service and commitment with the customers and enhance our production capacity and competitiveness inside the market,” Mr Pujolasos reports.

Pujolasos always aspires to keep pace with the latest changes in the business, and therefore likes to attend the main international events, such as the renowned PCD Congress in Paris or Luxepack showcases in New York and Monaco. “Obviously, our intention for this next year is to be present in these exhibitions again,” Mr Pujolasos says.

The company is proud to be a reliable partner to its customers, and takes pride in being a good supplier. “We like to define ourselves simply as a good supplier.

We want to be the best possible supplier and that’s the reason why we fully identify with the concept of ‘partner’. By that I mean that we make a true commitment with quality, implication and continuous improvement. Our supreme hope is that, when clients put us in charge of an order, they can be confident at any time knowing they’re in the best hands because they’ve entrusted their money in the right team,” Mr Pujolasos says.

knowledge of the business and its needs is becoming more important every day, so our commitment towards R&D, which we have been fostering for many years now, is already bearing fruit.”

Visit: www.en.pujolasos.com

A positive outlook He adds that the company has good reasons to be optimistic for the future.

“There is a growing number of great brands satisfied in having relied on us, such as Loewe, Oriflame, Puig, Rituals, Diageo etc. At the same time, our increased

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CEO Angel Pujolasos

Rexam Can A 30-month journey for Rexam culminated on Wednesday 25th November 2015 with the inauguration of an impressive 17,600m² plant in Widnau, Switzerland. Libby White was invited along to witness the remarkable start-up of the operations, galvanised into action by the push of a red button. Mr Iain Percival, Sector Director, Rexam Beverage Cans Europe, was also on hand to explain the process involved in completing the project and how it will affect future Rexam operations.

Graham Chipchase - Chief Executive

Iain Percival - Sector Director, Europe

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“IN

Europe we are typically witnessing growth of between two to five per cent on the beverage can market, depending on the year. As the market leader with around 40 per cent of the European market, it is important for Rexam to continue investing to meet the capacity demands and needs of our customers, which the Widnau plant will address,” comments Mr Percival who, in tandem with his position at Rexam, is also chairman of the Beverage Can Makers Europe trade body.

An investment of £115 million has been made into constructing the plant. Rexam has crucially succeeded in completing the project on time and on budget, starting up at the beginning of Q4 as intended. 2016 will witness the complete installation of the second and third manufacturing lines. All three high-speed production lines will be running in the second half of 2016, producing a capacity of 2.2 billion cans per year.

Mr Percival remarks, “Today marks the celebration and culmination of a 30-month journey. Back in March 2014 I was here for the ground-breaking ceremony and I’m absolutely thrilled to see the project come to fruition.”

Providing significant environmental, efficiency and quality benefits, the innovative facility can be appreciated as the ultimate supply chain solution. Significantly, it is a wall-to-wall operation: the can making plant is situated alongside the Rauch Trading can filling plant, with a connecting bridge transporting empty cans directly to the bottling area. Thanks to this, transport will be substantially reduced, with an

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estimated 7.5 tonnes of CO2 saved compared to other plants when Widnau is fully operational and produces all planned cans sizes. This is equivalent to taking 10,000 trucks off the road annually.

Collaboration on all fronts To realise the facility, Rexam has encouraged collaboration on all levels to achieve an optimum result. “We have worked together with our partners Rauch Trading, our customer who will benefit from the plant, the local St. Gallen region, and so on,” Mr Percival shares. As well as significant collaboration with these partners, he adds, “Internally we have also nurtured a very broad cross-functional team since day one.

Representatives across every single function have been at the project meetings, from start to finish.”

Truly this has been one of the major strengths of delivering this complex and major project on time. Furthermore, Rexam has not only drawn heavily on its European knowledge, but also globally on the learning points and best practises established over the years from its colleagues in North America, South America and AMEA. The Widnau plant is an amalgamation of Rexam’s defining qualities and wealth of experience.

To give just one of many examples: Rexam has reduced plant energy use by 10 per cent over the past 10 years across its manufacturing network worldwide. The Widnau facility is expected to be more energy efficient than existing plants owing

to the incorporation of energy efficiency technologies such as heat recovery systems and sensors to control lights.

Mr Percival gives another example, “Typically in most plants the bodymakers have a raised platform, meaning the operator is constantly up and down. One of the biggest safety hazards in a plant is a slip or a trip. We have changed the layout and design of the body makers so there is no need for a raised platform, taking safety and efficiency to a new level.”

Rexam will safeguard emission control through an oxidiser for the exhaust gases of the drying ovens, ensuring all emissions will be far below the current emission limit values. In terms of energy recovery, heat exchangers will feed surplus energy, for example from the thermal post-combustion system, back into the production process. The waste water treatment will use reverse osmosis, and once the plant is fully operational no waste will be sent to landfill. Mr Percival underlines, “We have brought together knowledge gleaned from Rexam globally, and we will benefit from learning from this plant as a template for future operations.”

Slim and Sleek® The strength of Rexam is not only reflected by this new facility, but also by the cans it will produce. Running at 1800 cans/min per line, the Widnau plant will manufacture 200ml, 250ml and 355ml can sizes across its ranges of Slim and Sleek®. “We are extremely proud at Rexam to be the leading player with the widest range of cans on the market to meet the needs and demands of our customers,” Mr Percival explains. “We also work to address the needs of the consumer, and consumers like choice. We see a growth in the popularity of our Slim and Sleek® ranges as they offer differentiation.”

In 2015, Rexam expanded its current range of Sleek® cans with two new sizes – the 400ml Super Sleek® with 202 End, and the 473ml Super Sleek® with 202 End.

“Both these sizes are already generating a lot of excitement from our customers and the consumer alike. As attractive packages, our cans allow brand owners to position their products in innovative packaging that can bring excitement to the consumer experience,” Mr Percival is proud to say.

Pushing boundaries Rexam manufactures close to 65 billion cans each year at its 55 can and end making plants across the world, and sales from ongoing operations in 2014 were in the region of £3.8 billion.

One of the major trends within the can industry is a continuous focus on lightweighting. Rexam is very proud of its sustainability credentials and has reduced the weight of a 355ml can by 38 per cent since 1972. “But we can still do more,” says Mr Percival.

“Every year we continue to push the boundaries of lightweighting, while still respecting the quality and integrity of the can as a package. We are currently working on innovative new technologies that will help us continue over the long term to make the can ever more attractive from a sustainable and lightweight perspective.”

Rexam is flourishing in all of its key segments, and expects to see continued growth across the beer and soft drinks segments, as systems move from returnable glass into one-way packaging. “We see this as an opportunity for the can, which is very well positioned in modern retail due to multi packs etc.,” says Mr Percival.

He concludes, “The European industry is very healthy at the moment with positive growth. We are also seeing significant developments in the use of cans in new beverage categories, including juices, dairy, functional drinks and waters – untapped opportunities for us to expand the beverage can further than the close to 65 billion we already produce.”

For more information, visit www.rexam.com

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Ahead of the Game SP Group offers a complete variety of films that meet the needs of the industrial sector and of consumers. Since the time of its constitution in the year 1985 the company has experienced notable growth. Currently in Europe, the SP Group holds an important position with continuous growth in the plastic packaging for food products sector. Libby White spoke with Maria Eugenia Gonzalez Alvarez, marketing manager, about what sets the company apart and its success in the flexible packaging market.

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SP

Group is dedicated to the manufacturing, printing (flexography, rotogravure, offset and digital) and lamination of flexible plastic films for use in food wrapping, or rather, all flexible packaging that can be seen today in supermarkets covering products such as legumes, frozen foods, snacks, confectionary products, etc. It also offers thermoforming films for semi rigid/rigid trays.

Meeting increasing demands SP Group is one of the few providers of films for flexible packaging that extrudes part of the raw materials that it uses. Thus, it manufactures all the polyethylene (PE) among others it uses to guarantee suitable transparency and improve its production process.

Furthermore, the base film for thermoforming is extruded in the SP Group installations, which ensures its suitability for stamping with superior cover film also manufactured. SP Group works with all the materials available in the market to guarantee the barrier and technical properties the client needs.

On top of this cornerstone, SP Group looks to address the trends of the market with innovative solutions. “Technological innovation and development in the food industry has been constant and extremely important in recent years in an aim to meet the needs of increasingly discerning customers who are becoming more aware of the importance of quality food products,” Maria González comments.

She continues, “There are now many countries where the consumption per capita of pre-packaged foods is increasing. Shoppers are far more likely to put these products in their trolleys now the category is becoming less and less associated with high-calorie, less-healthy foods. Along these lines, SP Group feels that we have a responsibility both to our clients and the end consumer.” To address new consumer trends, and even to enter new sectors, SP Group benefits from its own R&D and innovation department which has allowed it to update its range of products in line with the market demands.

The trends in the sector are many and varied, including packaging materials that lengthen the shelf life of the product and methods to help maintain its organoleptic qualities. The optimum solutions for fresh products, such as vegetables, incorporate laser microperforations to prevent high concentrations of CO2 inside the packaging, thereby guaranteeing the product maintains its visual properties and its components are well preserved. There is also the inclusion of paper in the packaging to provide a certain look and feel to it that evokes traditional values, a sense of particular care taken in production, etc.

Maria González adds, “We even offer scented films, to which we can add either standard or personalised scents. These scents can be applied to both the inside and outside of the film, as they are suitable for food contact. This allows us to avoid having to include cardboard cards in the packaging.”

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Eco-efficiency Reductions in thickness and cost have been a major factor for most manufacturers in recent years. In order to adapt to these new requirements, SP Group has invested in developing solutions that provide an effective response in this area, and continue to do so.

These requirements led to SP Group developing its range of eco-efficient materials with a triple objective: to save on manufacturing costs, transport costs and eco-tax; to reduce the consumption of resources; and to reuse part of the waste materials to create a circular economy.

“We can highlight SPG SOL EFFICIENT, which is a film that meets all these objectives. It is a packaging solution with high-barrier properties that guarantees the safe preservation of food products,” Maria González shares. It is a minimum-thickness film with unbeatable technical specifications, such as easy peelability, flatness and excellent laminate stability. It is recyclable and/or recoverable. This film is also compatible with MAP for use with many different refrigerated or dry products.

The SPG R CLOSING EFFICIENT solution has similar characteristics but incorporates a re-closing system for the packaging that guarantees the freshness of the product for several days after the packet has been opened.

As well as being resealable, the R-Closing Efficient laminate can now be welded directly onto polyester at lesser thicknesses than other products on the market. This solution guarantees the packaging can be opened and closed up to 12 times.

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The new material is a response to the increasing demand for more efficient packaging that helps reduce food and packaging waste. The R-Closing Efficient laminate ensures the packaging is perfectly airtight and the food stays fresher longer once in the consumer’s home.

If this film is also used in conjunction with an APET Efficient base, you are not only guaranteed better performance during manufacture, but also the remnants and all the base material are fully recyclable. It is also possible to add a high barrier.

Initiating projects “Our R&D and Innovation department is constantly working on improvements and new solutions that not only adapt to current trends, but also ensure we are ahead of the game,” comments Maria González.

Along these lines, one of the projects that SP Group has recently undertaken is the Goldenfood project. The aim of this project is to design and develop nutritionally balanced, attractive and easy-to-manage food products for the elderly. The project is funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) through the FEDER INNTERCONECTA program (ITC 20151270 Project), supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and it has financing from the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), in accordance with the definitive resolution made last December.

Goldenfood aims to develop a new range of products, foods and ingredients that provide added value and adapt to current realities and trends among elderly consumers.

Through the analysis of nutritional needs, the ability to handle the packaging, and the consumer habits of this target group, food solutions will be proposed that combine and integrate new transformation, packaging and preservation processes as well as solutions to ensure ease-of-use for the end user. In addition, the basic technical requirements for functionality, use and ease-of-use of the packaging will be identified in order to develop a design for packaging adapted to the needs of the target group in this project.

Bearing in mind that by 2020, 30% of the population in the EU-27 member countries will be over 65, this project aims to provide food and packaging for this large target group.

Latest printing technology During 2015, SP Group equipped itself with the very latest in printing technology for flexible materials. “This allows us to continue to provide the highest quality service and be the first operator in Europe with this advantage in the market and which can offer four printing techniques,” Maria González is proud to share. SP Group can offer rotogravure, flexography, central-drum Offset with EB (electron beam) ink, and digital printing.

In 2015 the first state-of-the-art Comexi Offset CI 8 printer was installed in SP Group’s principal factory in Spain. This revolutionary technology in the plastic packaging sector has advantages over existing technology and completes the range of options it has created with its clients in mind, allowing them to choose which of the four options best suits their needs (print quality, length of run, speed, etc.).

Offset printing provides advantages such as the almost inexistent cost of the plates (which is so important for short runs), print quality, and the use of EB inks (Electron Beam drying) that are 100% solvent-free.

Strategic aims One of SP Group’s strategic aims for 2015/2016 was to continue increasing its manufacturing quota of rigid and semi-rigid co-extruded materials. Although these materials are principally used for food packaging, they are also used by other markets such as the agricultural, automotive and pharmaceutical markets. In many cases, they are used in place of other materials and as more innovative alternatives. In response to the increasing demand for these materials, it made investments during 2014 and 2015 totalling 11M euros, which have mostly been aimed at incorporating new machinery and expanding facilities. Its manufacturing plant for these materials now covers more than 20,000 m2, and houses different production lines for rigid laminates (PET co-extrusions), semi-rigid laminates (PE and PP cast co-extrusions, among others) and material storage areas, which allows us to keep an average stock of € 2M to ensure it can always meet customers’ needs as quickly as possible.

For the agricultural sector, SP Group has created seed and fruit trays, tree coverings, etc. A wide range of products are also being developed for the horticultural and ornamental plant sectors. It also manufactures adhesive insect traps.

For the pharmaceutical sector, the SP Group manufactures sterilisable and pasteurisable packaging (packaging for medical instruments, medical devices, etc.). On an

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international level it supplies companies that pack blood-transfusion equipment. These companies have special requirements for sterilisation, sealing and peelability, in order to maintain the valuable contents in perfect condition. SP Group’s aim is to continue advancing with materials of this type and with new challenges that its clients wish it to take on. The feasibility of these new challenges and the search for new solutions requires the involvement of its R&D department in each project.

Expansion plans SP Group has two production sites in Spain – in Villarrubia, near Cordoba, and in Espiel, both in the south of Spain. A third production facility is situated in Arras, in the north of France. SP Group’s headquarters are situated in Villarrubia.

As part of its continuing process of expansion into Central and Eastern European countries and Scandinavia, SP Group has begun construction of a new manufacturing plant in Poland, where it now has 30,000 m2 of land in the ‘Pomeranian special economic zone’ (PSEZ), of which 4,000 m2 corresponds to a covered area and 700 m2 to offices.

“Located in Stargard Szczeniski (in the city of Szczecin), in the northeast of the country, we expect to start introducing machinery at the beginning of 2016 to begin production in April 2016,” comments Maria González. “Our aim is to enter new markets where there is a great demand for innovative packing of a high quality.”

As in its other plants in Spain and France, the new factory will also initially have the following machinery in its initial phase: one Offset printing machine, one laminator (without solvents), one cutter, one Doypack pouch production machine and one blown extrusion machine.

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SP Group has been investing constantly for several years now. The new factory in Poland, the new offset and digital printers, and the constant improvements and extensions to the offices and storage areas represent the Group’s current investments and its investments for the near future.

The SP Group also has plans as a main commercial objective to reach the meat and processed-meat producers in Germany, through attendance at the IFFA trade fair.

“This year we will be attending two trade fairs in Europe. The first, from the 8th to the 10th March in Rennes France, is Cfiaexpo, a fair we have been attending for many years. The other is the IFFA in Frankfurt from the 7th to the 12th April, which we will be attending for the first time,” says Maria González.

Continuous growth SP Group is currently very well positioned on a national and international level as a benchmark company in the food packaging sector. However, Maria González comments, “Our objective is to increase our manufacturing quota for the agricultural, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. We are also exploring other channels for marketing our products for the chemical, cosmetics, hardware, IT and electronic industries, as well as for providing packaging for other accessories of a general nature.”

The company’s growth has to be gradual, as it has been in recent years, and Maria González concludes, “We foresee that the commissioning of the plant in Poland will allow us to consolidate our position in countries where we are already present, as well as to enter new markets.”

Visit: www.spg-pack.com

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A true

solutions

provider

Minnesota-based Squid Ink Manufacturing, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of industrial coding and marking systems and superior quality inks. Elisabeth Skoda spoke to the company’s president and CEO Bill Hoagland about its upcoming appearance at Empack in Utrecht, fuelling the company’s push towards expansion in Europe, and finds out more about what makes Squid Ink stand apart from its competitors. | 218 | Packaging Europe

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ith its head office and manufacturing facilities located in Minnesota, Squid Ink is a key part of the Engage Technologies family and is a long-term member of PMMI. Squid Ink recently celebrated a milestone, 25 years of being in the inkjet, coding and marking business. Originally focused on providing water-based inks for dot matrix printers, the company moved into the high-resolution and marking sector, both for primary and secondary product markets. The company grew and expanded to include printing systems as well as replacement inks. Squid Ink’s printers and ink are designed to print the highest quality bar codes, batch numbers, date codes, logos and large or small character text, directly onto corrugated cases, plastics, metals, glass, wood and other substrates.

Comprehensive product range Squid Ink’s product range includes high resolution printers, thermal transfer overprinters (TTO), UV LED curing systems, ink jet fluids, ink delivery systems, coding and marking systems and material handling.

“We also manufacture 250 formulations of ink, which means that in the coding, marking and packaging industries, we can address printing on everything from glass, metal, plastics, to corrugated boxes and gloss stock boxes,” Mr. Hoagland adds.

Squid Ink’s technology meets the needs of a wide variety of printing applications.

Mr. Hoagland is proud to point out one of Squid Ink’s major USPs.

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“Our competitors in the marketplace have really narrowed the scope of available inks, some departments used to have 15 or 20 chemists or developers and reduced it down to four or five, so they are really not ink developers any more. We still focus very much on ink development, and our customers benefit from the results.”

Innovation at Empack Squid Ink will focus on its new CoPilot range, which was launched successfully last year, at Empack in Utrecht, in the Netherlands in April 2016. CoPilot printing systems are designed to print superior quality hi-resolution characters of either porous or non-porous surfaces.

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CoPilot uses proven Xaar piezo technology to print up to 0.7” of hi-resolution characters, razor-sharp text, scannable bar codes, and great looking logos at 185 dpi. A 4.3” full colour touchscreen provides access to the system’s internal messages and print functions.

Messages are created and edited on Squid Ink’s easy-to-use Orion™ PC Software and transferred via Ethernet or USB device. For larger applications, multiple CoPilot printing systems can be connected via Ethernet or wirelessly and controlled through one central Orion print station.

Mr. Hoagland lists some characteristics of the different models: “With up to 2.1” of print height per print head and the ability to run up to two print heads from one controller, the CoPilot 382 offers a versatile, yet cost effective solution

for a wide range of coding and marking applications. Furthermore, the CoPilot 256 is designed to work as an integral part of a day-to-day packaging operation, and offers up to 2.8” of total print height and the ability to print on both sides of the substrate in a single pass. Finally, the CoPilot 128 ink jet printing system offers the highest durability, versatility and productivity for printing lot codes on coated cartons, bar codes on corrugated cases, or product information and logos on PVC pipe.” All of the CoPilot printing systems are CE certified and approved.

Also on show will be the company’s TTO (thermal transfer overprinter) range and its UV curable systems, which eliminate the need for solvents while lowering maintenance of the print systems.

“There have been a lot of technical difficulties with solvent based inks, which still dominate the market, especially with VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Our UV curable inkjet solution puts the ink on without VOCs. We developed UV curing systems that go with the print systems to give complete integration and lower maintenance costs.

Because there are no solvents, our solution allows for less opening time. We have released this option both into the US and Asian markets, where it has been greatly successful, and it will be introduced to Europe at Empack,” Mr. Hoagland points out.

“Squid Ink’s new UV system is versatile and can print on metal, competing with continuous inkjet printers with no volatile organic compounds, making them safer for human interface and environments.”

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Focus on Europe Squid Ink has been selling inks and ink jet printing systems in Europe since 2000. Last year, the company set up a new sales support and warehousing facility in The Hague in the Netherlands, with space for ink, printer, and parts storage, technical and sales support, as well as office space. The location allows Squid Ink to better support a growing list of distributors and large end users in Europe.

“Having a warehouse in The Hague allows us to provide quicker response times when people need our products, rather than waiting for products to be transported from a distance. The new site has opened up technical support for expanding distribution throughout Europe,” Mr. Hoagland explains.

“We have enlarged the facility and included training facilities, which is crucial to our expansion. We now have a fully certified logistics company to handle hazardous materials. We have seen a very positive response from our European customers thanks to reducing costs and response times in technical support.”

International presence Squid Ink has three facilities in Minnesota, where the company’s headquarters are also situated, and one in California. In addition, there are two facilities in Shanghai, one technical support and sales facility and one assembly facility.

“We are trying to keep our cost competitive edge in the Asian market, and we are in the process of setting up a joint venture in Bangkok, Thailand, expecting first batches of ink to be ready by the middle of the year,” Mr. Hoagland adds.

Since opening its distribution facility in The Hague, Squid Ink has expanded its reach to 17 European countries thanks to various distribution agreements.

“We have reached solid market penetration and great expansion in a short time, in countries such as Germany, Italy, France, the UK, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Switzerland and Russia, and we just recently signed a distribution agreement in Romania. We also just recently signed a major OEM agreement to manufacture inks for a major company in Europe, so it has been quite a year for us,” Mr. Hoagland is happy to report.

Growth Squid Ink expects to grow organically in the coming years thanks to ongoing product developments.

“We have expanded our distribution in a little over 60 countries globally, and are able to provide our customers with the solutions they need. R&D is of crucial importance.

Our R&D lab is staffed with 15 engineers, and we are planning on expanding this

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further in order to provide our customers with even more cutting edge solutions,” Mr. Hoagland says.

Squid Ink currently has around 120 fulltime employees excluding its Asian operations, and achieved a growth rate of 12.5% in 2015.

“Of course it is an unknown how fast the market will grow, but we have what it takes to support our customers and distribution base, and this is our main driver for growth,” he adds.

In conclusion, Mr. Hoagland is keen to point out Squid Ink’s credentials as an ink developer and complete solutions provider.

“A lot of people make statements about being solution providers, but really cannot offer anything much beyond standard ink. On the contrary, our ink and software development allows us to be a true solutions provider to the market place. I believe it comes down to being able to help the customer. We will take on a project and we don’t have to go out and purchase any ink, we will manufacture and develop it. For example, one of our customers in the continuous inkjet field wanted a very specific green ink, which nobody in the world makes. It took us seven or eight months of development to create a green ink for them, and the customer was very satisfied. We work with our customers to help them achieve exactly what they need.”

Visit: www.squidink.com

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Samuel Grant

Packaging – 125 years of Innovation In 2016 Samuel Grant Packaging celebrate 125 years at the forefront of the packaging industry in the UK. We caught up with the current Managing Directors, the great-grandsons of the founder, Andrew and Matthew Grant.

Matthew and Andrew Grant, Managing Directors

Q: So how did the company start?

A: In 1891, our great-grandfather, Samuel Grant, started his self-named company as a ‘School Furnisher’ – he provided slates and paper for schools in the Leeds area.

He had a stroke of luck in that a former employer went bankrupt and he was able to purchase stock at a vastly reduced rate, which boosted the start of the business.

Q: What was his first most successful product?

A: In approximately 1900, Samuel Grant was approached by esteemed tailor Montegue Burton to provide him with ‘brown wrapping paper’ in which to pack his suits. This was to be the start of an ongoing supplier relationship of paper products to Burton’s that would last for 90 years, including pattern paper. This became so successful that in 1932, Samuel Grant trademarked his pattern paper “Grancut”. This continued to be Samuel Grant’s best-selling product until the demise of the British textile industry in the latter 20th century.

Q: But you can’t just have sold pattern paper….

A: From the 1930s and beyond, Yorkshire produced 90% of the world’s rhubarb.

In a war-torn world that was suffering under rationing, rhubarb was extremely

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popular, and provided well-needed nutrients, as well as relief from constipation.

Grant’s provided most of the purple tissue paper and rubber bands which were used to wrap it.

Q: What other key products were introduced in the early stages?

A: We have continued to innovate throughout the years – our Grandfather introduced chipboard, boxboard, corrugated paper and waxed craft papers to the range, as well as purchasing the company’s first vehicles in the 1940s. Our father, David Grant, introduced the sale of cellulose tape, and invested hugely in paper machinery, which allowed the company to become competitive in the printing industry.

Q: How did you move into plastic packaging – this seems to be the mainstay of the business at the moment.

A: In the late 1970s, Samuel Grant’s bought CL Plastics, which enabled us to take the next step in polythene manufacturing. The company invested heavily in newer and more sophisticated machines, which enabled us to offer bespoke ‘polymer recipes’ designed to customers’ own specific requirements. By the early 1980s we were officially the largest Paper, Polythene and Packaging Merchant in the North of England.

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David Grant standing next to a framed photograph of Samuel Grant, the founder

Bespoke 10m very narrow aisle racking

New warehouse, completed 2015

Q: How has the company innovated with its processes?

Q: So what’s next for Samuel Grant Packaging?

A: In 1981 we bought one of the first ever Telex machines – it looks old now, but it was cutting edge technology at the time. We have continued as a company to invest in technology and in making sure that we are at the forefront of not only the industry, but in communications and business processes that make things as efficient as possible for our customers nationwide.

A: In late 2015 we moved into our brand new premises, a bespoke-built 50,000 square foot warehouse in Leeds, with Very Narrow Aisle technology. This allows us to store more goods for our clients, as well as grow into the future.

We continue to listen, advise and deliver optimum packaging solutions on time every time. We consult with our clients to create the best possible solutions for their businesses, and work with them to ensure absolute packaging efficiency. We will continue to be knowledgeable about every aspect of the packaging process. The key to our future success will be to be customer focussed team players, and continue to be as trustworthy and reliable as our many customers know us to be.

Q: So innovation is key to the company’s success – what other key developments have there been?

A: We developed peelable paper for the foam industry in the 1970s, as well as interleaving papers for the printing plate industry. In the mid 1980s we were able to print personalised adhesive tapes in house which proved hugely popular – indeed demand outstripped supply initially. In 1988 we made ‘Crop Cover’ a heavy guage polythene which was formulated to cover crops and force them to grow quicker. In the 1990s we developed light proof polythene bags for the photographic industry, and the 2000s saw us create laminated film specifically for carpet underlay.

Visit: www.samuelgrant.co.uk

Q: Plastics constantly come under scrutiny for their impact on the environment – how has the company addressed this?

A: In 1998, we purchased Marmax Recycled Products. Marmax produce recycled plastic produce containers which are supplied to growers and processors, as well as manufacture quality outdoor furniture. All of Marmax’s products are made from recycled plastic bottles. Marmax allows our customers to recycle their plastics into durable everyday items which have very little maintenance and have won numerous awards thanks to their environmental credentials.

The bespoke creation of the revolutionary Samson Nano pallet wrapping machine in 2013 has addressed the amount of film which is used in wrapping pallets – the film stretches further than competitors’ and therefore clients are able to use less film for the same if not better quality of pallet wrap. One of our first customers for the Samson Nano system, Taylors of Harrogate, saved themselves 10 tonnes of C02 emissions in their first year alone.

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Marmax Recycled Products – A Samuel Grant Group company

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TOUCH THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL PRINTING WITH DATALASE AT DRUPA 2016 Leading inline digital printing materials technology company, DataLase, is gearing up for Drupa with the launch of its new Variprint™ monochrome digital printing solution.

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istorically, the technology has only been seen in product coding and marking applications, in white, clear and black. Now, the company has extended its intellectual property portfolio and is bringing to market, at Drupa 2016, the ability to deliver true real time messaging and variable data on pack with a new selection of monochrome colours – a breakthrough in laser inline digital printing.

Dr Chris Wyres, CEO of DataLase, said: “It’s a really exciting time for the business.

We’ve built up a network of strategic partners, including SpeciaLase, our new joint venture with Sato Group in the Asia Pacific region, delivering the laser, ink and coating systems required to grow our technology on a global basis. We’re now in a position to truly enable real-time marketing value on pack to brand owners and retailers.

“Whether it’s seasonal events, promotions or simple nutritional or language changes driving the need for a graphics amendment to a pack, brand owners and retailers need to react quickly to market movements to protect value and grow sales.

“Hybrid digital and pre-printing systems still require a degree of pre-planning to respond effectively and can result in supply chain waste when forecasts are inaccurate. The DataLase inline digital printing solution maintains data flexibility right up to the point of packing, avoiding the need to pre-order printed materials, minimising costs and maximising the sales impact. A win: win for everyone in the supply chain.” | 228 | Packaging Europe

DS Smith’s UK packaging division, a leading corrugated packaging producer, has incorporated the DataLase solution on flexo-printed boxes for customers requiring late stage differentiation on their packing line.

Andy Young, print and graphics development manager at DS Smith and chairman of The European Flexographic Industry Association, said: “The advantages are clear with this technology. It provides the ability to digitally print each pack individually, with real time information, minimising both inventory and supply chain waste.

“From our customers’ perspective, they’re not worrying about last minute changes and are able to respond quickly and effectively to changes in their marketing campaigns. Their production teams recognise the benefits of the system.

“There is now a huge choice of coated and uncoated papers that work with the DataLase technology and the printer just needs the right patch coat weight, laser setting and choice of substrate.

“We also recently submitted a case study of the technology for our customer, KP Nuts, part of Intersnack Group, to the 2016 EFIA Print Awards in the technical innovation category, in a bid to demonstrate the nature and potential future for this technology.”

The development forms part of DS Smith’s print portfolio including their own ground breaking digital PrePrint programme and underlining their determination to be at the leading edge of print innovation.

What’s next for DataLase?

The DataLase team is expanding rapidly with new appointments in North America and Asia supporting the fast growth of the technology. With business rapidly expanding across food and drink, pharmaceuticals and personal and household care markets, the number of applications the technology is now being used for is increasing all the time.

Mark Naples, vice president new business development in Europe and Asia Pacific, commented: “We have new customers in case coding, flexible packaging, aluminium can and mailing and addressing applications, which are keeping us very busy. Once clients have investigated the solution, they realise the massive difference it can make to their effectiveness; minimising their costs but more importantly maximising their efficiency and responsiveness to market trends, through their ability to deliver late stage pack customisation and differentiation.”

Today, DataLase has offices in the UK, North America and Japan and is seeing the development of a range of market applications on a global basis. The Variprint development delivers a new level of pack differentiation with promotions and key variable data messages able to stand out from traditional coding and marking style graphics in blue, green and red text.

Whilst coding and marking is still a core application for the technology, the future looks bright for DataLase delivering multi-colour highly effective, flexible inline digital printing capability to maximise brand owner and retailer marketing effectiveness.

To find out more about DataLase and its innovative inline digital printing solutions, please visit the team in Hall 6 at DRUPA, Messe Dusseldorf, May 31st – June 10th 2016.

Visit: www.datalase.com

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DataLase VARIPRINT allows YOU to custom print this text in any language, on demand in-line at the point of packaging

DataLase VARIPRINT enables YOU to custom print this text in any language at high speed, YOU can also include your best before date and batch number © Product Image Copyright of DataLase Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

DATALASE SECURES NEW PATENTS FOR REVOLUTIONARY INLINE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DataLase has been granted a further four patents for its novel technologies, Variprint® and Infinity™.

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he revolutionary Variprint and Infinity solutions combine DataLase core colour-change materials technology with the next generation of laser print engines to deliver high speed, high resolution, on-demand digital printing that is a high performance alternative to traditional labels and print methods.

The technology developed by DataLase relies on a unique additive which is incorporated into a material or patch applied to a pack; when exposed to Near InfaRed lasers, it generates a colour change reaction in the pigment.

The Variprint and Infinity platforms take the DataLase technology to another level, from traditional black/white codes and graphics to introducing multiple colour capabilities.

The Variprint solution has a monochrome colour additive enabling printing with a single colour choice. Meanwhile, Infinity will ultimately offer a full colour solu| 230 | Packaging Europe

tion, changing the game in potential applications and markets for DataLase inline digital printing solutions.

Mark Naples, DataLase VP business development Europe and Asia Pacific, said: “The granting of these additional patents demonstrates the level of innovation and capability that the DataLase solution is able to offer to the FMCG sector. Digital print is growing because it offers a significant advantage over traditional print techniques, delivering capability for responsive and timely customised marketing and promotion on pack and product. Our groundbreaking technology is cost effective and efficient, providing a high added-value solution for today’s print market and meets the needs of brand owners, retailers and packaging converters alike.”

Visit: www.datalase.com

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Setting

New Standards

With more than 120 years of experience, Rexnord is today the premier supplier of power transmission and conveying components to industries worldwide. Libby White spoke with three experts from Rexnord FlatTop about the solutions being used today by global brands and its offerings for leading can manufacturers.

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Paul van der Meer

Sjaak Hofland

S

ince its foundation in 1891, Rexnord has grown from a local chain belt company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, into a company with global reach serving major industries from transportation, mining, energy, and food & beverage with an impressive portfolio of gears, drives, bearings, couplings, industrial chains, and a wide range of conveyor component products.

“We are specialized in TableTop and MatTop® (modular) conveyor chains, to convey all types of containers like glass bottles, metal cans, PET bottles and various packages used in the food and beverage industry,” explains Sjaak Hofland, segment director, beverage & container.

On top of this, Rexnord can provide the wear strips that carry the chain, the rails that guide the products on the conveyor, and further a wide range of components to assemble the conveyor. Every mechanism that is in contact with the chain is covered in its broad portfolio, ensuring Rexnord can offer solutions to its customers that work together seamlessly.

Mike Livingstone, account manager for can manufacturing, adds, “We are certainly the only company that offers a complete conveyor solution, including chains, wear strips, product guides and conveyor construction components.”

Developing new solutions Rexnord addresses the key trends of the market, providing solutions for the most demanding applications in the can making industry, such as high-speed single file conveyors and mass conveying with critical head-to-tail transfers. Mike Livingstone comments, “One of our main focuses is sustainability. Cans have become much lighter through innovation with less material used, there are taller ‘skinny’ cans on the market today, and

Mike Livingstone

our customers use increasingly faster rates of production.” To address the requirements of the market, Rexnord has already achieved success through the development of new chain materials and designs.

Customers are offered choices of material starting from standard LF acetal based materials. Next is High Performance (HP™) which is an improved material with lower friction, and then there is a top line material (PSX) which offers the lowest available friction and wear. PSX® material is developed for high-speed conveying of glass, aluminum and steel cans in conditions where minimal or no external lubrication is present.

Mike Livingstone shares, “PSX was first applied in the can manufacturing industry in a high-speed single file can inspector, to improve wear life and reduce vibration in the chain. It proved to be a great success and wear life of the chain was improved by more than factor three. Vibrations were greatly reduced, improving the can throughput on the conveyor.”

Efficiency Selecting the optimal chain and material for the application achieves a range of benefits from efficiency improvement, reduction in waste, to energy savings. Paul van der Meer, product manager, food & beverage, comments, “The key is to convey the product in the most efficient way, whilst eliminating waste in the production process (such as due to fallen products). This is one of our main focuses when we design chains, as well as sustainability. We aim to help our customers achieve their goals on energy savings in their plants, whilst also ensuring a high level of safety for operators.”

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As a prime example, Rexnord recently did a retrofit for one of its large end users in the manufacturing industry who had an issue with a high volume of falling cans at the transfers in the can washer infeed section. The customer was facing huge costs due to extra operators, who had to put the fallen cans back upright 24/7. Paul van der Meer points out, “By recommending the optimal conveyor chain and material for this critical application, we could improve the can sliding properties on the chain and reduce the back line pressure on the fragile cans, in case of mass accumulation. As a result, the number of fallen cans has reduced drastically and extra operators are no longer needed.”

With its broad portfolio and innovative new materials, Rexnord can address the requirements of many applications with the best solution. Paul van der Meer explains, “By capturing the Voice of the Customer to find out what conveying issues the customer are trying to solve, we continuously translate the industry needs into new products. Rexnord holds a strong record of innovative conveying solutions, that have set new standards in the beverage filling and container making industry world-wide.”

Assuring high quality With a global reach, Rexnord has a number of production plants where all products are made in-house adhering to the high Rexnord standard of quality. Major production plants are based in the Netherlands, the United States, Italy and China (the latter of which only produces for its local market).

Paul van der Meer comments, “Rexnord serves industries where quality is the most important factor to consider. Rexnord can meet these demands, and I believe this is one of the key factors that differentiates Rexnord from other suppliers.” | 234 | Packaging Europe

Sjaak Hofland is proud to point out, “We have a team of experienced application engineers and technical experts who can investigate the lines of a customer to ensure a good understanding of the environment and application, ensuring we can provide the optimum solution, and support our customers locally.”

Drivers and growth Rexnord is a growth-oriented, multi-platform industrial company with leading market shares and highly trusted brands that serve a diverse array of global end markets. The Rexnord standard focuses on driving superior customer satisfaction and financial results by targeting world-class operating performance throughout all aspects of our business.

“There are great opportunities for growth in can manufacturing plants and with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the can manufacturing industry,” says Mike Livingstone.

Sjaak Hofland adds, “With our focus on sustainable goals for large end users, we will continue developing products that help our customers achieve energy saving goals, optimise their production lines and reduce their total cost of ownership of conveyor equipment in their facilities.”

Rexnord looks forward to the year ahead and will be exhibiting at Euro CanTech, 4–6 April 2016 in Berlin, Germany. Here it will be showcasing its high-speed materials, standard modular belting and complete package of wear strips and components as well as its overall transmission range.

Visit: www.rexnord.com

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As a global solutions provider, LeanLogistics offers SaaS transportation management system (TMS) applications and supply chain services. Elisabeth Skoda spoke to Ian Broadhurst, the company’s EMEA General Manager, to find out more about the company’s services, increasing efficiency and reducing costs for a wide range of sectors, including the packaging industry.

A game changer

for logistics | 236 | Packaging Europe

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eanLogistics was set up in Holland, Michigan, USA in 1999 by a team of operational logistics professionals who noticed a gap in the market in terms of how shippers and carriers communicate with each other.

“They took advantage of the development of the software as a service space, which allowed shippers and carriers to communicate in a more proactive manner,” Mr. Broadhurst adds.

In 2008, LeanLogistics joined the Brambles Ltd family, and now is one of four companies operating under the Brambles umbrella. Brambles is a supply chain logistics company headquartered in Sydney, Australia, operating in over 60 countries. Sister company CHEP, a major player in the logistics industry, plays a major part in LeanLogistics success story.

“Prior to the acquisition through Brambles, LeanLogistics operated exclusively in North America, but cooperating with CHEP Europe opened up the European LeanLogistics market for the company. We currently operate for CHEP in 27 countries including the Middle East,” Mr. Broadhurst is happy to report.

LeanLogistics’ EMEA headquarters are situated in Surrey, England with teams of implementation consultants, customer support, marketing and sales in France, Spain and Ireland, serving the whole of Europe.

Facilitating processes As a transportation management software provider, LeanLogistics provides software that enables the shipping community to communicate with the carrier community in a proactive and sensible way.

LeanLogistics’ tried and tested transport management system LeanTMS allows all facets of the supply chain to work collaboratively in a single instance of technology.

LeanTMS delivers complete domestic and global transportation planning, execution, settlement and procurement, as well as visibility and actionable intelligence, to improve transportation processes, increase efficiency and reduce costs. This provides shippers

with an opportunity to scale infrastructure and business processes, while becoming more efficient. The global capabilities of LeanTMS ensure compliance by providing complete transportation visibility and access to industry data to meet multi-regional regulations and guidelines.

“Our transport management system provides visibility of transactions of a load to a carrier from pick up to delivery. The system drives carrier compliance from transport planners as they plan loads daily providing cost saving opportunities. Transport planners can use the TMS in a variety of ways, from manually building loads to using semi-automated to fully automated functionality within the TMS environment,” Mr. Broadhurst adds.

The freight payment component of LeanTMS, WebSettle, a paperless self-invoicing process, can significantly help in reducing costs within the freight audit and payment administrative process. Payment is automatic upon closing the load. WebSettle will also perform freight bill matching and duplicate payment detection for carriers who submit traditional freight bills. Paid bills are added immediately to payment history for duplicate detection. WebSettle also accurately allocates freight costs to shipments and orders. The solution is highly scalable and highly flexible, working with customer to reflect their business processes.

“Full cost transparency between shipper and carrier is maintained, the likelihood of errors occurring and non-matching invoices is eradicated, offering significant cost savings,” Mr. Broadhurst says.

Success stories CHEP Europe achieved savings in transportation management as well as efficiency improvements as a result of implementing LeanTMS from LeanLogistics.

“Previously, transportation management at CHEP Europe was done manually. All planning was done by individual countries. Implementing LeanTMS has allowed Chep to move to a centralised method of transport planning, driving

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carrier compliance, increasing carrier capacity and greatly increasing visibility of movements,” Mr. Broadhurst explains.

Thanks to implementing LeanTMS, a high percentage of loads are transacted fully automatically. A high percentage of orders become loads and are never even seen by planners thanks to rules set up within LeanTMS, so planners can focus on more complex issues. LeanTMS allows planners to see what loads are outstanding, and what has been delivered.

“The entire CHEP European transport purchasing team now has access to all aspects of the transportation process across countries. European carriers can now be managed as a whole rather than by individual country. The transportation process has been standardised across all countries. Additionally, the automated tendering process (straight tender from order creation) improved lead times and resulted in better carrier acceptance,” Mr Broadhurst points out.

Another happy customer he would like to highlight is Marine Harvest Norway, the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon. As global demand for its products grew, the company faced transportation challenges. One of their key issues was that they have a known demand from customers, but they do not know exactly what the supply was going to be, as the fish were still in the water. This put stress on their transportation processes, in terms of trucks needed each day.

“In order to help with that issue, the company implemented LeanTMS, which offered complete visibility into its transportation processes, allowing the company to begin benchmarking carriers and recording key performance indicators, enabling better procurement process decisions. This resulted in transportation cost savings of up to five percent,” Mr. Broadhurst is happy to report.

A reliable partner LeanLogistics is proud to consider customers as partners with whom they have longstanding relationships, as Mr. Broadhurst explains: “A long term partnership is what we are looking for. Our customers appreciate our support, and our way of dealing with them. Once we have gone live with a customer, we never walk away. Our client services group takes over and works continuously with customers to improve how they use the system to create even greater value for them. This really sets us apart from our competition. We put a lot of focus on client services groups.”

LeanLogistics is proud of working hard to get in-depth knowledge of their customers’ needs.

“We spend a lot of time with potential customers understanding their business, and working out where cost savings and value can be achieved. We work closely with our customers to understand their business right from the beginning, and we aim to understand how they want to operate going forward, if they want central or dispersed planning, and where they see themselves in the coming three to five years. The TMS is highly flexible and scalable to reflect where customers want to be in the future,” he adds.

He sees an exciting future for LeanLogistics in Europe and worldwide.

“Our constant aim is to continually expand our functionality to ensure we cover all modes of transport that our customers require. We have been rolling out the TMS all over Europe, and further expand our knowledge and traction in sectors such as food, beverage and packaging. Just recently, we have had great success with a major packaging customer based in Europe, who are very happy with the solutions we have developed for them.”

Visit: www.leanlogistics.com

“We spend a lot of time with potential customers understanding their business, and working out where cost savings and value can be achieved.”

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Old master, new

opportunities Family-owned and focused on complete customer satisfaction, German-based Polyplast Müller Group, in short “PPM”, is active across the world and on course for continued success with its refined plastic granulates for a range of applications. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to business managers Dr Thomas Weber and Peter Schumacher to find out more.

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F

ounded in Straelen, Germany in 1981, Polyplast Müller Group is 100 per cent family owned and headquartered in Straelen. Proudly traditional yet totally in tune with its customers’ latest demands, PPM refines plastic granulates by working in additives, fillers and colour pigments.

With 600 employees globally and 220 in Germany, PPM is still a medium-sized business but has achieved the impressive position of Germany’s largest masterbatch company and is one of the top five in Europe. Business managers Peter Schumacher and Dr Thomas Weber spoke to Packaging Europe to explain how the company has developed and what they believe is its commercial advantage. They said, “We have enjoyed a ten per cent annual growth rate for many years and we believe that is thanks to our well-deserved reputation for excellence and our ability to offer complete solutions to our customers.

For our customers, our suppliers and the market, we are very much a growth partner, a technology all-rounder and a true guarantor of service. We deliver; our message is ‘don’t worry, let PPM take care of it’.”

This complete service is achieved by PPM offering ‘everything from one hand’.

With state-of-the-art technology, superior quality management and a comprehensive range of services, the company can promise a reliable, sustainable and performancedriven product that always meets the demands of the customer. Dr Weber continued, “As a leading full-service partner, we support our customers with standardised as well as customised tailor-made masterbatch and cable-compound solutions. All of our products are available from our factory at short notice, making it a very attractive

proposition. Our facilities are carefully equipped with the very latest machinery and are operated by highly skilled technologists, so our customer commitment to standard and tailor-made solutions is always achieved. With the recent trend for combination batches, for example, we have the additives knowledge to blend two or three ingredients. It’s not just black and white.”

Compounding success The broad PPM product portfolio includes PolyPlast Black/White, PolyPlus® Additive Masterbatch, PolyPlast Colour Masterbatch and PolyCable® Masterbatch & Compounds, as well as additional subcontracting capabilities. Mr Schumacher explained further, “We say that customers will always make the right choice when they chose PPM Masterbatch. We develop and produce large volumes of white masterbatch that feature an attractive price/performance ratio and is ideally suited a number of different individual uses. We truly combine the flexibility of a medium-sized company with the performance ability of a market-leading group for the benefit of our customers.”

PolyPlast Black Masterbatch is for complex formulations for demanding applications, regardless of whether it’s a simple colouration or a more stringent technical requirement, or its simply an economical solution for the recycling industry.

PolyPlus® Additive Masterbatch has been created with added value in mind. Both invisible and colourless, these additives improve the processability and characteristics of numerous plastic products. PolyPlast Colour Masterbatch is suited to ‘virtually

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all industrial sectors’ and can be produced in small quantities or large volumes.

PPM Masterbatch & Compounds link varied applications in order to deliver the company’s extensive knowledge in this field.

Keeping it clean Mr Schumacher told Packaging Europe about one of the company’s best-selling additive masterbatch. He said, “the market is facing a trend for specialization and smaller production lots, hence more product changes. PolyPlus® LD 1925 ZZ helps to maximize efficiencies and saves time and money. It’s a well-known purge compound that cleans according to customers’ needs. There are three key applications for this product: as a cleaner for machines or extruders, including as a preventative; for quick colour changes, as it doesn’t stick to metal surfaces so the colour change process is much faster; and as a machine shut-down tool. It’s already our best selling product in terms of number of customers and it looks set to be an important ingredient in our future recipe for success.”

Polyplast Müller’s future is also likely to be positive thanks to its recent strengthening of its direct selling operation. Previously more reliant on distributors, the company is currently working to increase its own sales managers across many of its active world markets and will continue to do so over the next three to four years.

Dr Weber concluded, “Our main sales centre will focus on organic growth and the rapid increase of our global sales force. Also, since the company started we have been

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continually active in evaluating market development, including strategic acquisitions as appropriate, and we will carry on in this manner too. We are open to opportunities and always have our ear to the ground when it comes to trends, developments and possible ways to grow.”

Visit: www.polyplast.com

The Synthetic paper Arjobex manufactures Polyart® a range of synthetic papers designed for high resistant tags and labels.

P

olyart films are made of expanded HDPE, are tear- and water-resistant and print like paper using conventional and digital technologies (HP Indigo, UV and water-based inkjet). They cover the main labelling technologies including IML, self-adhesive and wet glue.

Polyart tags and labels are used for tracking, security, logistics and horticultural applications, for chemical drums and luggage, direct food contact, pharmaceuticals, and much more.

Arjobex attended Labelexpo Europe and will also present its latest products at Labelexpo Asia in December 2015: • Polyart INKJET provides exciting possibilities for water-based inkjet printing.

Polyart INKJET is a polyethylene film coated on one side. Its special waterproof inkjet

coating is fast drying and compatible with most pigment and dye-based inks. Ideal for all labels that must stand up to tough environments, Polyart Inkjet resists water, grease and chemical products, tearing, outdoor use and low temperatures (-60°C).

• A range of iridescent coatings especially designed for wine and spirits labels that combine a luxury appearance with water resistance. Polyart is particularly interesting for white, sparkling, and rosé wines which are served in ice buckets.

• A range of security and tamper evident labels specially designed to protect products from counterfeiting and being tampered with. They can be embedded with overt or covert security features.

Visit: www.polyart.com

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