Packaging Middle East and Africa - Nov-Dec 2013 by Packaging MEA

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technology

business

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news

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vol 2, 5. 2, nov-dec vol issue nov-dec 2013 vol 2, issue 5.issue nov-dec 2013 5.2013

w w w. p a c k a g i n g m e a . c o m

vol 2, issue 5. nov-dec 2013

Offset challenges for flexo applications www aw cw.kw in gak m ai .n om m .gpc akc m w. p ww pa a gaeign gcgm eeaa. .ccoom

Muller Martini, Goss and Rotatek spot an opportunity to grab markets as a surge in SKUs turns rotary offset’s low cost of image change into a deal winner. 58

Bobst streamlines production to see off competitors 44

Ajanta invests AED 5m into Sharjah production 20

Kodak opens technology innovation centre 38

Gravure still outpacing its rivals: GulfScan boss 24

“People still think of us as selling tiny, compact label presses...” James Boughton, Edale page 56

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Editorial comment

Packaging ends the year on a high As I write this in Dubai, the sky is flashing with a multicoloured victory salute, sparked by the announcement the city will host the World Expo in 2020. The news should also raise a cheer from the local packaging industry. Designers across the UAE may already be hunched over their Macs, crafting packaging ideas to grab the attention of the expected influx of visitors. But for the entire sector, this autumn has delivered no shortage of excitement. In September, October and November it’s been raining events. In this issue you can read coverage of the triennial K, biennial Labelexpo and annual Luxe Pack tradeshows – which this year, by happy coincidence, followed close on each others heels. All three events reported a doubledigit expansion on their previous edition, confirming the sector’s good health and bright prospects. These European shows also drew increasing numbers from far afield, including the Middle East and Africa. What’s more, each occasion triggered a flurry of new kit to deliver cheaper, greener and more impactful packaging. In this issue, we are debuting a section to showcase

some of these launches (but please drop by regularly at www.packagingmea.com for updates throughout the year). We are also introducing a series of reports from visits to the manufacturing facilities of the sector’s leading names. At Bobst’s space-age headquarters at Lausanne in Switzerland, I learned how the firm is streamlining its operations to keep its edge in global markets. And you can also read my conversation with the team achieving the finishing specialist’s exacting production standards at Pune in India. Heidelberg, Xeikon and Muller Martini also give insights into their methods and plans. Our technology feature covers ISO printing standards for rigid and flexible packaging using offset, gravure, flexo and digital, showing how they offer a useful tool to printers who are quality conscious and keen to compete in regional and global markets. Happy reading!

Published by JJ Media Fz LLC BIZ, Fuj Creative City PO Box 391186 The Iridium, Al Barsha Dubai, United Arab Emirates Phone +971-4-387 3575 Chief Editor Benjamin Daniel ben@packagingmea.com Editor Piers Grimley Evans piers@packagingmea.com Technology Editor Deb Debabrata Contributing Editor Dr George Simonian Nick Coombes Wayne Peachey Piers Grimley Evans Editor Marketing Manager Jill Smith jill@packagingmea.com +971-50-109 1889

Benjamin Daniel Chief Editor

Art Director Murtuza Umrethwala Publisher Usha Benjamin usha@packagingmea.com

Benjamin Daniel

Piers Grimley Evans

Deb Debabatra

Dr George Simonian

Chief Editor

Editor

Technology Editor

editorial enquiries ben@packagingmea.com +971-55-109 1889 printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, UAE © copyright 2013 PMEA All rights reserved. While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

Nick Coombes

Wayne Peachey

Usha Benjamin

Contributing Editor

Publisher

UshaJill Benjamin Smith Marketing Publisher Manager

Scan QR code to visit us at: www.packagingmea.com

nov-dec 2013

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Contents Regional news

06–17

NDigitec, Constantia Flexibles

Sidel, Gallus

Hotpack Packaging Industries, Paletco

Easternpack, Sidel

Sabic 13 Saudi Print & Pack, Nampak

Valiani, AGE Graphics

Nampak, Heidelberg

Nestlé, Graphic Impressions

Colep, Scitra, Interpak

AMI 19 Ajanta Packaging, Printing & Publishing Group

Environment news

22–23

Be Green Packaging, APPE

Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), Tetra Pak

Q&A: gravure International news

24–25 26–29

Heidelberg, KBA, Amcor

Videojet Technologies, Hubergroup

Storopack, Obeikan, Goss International, Kodak

Flint Group, Mondelez, Pepsi Co

Events 30–39 Labelexpo Europe

30–32

K 2013

34–35

Luxe Pack Monaco 2013

36–37

Kodak Eysins

38–39

Product launches

40–43

BST, MPS, Avery Dennison, Gallus

Innovia Films, Atlantic Zeiser, Comexi, Ritrama

Uteco, Vinsak, Sun Chemical, Stork Prints

Atlas Converting, Soma Engineering, EFI

Business features

44–57

Bobst 44–47 Heidelberg 48–51

Xeikon 52–53 Mark Andy

Edale 56–57

Technology features

58–65

Rotary offset

58–60

In-mould labelling

62–63

ISO packaging print standards

64–65

Appointments

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News regional

Constantia Flexibles has opened a regional offshoot in Dubai to help the Austriabased mulitinational expand in flexible packaging’s growth markets. Based in Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai, Constantia Flexibles JLT will target food packaging markets in Asia, Middle East/Africa and Russia, said the company. The new subsidiary is managed by Friedrich Humer, a member of the Executive Committee of Constantia Flexibles; Peter Burchardt, finance director; Vedat Baylan, senior vice president sales; and Juergen Leeb, senior vice president for operations. Thomas Unger, CEO of Constantia Flexibles, described the launch of the UAE-based operation as “an important milestone” in meeting the company’s growth objectives. “With this step we want to take decisions closer to our customers and employees, in order to increasingly support the growth of our customers in the international markets,” he said. “The presence in Dubai constitutes an important milestone for the implementation of our strategy of continued profitable growth.” Constantia Flexibles is a leading flexible packaging group supplying international customers in the food, pet food, pharmaceutical and beverage industries. More than 8,000 employees work in over 50 group companies in more than 20 countries to offer innovative packaging solutions on a global basis, according to Constantia.

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NDigitec launches new quality platform NDHD designed to take on HD Flexo, Next, Lux, Pixel+ UAE Dubai-based prepress specialist NDigitec has introduced an integrated quality platform that it claims delivers an enhanced image quality through “a unique combination of HD, Next, Lux, pixel+ and flattop”. CEO Vatche Kavlakian told Packaging MEA that his customers recognise the results of NDHD, a platform for “all kinds of digital pre-media, prepress and digital printing applications”. “They can see image quality that they haven’t seen before,” he said. “They don’t know how it is happening but they can see the difference in the results.” “Available technologies have advantages and disadvantages, so we thought, instead of choosing any one, why not get the benefits of the plus points of all the technologies,” said Kavlakian. “So the idea came up to eliminate all the negative issues and acquire the entire positive. One of the secrets of this platform is that it has a very unique combination of technology and human expertise. I’d like to emphasise this because we can never create such a unique platform without having human expertise or without the latest technology.” The specific technology used with NDHD depends on the application, he added. “In packaging there is no standard problem or no standard solution,” he said. “We can only standardise results. Each issue has to be solved uniquely according to the problem. This is

NDigitec sees nDHD as the ‘plus points’ of several technologies

the strength of NDHD.” While implementing NDHD has added to NDigitec’s costs, Kavlakian expects to benefit from enhanced customer loyalty. “The value addition has created a constant and stable relationship with the customer,” he said. “This is a long-term investment for us. We believe that this business of prepress will last for another couple of decades.” Through NDHD, NDigitec is changing quality standards in the industry, Shahe Kavlakian, Production Manager added. “We are resetting the benchmark on quality and redefining flexo,” he said. “Previously, we tried to achieve the benchmark in rotogravure. Now we can achieve the quality in any kind of printing... Jobs which had to be done on gravure we do in flexo with the same quality. I can now create anilox in the plate.” In addition, NDHD can help NDigitec convince firms to continue outsourcing their prepress operations, he said.

“We have to banish the idea of in-house prepress,” he said. “We respect our competitors as we are on the same side on the game. Our challenge is with the in-house idea. “With this platform we find it easier to convince people out of the idea of in-house. This was very difficult five years back. Now our core customers start thinking that they too can add value to the brand owners. “More and more brand owners in Europe are involving themselves with ideas and expertise from prepress bureaus. Dubai standards are very similar to European standards and we believe that this mentality will come very soon to Dubai as well.” Kavlakian also presents NDHD as a flexible approach suited to continuing improvement. “NDHD is a business lifestyle for us,” he said. “It’s never the end of the road for us in delivering the right quality. NDHD is an open platform that can be improved everyday. It can grow better by our expertise and feedback.”

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News regional Sidel is to set up a complete PET water bottle line in Oman for the local producer Barzman. The line, to be installed in January 2014 at an existing plant in Muscat, will initially produce water in 0.25-, 0.5- and 1-litre formats at speeds of up to 22,000 bottles per hour. Barzman, one of the leading domestic producers in the Omani market, first approached Sidel in 2012 looking for a fast, high-capacity production line with durability and sustainable efficiency. In Oman, demand for bottled water is rising in line with growing concern over diet and health among the country’s consumers, triggering an apparent shift from soft drinks to water and juices. Employment and levels of personal income are also rising in the Sultanate, further driving demand for bottled water. Most producers in Oman are now looking to increase capacity, while also following the global trend towards lightweight packaging, according to Sidel. Based in Dubai, Sidel has longer-term opportunities in the MEA, said Clive Smith, zone VP for Greater Middle East and Africa. “We see excellent prospects for Sidel in the region to support our customers,” he said. “In many ways the markets here are at a similar level of maturity with customers facing many similar challenges. “This means we can focus the expertise we have built over 150 years on helping them meet those challenges with complete service and line solutions across PET, glass and can and all product categories.” 8

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Gallus carton boss eyes the Middle East

Matthias Boog sees need for ‘innovative’ inline solutions UAE Gallus is targeting opportunities in the Gulf, where it anticipates the market will grow at 4–5% a year, says Matthias Boog, chief operating officer of the Switzerland-based firm’s Folding Carton Division and president of its Management Board. “For Gallus, the Middle East is a very important market,” he said. “We feel that there are many entrepreneurs here looking for innovative things and doing things differently to participate in the growth and not only to grow but also to get higher margins by doing things differently than the past.” Heidelberg has represented Boog: ‘brand owners are moving their facilities to the UAE’ Gallus’s folding carton packaging Gallus can also integrate more digital technology portfolio in the Middle East since into its presses to open up new packaging applications, 2011, with two sales of flagship ICS 670s in the Gulf he added. “We consider digital as a very important step following swiftly from the agreement. But Boog sees in the future,” he said. “We are working on different potential for further sales. solutions within the Gallus group and also with “The size of the market is growing and with Heidelberg, which we will reveal after it is ready. the situation happening in several Mediterranean “Digital is currently limited in terms of speed countries, quite a few brand owners are moving their and embellishment of the product but this can be facilities to the UAE, needing printers to support overcome. In the machine we are offering we integrate them,” he said. so many different processes.” “There is a tremendous growth potential in the Boog added that Gallus is optimistic on global range of 4-5% over the next couple of years. At the demand for folding cartons, despite restrictions on same time competiveness is getting more and more tobacco sales in some markets. important because margins are closing and in order “If we look at the new statistics we have on tobacco, to cover this we need to have innovative solutions as Gallus is offering them. We feel that the concept we are the market is stagnating to declining in the Western world but continues to grow in the rest of the world, offering with our machines is unique for the folding especially in Asia and Africa,” he said. carton industry and it allows growing with profit over “We have to watch carefully how restricted package average.” styles for tobacco will influence demand. However, not While Gallus offers an introductory CCS 510 model, each and every region or country will follow these new Boog argues that even smaller Middle East packaging regulations. printers can gain from inline operations through “On the other hand all our inline converting investing in a high-end ICS 670. machines can be equipped easily for many other “Both these models can do the same job but the web applications and you can go into different fields like width is different,” he said. “On the other hand, if you cosmetics or confectionery. calculate other factors like gaining competitiveness by “For this you don’t need a new machine but just just in time (JIT) manufacturing from the raw material additional process modules to achieve a completely roll to the finished product in one step... Even for different product and cover a new market. Thus an smaller companies, it is very attractive to look in this investment into such a Gallus system also gives our direction, besides that there are energy savings, which customers a lot of security of their investment.” saves running cost.”

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News regional

Paletco is setting up operations at Kizad, the Khalifa Industrial Zone in Abu Dhab, as the 44th company in the industrial zone by Khalifa Port. Palletco, currently based in Dubai, has signed a AED 90.7m 50-year deal to set up a manufacturing facility in the zone’s plastics cluster and will start production early next year on a 23,000sqm plot of land. The company makes plastic crates and pallets for the food and beverages and logistics sectors. Palletco’s plastic packaging products are used in sectors including airports, airlines, pharmaceuticals, food processing, the beverage industry, retailing, agriculture, petrochemicals, warehousing, logistics and automotive production. Other businesses already signed up at Kizad operate across sectors including food processing, plastics and aluminium mixed-use manufacturing. CEO Khaled Salmeen said Kizad was also in negotiations to bring a GCC-based food manufacturing business to the industrial zone. Since opening in September last year, Khalifa Port has expanded its destinations from three up to 45. Palletco’s products extend from plastic pallets in various sizes and designs to spill pallets, plastic pallet boxes, plastic crates, plastic jerry cans, IBC tanks and drums, mobile garbage bins, neck sealing machines and tapes, tray hand wrapper machines and cling films. Palletco has a large stock of various types and designs of these products to meet customers’ requirements. 10

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Hotpack opens AED 100m hub in Dubai ‘One of its kind’ logistics and manufacturing centre at DIP

UAE Hotpack Packaging Industries has officially launched an integrated factory and logistics complex at Dubai Investment Park (DIP). Abdul Jabbar PB, managing director of Hotpack Packaging, described the new facility as “a oneof-its-kind industrial infrastructure in the region”. “We hope the facility will help us continue and enhance the delivery of the best quality standards on time in our core business of food packaging solutions to our customers on a larger scale,” he said. “The new integrated facility, certified by ISO and ESMA, will be Hotpack picked DIP to be near Jebel Ali port and new DWC airport manufacturing several varieties of standards in line with the increasing demand for plastic, paper and aluminum products hygienic food packaging products.” to cater to the food service industry, while complying DIP was picked as the location for the plant for its with the highest global standards of quality and strategic positioning “in the global industrial map”, hygiene as well as abiding by the recommendations said Zainudeen. for sustainable practice.” “We hope the DIP’s close proximity to the Jebel Ali Hotpack, which deals with more than 1,700 port and Al Maktoum International Airport, coupled products, operates four factories in the UAE and one with the easy access to major highways of the UAE, in India as well as 15 distribution centres across the will enable us to capitalise on the opportunities GCC region. emerging from multiple industry segments and The company will soon open additional branches further develop our supply chain,” he added. in Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, said Jabbar. “We have implemented a highly innovative and Another integrated factory and logistic centre will integrated WMS [warehouse management software] also open soon in Abu Dhabi at ICAD City and system for the new logistic division. It will give us another in Qatar. prompt and accurate control over the stock and our “Our mission is to become No.1 in the field of disposable food packaging and related products in the supply chain. We have also set up a highly competent VNA [very narrow aisle] selective pallet racking continent,” he said. system to handle the products and manage the high Zainudeen PB, group general manager for Hotpack storage requirements.” Packaging Industries, said the company expects to The facility can handle up to 18 trucks increase its business and turnover. simultaneously at its automatic docking stations, “The decision to initiate the production and he added. logistics infrastructure comes as part of our efforts Hotpack Packaging Industries (Majid Plastics to meet the ever-increasing demand for our range of Group) was established in Dubai, UAE, in 1995 products in the food service support segment,” as a company for manufacturing, marketing and he said. distributing food packaging materials and related “This integrated facility has been set up to products made of plastic, aluminum, foam and supplement and expand our current production paper through its own manufacturing facilities, lines in the UAE and further boost our already strong which were located in Umm Al Quwain, Sharjah supply network across the Gulf and African region and Mussaffa-Abu Dhabi. and beyond. We will be able to maintain the highest

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News regional

Sidel opens regional HQ 90 new employees at Dubai’s Studio City will deliver ‘all front line services’ across the MEA KSA Sidel has opened a new regional headquarters in Dubai for the Greater Middle East and Africa (GMEA) with an inauguration ceremony on 12 September 2013. The new offices, in the heart of Dubai at the TECOM Media Cluster, are part of Sidel’s ongoing commitment to provide global experience backed by local sales and service support through proximity to customers, said the company. Clive Smith, GMEA vice president at Sidel, said the new HQ would cater for all “front line services” in the region.

“We have invested a great deal of time and resources into the creation of this new zone,” he added. “Over 90 high calibre and talented employees have joined and are joining to deliver all zone front line services from our new HQ in Dubai, which include customer service management, project management, planning, sales and installation management.” In the longer term, Sidel sees excellent prospects, he added. “In many ways the markets here are at a similar level of maturity with customers facing

Sidel sees Middle East customers as facing ‘many similar challenges’

many similar challenges,” he said. “This means we can focus the expertise we have built over 150 years on helping them meet those challenges with complete service and line solutions across PET, glass and can and all product categories.” Mohammad Abdulla, managing director of TECOM, said the HQ’s location would help Sidel develop. “We welcome Sidel to Dubai

Studio City as it embarks upon the next phase of its growth in the Middle East,” he said. “We are pleased to provide them with a location that is well connected with the rest of Dubai. Our ability to identify and provide a solution to our valued business partners continues to set us apart as a destination of choice, and we look forward to Sidel growing further with us in the UAE.”

Easternpak sets record September production figure at Dammam plant tops the Saudi firm’s previous monthly totals Saudi Arabia’s Easternpak has operated since 1994

KSA Easternpak, based in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, has topped its previous production records to meet growing market demand. Easternpak, a member of Indevco Paper Containers, closed September 2013 with its highest monthly operational productivity to date, according to the firm. The corrugated packaging 12

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manufacturer capitalised on the plant’s operational readiness, as well as on its sales team’s efforts and customer service synergy to achieve the production record, said Easternpak. Gaby Kaddissi, Easternpak’s deputy general manager, said the record figure reflects joint effort across the firm’s employees. “It is communication, hard work, harmony, honesty,

engagement, family spirit and commitment that set a new milestone,” he said. “Thank you to each and every individual from all the various teams in Easternpak. You are superb in executing all different operational activities and tactics towards achieving our common goal.” Founded in 1994, Easternpak manufactures retail-ready packaging, shelf-ready packaging, point-of-purchase (POP) displays, promotional cartons, and corrugated boxes

for the agricultural, beverage, catering, dairy, hygiene disposables, industrial, chemical, processed, pharmaceutical, soap and detergent industries. Easternpak serves Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and the MENA region in addition to several European markets and is ISO9001:2000, HACCP, GMP and BRC/IoP Global Standard certified. Easternpak is a member of Indevco Paper Containers, a division of the multinational Indevco Group.

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Sabic shrink film update Combo of resins in multi-layer film for beverages offers downgauging and speeds of up to 1,000kg/hr

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KSA Sabic has optimised its high-quality collation shrink films for the beverage market, enhancing its multi-layer film concept to support film packaging applications with five or more layers. Made with a combination of resins including a new material – Sabic LDPE 2801TH00W – the new product enables further downgauging and higher output, reflecting Sabic’s investment in and extensive knowledge of polyolefin films, said the firm. The improved concept’s film combinations allow manufacturers to create unique property configurations that meet the specific needs of brand owners as well as the demands of the consumer, according to Sabic. “Our multi-layer concept is unique in its perfect balance of mechanical properties with outstanding extrusion performance for higher production and packaging speeds,” said Mark Vester, business director LL-LDPE at SABIC. “Through this multi-layer concept, customers are presented with a relatively stiff film, enabling very thin gauges that reduce overall resource usage, resulting in less waste and costs, whilst still meeting their requirements for strength, flexibility and stiffness.” The concept opens up downgauging and production at up to 1000kg/ hr, according to Sabic. Designed to enhance product performance and increase flexibility in resin combination for end markets, Sabic has also been developing enhanced multi-layer film concepts for other film segments such as lamination, deep freeze and agriculture films, said the firm. Sabic’s LDPE 2801TH00W, a new and major component of the concept, is being produced at Sabic’s manufacturing facility in Wilton, Teesside, UK, the world’s largest LDPE plant, and is available to customers worldwide.

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News regional Nampak has acquired a beverage can operation in Nigeria. The South Africa-based company paid $301m for Alucan Packaging and has also been granted an option to acquire a leading rigid plastics firm in Nigeria. Siutated in the Agbara industrial area, near Lagos, the Alucan factory has a new, state-of-the-art aluminium beverage can line capable of producing up to 1bn cans per year, according to Nampak. The plant has also been designed to accommodate a second line once demand exceeds current capacity. Its location at Agbara puts the facility close to major beverage producing customers as well as a reliable source of gas for heating and power generation. Nampak’s CEO, Andrew Marshall, said the purchase will “significantly increase Nampak’s presence in Nigeria”. Nigeria is Africa’s second largest economy and Nampak already makes food and general cans at Lagos and cigarette cartons, food cartons and labels at Ibadan, 120km north of Lagos, he added. Beverage cans are a core business for Nampak, with plants in South Africa and Angola. Demand for beverage cans from Nigeria’s population of over 150m people has grown fast and is expected to continue rising. “This acquisition and the potential to acquire the plastics company will further contribute to our stated growth strategy in the rest of Africa, where we currently operate in 12 countries generating R2.5bn [$248m] in annual revenue and almost 30% of our trading profit,” said Marshall. 14

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Saudi Print & Pack points to sector’s rise Kingdom uses 70% of GCC packaging, says expo’s boss

UAE The 11th edition of Saudi Print & Pack, at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre on 17–20 February 2014, will showcase the region’s latest equipment and supplies for printing and packaging in what its organisers see as the Middle East’s largest and most diverse market. Hani Habib, the director of the show, told Packaging MEA, that Saudi Print & Pack will explore changing concepts and procedures. Saudi Print & Pack 2014 is highlighting 15% sector growth forecasts “New challenges and opportunities have emerged as a by 15% each year. result of the many changes that have occurred in Saudi Arabia also has one of the world’s most the printing and packaging industries globally in stable currencies coupled with an excellent recent years,” he said. standard of living, said Hani Habib. “New technologies and innovative products have In a recent Ernst & Young report, researchers led to changes in printing concepts and procedures. forecast robust economic growth for the All this will be explored at the Saudi Printing and Kingdom over the medium term and a successful Packaging Exhibition 2014”. diversification of economy. In 2013, the Saudi economy is predicted to expand by 4.3%, driven by youthful demographics Saudi packaging and buoyant expansion in the non-oil sector. In Saudi Arabia, packaging is one of the country’s Saudi Arabia is now engaged in a multi-faceted most dynamic sectors, he said. reform strategy to become one of the 10 most Currently, the packaging market is seeing a competitive economies in the world. shift towards plastic and away from metal and To achieve that goal, the country continues glass, as flexible packaging expands alongside solid to invest heavily in oil refining and in boosting packaging, he added. natural gas production while striving to diversify Demand for safe and sustainable packaging is its economy, create more jobs and spread wealth to also growing in line with food consumption, which different regions in order to develop its competitive is expected to grow each year at an average of 4.6% advantage. from 2011 to hit 51.1m tons in 2015. Saudi Arabia has started construction on four Saudi Print & Pack will feature manufacturers, new cities with about $70bn in seed investment, suppliers and their local regional partners from a designed to attract businesses through a worldwide range of sectors including: filling machines, class infrastructure, cutting-edge design, special packaging machinery, consumer goods canning incentives and streamlined procedures. and packaging, design and manufacturing Hani Habib describes the country as services, packaging supplies, industrial packaging undergoing an exciting transformation with an equipment, paper production equipment, food ambitious programme of accelerated growth and packaging equipment and packaging materials. development. Future deliverables include new communication Growth forecasts infrastructures, new transport routes, state-ofThe event’s organisers are also upbeat on the the-art industrial complexes, dynamic training national market’s potential for growth, as they opportunities, and a commitment to greater claim Saudi Arabia already holds more than 70% of business efficiencies. the packaging market in the GCC and is expanding

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13_0

Valiani picks AGE Graphics as its distributor for Gulf MatPro ULTRA V flatbed plotter joins AGE’s portfolio

GCC Sharjah-based AGE Graphics has been appointed distributor for Valiani products for the Gulf States of UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait. Tiziano Beri, regional business development manager of Valiani srl, told Packaging MEA that the Italy-based company expects rapid results from the collaboration. “We are hoping to soon get the fruits of our relationship,” he said. “We believe that we have a very good potential in the region.” Beri described Valiani’s MatPro ULTRA V as a versatile flatbed plotter ideal for boxes and displays, contour cutting and signage, embossing, stickers and gaskets. “It can handle foldable and rigid materials used for packaging and product displays,” he said. “It can be used on a wide range of packaging and display materials, mat board, corrugated board, rigid material such as vinyl, Forex, PVC, polycarbonate, corrugated plastic, foam board, gator board.”

AGE is targeting ‘wide gamut of applications’ with ULTRA V

A camera featured in the plotter to detect crop marks can, in combination with optional additional software, enable contour cutting or creasing on pre-printed materials. Jay Krishna, sales manager of AGE Graphics, said the MatPro ULTRA V fits its portfolio. “For the front end we have FFEI’s RealVue 3D Packager, which is a product for creative professionals involved in the design and communication of advanced print and packaging designs,” he said. “The synergy that we have with FFEI and Valiani is a perfect fit to our customers’ needs and we are glad that we have a solution that’s apt for printers who are into print for packaging whilst it also caters to a wide gamut of applications on the signage segment.”

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12/4/13 4:20 AM

News regional

Nampak opens 2nd Angola can line Production at Angolata Viana already rising as sales climb 20% in volume from last year

Nampak Bevcan claims first two years of Angola operations have exceeded firm’s hopes

Angola South African JSE-listed can manufacturer Nampak Bevcan claims its Angola operations have topped the firm’s expectations. After two years of operations, Angolata Viana, Nampak Bevcan’s first greenfield investment outside South Africa, is operating self-sufficiently and continuously exceeding production and

quality targets, said Nampak. Beverage can sales volumes from Angolata are up by more than 20% from the year before, requiring imports from Nampak in South Africa. Managing director Erik Smuts said Nampak is responding by raising production speed from 1,800 to 1,900 per minute.

“We are also in the process of installing a second can production line, which will more than double the production capacity of the plant,” he said. Disposable incomes are rising in Angola in line with its economy. “Cans are seen as servicing a growing market demand, offering good value based on the associated product freshness, convenience and safety,” said Smuts. To overcome challenges from operating in a foreign country, Angolata Viana is self-sufficient in electricity; treats and uses all waste water for irrigation, including sewage; designs and upgrades equipment and processes internally; and maintains all services equipment in-house. “At the centre of Angolata’s innovation and huge success is a world-class team that is dedicated to adhering to the highest standards, best practices and constant training and development by those onsite, who have years of can-making experience behind them,” he said. With the opening of new filling lines in Angola, including in Catumbela in August, the reopening of Coca-Cola Bottling Luanda in Bom Jesus outside Luanda, and the expected production commencement of CIF Brewery in 2014, more growth is expected.

Heidelberg holds a software seminar in Dar es Salaam Presentations spotlight production gains from Prinect workflow Tanzania While automation such as Prinect is yet to become established in Tanzania’s fledging print industry, Heidelberg is working to inform the market about its prepress technology. At a one-day seminar in Dar es Salaam in October, Heidelberg’s East Africa agent Achelis gave a presentation jointly with Dr Ali Makari of Heidelberg on using software tools to enhance productivity. Theobald Stephen, Heidelberg manager at Achelis, said the event was part of an initiative to update print shop customers on “new technologies and innovations in Heidelberg products and services”. Most print shops outsource prepress, but “quite a few” print shops have machines that are compatible with Prinect, said Stephen. Tanzania’s printing industry includes both large and small printers within the private sector, government, NGOs and religious bodies. 16

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All key customers from Dar es Salaam and Arusha attended the event, said Heidelberg

Heidelberg estimates that its presses make up more than 95% of the country’s offset machines, although the country’s relative poverty and the difficulty of obtaining loans means many printers in Tanzania opt for preowned machines, he added. Yet Heidelberg has sold many new machines into the market, for larger more specialised facilities, which have complete print shops with more than one prepress machine, said Stephen.

Tanzania is still ranked as one of the world’s poorest nations, although the last two decades have seen fast growth in mining, construction, oil and gas, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. In recent years, digital machines have started to appear in some of Tanzania’s print shops, said Stephen. While most printers take a variety of jobs, specialised packaging printers are also now starting to emerge, he added.

nov-dec 2013

12/4/13 2:39 AM

News regional

Boost for Egypt ice cream Graphic Impressions buys Nestlé expands its factory near Cairo a Colex flatbed cutter and plans for further investment

Plant at 6th of October city serves markets across the region

Egypt Nestlé has invested 26m Swiss francs (200m Egyptian pounds) to extend its ice cream factory in Egypt. Investment in the ice cream factory includes some of the company’s most advanced food production lines, said Nestlé. The ice cream factory, which is 30km from Cairo at 6th of October City, supplies markets in North-East Africa such as Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Tunisia as well as local demand. The factory also produces the super-premium Mövenpick products, exported to Malaysia. Further investments are planned in the coming years to develop the factory’s mixing, processing, chocolate coating and cone filling equipment, said Nestlé. The company said packaging is critical in its ice cream production to guarantee product safety and high quality, as well as to prevent spoilage and food waste. Nestlé is committed to reducing the environmental impact of packaging, without negatively impacting the safety, quality and consumer preference of products, said the firm. Under the company’s ‘4 R’ approach, Nestlé is aiming to reduce packaging material, use sustainably sourced renewable resource-based materials where possible, use recycled content in packaging material where possible, and support recycling or energy recovery from used packaging. Nestlé has been selling its products for more than 100 years in Egypt, where growing demand for Nestlé and Dolce brands helped prompt the recent investment. Nestlé began making ice cream in Egypt in 1988, when it bought Industrie Du Froid and its Kimo brand, before acquiring Dolce Co for Food Industries. In 2001, it merged its ice cream operations and the firm now has three factories and seven distribution centres, employing more than 3,000 people.

Sharpcut digital cutting system to help agency diversify into a ‘one-stop shop’ Pakistan Graphic Impressions, a full-service outdoor/indoor advertising agency established in 2005, has invested in a Colex Sharpcut flatbed digital cutter. The equipment is “relatively new” in Pakistan and has enabled the company to effectively penetrate corporate clientele, providing “new ideas that are both unique and durable”, said director of Graphic Impressions, Umar Amjad Malik. “It helps us in getting early entrant advantage,” he said. “It serves as a door opener for us when it comes to acquiring accounts. Last but not least, it enables us to be recognised as innovators and creators. It relates to our brand positioning, where we are being placed prominently and uniquely among the competition.” Graphic Impressions, which has a head office in Lahore and branch offices in Karachi and Multan, claims to be Pakistan’s largest vinyl printing organisation with in-house daily production capacity of more than 40,000sqft (3,700sqm). The company’s recent investments also include: an EFI wide format T1000 flatbed UV printer, a Jeti large format digital press, a Roland press, Challenger digital presses, and DGI digital presses. Graphic Impressions follows a vision of being a one-stop shop for all branding and outdoor/indoor advertising, said Malik. “We are always open to new ideas and innovative technologies related to our area of expertise,” he said. “We keep exploring new ideas by participating in different trade related exhibitions/fairs and also maintain continuous liaison with major players in the internal arena.” While price is important, “out-of-the-box thinking” is required to create and maintain a competitive edge, he added. “Our recent investment in an EFI Rastek UV flatbed printer and Colex Sharpcut flatbed cutter is evidence of the same mindset,” he said.

Graphic Impressions sees its new Colex cutter as a ‘door opener’ nov-dec 2013

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News regional

Interpack woos UAE firms Expo hosts a joint event with Dubai Export Development Corporation

Colep Scitra Aerosols will supply the Middle East and parts of Africa

Interpack is underscoring opportunities in halal food to local firms

Colep invests in Sharjah

UAE Messe Düsseldorf has set out its stall for Interpack 2014, which takes place on 8–14 May, at a joint event with the Dubai Export Development Corporation at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai. UAE packaging firms were told the exhibition attracted 170,000 professional visitors on its last edition in 2010 by Thomas Dohse, account manager for the show. “The event gathers more than 2,700 exhibitors from over 60 countries worldwide, to showcase their latest machinery, equipment and techniques for packaging, in addition to a wide array of services,” he said. Mohammad Kamali, managing director of the Dubai Export Development Corporation, backed Dohse by recommending that “all local companies in this field take advantage of the opportunities provided at Interpack 2014”. The UAE’s food industry’s expansion is set to continue, he added. In 2011, sales of frozen foods rose by 12% to hit AED 95m, he said. Dried food demand increased by 10% to AED 1.8bn, while frozen foods sales climbed 10% to AED 97m, and canned foods sales went up 12% to AED 285m.” International exhibitions such as Interpack have also been highlighted as an opportunity for UAE companies specialised in halal food, which has a global market valued at about $500bn and rapidly growing demand in Europe. Bassel Amaneddine, general manager of International Fairs and Promotions (IFP) Emirates, which organised the Dubai meeting and represents Messe Dusseldorf in the UAE, said the gathering is one of a series of such events organised by his company. For IFP, Interpack offers a gateway for firms in the UAE to enter European and global markets and to establish joint ventures with major international companies. Local companies can also use Interpack to share experiences with regional and international companies, highlighting the UAE’s infrastructure, foreign investment and government support, said IFP.

UAE Europe-based Colep has inked a joint venture with UAEbased Scitra, part of the Albatha Group, to set up an aerosol contract manufacturing operation in the UAE. The joint venture will operate under the name of Colep Scitra Aerosols. Colep and Scitra will invest to expand and improve Scitra’s existing aerosol filling plant in Sharjah, aligning it with international standards required by multinational personal care and homecare brands. The plant will serve markets across the Middle East and in Southern and Eastern Africa. Peter Ingelse, managing director of Colep’s Consumer Products Division, said the new venture helps Colep serve its international customers with supplies “nearer to their markets”. Robin Smythe, managing director of Albatha Home and Personal Care, said the collaboration with Colep would bring “world-class manufacturing closer to the market”, with an improved supply chain, shorter lead times, reduced inventory and a faster response to changing demand. Colep, a RAR Group company, is a global leader in consumer goods packaging and contract manufacturing industries. With a turnover of €543m in 2012, Colep employs about 3,600 people in Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Spain, Mexico and the UK. Scitra, a member of the Albatha Home and Personal Care Group, has been based in the UAE for over 30 years, becoming one of the GCC market’s leading contract manufacturers of home and personal care products.

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Joint venture with Scitra to set up aerosol contract manufacturing

nov-dec 2013

12/4/13 2:39 AM

Johnson & Johnson, Kodak and Mars to speak at forum UAE AMI has confirmed the line-up of speakers for the upcoming Flexible Packaging Middle East conference, taking place on 9–11 December 2013 at the Sofitel Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. AMI’s Flexible Packaging Middle East, now in its fifth edition, is a forum for all stages of the packaging supply chain to meet to discuss key trends and developments affecting market growth and profitability. The conference will open with a market overview, followed by a session on material developments, including topics such as sustainability and nanotechnology in biopolymers. The session on technology developments will cover topics such as recent developments in cast films, monoaxially oriented polyolefin films, online thickness measuring, and simultaneox double bubble extrusion lines. The event will close with a business forum in which brand owners and converters will share their perspectives on the Middle East flexible packaging industry. AMI has announced that participants will include: Animesh Bhattacharya, packaging development manager at Mars GCC, UAE;

Flexible Packaging Middle East on in Abu Dhabi on 9–11 December 2013 Grant Blewett, strategic account manager flexo EAMER at Kodak; Ahmed Mohamed Habiba, regional marketing manager at Johnson & Johnson, UAE; Dr Marco Dircetti, key account manager at Constantia Flexibles, Italy; and Carlo Ranucci, vice president at Manucor SpA, Italy. Packaging in the Middle East region is growing at rates of more than 15% per year with all major application areas advancing, according to AMI. In particular, the growth of sophisticated packaging converter markets is creating an opening for firms to participate in added value areas offering high profits. Flexible Packaging Middle East 2013 will build delegates’ knowledge and provide an opportunity for the industry to meet and discuss the issues of concern today, said AMI. The conference will end with an AMI paper from research director Andrew Reynolds on the development of the Middle East packaging markets.

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12/4/13 2:39 AM

News regional

Ajanta puts AED 5m into Sharjah plant

The PPG of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has announced a new committee elected on 18 September. Saeed Al Najjar, the member relations external manager of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, announced that the Printing and Publishing Group (PPG) will consist of: Mohammad Al Hashimi of Emirates Trans Graphics, Zahir Hassan of Power Print, Sebastian Lonth of Reprotronics, Mazen El Tibi of Heidelberg, Lakshman Ganapathy of Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing, Anthony Murphy of Flint Group, Saghir Ahmed Khan of Khaleej Times, Alex Jahanbani of ME Printer, Saad Kasho of Modern Printing Press, Andrew Hurt of Mohamed Hared Al Otaiba Group (Xerox Emirates), Vatch Kalvakian of Namma International Digitec and Niels Siegel of Technotrans. Surajan C. V. of Al Reyami Printing Press and Mohammed Seif of Canon have been tasked to form a communication channel for the sector. The newly elected members voted for Mohammad Al Hashimi as the chairman of the group, Zahir Hassan as the vice chairman, and Sebastian Lonth as the general secretary. “Many of our elected members are new in the committee, and this means we can learn many new things and share new ideas that we have never touched base on,” said Al Hashimi. “If we all set our mind for the progress of our industry, we could all reach what we are aiming for.” The group will announce updates on the Dubai International Print Awards, seminars and other activities through its social media sites. 20

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Group targets Africa and the West as well as local market

Gunaratne: aiming for ‘top-of-the-line’ quality

UAE Ajanta Packaging, a leading packaging solution provider, has made a AED 5m investment into infrastructure and machinery as its operation in the UAE to help it win business beyond the Gulf. Chandana Gunaratne, general manager of the Sharjah plant, told Packaging MEA that the firm has invested to offer “top-of-the-line quality” to its customers and seek markets in Africa and the West. “We have just finished the installation of a 10-colour Nilpeter FB-3300S combination press that is highly customised with multiple units featuring hot foil, cold foil, screen printing, diecutting and a gravure unit to be added shortly,” he said. “The press has a web width of 330mm whilst its repeat width is 600mm.” In its converting operations, the plant has reinforced its line-up of slitters and rewinders from ABG International and Prati with an additional Omega HSR 330 Horizontal slitter inspection rewinder from ABG International. “We are also considering to go for a CTP and allied workflow for our offset-based prepress whilst we would continue to oursource our flexo plates from our regular service providers in Dubai,” he added. “The main reason we invested in this equipment is to offer top-of-the-line quality and special applications to existing customers whilst we are also looking at growing into the international markets

especially Africa and the Western markets as well.” Ajanta also invested in two Nilpeter presses at the recent LabelExpo 2013 tradeshow, said managing director Chandan Khanna. “It was time we added machines in our plants,” he said. “We got one machine before the show and decided on the next two here. If the pricing, support and servicing is good then we will continue our partnership with the same partner. And Nilpeter has been fantastic. What we are to our customers, Nilpeter is to us.” Ajanta has two Indian plants – in Daman and Baddi – one in Sharjah and one in Bangkok. A Nilpeter press is already installed at each of the Daman, Baddi and Dubai plants and a fourth will soon be set up at its Baddi facility. The two presses bought at the show are for the Daman and Bangkok plants. The new presses, from Nilpeter’s plant in Chennai, will be installed by mid-2014 as highly customised presses with at least 10 colours and features such as gravure, hot foil, cold foil and screen printing. With these two presses, Ajanta will go from 9 to 11 units across its four plants. Ajanta Packaging’s sales revenues are up 20% but costs are also rising, said Khanna. “One has to be more efficient and buy more presses if the bottom line is shrinking,” he said. “This press that I have bought has a short web path so we save on the wastage and contribute to the environment while helping the bottom line.” Ajanta Packaging, which has its head office in Mumbai, started its Daman unit in 2000 with waterless offset and claims to still be the only printer in India to print labels using the technology. In 2008, Ajanta opened its Sharjah factory, where it has targeted short-run label jobs with waterless offset printing on an Iwasaki press with a web width of 330mm and repeat length of 250mm. “However, as we have been successful in this niche [rotary waterless offset], we have decided to move ahead with more investments into the narrow-web flexo and allied converting to address other specialised applications within labelling,” said Gunarantne.

nov-dec 2013

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Im B

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Flexible Packaging Middle East 2013 Market opportunities for films driven by technical sophistication

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News environment

Google packs new laptop with sustainable fibres Be Green Packaging custom-develops tray for Chromebook USA Google has chosen to launch the latest edition of its Chromebook laptop in a custom designed plant fibre tray. Google partnered on the tray with Be Green Packaging, which has announced a major R&D breakthrough this year leading to zero-degree draft angle technology for the complex designs demanded by the tech industry. Robert Richman, Be Green’s president of manufacturing, said the “exclusive technology” opens the door to “a whole range of design capabilities that allow us to take tree-free, plant fibre packaging into new markets and areas”. “In every sense, this is the future of packaging,” he said.

Be Green has used ‘tree-free’ fibres to make the tray sustainable

Google’s new Chromebook laptop has already begun shipping from online retailers worldwide and will be hitting retail shelves in the coming weeks. Be Green claims its proprietary fibre blend comes from rapidly renewable plants that are abundant and grow like weeds in many parts of the world, unlike trees, which take years to develop and mature and are being cut down faster than they can be replenished, said the company. No petrochemicals are used in the manufacturing of Be Green’s plant fibre blend, added the firm. In addition, the company holds seven eco-social certifications from organisations such as the Cradle to Cradle Products

Innovation Institute, the Non-GMO Project, the Biodegradable Products Institute and the USDA Biobased Product Program. Be Green Packaging’s business model has been shaped by adherence to the “triple bottom line” philosophy, said CEO Ron Blitzer. “Embracing the environment and social equity in addition to profitability is part of our overarching goal of being a truly holistic, sustainable enterprise,” he said. “Our commitment to getting our products, facilities and operations independently certified is helping us lead the industry in terms of accountability and transparency and forward-thinking companies like Google recognise and appreciate that.”

100% recycled PET makes fruit drinks ‘sustainable’ APPE bolsters Oji’s green image with rPET material Oji’s bottles enable the brand to operate ‘closed loop’ recycling

USA PET packaging specialist APPE has worked with Oji and Hero to produce an environmentfriendly 100% recycled PET (rPET) bottle for Oji’s ‘sustainable’ functional fruit drink. The Oji drinks are available in four variants featuring different fruits and health benefits. All contain caffeine from green coffee beans to provide a mild energy boost along with a variety of nutrients including antioxidants, fibre, magnesium and vitamin C. APPE’s rPET material was 22

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the ideal choice for Oji’s strong environmental ethos with its firm focus on sustainability and respect for environmental and social issues. The new bottle enables the brand to achieve a ‘closed loop’ recycling system as the product can be recycled and reused for a new 100% rPET bottle, fitting Oji’s co-operation with the TerraCycle programme to avoid incineration. Equally important, the bottle provides an ambient shelf life of six months for the preservative-

free drinks, avoiding the energy consumption to keep them chilled. Developing and making the package involved collaboration with three APPE sites. An inhouse design team created the preform for the 100ml bottle and gave creative input into its appearance. The rPET material is supplied by APPE’s recycling plant in Beaune, France, and to complete the process the bottle is made at APPE Belgium, with bottles from Hero’s filling operation in the

Netherlands. Hero, a brand-focused consumer-foods group, interacted closely with Oji and APPE for the filling and shelf life aspect of the operation. APPE’s Silvie Willemsen said: “We are delighted to be working with both Hero and Oji and to be part of its constant drive to be a sustainable brand. The new bottle is evidence that our rPET material and extensive recycling facilities can enable a brand to meet its closed loop recycling requirements.”

nov-dec 2013

12/4/13 1:39 AM

News environment

Aluminum cans reach 67% recycling rate in the USA Rising figure cements cans as most recycled drink container

Tetra Pak has its sights on using 100% FSC-certified paperboard

Tetra Pak delivers 26bn FSC-labelled packages 2012 total climbs by 40% from the previous year Imports also hike the rising recycling total for US drinks cans

USA Industry recycling of aluminium beverage containers in the United States continued its decade-long upward trend in 2012 with a rate of 67%, according to data from the Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). The figure is the highest recycling rate since the early 1990s and the second highest since the survey began in 1972, marking progress towards the industry’s goal of 75% by 2015. In 2012, the US aluminium can industry recycled 62 billion domestic and imported cans while shipping 92 billion. “It’s great news to see the aluminium can extend its lead as the most recycled beverage container, far exceeding comparable rates for glass and plastic,” said Heidi Brock, president of the Aluminum Association. “Cans are unique in that they can be recycled infinitely and be back on the shelf in as little as 60 days. Couple that with a 37% weight reduction for the average can since 1972 and you have the most sustainable and smart solution available for beverage packaging.” The increase in the US industry’s recycling rate in recent years has been driven largely by imports of used cans from countries such as Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Poland. In 2012, the industry imported and recycled close to 13 billion cans, nearly double the amount imported just five years ago. “While it’s encouraging that the industry is recycling at record levels there is still work to be done,” added Brock. “Increasing US consumer recycling of aluminum cans remains a major opportunity to help the environment and the economy.” Producing cans through recycled aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed with primary aluminium. But aluminium cans worth $900m are still ending up in US landfills each year, with a significant loss to both the economy and the environment, according to the Aluminum Association.

Switzerland In its 2013 Sustainability Update, Tetra Pak has announced that 26.4bn Tetra Pak packages in 39 countries carried the FSC label in 2012. A 40% rise from the 2011 figure continues a steady growth since 2008, when the first 0.2bn FSC-labelled Tetra Pak packages were brought onto the market, said the firm. Tetra Pak has also increased the use of FSC-certified paperboard in its products to total 38% in 2012, up from 34% in the previous year, according to the company. But the group is working with suppliers and other stakeholders to meet an ambitious goal of sourcing exclusively FSC-certified paperboard. As a leading paperboard purchaser, Tetra Pak has declared that a responsible and sustainable supply of timber products is critical to its business. Tetra Pak offers its customers the chance to use the FSC label on packaging and encourages them to communicate its value to consumers, said Nils Björkman, Tetra Pak’s executive VP of Commercial Operations. “The FSC label helps raise awareness of the importance of responsible forest management among consumers worldwide, enabling them to make informed purchasing choices,” he said. Since the introduction of the world’s first FSC-labelled liquid food cartons in the UK in 2007, Tetra Pak has worked with suppliers, customers, consumers and NGOs to raise awareness of the importance of ensuring responsible forest management. “FSC greatly values the commitment of Tetra Pak to promoting responsible forest management,” said Marcelle Peuckert, director of business development at FSC International. “Not only do they set ambitious targets on sourcing FSC certified paperboard, they also communicate to consumers and clients alike the importance of ensuring responsible forest management.” nov-dec 2013

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12/4/13 1:39 AM

Technology gravure

Can gravure hold its share? While some commentators suggest gravure will be squeezed out of packaging, Manoj Garg, general manager of GulfScan, Sharjah, tells Benjamin Daniel that the process’s future in the MEA is secure. BD: Would you agree that gravure printing has been losing out to CI flexo and rotary offset? MG: In publishing printing in the 1980s in Europe and America, gravure slowly lost its dominance as processes such as web offset and flexo tremendously improved their quality and turnaround time. But we need to view this specifically in packaging. Gravure and flexo continue to compete head-to-head in packaging, particularly flexible packaging, and their relative market share varies greatly according to where in the world the comparison is made. BD: How do world regions compare? MG: Gravure printing predominates in flexible packaging in the Middle East and Africa and has lost little to CI flexo or rotary offset. In Asia-Pacific, the ratio of flexo to gravure is 20:80, whereas in Europe it is 55:45, and North America 75:25. So gravure is slowly losing its share to CI flexo and rotary in specific regions: the trend is not general. Consumer marketing and retailing is changing from massmarketing to more specific matching of product packaging to consumer characteristics, resulting in shorter runs, a trend more prevalent in European and American markets and obviously favouring flexo over gravure. BD: What else drives these differing figures? MG: In Asia, cylinder processing, thanks to lower labour costs, is significantly cheaper than in the US. Moreover, in the US, investments in modern gravure equipment have been slow. This is evidenced by high cylinder costs, more than 100% above European and more than 200% above the cost in Asia. Holding on to a 50% packaging printing share of the European market, gravure has defended and strengthened its market share, in 24

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Manoj Garg, general manager, GulfScan

nov-dec 2013

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BD: What is the future for gravure? MG: The future of gravure is highly secure. Press speeds will become even faster. Print tolerances will move to microns. Changeover times will continue to decrease. Gravure presses will become platforms to accept whatever process is best for the printer’s target market. The installed capacity of gravure is growing more than CI flexo, further strengthening the dominance of gravure in the region.

Garg: ‘Gravure is still a superior and easy to use technology’

spite of environmental regulations and higher quality flexo outputs. Particularly in packaging production for large brand owners and retail chains, gravure is going strong. The same trend is seen in Asia as well. BD: What about the Middle East and Africa? MG: In the Middle East and Africa, in the main category of flexible packaging, gravure continues to dominate and grow. Wide-web flexo is growing and gaining traction, but not as vigorously as one might expect. The main reason is that gravure is still seen as the superior and easy-to-use technology with high-quality electronically or laser engraved cylinders. It is still considered as the practical solution for reverse printing and lamination for creating various barrier properties. Wide-web CI flexo scores well for films that will be surface printed, and especially for thinner and extensible films. With highly expert prepress and the use of certain over-varnishes, flexo matches and can even exceed gravure quality. But it is this extra skill and expertise, together with the higher cost of automated CI flexo presses, that seem to keep its growth in check. While CI wide-web flexo is growing in the region, rotogravure seems to grow more robustly and on a much higher installed base. CI flexo is getting stronger only with some specific substrates. BD: In the MEA, how do flexo and gravure compare in cost and quality? MG: The USP of gravure, its excellent quality and high consistency even with very high print runs, naturally favours gravure in this region, where brand owners prefer gravure to print their packages, as only gravure guarantees consistent quality. The appearance of packaging plays the decisive role in the competition on the shelves of the fastest growing consumer markets. Also, flexography no longer has a cost advantage. As flexography has improved its quality over recent years, it has become more expensive and lost much of its previous cost advantage. Brand owners now have a wider choice over printing process keeping in mind their target audiences and positioning of product on the shelf.

BD: Could developments in HD flexo and CI flexo alter this outlook? MG: Historically, flexographic printing has had its drawbacks, the most cited being inconsistency between production runs, primarily due to the quality of flexo plates. This problem, however, has been reduced and better controlled over time thanks to technological developments. In recent years, many advances have been made in all component elements used in the printing process, such as anilox rollers, ink, photopolymer plates, mounting tape and flexographic printing press design, bringing about a rise in quality and hence increased uptake. Most of all, the process became measurement based, data driven and predictable. Apart from this, flexo prepress has also taken big leaps forward such as HD flexo. So flexo has started dominating in segments such as narrow web label presses, stack flexo presses and corrugated presses. Narrow web presses are increasingly looked at for printing on unsupported films and for lami-tubes. Narrow web flexo presses are also beginning to be used for producing mono-cartons. However, the growth in CI flexo is comparably still slow. Undoubtedly it can now compete with offset for quality labels and with gravure for flexible packaging. But in flexible packaging, wideweb flexo’s growth is slow, whereas gravure is surging ahead and stealing a sizeable share of the pie. BD: How do you see the outlook for flexible packaging generally in the MEA? MG: With a population of 1.2bn in the Middle East and Africa, flexible packaging has the same growth potential here as it has in India. Major investment in the food sector has further strengthened its position, because food packaging accounts for 80% of flexible packaging. Rising consumer demand for packaged dried and dehydrated food such as pasta, rice, milk powder and soup mixes and growing numbers of young consumer in the region have also boosted demand for flexible packaging. Another strong indicator for its growth comes from reasonable cost, versatility and potential for innovation. In addition, emerging markets in the region including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Nigeria are going to consume more, due to rising disposable income. All these factors increase the use of high-quality flexible packaging, giving gravure printing an indirect boost. nov-dec 2013

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News international Amcor has announced that it has signed a $50m agreement to acquire Detmold Flexibles, a privately owned Australian flexibles packaging business, which will become part of Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific. Detmold Flexibles operates two plants in Melbourne and has sales of about $55m. Ken MacKenzie, Amcor’s CEO and managing director, said the takeover, from a strategic perspective, builds on the success of the 2012 Aperio Group acquisition. “It enables the Australian flexibles business to strengthen their manufacturing centres of excellence with plants focused on specific technologies and end market segments,” he said. “The acquisition will further improve our customer value proposition in the Australian market by enhancing the ability to invest in both product and process innovation. Given the manufacturing overlap in the businesses there is considerable opportunity for operational synergies and returns are expected to be more than 20%.” The acquisition is subject to ACCC approval. Amcor Limited operates manufacturing plants in 42 countries across 300 sites and has about 33,000 employees. The company has annual sales of A$12.2bn and a market value in excess of A$10bn. Amcor supplies a broad range of plastic (rigid and flexible), fibre, metal and glass packaging solutions as well as packaging-related services. Amcor is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. 26

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Heidelberg on track for its 2013 goals Q2 results show surge in profit despite the strong euro Germany At the close of the second quarter of its financial year – running from July to September – Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG reported a surge in profitability. Consolidated net sales for the second quarter totalled €593m, up from €504m in the previous three months but down from Q2 last year, when €697m was registered in the wake of Drupa. Yet operating results excluding special items (EBITDA) climbed from the same period last year up to €33m from €13m as cost-cutting efforts offset the impact of the strong euro on sales. CEO Gerold Linzbach said the firm had improved profitability “significantly” over the first half of the year. “Given regional and exchange rate constraints, we even exceeded our expectations, having made major progress toward achieving our target for the

year of a net profit,” he said. “Our confidence that we will be able to further build on this significantly in the next financial year is growing in light of the improvements at all levels.” Incoming orders totalled €614m in the second quarter, down from €667m in the same period last year. But the Heidelberg Group’s €598m order backlog on 30 September was almost unchanged from the previous quarter, when it stood at €602m. Net debt fell year-on-year to €239m, down from €357m in the same quarter of 2012. CFO Dirk Kaliebe said the financing structure is “on a sound footing” with the issue of a convertible bond and a bond maturing in April 2018. As planned, Heidelberg’s workforce was down to 13,616 as of 30 September 2013, a drop from 14,745 last year.

KBA cuts targets

Faltering demand in Q3 for webfed and special presses trims objectives Germany Blaming weak demand, Koenig & Bauer (KBA) has scaled down its expectations for 2013. The world’s second-largest press manufacturer said restructuring over the first nine months was outweighed by market and economic developments. With the third-quarter results, KBA’s management announced that it will seek to sustainably improve earnings by advancing the realignment of the group. In the third quarter, new orders were up 7.4% on the corresponding figure for 2012. But orders for the first nine months totalled €709.6m, down 14.1% on last year, when the figure was boosted by Drupa to €826m. A group order backlog of €627.7m at 30 September was also down from the 2012 total of €735.5m. The sales shortfall and restructuring costs cut the operating result to –€10.7m, in comparison with +€18.9m last year.

KBA management now forecasts annual group sales of about €1.1bn, down from €1.29bn last year. Revenues from web and special presses are set for a deeper plunge than from sheetfed presses, while subsidiaries in metal-decorating and industrial coding will reach or even passs targets, said KBA. CFO Dr Axel Kaufmann now predicts a loss for the year, downgrading his forecast in March. But KBA aims to expand its services and its portfolio in growing segments. Kammann Maschinenbau, a leader in printing systems for decorating glass containers, joined KBA in the third quarter. The majority takeover of Flexotecnica is also due to complete shortly.

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Videojet adds to its UHS continuous inkjet inks

Hubergroup debuts UV ink for use across substrates

Three new options extend the range ‘Universal’ NewV maxX suits paper, card or non-absorbent substrates

New inks engineered for ‘unique coding applications’, says Videojet

USA Videojet Technologies, a manufacturer of coding, marking and printing products, has launched three new Ultra High Speed (UHS) inks for its line of UHS continuous inkjet printers. The new inks – V516-D, V517-D and V530-D – join a family of 10 other UHS compatible inks, said the firm. John Kirschner, Videojet supplies business manager, said each of the new inks, debuted at Pack Expo 2013 along with the Videojet 1620 and 1650 UHS printers is “specially engineered for unique coding applications”. V516-D is designed for more durable code. The black, non-colour changing, retortable ink can withstand tough high-temperature steam/water bath processes commonly used in cooking prepared food containers after filling and sealing. Typically dry in one to two seconds, V516-D ink provides manufacturers and retailers with easy-to-read codes and improved adhesion, particularly on formed aluminium and metal alloy cans. V517-D thermochromic ink changes from black to blue when coding onto heat-processed food containers made of a variety of metal, plastic and glass substrates. This ink has good durability as well as superior adhesion through the rigorous cooking/retort process, said Videojet. With excellent adhesion on plastics, metals, paper, wood, ceramic and glass, V530-D has an MEK-free formula. V530-D is designed for hard-to-code plastics such as untreated polyethylene and polypropylene substrates typically found in food packaging.

Germany Hubergroup has launched NewV maxX, a UV offset/ letterpress ink series for a wide range of substrates. UV sheetfed offset presses often switch frequently between ink systems for paper and film, bringing high storage costs, confusion and mix-ups between ink systems as well as problems when washing press components and during startup, said hubergroup. The new universal UV offset ink is the first to unite the properties of a range of different UV ink series for use on non-absorbent substrates as well as paper and card stocks, said hubergroup. NewV maxX’s pigment technology offers a very high level of transparency, suited to metallised papers and card stocks for cosmetics, perfume and spirits packaging, said the group. Adhesion properties on plastic materials such as PE, PS, PVC and PP fully match those of a classic UV film ink, according to the firm. Prints produced with NewV maxX can be easily laminated and foil blocked, said hubergroup. They can also be coated inline or offline either with a water-based coating or a UV lacquer. Compared with UV film inks for non-absorbent substrates, NewV maxX boasts greatly improved rub resistance, said the firm. Good ink transfer and optimum wetting as well as a smooth finish on non-absorbent substrates also qualifies this ink series for sleeves and wrap-round labels for glass and PET bottles on UV web offset and UV letterpress presses. Thanks to a ITX-, benzophenone and 4-methylbenzophenone-free formula, NewV maxX meets all requirements for packaging and label ink, said the group.

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News international

Storopack to open up a factory at Pune in India

Goss is opening a packaging technology centre in the US to demonstrate its Sunday Vpak web offset presses. The 650sqm facility, at the firm’s headquarters in Durham, New Hampshire, will open in January, initially with a Goss Sunday Vpak 500 configured for film and paper substrates. Programmes will bring packaging producers, brand owners and equipment suppliers together to explore ways to raise print quality while cutting production costs and the total cost of ownership. The Sunday Vpak 500 will feature seven web offset printing units with a web width of 850mm and a repeat range of 406-812mm, a flexo unit and UV and EB curing capabilities and will accommodate film 9–75µ thick and paper as heavy as 100gsm.

Kodak underscored the challenge of curbing counterfeit pharmaceutical products at the 2nd Annual Pharma Anti-Counterfeiting Congregation 2013 held in London, UK. Up to 10% of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, costing the drug industry billions of dollars and exposing consumers to medical risks. Thaddeus Bowen, Kodak’s director of business development for brand protection solutions, told attendees on 8–9 October that although the problem is “massive in scope”, advances in track and trace technology and serialisation are helping brand owners and manufacturers to better contol the supply chain while providing a way for retailers and consumers to verify the authenticity of products. 28

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Production will launch with AIRplus and PAPERplus, FOAMplus to follow India Storopack is pursuing its strategy of establishing a foothold in Asian markets by opening a factory at Pune in India. The protective packaging specialist already has well-known national and international clients with subsidiaries in India. Frank Imkamp, president of Storopack Asia, said Storopack India is being launched at “a strategically favourable time”. “The Indian economy is at a turning point,” he said. “Market participants need to increase their competitiveness in order to keep pace with the huge development. This includes a professional protective packaging

solution, which consistently increases the value of the company. Storopack offers the perfect solution for this.” In its launch phase the company in Pune will offer AIRplus and PAPERplus products. FOAMplus products and other system integration services will follow later. The Pune site covers 210sqm, including offices, a workshop for equipment maintenance and repair, and a showroom. Online trading and the rapid development of industrial manufacturing offer great market potential, said the company. Storopack is working with

distributors to cover India’s vast geographical expanse. The company aims to have five distributors for the key economic regions and the central region of India by the end of 2013. “This move is another milestone in the history of our company,” said Imkamp. “We are learning how to take advantage of the enormous opportunities of these developing economic regions.”

Obeikan to build €140m plant in Alzira Construction underway on firm’s second Spanish plant Spain Obeikan MDF, part of the Obeikan Group and dedicated to packaging for food and agriculture, is investing €140m in a new factory in Alzira, its second factory in Spain. An inaugural stone was laid on 24 October. The first phase of the new facility is due to complete in 2015 and the second in 2018. With a built area of 34,000sqm, the factory is expected to be fully operational in 2020, when it will have a productive capacity of 200m packages per year. Since 2007, when Obeikan MDF began producing MDF wooden packaging in Canet d’en Berenguer in Spain, the company’s turnover has grown to hit €6m in 2012. Rising demand and the need

to cater for foreign markets has prompted the expansion in production capacity. CEO Abdallah Obeikan said the firm’s success hinges on its products. “Our offer covers the entire range of product sizes along with solutions to customer needs in a high quality segment,” he said. Obeikan MDF has developed innovative packaging with added value, both in quality and design,

to guarantee the transport of fresh fruit and vegetables, said the firm. Its products can also be provided disassembled, giving a significant savings in logistics, according to Obeikan MDF. From Valencia, the firm serves over 25 countries. Not only is its packaging present in the major European markets, but also in the US, Chile, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Australia and China.

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Will fish packs come with built-in ‘nose’?

Mondelez profit was up 57% year-on-year in the third quarter on a two-digit rise in sales in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Russia. But the packaged food company, which makes Cadbury chocolates, Oreo cookies and Trident gum, has cut its forecast for full-year net revenue growth, citing weak biscuit sales in China and lower coffee prices. In the third quarter ending 30 September, net income rose to $1.02bn, or 57 cents per share. Excluding items, the company earned 41 cents per share. Organic net revenue, which strips out the impact of acquisitions and other items, rose 5.3%. Net revenue was up 1.8% to $8.47bn. Analysts on average had expected earnings of 40 cents per share on revenue of $8.56bn, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Research suggest chips could link to shoppers’ smartphones The Netherlands Conductivity could solve the complex challenge of checking whether fish is still fresh, according to research from PhD candidate Jenneke Heising. Fish can baffle both supermarkets and shoppers as its freshness is only apparent once its plastic foil wrapping is removed. But calculating shelf life is tough, as even the catch from a single boat will have a range of shelf lives. Water temperature, the sex of the fish and even what the fish has just eaten all influence how rapidly the catch goes off. Heising is now working on packaging with a built-in nose that tells shoppers’ smartphones how fresh a fish is before they buy it. In an article in the Journal of Food Engineering, Heising reveals that she looked into three ways of measuring the freshness of packaged fish through a

sensor in the packaging. When a fish decays, various substances are released into the air inside the packaging. These dissolve in water in the sensor, which could check for acidity, conductivity or ammonia. Ammonia is only released once the fish is almost ‘off’, while acidity seems too related to temperature. But conductivity shows promise, said Heising. Various substances released from the fish cause water to conduct electricity more easily. “We can see an effect very rapidly and that is just what we need. It seems we’ve found a good method. To confirm that, we’d also like to know in more detail which substances cause that effect. That’s what we’re investigating at the moment.” Testing could be with a tiny chip, said Heising. “I’m thinking of a small piece of gel containing a chip that can be read with RFID,” she said.

Flint wins Labelexpo award with EkoCure UV LED ink technologies land tradeshow’s innovation prize Belgium Flint Group Narrow Web won the Award for Innovation at The Label Industry Global Awards for its EkoCure UV LED ink technologies. Flint Group was named joint winner alongside Mark Andy, its co-supplier and development partner. The judges commented that the UV LED, mercury- and ozone-free ink technology offers “a commercially viable option” with improved cure response, cost and productivity savings, waste reduction, energy savings and enhanced safety that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the future of the label industry. Flint Group’s EkoCure UV flexo and screen inks are the first-ever narrow web printing inks developed for use in combination printing, said the firm.

First launched in the US in 2012, these inks are now globally available through Flint Group’s extensive distribution network. “To be awarded this innovation award is very encouraging and an excellent example of what can be achieved when working in partnership with industry suppliers,” said Guillaume Clement, global business director narrow web. Clement said the firm’s commitment to innovation is continuing with investment in a new printing press. “We will not rest with the win of this one award – it stimulates us to pay close attention to innovations and welcome partners and co-operations across the product decoration value chain to bring new products to the world,” he added.

Pepsi Co has patented packaging to make drinks more fragrant by releasing pleasant aromas as a can or bottle is opened. Tiny gelatin capsules sit under beverage caps. The capsules, half the width of a human hair, rupture when the drink is opened, releasing the smell, according to Beverage Daily. The system can be used in juice and coffee beverages. The patent, filed in 2011, explains how the aroma system could solve two problems. First, most products smell like their packaging. The capsules could help the drink smell more true to form, rather than like plastic or aluminum. Second, even if the packaging has a neutral scent, it’s not easy for the smell of the product to escape the small opening in a bottle or a can. The capsules would ensure the prominence of the scent of the beverage.

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Event Labelexpo Europe

Label sector gathers at Brussels in record numbers

Healthy figures from the recent Labelexpo Europe show both visitors and exhibitors up on the last edition of the biennial exhibition.

Labelexpo Europe 2013, on 24-27 September, was the largest in the event’s history, say its organisers. Covering seven of Brussels Expo’s exhibition halls for the first time, the tradeshow pulled in 31,795 visitors, a rise of 11% from 2011. Almost 600 exhibitors took part, up from 550. Across the show’s 31,000sqm – the largest floor size in the expo’s 33 year – companies also unveiled more than 150 new products. Big launches included Epson’s Sure PrecisionCore technology and its SurePress L-6304 UV inkjet label press. Mark Andy presented its award-winning PRO-LED flexo curing system. Ritrama premiered its Core Linerless Solutions. Screen revealed its Truepress Jet L350UV single pass inkjet press. The show also had a successful debut for its feature areas. The Package Printing Workshop showcased opportunities in both digital and conventional printing for folding carton, lid laminate and stand up pouch decoration. The Inkjet Trail gathered inkjet technologies and compared their results when producing identical label designs on the same label stocks. Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo Global Series, said the show confirmed a long-awaited revival in Europe’s fortunes as well as a bright outlook for the packaging industry. “With the Eurozone now out of recession, confidence and optimism is beginning to return to wider global industry and 30

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Lisa Milburn, MD Labelexpo Global Series

converters are starting to invest in their businesses again,” she said. For Ashe Converting Equipment, Simon Godbold, sales manager for narrow to mid web machinery, reported five separate machine purchases during the event. “Two sapphire s2 turret slitters were confirmed as well as a diamond duplex slitter and two new opal glue-less turret rewind slitters were confirmed during four very busy days,” he said. “Specific machines were launched by Ashe at this year’s show and were well welcomed by the audience that came to view them fully operational on the stand.” Cheshire Anilox Technology premiered its new maxfloUV engraving, attracting “huge interest” with its “print versatility and innovative way of resolving the long standing problem of UV spitting”, said sales director Sonia Arcos. “Visitor numbers to our stand far surpassed Labelexpo Europe 2011,” she said. “Some of the products that proved popular with visitors were the MaxfloUV Anilox, shown in Europe for the first time, the easyflo hd for mimicking screen printed opaque whites and the proflo Anilox for full HD printing.” Domino’s booth saw 60% more visitors than in 2011, with a boost from the Inkjet Trail, said Philip Easton, director of digital

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Khalid Aziz Shah, general manager, Raqam International Labels and Ribbon Factory, Riyadh KSA Labelexpo Brussels 2013 was very useful with so many new technologies and innovations. The industry is moving towards short run and fast changeover jobs and Labelexpo provided many options for responding to this growing trend. Digital labelling was also very interesting with many innovations. But HP’s solutions for digital labelling inspired me the most.

printing solutions. “It is also good to see the Labelexpo team continuing to innovate and refresh the visitor experience,” he said. EFI garnered “record sales lead”, according to Paul Cripps, managing director for EMEA. “Visitor numbers were up significantly, not just from our own region but also with growing attendance from Asia and Latin America,” he said. Duncan Ferguson, director of Pro Graphics for Epson Europe, said Epson had its “busiest Labelexpo Europe yet” with more than double the leads it gathered in 2011. “The announcement of Precision Core technology coupled with the new SurePress L-6034VW digital label press created huge interest,” he said. “Many orders were taken for products at the show, including the SurePress L-4033AW digital label press and SureColor SC-S70600 wide format printer.” Gallus had “an excellent show”, said Christof Naier, VP Sales and Marketing. “Especially the Gallus Print Shop concept including the highly flexible near-line solution comprising the Heidelberg Linoprint L digital printing system and further processing on the Gallus ECS C generated a lot of attention,” he said. “Based on the high number of new digital supplier entrants many visitors were looking for orientation in their decision making process.” Marcus Tralau, CEO of Kama GmbH, said Labelexpo provided an effective showcase for the firm’s new stripping and blanking unit SBU to “professionals from the US, Latin America, the Far East and, of course, from Europe”.

Sebastian Lonth, general manager, Reprotonics Dubai Labelexpo was very informative. For me, the interesting technologies included digital packaging and direct engraving for flexo sleeves and plates. Four days is long enough to have a good look at the entire show. To study and understand in detail and make decisions on investment might need one or two more days. Shyam Babu, managing director, Nilpeter Middle East Labelexpo for us was fantastic. People who visited us liked Nilpeter’s approach of incorporating value-added technologies within our presses such as foiling, diecutting and digital capabilities. Afsal M Kottal, business manager, Percept Print Solutions Percept Print Solutions UAE and its software development Partner Iware Solutions India are very happy with Labelexpo Europe as it was our first attempt to promote our Print Smart MIS as well as Know Your Productivity Solution to the international market. We got many dealership inquiries from countries such as Spain, South Africa, Lebanon and Poland, and more than 40 serious leads from various countries during the show. Mohannad Naqqasha, general manager, OrionCo KSA Labelexpo Brussels was very informative with lots of new products and innovations. The show also drew many visitors from the Middle East and particularly from Saudi Arabia, which shows the commitment of the region towards new technologies and keeping abreast with it. Compared with other prominent shows such as Drupa and other print shows, I would say this show was very much focused within the industry, which is why it is so much more meaningful and interesting for professionals in labelling and narrow web based packaging. I was able to see at least 14 narrow web machines with multiple applications. Presses these days are built with this modular concept to house units with multiple applications. This is getting better and better and this is really good for the wide possibilities of print. nov-dec 2013

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Event Labelexpo Europe

At MPS, the launch of the EB flexo press helped drive “a very successful show”, said owner Eric Hoendervangers. “The debuted EB press demonstrated at the show was sold,” he said. “Also unveiled at Labelexpo was the extended MPS EF multisubstrate press line… Multiple orders of all three versions of the new EF press line were received during the show including the demonstrated EF-APC Advanced press.” Nilpeter sold 24 presses at the event, said sales and marketing director Jakob Landberg. “Receiving its European debut was the sleeve-based FA-4 for high-end labels and packaging, and the high-performance FB-3 UV-flexo press,” he said. “Two years ago there was less hype and it was not such an exciting exhibition… This year we have had customers come on the stand and have enthusiastically made a purchasing decision on the spot.” Stacy Hoge, marketing specialist at Phoseon Technology, said UV LED curing technology was “a hot topic” at Labelexpo Europe. “Our high amount of booth traffic from OEMs, ink suppliers and end users interested in UV LED curing technology was really impressive,” she said. Polar demonstrated its range of solutions including die-cutting, in-mould and tax-labels, said PR manager Matthias Langer. “The exhibited stand-alone die-cutter DC-M received great interest,” he said. Screen Europe generated “huge interest” with a debut for the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV digital label press, said its president Brian Filler. “Since the show we have been inundated with requests for follow-up in-depth demos, so I have to say that the whole event was extremely worthwhile,” he said. Jonathan Sexton, marketing director for narrow web and screen at Sun Chemical, reported “40% more leads compared to Labelexpo Europe 2011”. “Labelexpo Europe was also the launch pad for our new product, SolarFlex Neutron White, which generated great customer interest generating more than 100 inquiries,” he said. “The geographical breadth of visitors to our stand from more than 70 countries means that we will also 32

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looking to extend even further our reach in narrow web into developing regions.” Taghleef Industries’ stand attracted “an extremely high number of label converters/printers especially from overseas”, said marketing communications coordinator Corinne Rougeau. Paddy Bailey, VP sales at UPM Raflatac EMEA, said the firm had “a record amount of customers visiting our stand”. “Recycling and environment remained hot topics at the show, and our Label Life concept was of interest to both label printers and end-users from all around,” he said. Dr Andre Gysbers of Wink Stanzwerkzeuge said the company saw “an enormous increase of leads compared to 2011”. “Wink’s Labelexpo product launches were especially popular,” he said. “The ProShift technology for staggered printing and die-cutting, supported by Esko, the very stable adjustable anvil cylinder GapControl by Rototechnix, as well as the MCR longlife coating for flexible dies received a very positive response.” Xeikon’s CEO, Wim Maes, said the show “exceeded our wildest dreams”. “Labelexpo Europe enabled us to close several deals and it boosts the number of sales projects for the next period,” he said.

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Event K 2013

Plastics and rubber bounce back at Düsseldorf

K 2013 gained from a continuing upswing in plastics and rubber, say the tradeshow’s organisers. Visitors and exhibitors in the K 2013 tradeshow at Düsseldorf on 16–23 October reflected the plastic and rubber sector’s regained confidence by clinching a flurry of major deals, according to Messe Düsseldorf. Exhibitors told the organisers the fair delivered “numerous concrete project enquiries, intense negotiations with trade visitors from throughout the world and a remarkable number of business deals, some of which were concluded instantaneously and quite a number of which were worth millions”. 34

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Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the Exhibitors’ Advisory Board, said the event’s 218,000 trade visitors, from 140 countries, exceeded expectations. “The many innovative products and applications premiered in Düsseldorf met with great interest from trade visitors,” he said. “And the innovations were not just admired as many, very concrete negotiations were held and contracts were signed. Many customers are extending their capacities and are investing in new technologies to sharpen their global competitive edge. We very confidently anticipate strong post-fair business and expect continuing growth in our sector.” K 2013 hosted more than 3,200 exhibitors, including raw material producers, processors and machinery producers. They reported that visitors had an increasingly international profile, a finding borne out in the visitor survey, said Messe Düsseldorf.

Non-German visitors totalled 128,000, or 59% of all those attending the event. Almost half of foreign visitors also came from outside Europe, travelling from locations as distant as Angola, Burkina Faso, the Falkland Islands, the Yemen, Malawi, Nepal, New Caledonia, Oman, Peru and Turkmenistan. India was provided the largest single foreign group, with Asia as the leading region. About 28,500 specialists attended from South, East and Central Asia as well as from the Near and Middle East. But America was also well represented, with 7,800 visitors from the US and Canada and 10,600 from Latin American nations such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Venezuela. Within Europe, the Netherlands dominated with 9,600 visitors followed by France with 8,700, Belgium with 7,200, Italy with 6,100 and the UK with 5,800. There

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was also a clear rise in interest from Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic. Across all national borders there was a disproportionately high number of managers amongst trade visitors: about two thirds came from top or middle management, according to the event organisers. A clear majority of visitors to the show also played a decisive or co-determining role in their companies’ investment decisions, said Messe Düsseldorf. Many were also drawn from research, development and design was also considerable. Visitors’ profiles were described as very good to satisfactory by 93% of exhibitors. Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, president & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, said K had reinfornced its role as the rubber and plastics industy’s leading event.

“This is where new technologies are premiered alongside fully matured further developments and this is also where orders are placed for these innovations,” he said. “Foreign visitors to K 2013, in particular, showed an extremely high willingness to invest and one in two visitors came to Düsseldorf with specific purchasing intentions in mind.” Product launches Ways to save resources and improve energy efficiency featured heavily in product launches, reflecting the sector’s search for environment-friendly yet cost-effective manufacturing. Machinery and plant construction, the largest exhibiting sector, with about 1,900 exhibitors, proved the main draw. Almost two thirds of visitors polled said they

particularly wished to gather information on the innovations in this sector. But 42% of trade visitors were most interested in presentations by raw and ancillary material producers, while 22% mainly directed their attention to semifinished goods and technical components made of rubber and plastic Visitors came from all key user sectors – from the building industry and vehicle construction, packaging as well as electrical and medical engineering through to agriculture. Overall, visitors to K 2013 gave their best grades to the range on show in the 19 halls of the exhibition centre: 96% affirmed that they had fully achieved the goals of their visit. The next edition of the show is due to take place on 19–26 October 2016. nov-dec 2013

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Event Luxe Pack Monaco

Luxury on a budget Innovations in high-end packaging aimed for commercial as well as visual impact at Luxe Pack Monaco 2013.

Could anywhere provide a better backdrop? When you are looking for luxury… nope. Indeed, Monaco’s Grimaldi Convention Centre, which hosted Luxe Pack on 23-25 October, is a stone’s throw from a marina crammed with superyachts the size of islands. Their owners, drawn to the principality by its warm climate and agreeable tax regime, clearly live the luxury packaging motto: It’s what’s on the outside that matters. That said, the latest, bustling edition of Luxe Pack showed how to make an impact without adopting the spendthrift ways of Monaco’s oligarchs. While Luxe Pack’s 400 exhibitors unveiled stacks of innovations, they were intended to deliver commercial and environmental benefits as well as gasps of admiration. Name your price One sign of the times was the advice given by automotive experts invited to speak at the event’s forum. “What can you offer us for this price?” is how brands should approach suppliers, according to the carmakers. 36

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Meanwhile, Luxe Pack’s roundtable on trends identified three hot tips for designers. ‘Deal with the Devil’ was how the cool-hunters dubbed the invasion of packaging by a horde of vampires and “sexy heroes”. But packaging should also embrace the mantra ‘Let’s celebrate’, which also covers meeting “a deeper need for rituals”. In addition, brands need to tell consumers, especially the younger ones, about their roots, legacy, history and expertise, according to the experts.

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Masters of metal But the event’s 7,439 visitors – up 6% rise on 2012 – were also treated to a flurry of technical launches. Seidel debuted a breakthrough in die-cutting aluminium artwork. With a huge new servo-driven press exerting 125 tonnes of pressure, the German company is now diecutting during the formation of the metal. Luxe Pack also provided a launchpad for Wickels’ aluminium foils for digital print, opening up short-run applications. “Brands say they are looking for a metallic material they can get very soon in a small quantity,” said a representative at the firm’s stand. “It happens all the time, people say, ‘Christmas is coming’ or ‘The opening is in three days… We have a present but we don’t have a bag’.” Jung Design premiered a new option for such situations with its ultra high-gloss silver to give an embossed effect. Seeing the light Scottish paper supplier Tullis Russell showcased its multiple awardwinning Bombay Sapphire Hi-Light box, the world’s first packaging with actively illuminated surfaces that can be bought off the shelf. But the German company Kurz is planning to make its own splash in packaging through printed circuits. Klaus Ludwig, a product manager for PolyIC, a member of the Kurz group, told Packaging MEA that “action surfaces” are set to be an important packaging trend. A prototype box on the company’s stand at Luxe Pack flashed a changing geometric pattern in black and white. “This new type of display is only a few microns deep and it can be integrated on a box,” he said. “At the moment it can be done in small runs but we will develop printed electronics… In a later stage we will print everything – not just the display but also the battery and blinker.” Security! U-nica was among several firms with novel ways to outsmart without aesthetic compromises. The German company’s scryptoTRACE works through subtle manipulations of logos and graphics. Security was also a selling point for Delta Composants, a French company whose micro-drilling, developed for circuit boards, had an early packaging success in boxes for Issey Mikyake’s L’eau D’issey. But production director Stephane Guillochon sees a host of further application. Unlike lasers, the firm’s drills can decorate paper or leather with holes as small as 0.2mm without leaving burn marks or unpleasant whiffs. “Since the last Luxe Pack, we have increased speed and can now produce smaller holes,” he said. Packing up Overall, the show’s organisers claimed the event showed a clear improvement on the 2012 edition. As well as attracting more visitors, Luxe Pack Monaco also hosted 40 first-time exhibitors. While 46% of professionals at the tradeshow came from France, the rest were drawn from 77 countries. Top executives arrived in larger numbers and more companies were represented, according to the organisers. Next year’s event will be held again at the Grimaldi Forum on 27–29 October, 2014.

Delta is carving out a niche with micro-drilling developed for circuits

The Kurz group integrated electronic ‘action surfaces’ on a prototype box

Seidel revealed new ways to create an impact with aluminium nov-dec 2013

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Event Kodak Eysins

Kodak opens a technology centre for Europe and MEA A relocation to Eysins in Switzerland will help Kodak conquer markets such as the Middle East, CEO Antonio Perez tells Benjamin Daniel. Underlining its recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Kodak has inaugurated a new headquarters in Switzerland that brings together the core of the firm’s business with a showcase for its technology. On 21 October, the revived digital giant hosted a grand opening for the new facility at Eysins, on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Solutions on demonstration at the new headquarters include the NexPress SX 3300 digital production colour press, the Prosper 5000XLi press, the Prosper S-Series imprinting systems (S5 and S10), the Versamark VL4000 printing system and the Versamark VX5000 Plus printing system, alongside samples printed with Sonora XP process free plates imaged on the Magnus Q800 platesetter with Multi-Cassette Unit (MCU), the FlexCel NX Wide Imager (Q4) 38

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and all Kodak’s unified workflow solutions. For CEO Antonio Perez, this showcase will bring home to visitors Kodak’s unique expertise in digital solutions, he told Packaging MEA. “In packaging, we have one of our key technologies, the continuous inkjet technology, originally designed with the name Stream,” he said. “This is the fastest printing technology in the world. There is nothing even remotely close. Other technologies don’t work with frequencies, on paper, higher than 60KHz, actually practically 40Khz. So they give just 40,000 drops of ink per seccond compared to our 14.1 billion drops of ink per second.” Packaging printers can also benefit from integrating Kodak printing systems with the company’s imaging and workflow products, he added. “Next we have the FlexCel NX, which gives you the qualiy of gravure at a tenth of the cost, and ColorFlow software, another key technology supplying all the needs of this industry,” he said. Partnerships will further enhance Kodak’s portfolio for the sector through opening up saving through variable printing, he said. “With the Prosper press we are progressing in digital packaging,” he said. “We are working on partnerships in the

markets for large industrial applications such as laminates that should be done with a variable data printing technology that will be much more effective. “It not only gives you the advantage of customisation but also helps you in eliminating a tremendous amount of waste because you only print on materials that you need and you print it as you want it to be done in volumes.” Smart packaging is another promising development for the sector, he added. “Imagine the things we can do when we apply the same notion of functional printing to packaging,” he said. “So packages can now actually talk to you or recognise you or have antennas that would link the product that you just bought to another product of the same company. Or maybe you just press your finger on the label and you can see the history of the owner or read a recipe or get lead to a promotion. “You can also print a sensor as you print a label to indicate the freshness of the product. With technologies like square spot we can print complete printed electronics – not today, but we are going towards it. It is all in printing. Printing for Kodak is the ability to transfer any kind of substrate on any material for all sorts of applications.”

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Collaborations in new sectors Kodak’s current innovations include collaborations with firms such as Bobst, Presstek and Uteco. With Uteco, Kodak is now providing a solution for digitising flexible packaging, said Collimore. Bobst and Kodak have inked a deal for new solutions in flexible, folding carton and corrugated applications. Inkjet labelling is another area Kodak could enter through a tie-up, said Collimore. “It is an interesting market,” he said. “The label business is a brilliant application for us to partner with someone else, perhaps more than partner.” In CTP, Kodak is also open to building partnerships, he added. “One of the changes between the old Kodak and the new Kodak is to say that the new Kodak is very nimble and very agile because of a change in thinking and philosophy,” he said. “Today the majority of CTPs that get sold are sold under our brand and that is going to continue. But there’s nothing to stop us from partnering in the prepress the way we’ve partnered in the packaging market.”

High-growth regions In the meantime, with its current portfolio, Kodak has developing economies firmly in its sights, says Phil Cullimore, managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “We see the MEA region as a high growth region,” he said. “The high growth economies in EMEA are the eastern European countries, Middle East and Africa region and Greater Russia. In 2009 we had less than 10% of our workforce actually in those regions. In 2014 it will be 23% of our employees.” The trend can also be seen in sales of presses, he added. “In 2009, less than 10% of our Kodak Nexpress Digital production press sales each year were going to high-growth economies,” he added. “Last year more than a third of the Nexpress that we placed into our markets went into our high-growth markets, most of them into Middle East and Africa.” Seeking ‘shelf pull’ For Cullimore, Kodak’s success in these markets will come from helping packagers

improve their production, rather than just cut their costs. “You can think about the top ten packaged goods companies in the world – in some region or the other they have all been to a Kodak technology innovation centre like the one here in Eysins,” he said. “We need to keep challenging the industry to get out of its complacency... As an industry, we are our own enemy because there is no innovation so everyone starts to compete on ‘How low can I make my unit cost per package?’ and compete on cost efficiency.” In his view, “a better way” to win jobs is to offer an improved “shelf pull” that can get products flying faster off the shelf. “That’s actually worth a lot more to the brand owner than a few dollars off the package price,” he said. He sees NX technology as “a perfect storm product”. “Though you pay a but more for it and the consumables, it gives you savings in your press room and your customers are going to satisfied. It’s a product that sells itself from the brand owner back.”

Turning the page from Chapter 11 For Perez, Kodak can offer “a phenomenal portfolio of products based on breakthrough technologies”. “One of the thing we have created for our customers along with the breakthrough technologies is the ability to deal with the breakthrough technologies,” he said. “We’ve been working very hard in the market for the last 7-10 years to build this.” In 2013, despite the post-Drupa hangover, this portfolio is enabling Kodak to meet its goals for 2013, said Olivier Claude, general manager for print and VP for commercial business, EAMER. “In this perspective, we’ve done really great,” said Claude. “I would say, for 2013, we’ve made our budget in Europe, which was good we had a very strong Drupa year.” The high cost of borrowing currently presents a further hurdle in converting orders into installations, he added. In packaging, though, Perez sees Kodak’s outlook as secured by the quality of its print. “The effect of image quality in packaging is what the marketer is looking for,” he said. “It’s the most important piece of marketing that you are going to have. It will be there right on the shelf showing who you are.” nov-dec 2013

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Product launches

ClearCut extends thin label options

BST boosts its web guiding

BST International showcased at Labelexpo enhanced web guiding through the acquisition of AccuWeb by its American subsidiary. The quality assurance system specialist also featured digital commander, sensors and networking solutions for web guiding tasks. BST’s QCenter was featured at the tradeshow as an intelligent, modular product line for centralised control of several quality assurance tasks. QCenter integrates features such as web inspection, 100% inspection and inline colour measurement on a user-friendly touch-screen operated user interface. BST also demonstrated its Shark 4000 LEX/ Shark 1000 LEX for 100% print defect detection), ekr 500 digital/CompactGuide for web guiding, and PowerScope 4000.

‘Cost-effective’ MPS flexo MPS has launched its “most cost-effective” flexo press: the EB highperformance flexo press for printing and converting self-adhesive labels. Solid Lock technology automatically positions the print cylinder into the print head, independently from its repeat size. iSet Intelligent press setting extends operators’ options in adjusting rollers. Crisp.Dot Light technology means there is no gear connection between the impression cylinder and the print cylinder, so substrate thickness and print cylinder press settings are unaffected by gear profiles. The EB press debuted at Labelexpo alongside an extended MPS EF mult-substrate press line, offering three versions with a range of price and degree of automation. 40

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Avery Dennison’s ClearCut adhesive portfolio, launched at Labelexpo, covers BOPP and MDO films to open new applications for thin labels. The new product tackles challenges from ooze, dispensing and wet-out, said Tina Hannan, director, films at Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials. Converters are seeking “more robust ‘thin’ operations” to cut waste, raise dispensing accuracy and reduce downtime for equipment cleaning, she said. S7000, S7400 and S7450 are available in clear, white and metallised face stocks on PET liners. ClearCut was unveiled amid a slew of innovations from Avery Dennison. These included: thermal transfer (TT) vulcanisation labels for tyres; S8092 adhesive for silicone-coated materials and contaminated surfaces; CleanFlake adhesive that ‘switches off’ in a PET recyling bath; Turnlock laminating system to protect graphics with a single roll.

Gallus presents Linoprint L In its tradeshow debut for Gallus, the firm unveiled Linoprint L at Labelexpo in two working widths. Heidelberg’s drop-on-demand system appeared in a 210mm system with the Gallus ECS C for hybrid label production. A 315mm system demonstrated higher print quality with the new digital front end. The system provides zero waste following interruptions to production, precise insetting on pre-diecut rolls and can print at 48m/ min, offering optimal productivity at the 315mm width, said Gallus. Featuring UV inkjet technology with 600dpi resolution, Linoprint L delivers high-quality four-colour prints with fonts down to 2 points and hidden security elements. Gallus sees the machine as ideal for printing pre-diecut and pre-printed labels (slim rolls) or for short runs of labels with low levels of finishing for business, foodstuffs, dairy products and the technical/industrial sectors.

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UltraFoil adds label options Comexi updates Flexo F2 Innovia Films has launched top-coated facestock films designed to combine the die-cutting, dispensability and optics of BOPP label films with enhanced cold foil and superior fine tone printing. UltraFoil offer designers and brand owners more options in intricate eye-catching graphics, said Richard Southward, market development manager for labels. “Label printers will appreciate the films’ on-press performance with wide ink, process and foiling compatibility,” he said. “These films are ideal for labelling rigid or semi-squeezable containers.” UltraFoil films have been designed to run on press at normal speeds without loss of efficiency, according to Innovia. Compatible with a wide range of cold foil adhesives, UltraFoil films are also suitable for use with both silver and coloured foils, said the firm. The new films are available in a clear, UltraFoil CFA, and white variant, UltraFoil WFA.

Software tracks cosmetics Atlantic Zeiser has released a data management software solution for cosmetics. BrandTracker monitors and analyses grey market streams to combat product diversion by identifying counterfeits and using CRM systems to optimise communication with customers. Cosmetics brand owners are the primary market but the solution can support any branded product at risk of diversion, counterfeiting or plagiarising. Products are marked by unique visible and/or hidden security attributes. Data is typically managed through several interfaces, all managed by BrandTracker. A datastream could be linked to a brandowner’s and/or inspector’s application. Another could connect with parties within the value/logistics chain such as the printing and packaging lines, logistics/shipment centre or ERP system to accumlate and trace data. All codes with production and logistics data are stored in a secure database for analysis and authentication, or to give products a properly documented ‘e-pedigree’.

Comexi’s F2 flexographic press is now available with three new solutions, including one with water-based ink. The Comexi Flexo F2 MC has been developed as a compact machine suited to medium and long runs. It is available in printing widths from 870mm to 1270mm, with eight colours and printing developments up to 800mm. Along with FLEXOEfficiency concepts in ergonomics and accessibility, the model features “state-of-the-art” electronics for the best printout qualities, even at 400m/min, on substrates such as plastic film, paper and laminates. Comexi Flexo F2 MB is optimised for short runs, applying ergonomics and accessibility from the F4 and F2, also with print widths from 870mm to 1270mm, eight colours and printing developments up to 800mm. The Comexi Flexo F2 WB enables printing with water-based inks on both the obverse and reverse. Demonstrated at K 2013, the system is designed to be environment-friendly as well as efficient.

Linerless labels from Prati

Ritrama, Prati and Ilti have jointly developed a labelling solution they claim is at least 50% thinner than a standard laminated label, with significant gains in efficiency and environmental impact. In the Core Linerless system, a thin PP film on a siliconised filmic liner is first printed by the converter on a traditional press, without die-cutting, at its top speed. The printed web is then taken to Prati’s purpose-built VEGAplus finishing line, which converts Ritrama’s selfadhesive Core material into a single-ply linerless one. A dedicated Core unit, under close tension control, opens the web. The liner is turned over and laminated onto an activated adhesive, pre-applied on the back of the original liner, with the silicon layer now on the outside. The siliconised liner becomes part of the label, protecting the printed surface without any need for over-varnishing. On the same finishing line, the encapsulated label is die-cut and micro-perforated to produced single reels of linerless labels, ready to be dispensed by an Ilti Proper-LL1 dispensing head. nov-dec 2013

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Product launches

Uteco twins PantoneLIVE covers entire flexo with packaging workflow digital Sun Chemical has launched PantoneLIVE, Uteco has integrated two Kodak Prosper S20 systems on its Onyx 810 flexo printing system. The eight-colour Onyx 810 features one black and one white Prosper S20, said the Italy-based company. Leonardo Gobbi, Uteco’s commercial and marketing director, said the consumer goods market, both food and non-food, demands a combination of flexo’s productivity with variable data through digital. “This is the direction taken in the integration efforts between the Uteco Group and Kodak – to be able to offer producers of printed packaging all the advantages of this integration between different technologies to achieve extremely innovative, customised and communicative printing,” he said. The two Kodak Prosper S20 systems print at 600m/min, fully inline with the production speed of Uteco’s flexo press at a resolution of 600x300dpi and print width of 105.6mm. The heads use Stream inkjet technology for both uncoated and coated paper, including glossy coated paper, and also flexible media and plastic film. The heads are positioned after the flexo printing and can moved along the reel to where data or images need to be printed.

a cloud-based solution for communicating the universal Pantone Colour language across the entire packaging workflow, from design concept to retail store shelves. PantoneLIVE extends the Pantone Plus Series Colour Library, mapping critical colour information to packaging-specific substrates, with Sun Chemical as the preferred partner for ink supply. An improved UV flexo ink range was also launched at Labelexpo Europe 2013, promising enhanced printability and colour range to deliver optimum opacity white and dense blacks. In addition, Sun Chemical presented an extended range of EB and UV low migration inks for flexible packaging including high opacity flexo white inks, overprint varnishes, laminating adhesives and metallics.

Vinsak label die-cutter

Vinsak has introduced its LFD350, described as an easy-to-handle diecutter that runs with servo motors. Applications include die-cutting, creasing, perforating and kiss-cutting as well as hot foil stamping, combined embossing and hot oil, and hologram stamping, according to the manufacturer “The USP of this machine is the cost-effectiveness and the quality of an flatbed with great speed,” said Neeraj Sharma, executive director of Vinsak. “The die-cutter uses servo motors rather than traditional mechanisms to start and stop the feed allowing the platen mechanism to create high-quality cut-offs.” The LFD350 uses an automatically cycling oil-supply system to ensure stable pressure and service life. Photoelectric eyes guide in die cutting and hot stamping. The machine can perform film laminating, hot stamping, diecutting, punching, waste-off (or slitting) at one go. It can work offline with flexo presses, web screen presses and intermittent rotary presses. It can also cut labels from a 350mm-wide roll at a rate of 180 pieces per minute with a maximum die-cutting area of 340x340mm. 42

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Stork debuts laser exposer Stork Prints has launched the variLEX hybrid direct laser exposer for digital prepress. The machine is aimed at applications such as rotary screens, flexo and dry offset plates. This single-step ‘laser’ process is a purely digital way of printing form imaging – simply engrave your desired design and rinse. It eliminates costly products like film- and time-consuming processes such as exposure, washing and drying, according to Stork. The company’s direct laser engraving systems are developed and tested at the company’s laser specialist SPGPrints Austria. SPGPrints’ patented diode system unites perfect imaging quality with an unmatched versatility to give an excellent cost per screen or plate, said Stork.

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‘Next-gen’ Atlas CW and Titan SR9

Atlas Converting (UK) presented at K 2013 its ‘next generation’ Atlas CW Series and Titan SR9 rewinders for film and flexible materials. The new CW5000 Series offers widths from 3,600mm to 5,400mm, so the complete CW series now covers machine widths from 2,500mm to 10,400mm at up to 1,500m/min. The new Atlas CW1040 Series offers faster acceleration and deceleration cycles, said the firm. Compared with a conventional primary film slitter running at 1,500m/min to produce rewind lengths of 8,000m, the Atlas CW Series will have a faster rewind cycle, but at only 1,200m/min. When running much longer rewind lengths at 1,500m/min, together with faster acceleration and deceleration, the series far out-performs conventional slitters, said Atlas. The new Titan SR9 Series secondary slitter rewinders cover widths of 1650mm and 2250mm. New features include reduced power consumption, faster set-up time and improved sustainability, said Atlas.

EFI unveils Jetrion 4950lx LED

EFI has revealed the EFI Jetrion 4950lx LED printer, bringing higher resolution, faster throughput and full LED-curing to the Jetrion 4900 product line of modular digital label printing systems. At Labelexpo, the firm also premiered finishing modules for the Jetrion 4900 product line: a new varnish/lamination module and a new high-power laser cutter. The Jetrion 4950lx LED lets users produce more primary applications with an image quality of up to 720x720dpi and finer, two-point text. Its LED-curing technology enables printing on thin and traditionally difficult stocks, increasing the machine’s applications in flexible packaging and shrink sleeves and cutting costs through lower energy use and longer lamp life. The new varnish/lamination module extends inline finishing options for the 4900 and a new high-powered laser cutter, available in single-head (500W) or dual-head (1000W) configuration, provides speed and versatility for label producers working at widths of 330mm, said EFI. As with EFI’s other finishing modules, both work on either the Jetrion 4900-330 or the Jetrion 4950lx. Both presses are driven by EFI’s Fiery digital front end for superior performance and colour management.

Soma develops Optima for short runs in flexo

Soma Engineering has launched its Optima flexo press, developed for short-run print jobs. Available in print widths of 620mm and 820mm, the Optima is designed to deliver “dramatic savings in prepess, consumables and energy consumption”, said the Czech Republic-based manufacturer. A mid-web 620mm-wide version is also available for customers seeking a machine for test/laboratory purposes or shrink film label production. Modular design enables the addition of options like those for Soma’s top-end models for as much automation as required. These can be supplied at purchase or later. At K 2013, an 820mm Optima model was demonstrated twice daily on a five-colour Bon Pari graphic on 0.20mm thickness BOPP using Kodak Flexcel plates and a 175lpi anilox screen. Pavla Kusa of Soma said customers recognised the press as “filling a gap in the product offering currently available from topof-the-range press manufacturers”. Soma also presented at K 2013 a new version of its Lamiflex laminator, available in widths from 950mm to 1500mm. nov-dec 2013

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Factory tour Bobst, Lausanne

Bobst reboots

for global opportunities The Switzerland-based finishing specialist is realigning its production to safeguard its competitive edge in markets such as the Middle East and Africa.

Visitors to the Bobst headquarters in Lausanne never risk running short of conversation points. For those from the Middle East, the view of Mont Blanc is likely to spark a comment, as might the artificial river running alongside the production buildings. Then, there is the immaculate demonstration hall, where flagship diecutters and folder-gluers race through sample products and customer prototypes. Guests with an interest in history will pause at a Braille machine from 1915 that first earned Bobst its reputation for innovation. Those with an eye for the environment will be entranced by roof-top solar panels and a combined heat and power gas plant. But for Claudia Sorrentino, Head of Supply Production Logistics (Business Unit 44

Sheet-Fed), there is just one key message for visitors from emerging markets like the Middle East and Africa. “We want to show customers that we are not wasting a single cent in our supply chain cost and processes but adding value to the product – which is what the customer will pay for,” she says. In fact, while Lausanne remains the cradle for R&D, much of the demonstration hall’s cutting-edge kit reflects the expertise of the firm’s expanding plants in China and India. “While our headcount has stayed at about 5,000, fewer staff are based in Switzerland,” says Sorrentino. “At Lausanne, we have been reducing headcount with the same workload by 20% over a period of 18 months.” Inventory costs are also plunging – down 40 million Swiss francs this year alone.

Like several of print’s biggest names, Bobst looked outside the sector to tackle the sector’s complex new challenges. Sorrentino brings expertise developed in streamlining production of lifts and automobiles. “Studies suggest ‘disruptive evolution’ is best when it comes from someone outside the industry who is ignorant of established practices,” she says. A global production overhaul Over the last two years, Sorrentino has steadily transformed all the firm’s 11 sites, including key locations in Brazil, China, India and Switzerland. With an eye on China’s engineering prowess, Bobst now produces much of its die-cutters for Africa and the Middle East in Shanghai. Meanwhile, MEA demand for folder-gluers is largely met from a

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competence centre in Pune in India. But all Bobst’s facilities work to the same exacting standards – and each is undergoing radical changes to head off rising Asian competition through higher efficiency. At Lausanne’s production floor, this is instantly clear as the overhaul hinges on “visual management”: making processes visible so any obstacles to smooth production are spotlighted. “We replaced a static system by dividing the processes to be performed for each machine into eight daily stages,” explains Sorrentino. “The press now flows across the production space, moving forward each day as the processes are completed, so that if there is any holdup, this is immediately obvious.” At a gathering point for each production team, lines of computer screens trace the progress of machines through a checklist of tasks. Brief comments highlight any hiccups, while a national flag at the corner of the displays records the kit’s eventual destination. “The same guys who test a machine in the factory do the commissioning when it is installed at the customer’s facility, which is why each unit is tagged with a national flag,” she adds. With each machine containing as many as 50,000 parts, Bobst is also busy standardising elements and enhancing modularity. So far, the new approach has already halved part numbers for screws and washers. In the Indian plant, final assembly lead times have also been halved. “We still believe we have too much material of the shopfloor,” says Sorrentino. “I expect to have a steady state in about three to five years.” In the meantime, she is eyeing further “lean production” gains from developing processes that integrate suppliers more deeply into the production process. The supply chain is also poised for a further transformation through a hard look at the current distribution centres. “We are running an analysis on the best distribution nodes with a focus on customer service,” said Sorrentino. “We will look at our global strategy and part of this will be to revaluate our replenishment process from internal and external suppliers to these distribution centres.”

We want to show customers that we are not wasting a single cent Maintaining an edge But Bobst’s focus on efficiency, continuing this year with a double-digit target in cost savings on materials, is twinned with a commitment to quality and innovation. “Technology leadership is one of the company’s core values and it is also our role to ensure the company has money to invest in this,” says Sorrentino. “The process knowledge we have in the four walls helps us to establish the talent pipeline for business unit services. We not only install the machine but offer knowledge to help customers improve their processes.” In line with this value proposition of “high productivity, high reliability and high technology”, Bobst will continue to make “strategic components” in Lausanne while shifting other manufacturing closer to growth markets. For Sandro Gubinelli, Head of Technical Marketing & Competence Center, a large portfolio underpins the company’s success. “Very often our competitors are in a single niche – it could be folder-gluers, it could be die-cutters, it could be laminating machines – and it could be just one or two different models, while we have 12 or 15,” he added. But he also hails a shift from pure manufacturing into services as key to continued growth. “We have four different services that we offer – ranging from the core service to different types of solutions such as retrofitting to give a higher return on investment,” he said. “In order to remain No.1, we have to raise the brand, to offer new solutions, to listen to what the market expects and come with new solutions.” Recent demonstrations of this innovation include Accucheck inline quality control in folder-gluers and the Hawkeye

register in flexible material to protect against pinholes. “Our latest development is to enter into digital packaging with an agreement with Kodak,” he added. Bobst in the MEA Within the MEA, Bobst has progressed from an initial focus on African markets such as Nigeria and Algeria to win clients in Saudi Arabia before entering other Gulf markets such as the UAE. But the company is also taking new approaches in these markets, says Samir Khoudja, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa. “Service is a big issue,” he says. “You can justify investment in our machines, which are not the cheapest, if the machine is running correctly. We have to think about how we service the machine and how we train the people.” Indeed, he sees a growing role for Bobst in ensuring its customers gain the most from the firm’s technology. “We have an excellent technology, but you have to know how to serve the customers, how to help them improve productivity,” he said. “In some cases, we can even give ideas how to get new jobs, new markets. Our customers are not travelling like we are travelling and they do not know what kind of new opportunities there might be… So this is our job to provide the technology and help the customers improve their business.” In addition, the company is diversifying staff to ensure its installations are troublefree. “We are starting a technical platform in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We started this year to have a local engineer in the field and we also do this in Dubai, maybe Pakistan. If there is a market, we have to be very close to the customers and listen to the customers.” Recent successes within the region include new installations of die-cutters and folder-gluers in Jeddah. “The potential is there, in the Middle East and Africa, thanks to new multinationals in the area,” says Khoudja. “We have our traditional customers, who make up 50-60% of the sales, but we are also finding a new piece of the cake.” nov-dec 2013

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Factory tour Bobst, Pune

Bobst ramps up production in India PMEA: How big is Bobst’s plant at Pune? Upendra Deglurkar, president and local entity head, Bobst India: In 1994 we had only a sales and service setup here. We set up this plant in 2002 and began operations in 2003 and have a huge capacity to expand. We are 77,000sqm (23 acres), of which around 2 acres (10,000sqm) is occupied by the manufacturing facility. We employ 68 personnel on the shop floor but Bobst India has around 220 plus employees. We have close to 900 machine installations across the country, covering both flexible and board packaging, so many employees are service engineers who operate from home and travel extensively. At Pune, we have a back office for sales and service, finance, HR and general administration. PMEA: What products do you develop and produce? Venugopal Menon, vice president, Indian Sub-continent, sheetfed: We manufacture folder-gluers for the global markets, loaders 46

Working to the standards of its Swiss parent, Bobst’s operation in Pune now meets a large slice of global demand for folder-gluers and is developing an R&D role, the management team tells Packaging MEA.

for our corrugated board for flexo, and diecutters for the corrugated industry. Beginning this year, we also started the R&D facility for folder-gluers. We have a team of 22 R&D engineers including two expats from Switzerland, which means a lot of developmental work will be outsourced to India. This August we launched our first folder-gluer, called Lila, for litho laminated micro flute boxes. For folder-gluers, 50-60% of the parts are done locally, 50% of which are fabricated in-house the rest being outsourced. Strategic electronic and electrical components are still imported. We also have a competence centre now in India, as we do in Switzerland, Brazil and China, with a demo centre for die-cutters and folder-gluers where customers come for demos and trials. We have a training programme for operators and 1 August 2013 was the passing out ceremony for the first batch. We train diploma holders or customers’ sponsored candidates. We feel there is a lack of operators here.

PMEA: How does the Indian plant compare with Lausanne in quality? UD: We have been given a specific range of machines for exclusive global production, discontinuing production elsewhere. Brazil does assembling and we send lot of parts there. This proves that we are seen as a good manufacturing unit within Bobst. More than 60% of the manufacturing here is exported, which shows our quality is up to the mark. Subhasis Roy, business director, SEA & South Asia, sheetfed: Our standards didn’t happen overnight. There were baby steps, trial projects. We started with manufacturing unwinders and rewinders. Then the loaders got outsourced from here. Next we tried the solventless, laminated flexible packaging machines. Our quality kept up to the Swiss standards. This instilled a lot of confidence in the management and they decided to move their important product line, the folder-gluer machine, to a production facility in Pune.

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I can mention standards we follow but in the end it has to be proven in the marketplace. The demo machines in Switzerland are from India. Machines sold and working in Germany, France and Switzerland are all manufactured in India, which is also mentioned in the nametag. We not only manufacture cost-effective machines but ones that meet the standards. Wherever we are still not confident on our quality or feel there could be chance of compromise, those parts are still imported. We also supply modules to China or Brazil for assembling and some parts to Switzerland for manufacturing of other product ranges. We have a fully fledged R&D centre here for products such as the Ambition, Expert and Vision range of foldergluers, made here for the global markets. We started with 19 folder-gluer machines in 2010 and we manufactured 97 of them in 2012. We expect it to be around 110 in 2013. Our compounded annual local sales growth rate is about 20%. PMEA: How do you compete with lowcost Asian machines? SR: People invest with a lookout on return on investment and we can prove Bobst is a much better proposition than a Chinese product. The cost of producing X number of quantity on a Bobst equipment is cheaper than other alternatives. When it comes to capital goods, a customer looks at only three things: the end cost of production to be minimum, return on capital invested to be maximum, and the machine should be reliable. In terms of reliability, they have no doubt about Bobst, thanks to our manufacturing standards. In terms of productivity, if a Chinese machine produces 25-40% less, it doesn’t matter because their price is half that of Bobst. But, seeing all parameters, Chinese machines end up costing more. We have even given machines on pay-per-usage

schemes, machines on rent as trials to prove that we are cheaper than Chinese kit. Four of five customers have gone through the entire learning curve of using a Chinese machine, and then choosing a Bobst machine because they found out it’s the most cost-effective solution. PMEA: How is production organised? Mukul Ghanekar, head, production logistics, sheetfed: We have two in-house assemblies, with 2000sqm dedicated to folder-gluers. We build the machines only to order. For the folder-gluers, the assembly is done in three modules. But we also have sub-assemblies, which are divided further into sub-assemblies to reduce the assembly lead time or the commercial lead time, which is the time from getting the order till the machine is dispatched. Having this modular assembly system helped us reduce the assembly lead time from nine weeks to six weeks. The way we manufacture is different from the conventional approach elsewhere and has resulted in tremendous efficiency across the whole assembly line. Lead time plays a huge role in issues such as interest costs and currency fluctuation. This helps during exhibitions when you have a lot of deals and you suddenly have a rush of order. This method requires a lot of planning and anticipation. You need to plan six months in advance to have the parts ready.

We have a two-bin system for manufactured items. When a specific quantity is consumed, we post a card to the Kanban post that will indicate that we should now manufacture these items. If the parts are not consumed, we will not manufacture them, which prevents overproduction and excess inventory. We have implemented this for production and will now implement it for the purchase point. The supplier itself manages this two-bin inventory system. PMEA: What manufacturing processes take place at Pune? MG: We have a fully fledged sheet metal facility in-house, with laser-cutting machines, bending machines, welding tables and a paint shop where we do powder coating and liquid painting. All the parts used on different machines are painted in house. For the sheet metal shop, nearly 95% of the parts are manufactured in house, although parts longer than 3 metres are outsourced. In May 2013 we expanded our machine shop along with the sheet metal shop where some of the critical parts of the folder-gluer machines will be now made in house. This makes us more cost competitive than other suppliers and helps us export items and subassemblies to other sites. We are sourcing a lot of stainless steel sheet metal parts to Brazil and China.

PMEA: How do you minimise costs? MG: In assembly we are focusing on lean methodology. Switching over to a modular concept was also a part of that. ‘Lean’ means eliminate the waste. Secondly, we are switching over to ‘pull’ system. Till now we were just pushing the material to the assembly from the warehouse, according to the order. Now we are going to change it from ‘push’ to ‘pull’. nov-dec 2013

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Factory tour Heidelberg

Kilian Renschler, Vice President, Global Accounts in Packaging

Heidelberg targets the entire workflow This autumn, Heidelberg’s Print Media Centre (PMC) welcomed 300 visitors to show, in the words of a demonstrator, how the firm has “walked its talk” at Drupa in post-press. At the PMC’s largest event so far, print professionals were introduced to new technology that clears folding bottlenecks, checks the thickness of glue application and removes die-cutting blanks without stripping tools. In addition, Heidelberg’s guests were shown how to integrate new kit and their entire workflows through the firm’s Prinect software.

From prepess to finishing But for Kilian Renschler, vice-president for global accounts in packaging, the event also demonstrated an aspect of Heidelberg he sees as “unique”. “We are the only supplier who can show customers the entire workflow,” he told Packaging MEA. 48

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Offering a comprehensive portfolio of kit and software, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is reaching for a bigger slice of the packaging market, Kilian Renschler tells Packaging MEA.

“In the Middle East, for instance, there was a greenfield installation where we not only completed the layout of the factory and all equipment along the production chain but took responsibility for training staff. Their operators came here to Heidelberg for training.” For customers, the benefits can include a service contract covering the entire installation, he said. “But, of course, we must compete on every equipment purchase rather than just on the total production chain,” said Renschler. Heidelberg showcases its packaging technology at the Print Media Centre that has occupied a 4,000sqm space at hall 11 at the company’s Wiesloch-Walldorf site since 2008. “Our goal was to create an ideal setup that is as close as possible to the manufacturing environment of our customers,” said Renschler. “We aim to show our customers the full solution from prepress to die-cutting

and gluers in different formats and with different applications. So it can be a simple five- or six-colour job with coating. It can also be an eight-colour job with cold foil application or pre-coating.” The PMC holds about 500 demonstrations each year, as well as three or four annual open houses, with a permanent display of six presses, three diecutters and four folder-gluers. “Customers really appreciate having a first-hand experience and technical exchange,” said Renschler.

Growing the portfolio Kit installed at the PMC reflects a range of price points as well as technologies. Top-end lines, for example, feature fully automatic pile changers to help feed highspeed lines or presses in which offset is combined with multiple flexo units, dryers and cold foilers. But Heidelberg is also aiming to meet demand in markets where automation

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an adjusted Speedmaster XL106 with rotary die cutters that each hour can fly through 12,500 sheets of substrates as thin as 50 microns. “In some areas we are already market leaders in finishing,” said Renschler. “If you look at Germany for example, we sold more machines than Bobst, comparing the classes where we compete with them.”

takes a lower priority. “In the dominant format 70x100 for packaging, with the Speedmaster CD 102, CX 102 and XL 106, we have three platforms we can offer customers according to their requirements,” said Renschler. “Then we have the capability to equip these three platforms with a differing degree of automation… For example, in countries where labour costs are still low, customers won’t invest in automatic washup devices.” A similar range in offer between value, professional and peak-performance is found in finishing kit, he added. “We have the Varimatrix, which is entry-level die-cutting, as well as the Easygluer,” he said. “But as emerging markets develop, their labour costs and demand for more output will increase and packagers in these regions will start to look for more automated equipment such as Dymatrix die-cutters or Diana X folder gluers.”

New price points Heidelberg has also looked outside Europe to supply standard kit for emerging markets. A factory near Shanghai in China,

now the firm’s top market, has supplied presses and folders for the local market since 2006. “These machines comply with the health and safety standards of Europe and these are very solid good machines,” he said. “They don’t perform at the same level as the ones we manufacture here in Germany in terms of output per hour, sheets on the floor, but these machines serve customer demands well and do their job well.” In his view, though, Heidelberg’s spare parts supply and service organisation also deliver crucial advantages over Asian kit. “I think this is where Heidelberg can create value for customers even when the product is an OEM product,” he said. Meanwhile, at the top end of its portfolio, Heidelberg is taking on marketleading Bobst with its high-performance finishing gear. “The Dymatrix 106 CSB cutting station runs at 9,000 sheets per hour and has unique features like the moving upper platen, which eliminates vertical movement of the sheet and therefore gives customers the option to reduce nicks and on some jobs even eliminating them” said Renschler. An even faster solution is provided by

Traditional skills In its commitment to packaging, Heidelberg is both playing to its manufacturing strengths and targeting a market with a significant potential. In the firm’s analysis, sheetfed offset makes the most commercial sense in packaging lines, in the absence of “a high volume of special products”, said Renschler. Through collaborations with Gallus as well as Ricoh and Fujifilm – announced just a few weeks ago – Heidelberg is also covering opportunities in webfed and the rising digital market, also for packaging. While traditional markets in commercial print have withered in the global downturn, Heidelberg sees its expertise as just as precious for the rising sector of packaging. The hallmarks of the firm’s approach include making a high proportion of its components and recruiting through long apprenticeships. Across its sites in Germany, Heidelberg has about 500 apprentices who follow a course lasting three and a half years. “It’s a substantial investment but we see it as part of Heidelberg’s unique model,” said Renschler.

Packaging’s potential Heidelberg’s analysis of packaging spotlights the glaring discrepancy between the current size of regional markets and their populations. Japan, for instance, made up a tenth of the global packaging market in 2011 despite having only 2% of the world’s inhabitants. Similarly, North America held 23% of the global market with just 5% of the global population. Europe took a 36% slice of the market, estimated at €461bn, with only 13% of global consumers. nov-dec 2013

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Factory tour Heidelberg Over the next few years, Heidelberg expects these imbalances to ease as emerging regions close the gap on established markets. In the Middle East and Africa, the firm expects the market to expand at an average of 3% to 2015, while packaging ebbs in Western Europe and edges up in North America by only 1.3% a year. Strategy in the MEA Heidelberg’s response to the post-2008 context has four key elements, including a focus on emerging markets such as the Middle East and Africa. Alongside this shift, the firm aims to concentrate more on packaging and on services and consumables. “With printing presses running 18,000 sheets per hour, you need to have consumables that work,” said Renschler. The fourth objective is to develop in digital and other new businesses. “Digital printing already has a big share in label printing,” he said. “Of course, HP with a liquid toner is the market leader right now. But we believe with the upcoming inkjet technology, where we work closely with Fujifilm, you can achieve a higher quality – and I think this is why inkjet will have a stronger inroad into digital label printing.” Through its partnership with Gallus, in which it holds a 30% share, Heidelberg has recently participated in a major packaging installation in the Gulf. A Gallus ICS 670 was installed at Emirates Printing Press in Dubai in an inline configuration for folding cartons featuring four gravure units, nine EVA (easy

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Heidelberg’s take on packaging Heidelberg’s expanding packaging portfolio reflects a strategy based on how four key trends are transforming the sector. “With the crisis in 2008, the market has clearly changed, accelerated,” said Kilian Renschler, vice president for global accounts. Among brand owners, the downturn has prompted a drive to streamline the supply chain and optimise inventories. “The big brand owners don’t want contracts for millions of boxes,” he said. “They will order only enough to supply retailers, which leads to short runs for our customers and expectations to deliver fast once the order is placed.” Heidelberg is meeting this development by offering versatile machines that can change job fast and are not geared to a single contract, he added. “With shorter runs, we need to have machines optimised in makeready and waste,” he said. The firm’s response to this shift includes intelligent colour control systems like Prinect Inpress Contro or Prinect Image Control that can cut makeready times. Meanwhile, rising competition among brand owners and in retail is raising pressure on margins for packagers, he added. The result is an increase both in specialisation and in cross-segment selling. “We see a growth in customised and specialised equipment, which can be printing configurations with cold foil, with perfecting devices, or multiple coating configurations, but also on the folder-gluer side we see more complex configurations,” he said. With cross-segment selling, such as a pharmaceutical printer embarking in cosmetics, he also sees potential threats for established players. “What we have seen is that some given price structures can be vulnerable,” he said. But the marketplace’s new challenges are accompanied by opportunities, he added. “Brands are becoming more global,” he said. “Ten years ago, a German customer might go to Poland or France. Now, a German operator might go to Chile or Mexico or Korea.” In addition, the global packaging market is seeing a series of consolidations and alliances, which can also result in new demands on packagers for quality or productivity. “Whenever a customer has to serve a brand globally, they are looking for partners who can deliver in a joint effort,” he said. “With our global network of sales and services, we can support our customers when they want to set up new facilities. They can rely on our network.” Colour management and standards are becoming more and more important, in his view. “Coca-cola red needs to be the same in Europe as it is in Asia,” he said. “So here, with our colour control, we offer our customers a standardised tool to reproduce the same quality on a global scale.” Sustainability and product safety provides the fourth key trend in Renschler’s analysis. “Our customers are seeking to minimise waste and energy consumption, certainly for cost reasons but also for sustainability,” he said Heidelberg’s focus to meet this demand extends from highly efficient peripheral devices to inspection systems and consumables.

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added value) platforms, a rotary embossing unit and a Gallus FCL 670 flatbed diecutter. Finishing options such as cold foiling, lamination, hot foil embossing and rotary hot foil embossing can be integrated into the platform. Prinect workflow For such complex packaging installations, Heidelberg offers integration through its Prinect workflow, designed to integrate all processes in management and production at a print shop.

productivity. Job reports for finished operations enable further analysis that can help optimise makeready and cut waste.

At the firm’s recent post-press event, Christian Elsner described the package as a key tool to increase transparency, highlighting the efficiency of operators as well as machinery. Designed to suit the variety of kit, including manual processes, found in many packaging setups, Prinect is “a very open system”, he added. “Customers can convert their traditional way of working into a transparent digital way,” he said. The package offers the same tools across prepress, press and post-press, automatically re-using data to improve

Looking for growth A growing packaging portfolio is now central to maintaining the traditions that won Heidelberg its dominance in print. But in packaging, especially in younger markets as the Middle East and Africa, Heidelberg is not just an established player but a contender hungry for growth, said Renschler. “We still have the possibility to improve our market share,” he said.

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Technology low-temperature toner

Xeikon thaws regional markets with ICE

With the launch of its low-temperature toner, Xeikon is determined to win over more converters in the Middle East and Africa to digital technology. On the eve of this year’s Labelexpo, Xeikon’s new CEO announced his company’s new direction under three heading: focus, investment and regions. But for packagers, the key word was ‘focus’. “Xeikon has identified huge potential for digital printing of labels,” Wim Maes told a group of visitors to the firm’s plant at Lier in Belgium. “More than half of the Xeikon’s revenue comes from labels and packaging… It is the focus we have and the focus we will keep.” Under its new ownership, the company now has “big budgets to grow”, he said. 52

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“Regions” – the third watchword – announces an emphasis on looking to areas such as the Middle East for further expansion, he added. Not only is Europe’s slump prompting the firm to turn to emerging markets. Xeikon is also being pushed towards regions such as Africa and the Middle East by the strategy of its new owners, said Vincent Van Horenbeeck, area manager for the Middle East and Africa. “Before there was a pull but no push,” he told Packaging MEA. “The technology is a good fit for the Middle East and Africa as the volumes are big but with shorter run lengths.” Inkjet vs toner heats up But Xeikon’s success in African and Middle East markets will also hinge on dry toner technology, including its low-temperature ICE toner for unlocking new markets in heatsensitive substrates such as polyethylene (PE) facestock and thermal labels.

Launched at Labelexpo, on 24–27 September, the new toner is designed to deliver top printing quality along with high lightfastness and top opaque white quality. At a factory tour at Lier on the eve the tradeshow, Hans Gerinckx, sales director for labels and packaging, told visitors that they could eat the toner without suffering any ill effects. The new toner also calms any environmental fears, he added. “The whole plant is powered with green energy and we re-use energy to heat buildings,” he said. Xeikon’s ICE is based on the firm’s established QA technology, approved for indirect food contact and direct contact with dry-food substances that contain no surface oil or fat. QA toner contains to solvents, which means Xeikon’s five 3000 series presses –3500, 3300, 3050, 3030 and 3030Plus – produce no hazardous emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), according to the firm. Particles of toner are ground down to 7µ then coated with a special skin that

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Xeikon 3500 has a variable web width ranging from 250 mm up to 516 mm and runs at speeds of up to 19.2 m/min

makes them behave as a liquid. Through LEDs, organic photoconductors (OPC) are imaged with charges. Developer stations than develop this charge image into a toner image on these OPC drums and in a next step the toner is transferred to the substrate. Heading the series, the Xeikon 3500 handles web widths from 250mm to 516mm at a print speed of 19.2m/min, regardless of the number of colours used or label dimensions, according to the firm. The press also features true 1200dpi resolution and 1200x3600dpi addressability with variable dot density. High hopes from low temperature Xeikon claims its dry toner technology is already ideal for substrates including self-adhesive materials such as co-extruded films, BOPP and PET, paperboards and paper with weights ranging from 40 to 350gsm, and transparent and opaque foils. But ICE overcomes a key limitation from the fusing process that fixes the toner to labels, said Van Horenbeeck. “Before we could print but not fuse the toner on substrates like PE85 that are very

widely used in segments such as industry labels or health and beauty,” he said. In fact, the new technology fits neatly with Xeikon’s strategic interest on in-mould labelling as well as self-adhesive labels. The new inks are available for both new and current installations through a fee of about €20,000, he added. “Beta testing over the summer has included the challenging conditions of a press in Cyprus, with high heat and humidity,” he said. “As the new toners must be stored at low temperatures, they are shipped in boxes with log bars that reveal if the contents have been exposed to excess temperatures and for how long.” For Van Horenbeeck, promising regional markets for the new low-temperature toner include Lebanon, where leading elements in the mix of packaging segments include food as well as health and beauty. Xeikon in the MEA But Van Horenbeeck has ambitious plans for Xeikon across the entire Africa and the Middle East region.

“In digital, we really believe dry toner offers the best quality and widest range of applications, with the resolution significantly higher than that with inkjet,” he said. “Xeikon’s dry toner for labels and packaging is also food approved, which is very important.” ICE toner can now unlock further markets for Xeikon in health and beauty in locations such as South Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria, he added. “While the Middle East and Africa is still very much into conventional we just need a few trendsetters,” he said. “We are definitely not in competition with flexo – the combination is very complementary and I really believe in the sub-contractor concept, with service bureaus doing short runs for large-volume printers.” Xeikon’s new ability to print on heatsensitive substrates could also win over labellers in regions such as Morocco with a history of leading in technology, he added. In Europe, heat-sensitive materials already make up more than 10% of the labels markets and rank among the segment’s fastest growing areas, he said. nov-dec 2013

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News analysis Mark Andy

Mark Andy launches ‘total solution’ PJ Desai is continuing his transformation of Mark Andy following the acquisition of the supplies and consumables portion of Presstek.

Mark Andy was again recognised for its innovation at the recent Labelexpo Europe expo

For Mark Andy, Labelexpo Europe’s recent endorsement of its new technology fitted with an established trend. The tradeshow’s Award for Innovation – given for the company’s ProLED UV LED curing system – is the fourth such prize Mark Andy has picked up over in recent years. In 2011, the firm landed two awards for the print stations in its Performance Series. Earlier this year, the company won another trophy for its quick change die cut (QCDC) technology, enabling die cylinders to be replaced in about 30 seconds. In LED curing, the firm is now poised to evolve UV curing markets and open new market opportunities, product manager John Howard said at the Mark Andy press conference at Labelexpo. “With flexo we had to wait for inks,” he said. “But the technology has a lot of advantages. Once UV LED inks are available in all the colours, I think it’s going to take off and that’s why we’re working on it very hard with Flint Group on this project.” 54

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In digital, the firm is also “pretty far along”, said CEO PJ Desai. “We’re keenly aware of the inroads that digital is making into our market,” he said. An inkjet digital press, now announced as the Mark Andy Digital Series, is due to start beta testing in the US by the year-end. A total solution But Mark Andy’s new CEO, who took charge at the start of 2012, has mapped out a new path for the firm in business too. Desai, whose background includes several years at Monsanto, came to Mark Andy from outside the print industry. Bringing a fresh perspective, he has been credited with adding commercial smarts to the firm’s technological brilliance. In the Middle East and Africa, where Mark Andy will be represented from next year by an exclusive distributor relationship and the Mark Andy Swiss office, the new approach will include providing total solutions to our customers, including full support as well as

machines, Desai told Packaging MEA. Through the acquisition of flexo-focused Print Products in December 2012 and the offset supplies segment of Presstek in April 2013, Mark Andy has now launched a division to provide “a total integrated solution”. “We renamed it Mark Andy Print Products – it’s basically supplying anything to do with printing over the lifetime of the press,” he said. “Now we’re adding flexo. Through the consumables side of Presstek we acquired 65 employees, a 120,000sqft [11.000sqm] distribution centre, a very robust commercial website, and focused customer response – the entire fulfilment process.” In addition to supplying its flexo customers with products such as cleaning chemicals, solvents and doctor blades, Mark Andy also expects to soon offer flexo plates. “We’re right now in active discussions with suppliers of flexo plates,” said Desai. “I expect very shortly to have an agreement wherewe will be able to distribute high quality flexo plate and plate-making products through Mark Andy.” In the long run, he forecasts that the firm will have an “equal” split between advanced machinery technology and after-market supplies, consumables and support. After rolling out the new service in its home market, the firm will bring the operation to Europe and aims to offer a full range of consumables to Middle East labellers in a couple of years. “The focus of Mark Andy Print Productions is in North America,” said Mary Sullivan, director of marketing. “We have a few thousand SKUs to support flexo products and over 10,000 SKUs servicing offset. We going to perfect that system in the US and then launch that globally.” In the meantime, Oktay Oezsaran, sales manager, sees opportunities in the Middle East and Africa. “We are excited to see growing interest in Mark Andy Performance Series across Middle East and Africa,” he said.

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: Packaging

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Business analysis Edale

Edale joins ‘leading edge’ with FL-3 UK-based Edale sees its FL-3 high-quality flexo press as proof the company now matches the leading brands in performance and innovation. This autumn, with the debut of its finalised FL-3 label press, the UK-based manufacturer Edale claims to have passed a milestone as well as launch a new product. Available in a width of 350mm or 430mm, the FL-3 was unveiled at Labelexpo Europe with the outcome of two high-profile collaborations: the Digicon 3000 for midweb digital print finishing and the singlepass Graphium digital press. Responses at the tradeshow to the FL-3 included “an explosion of interest from the UK”, opening a largely untouched market for the export-oriented firm, said managing director James Boughton. “We are now providing leading-edge technology in the flexographic label printing market,” he told Packaging MEA. “We have been perceived as a manufacturer of quite small, compact, low-cost label printing presses. But we now have a product that is a real alternative to the presses from the leading brands in our market.” Edale is marketing the FL-3 – designed for colour changes in under 70 seconds –as combining low waste with high production, fast setup and innovative design for substrates ranging from 12 to 450 microns. 56

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A distinctive print head geometry ensures consistent print quality with any format size, while setup waste on a typical 8-colour press is less than 20m and under 10 minutes, according to the manufacturer. The ‘new’ Edale For Boughton, the FL-3 reflects a long-term overhaul of the firm’s portfolio. “From about 2000, we set about developing a completely new product range,” he said. “Up until the launch of the FL-3, probably only 25% of our business was in small presses, with 75% in highertechnology label printing presses and moving across into packaging, whether it be flexible or folding carton.” To enable this shift, about 25% of the workforce is engaged in research and development, he added. “I have more people designing than I have building,” he said. Collaborations with multinationals such as Agfa, FFEI, AB Graphic and HP have also underpinned the rising sophistication of Edale’s product line-up. The Labelexpo debuts of the Dig7icon 3000 and Graphium came through Edale’s recent collaborations with AB Graphics

Broughton: ‘completely new’ range

International and FFEI. But Edale’s involvement in digital label printing started over a decade ago with the development of Agfa’s :Dotrix Modular. “That project came to a close about two years ago,” said Boughton. “Once we had finished, we looked up and suddenly there were all these opportunities based on the experience we had developed over those 10 years working with Agfa.” While Edale has no plans to launch its own digital press, the company aims to keep providing technology that complements digital presses, he added. With the Digicon 3000, the firm has moved into mid-web

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Edale sees its FL-3 as a match for market leading alternatives in high-quality flexo. Its features include automation to enable setup in less than 10 minutes as well as ‘UniPrint’ technology to ensure consistent print quality. digital finishing, with a product offering semi-rotary flexo/hybrid print, a range of lamination technologies and semi-rotary die-cutting. A “huge amount of automation” offers pre-registration as well as automatic loading and unloading of dies and auto-setting for back and sheer slitting. For FFEI’s Graphium, Edale has contributed the web transport system, flexographic print and finishing technology. Market response These partnerships are also apparent in Edale’s own FL-3 and its extensive automation, said Boughton. “The association with larger corporates taught us an awful lot about how to improve the quality of our processes,” he said. The FL-3 showcased at Labelexpo has now been shipped to Malaysia after a deal struck at the tradeshow. Other machines are already installed in the Americas and Europe. For its new products as well as its established scratch-card lines, Edale is now in advanced negotiations with firms in Jordan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia as well as a couple of African markets, he added. “At Edale, we don’t seem to get too troubled by competing with lower-cost equipment,” said Boughton. “When we talk of the FL-3, yes, that machine is probably two or three times more expensive than a Chinese-type machine. But it’s still, I would say, more than two or three times more productive.” A “sealed plug & play” approach also helps open up remote markets, he added. “We’ve deskilled a lot of the maintenance and servicing requirements on these machines. All the machines we supply have remote diagnostic capability, so we can diagnose a number of faults from the UK in terms of the drive technology and the electronics.”

Yet Broughton admits the firm still faces a challenge in brand image. “The thing we often still struggle with is the perception of the new Edale,” he said. “People still think of us as selling tiny, compact label presses, but we are in fact leading the game in three prongs. “The FL-3 is now a leading product in the label market. The FL-5 product is a versatile platform for a number of applications in flexible packaging, shortrun cartons as well as pre-paid telecom products. We’ve got a partnership that is leading the way in mid-web digital converting. And we’re leading with FFEI in single-pass inkjet.”

Technical specifications Max. no of print stations Max. no of die stations

Max. print width (screen) Max. mechanical speed

12 3 350mm or 430mm 330mm 200m/min

Max. unwind/rewind capacity

1,000mm

Min. print and die repeat Max. print and die repeat Min. print and die repeat (screen) Max. print and die repeat (screen)

203mm 610mm 304.8mm

Substrate range

12 - 450µm (subject to spec.)

Web width

A quarter of Edale’s workforce is engaged in R&D

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457.2mm

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Technology rotary offset

Rotary offset seeks niche in labels & flexible packaging For firms such as Muller Martini, an ‘explosion is SKUs’ spells an opportunity to grab new markets for webfed offset in labelling and flexible packaging. Depending on substrate, the cap is about 25,000sqm. Your runs fall within that? Read on. Muller Martini’s Bernd Sauter reckons he can save you money. “If your run lengths are below 25,000sqm but greater than 1,000sqm – in primary-run jobs not repeats – we will be the most competitive solution in overall cost,” said Sauter, managing director of the Printing Presses Division. “We can reduce your costs and improve your image quality,” he told Packaging MEA. David Muncaster, Goss’s director of business development for packaging, shares the outlook that markets are giving fresh importance to offset’s low cost of 58

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image change. “The rise in SKUs and the corresponding drop in average run lengths means that ‘the image cost’ becomes critically important as it represents a far higher percentage of total cost of producing a print run,” he said. And markets are also shifting to give greater value to offset’s image quality, said Sauter. “You go into any market, it’s cluttered – brands are so hypercompetitive,” he said.

“The average shopper in North America goes in with a list of 10 items and they come out with 18 – and it’s those extra eight items where the margin is made. It’s the impulse buy. People buy with their eyes.” Brand managers are demanding “more aesthetics: colours, higher lines, more photos, more versions”, he added. Yet there is no trade-off in cost or speed. “At the same time, the brand manager is going to demand lower costs: ‘I want smaller run sizes. I want you to develop me new products, new combinations of substrates’, and ‘No, I’m not going to pay any more for it’. And, in response time, they want you to do all of this faster – more quality, the same costs and ‘I want you to do it faster’.” Doing the maths Sauter and Muncaster make similar calculations for the run lengths where webfed offset takes over as the most

Muller Martini VSOP web offset press

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economical option. Through adding up each cost from prepress onwards, Muller Martini gives 25,000sqm as the cut-off for its VSOP (variable sleeve offset printing) technology. Gravure emerges is clearly the best option beyond 80,000sqm, said Sauter. Flexo the takes over for intermediate run lengths. But offset’s lower image carrier costs kick in for a substantial slice of the market. Digital is still limited to “very small runs”, in his view. “If you’re looking at digital, you should be looking at VSOP,” he said. “If you are looking to make a fundamental change in your business processes – and you should be, by the way – you should equally be investigating this technology.” Goss’s Muncaster marks out offset’s niche from offering image costs “10-15 times cheaper” than flexo or gravure. “Based on the research and calculations we’ve done, as a general approximation based on comparison of ‘mid web’ machines (520–1050mm) printing on film, the breakeven point for flexo gravure and web offset is around 150,000sqm,” he said. “Beyond that gravure is generally the most cost effective. As you drop down below that level then flexo and offset are more cost

Goss points to image costs ‘10-15 times cheaper’ than with flexo or gravure

effective. As you get down below 75,000sqm, then offset starts to really pull away from flexo and at 25,000sqm and below, until you get down to the 3,000sqm digital area, there is an extremely compelling argument for offset.” Muncaster also stresses the gains in lead times as brand owners strive to hit sustainability targets and cut waste through “just in time and just enough” ordering. “Offset plates can be produced in minutes, flexo plates in hours and gravure

plates in days or weeks,” he said. In Germany, packagers are already clearly making these cost and time calculations, according to Karl-Heinz Thiele, product manager for Muller Martini printing presses. “A big label manufacturer working with gravure knows he can only accept jobs of 10,000sqm and higher, otherwise he loses money on the image carrier costs,” he said. “So he talks with his sister company to get an offset press that can do these jobs.”

feeling the squeeze? Shorter run lengths More form changes Shrinking lead times Lower pricing Goss Sunday Vpak presses The agile new offset solution for the fast changing requirements of brand owners and packaging producers …from the 170-year leader in web press innovation.

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Technology rotary offset Trends in substrates But the standoff between flexo and offset in packaging also involves considerations of substrates. For Muncaster, in fact, a key driver in unlocking offset’s new markets is changing fashions in materials. In his view, growing use of shrink labels with 360 images for re-launching products will draw business from sheetfed offset, which cannot handle the new substrates. “Converters currently producing labels with sheetfed will look to web offset to produce these products,” he said. “The precise tension control available on modern web offset machines enables converters to run a vast range of substrates, which provides a high degree of flexibility to adapt to such market changes.” Sauter also claims an edge for web offset when printing on thinner gauge film. “It used to be we couldn’t even think about these materials, but with servo motors, stretch correction and the automation of controls, we have made this user friendly,” he said. “Major players come to our demonstration centre and discover what can be done. We’ve been doing it for more

Rotatek sees potential in MEA companies operating across many substrates

than 10 years. We have people that now have expertise of these films with offset. There is a growing knowledge base.” In labelling, Rotatek’s Brava has won over firms such as Austria’s Marzek Etiketten through enabling a switch from glue labels to pressure-sensitive labels, said managing director Bibiana Rodriguez Vidal.

Offset vs HD flexo? In quality, offset’s champions recognise no rivals, but they will admit that HD flexo has closed the gap. For Sauter, HD flexo is “getting close to the quality”. “But you can do this in offset with standard offset,” he said. “You’re not

Fit for proﬁtability. Müller Martini VSOP Variable Sleeve Offset Printing The technology of the VSOP web offset press provides the capability to take advantage of many market trends in packaging: flexible packaging, labels (shrink sleeve, self-adhesive labels, wet glue labels, IML, wrap-around), folding carton and liquid packaging. The press runs up to 365 m/min (1200 ft/min) and produces the complete size range (381–762 mm/15–30”) by using lightweight print sleeves. The VSOP is available in web widths of 520 mm (20 ½”) and 850 mm (33 ½”) and offers a great number of hybrid configurations with flexo, gravure, screen etc. Müller Martini – your strong partner. nov-dec 2013

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www.mullermartini.com Phone +41 (0)62 745 45 75

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needing an HD expert. This is where offset starts.” Nor does he expect to tussle with HD flexo over packaging markets. “A report by the North American Flexo Printers Association concludes that only 15% of the industry is looking to invest in HD flexo,” he added. Offset technology such as Muller Martini’s VSOP offers “extraordinary colour manipulation”, he added. “Zero to 100% is easy. We can offer unified dot control and a standardised prepress. The dot on your file is going to be the dot on your plate.” Offset’s edge on flexo in quality includes enhanced colour gamut (ECG) in high use, according to Muller Martini’s Thiele. “We can manipulate the colours on the press and, often, we can configure the press for our flexo customers so they can get away with fewer colours,” he added. “With four offset colours, you can print 2300 different tones. With four flexo colours, you can only print four tones.” Muncaster notes vignettes and high-line screening as two of offset’s clear advantages over flexo. Hybrid installations Yet offset specialists like Muller Martini are not expecting packagers to renounce all other technologies. “Most installations of our presses are hybrid,” said Thiele. “A flexo unit is often installed as the first unit, to give a heavy, solid, opaque white, but some machines are also fitted with rotogravure.” Muller Martini even manufactures the flexo elements on its VSOP, which features three shafts for rapid switching between printing methods. “You change the plate cylinder and the blanket cylinder but the impression cylinder stays in place,” he said. At its factory at Maulburg in Germany, the firm produces four offset webfed presses with applications in labelling and flexible packaging: Alprinta 52 V, Alprinta 74 V, VSOP 520 and VSOP 850. A VSOP 850, the widest option with a printing width of 33” (840mm), offers a repeat range between 15” (381mm) and 30” (762mm). The Alprinta 74V can print at widths of up to 29” (736mm), with repeats from 20” (508mm) to 28 1/3” (9720mm). In the field, Muller Martini’s hybrid

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installations include a VSOP with nine offset units and a flexo unit at Hammer Packaging in Rochester in New York State. The press is the company’s third VSOP and serves its market in shrink sleeves for food and drink in Mexico and North America. Goss, which offers a web range from 520mm up to 1905mm, has a hybrid Sunday Vpak 500 at Precision Press, in the US, offering eight colours and one flexo unit. The setup features inline lamination and can handle both UV and EB inks with a repeat length of 16” (406mm) to 33.4” (848mm). Rotatek’s installation at Marzek marries six offset units with two flexo units, along with silk screen plus hot foil stamping, foil embossing and UV dryers. “As Rotatek, we believe always in combining technologies in one machine to get the best results of each technology,” said Rodriguez Vidal. “We see, in particular, growth in Africa and the Middle East in this technology as usually the same company wants to print different kinds of substrates like labels, folding cartons, flexible materials, and the offset combined machines assure a standard quality on all materials.” Platform change But offset is still only nibbling at the substantial slice of labelling and flexible packaging eyed by firms such as Goss, Rotatek and Muller Martini. In Western markets, offset holds about 8% of the market in labelling and 5% in flexible packaging, said Sauter. Yet Muller Martini has already established its technology in a decade of installations: “There are over 100 VSOPs in the market”. A “growing knowledge base” is also available to ease the switch, he added. “There are many mature suppliers in prepress that have made it incredibly easy – and, unfortunately perhaps, there is a lot of offset experience available.” Food compliant inks are available from suppliers such as Zeller or Sun Chemical, he added. But he admits there is “a steep hill” to climb in convincing packagers to make “a platform change” from flexo, in particular. “This is a more complex selling process,” he said. “But we’ve reorganised our sales

organisation. We are identifying this as a priority product.” Rotatek’s Rodriguez Vidal acknowledges flexo printers can be wary. “It means new prepress, new printers, new workflow, new training for the commercial team – any change in the market is difficult always.” Muncaster points to a lack of familiarity with offset for converters coming from a gravure or flexo background. “Offset is often seen as a complicated black art,” he said. “Yes, in some respects offset is more complex than gravure or flexo, but this complexity also brings increased flexibility in terms of colour control and expanded colour gamuts, process colour and so on.” The chief hurdle, though, could be the initial investment, he added. “It’s true that web offset machines are generally more expensive than their flexo or gravure competitors,” he said. “However, the initial investment cost is only one side of the equation. If you consider that for each and every different job produced on flexo or gravure, the image cost will be 10-15 times more expensive, then you need only look at the number of different images you produce each year, and the rate at which that number has increased over the past few years.” Sauter is equally sure the numbers are on his side. In the meantime, he is encouraging firms to bring their images and jobs to Muller Martini’s training centre in Maulburg while working with “brand quality gatekeepers” to prove offset’s potential contribution. “We believe that there’s so much value that it’s going to happen,” he said.

“ The image cost becomes critically important

”

David Muncaster, Goss International

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Packaging innovat in new, shelf-stabl products from Con

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Technology in-mould labelling

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Creative combination of design and materials gives consumers a new choice in fresh-made meals to emerging markets

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prepared, with nothing more than access to water

Separation and assembly of the ingredient compon At Labelexpo Europe this September, visitors who paused at Schober’s stand got a preview of what could become a familiar sight in Middle East and African converting facilities. In a setup with a V-stack spider stacker, the firm’s RSM rotary die-cutting machine demonstrated how thin substrates can be converted accurately and fast for a key regional growth area: inmould labelling (IML). For Schober, in fact, IML has already opened a significant market in countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, said Hratch Borghosizian, managing director of Alpha, a local distributor. “In this sector, Schober has a monopoly within the Middle East,” he said. But shifts within packaging look poised to widen the region’s appetite for IML as global brands bring new products to emerging markets. “I believe the printers are aware that IML is the future,” said Borghosizian. “Before – five years ago – Schober’s IML machines installed in the UAE would rest. They are now fully used all the time.” A pioneer in IML In fact, Schober is now reaping the benefits of pioneering role in in-mould labelling over the last two decades, according to Denis

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Stephan, general manager and director of sales and marketing. creates a positive consumer foodMEA. preparation expe “We supplied the first machine in 1991,” he told Packaging “But until the early 2000s,ofthere no businesstextured, in IML. In the past, and nutritiou payoff an was enjoyably tasty, the suppliers were also mainly in Europe in the sheetfed business. But now people, wherever they are in the world, are looking for proximity suppliers.” DuPont Resin Used,forand Why look, IML not only offers an ideal technology the ‘no-label’ increasingly favoured for health and beauty products such as shampoos and some drink labels. This alternative to self-adhesive labelling can also cut out post-labelling operations – and the energy DuPont™ Appeel® lidding resins are used to adhe and labour costs they bring. reverse-printed In the IML process, a label is placedPET in anfilm emptylabel mouldand into dust cover to the which plastic resin is blown, injected or inserted. The resin fuses propylene tub cap. Reliable sealing and controlled p with the back of the label to become an integral part of the object. Three alternative are used across different IML key technologies contributors to product protection and easy op applications. While blow moulding is used for bottles and jugs, injection moulding and thermoforming dominate for open topped containers such as tubs or pails. “So there are three families of products that are growing at double-digit rates,” said Stephan. The thin substrates used in each approach pose special

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challenges in die-cutting, such as dealing with the static electricity generated by polyolefin films. Schober’s RSM series caters for roll-fed materials from 260mm to 850mm in width, while the company’s Sheetline system tackles sheet-fed materials. To control and stack the very light pieces of material, the firm offers both M-Stack and S-Stack delivery systems. The machine set up at Labelexpo demonstrated the Spider delivery system, a robotic device that enables several jobs to be ganged up on a single run, said Stephan. “Right now, we are able to convert film and paper that is printed either by letterpress, gravure or digital printers, and the way of stacking that we have now – which is a robot stacking – can handle a variety of products in different shapes at high speed.” IML’s growth in the MEA For Stephan, the market for IML equipment in the Middle East is now set to grow in line with brands’ need for faster delivery. “You cannot promote a new product in the dairy business if you have to wait for six weeks,” he said. “That is also one of the reasons why, for us, the IML business

is growing very fast. That machine is supplied worldwide, and right now there are more than 40 installations, including equipment in North Africa and the Middle East.” He currently sees big demand in Saudi Arabia, driven by the IML’s use for its dairy products. “It’s a trending market,” he said. “Obviously, the market follows the big manufacturers such as Nestlé or Unliver. If their marketing goes into a new country, their products go there and they try to manufacture containers.” And IML offers several advantages for the big brands, including its ability to deter counterfeiting, as labels cannot be removed. In addition, IML enhances the durability of products and their decoration. For Borhosizian, the benefits over longer established technologies are indisputable. “Generally, the logic says brand owners always look for something sustainable,” he said. “You get better print quality, it’s cheaper and it cuts a step in production.” In his view, IML could eventually replace self-adhesive labels in most of its current applications, with machinery sales set for rapid expansion. “In the UAE, over the next two years we should be looking for another two or three machines,” he said.

Schober’s RSM series tackles the challenge of thin substrates

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Technology colour standards

Colour

matching:

is there a standard answer? Printers cannot afford to overlook standards and specifications in the critical area of colour management, argues Wayne Peachey. Ask an average packaging printer “What are the characteristics of your print results?” and they will typically use subjective terms such as “sharp”, “loads of colour” or “better than ISO”. Each statement suggests something good, a selling feature of their particular print process, but if all three printers were to print the same image, do you think they would all appear the same? If you said “no”, you’d be right 99 times out of 100! Consider the time and money spent achieving press approvals, all the press time and materials lost through poor colour management. Standards can help to align printed results to the customers’ expectations. They can make press approvals unnecessary and they can improve quality. Colour management through standards enables global companies to present a consistent brand image that wins customer confidence and it can save them money across the whole production process. At a European Flexographic Industries Association round table event last year I posed the same question. If all the printers were given the same image, would each print it the same? The question raised some unexpected reactions. Some printers thought I was suggesting they lower their standards to print like their competitors. Another said the industry needs “standards just like the 64

lithographic printing industry” – in fact, those standards have existed for many years. Not one printer said “I print to ISO12647-6”, the document that describes flexographic printing, with targets and tolerances for the appearance of solid and halftone reproduction. Leaders in the construction or aerospace industries would know exactly which standards matter. If I gave them the same technical drawing, they could each replicate the same product. So why is the printing industry different (to put it mildly)? Is there a lack of awareness of industry standards? Are people within the industry simply not taught the basics? It is probably because printing situations can be very diverse, using substrates and inks that do not match perfectly with ISO standards. Those ‘grey areas’ lead to confusion. But is the right approach to ignore those standards completely? Packaging involves a range of substrates, not just plain white paper. To save on costs, poorer recycled substrates are often used. When a metallic appearance is required, the image areas are often printed with white, which makes everything look grey. Demands placed on the packaging and the ink by wear or heat also mean the physical characteristics of ink often trump colour considerations, so different inks and pigments are used in different situations

Colour matters in marketing So why is colour consistency important? The best way to understand this is to imagine you are standing in a supermarket faced by two competing products… Item A has a nice design, and the image and information tell you that the product is what you need. There are different size options, in both flexible pouches and in boxes. But the colour of the flexible pouches varies. Are the the lighter packages different varieties? Or have some packages been on the shelf longer? The boxes are the same colour, but it is different to the pouches. You wonder if this manufacturer really has an eye on quality. Is the product also inconsistent? Item B also has a nice design, and the image and information tell you that the product is what you need. There are different size options, in both flexible pouches and in boxes. But all colours are consistent, which suggests to you that this manufacturer really has its process under control and is proud of its brand. Finally, how much would you pay for Item A vs Item B? Maybe 20% more? That’s why colour and consistency are important. The extra 20% has a direct result on the bottom line, boosting sales and addding value for shareholders.

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What are printing standards? The purpose of printing standards is to help manage colour so that the proof that the customer signs matches the printed results across many suppliers. This is achieved using a ‘hub and spoke’ approach, with the hub being the ‘standard’ held in a large vault in the ISO headquarters in Geneva! (ISO is the generally accepted ‘abbreivation’, of the International Organization for Standardization, which has existed in its current form since 1946.) A good example of standardisation came about in 1825 when the British Weights and Measures act standardised the length of a ‘mile’, ‘yard’, ‘foot and ‘inch’. Until then, parts for machines could not be created away from each other. Once the Imperial measurement system was established, the industrial revolution could gather pace, starting globalisation. Machine parts created in different places could be brought together and they would fit – a comparable challenge to that faced by a globalised printing industry. Standards and Specifications Standards are a negotiated agreement between more than 160 ISO member countries. As new research is conducted specifications are developed that bring forward more information. To use an analogy, the standard defines the requirements of the cake, but the specification provides the recipe! The key standard for the packaging industry is ISO 12647-2:2004. (More

information on ISO 12647 standards can be found at www.iso.org.) When a printer matches this standard the following occurs: • The solid colours of CMYK match the published numeric values in colour and strength. • The overprints match, for instance a cyan and magenta overprint area will have the correct colour and strength. • The ‘grey balance’ is correct, which means the 50% cyan, 40% magenta and 40% yellow areas produce a neutral ‘grey’ without a colour bias. • The tone curves are correct; for instance, a 30% black looks as expected with the correct ‘weight’. As lithographic printing is so prolific, specifications have been created that provide colour samples and techniques that aid the printer in matching ISO 12647-2 plus any other relevant standards such as the defined ink characteristics. As well as standards and specifications, there are also methods. Several individuals and organisations have developed step-bystep techniques for matching a proof or press to a standard. G7 is gaining in popularity in North America, but there are many others, some of them provided within colour management software solutions that take the hard work out of the process. The dilemma with flexo and gravure The problem with adopting an industry specificification (such as FIRST’s third

The above image shows how an image would look if printed to the various specifications for colour. Each specification refers to, or creates, target solid colours for CMYK, plus midtone appearance. The first three from Fogra, Gracol and SWOP differ subtly. The next two, the gravure profiles of PACspace and PSR, more noticeably. Japan colour is a litho profile close to Fogra but subtly different. The ISO Flexo Poly profile attempts to reflect Gracol as closely as possible.

edition) or gravure’s PACspace is that these did not align with any other print processes. Consumer product companies want their graphics to look the same across all print processe. They do not appreciate that different ink sets produce different colour ‘gamuts’ that result in different appearances on the supermarket shelf. To fix this problem, SGS has created a specification called SGS-CMP13 (SGS Colour Management Programme 2013). It is our method for bringing together all printing processes, including digital, so that the differences in printing methods do not impact on the appearance of the final results. It is an ‘off the shelf’ specification, so consumer product companies can direct their suppliers to this specification and let the process take care of itself, without needing to hire a department of colour managers and incur the expense of creating a custom colour management system bespoke to their company. For more information, contact Wayne Peachey at wayne.peachey@sgsintl.eu or Nigel Cox at nigel.cox@sgsintl.eu nov-dec 2013

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Appointments

Mohammad Al Hashimi Chairman, PPG, Dubai

Newly elected members of the Printing and Publishing Group (PPG) of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce have voted for Mohammad Al Hashimi as the chairman of the group. Mohammad Al Hashimi, who succeeds Ahmed Al Shaikh, is the CEO and managing director of Emirates Trans Graphics. On his appointment to the role of chairman, Al Hashimi said the PPG’s new members could bring fresh ideas to the group, which organises the

Dubai International Print Awards (DIPA). “Many of our elected members are new in the committee, and this means we can learn many new things and share new ideas that we have never touched base on,” he said. “If we all set our mind for the progress of our industry, we could all reach what we are aiming for.” In 2011, Emirates Trans Graphics was placed 30th in the Dubai SME 100, a ranking of the emirate’s top small and mediumsized businesses. Established in 2005, the company provides complete print solutions, dealing in graphics art machinery, materials, consumables and spare parts. Its packaging portfolio includes offset and digital presses, CTPs, case making and casing in m/cs, thermal laminators, guillotines, diecutters, folding machines and other converting kit.

Mark Oggero, SVP Global Operations, Goss

Goss International Corporation has appointed Mark Oggero as senior vice president of Global Operations. “Mark’s appointment is another key step in Goss International’s transformation,” said Rick Nichols, president and CEO. “With his 28 years of manufacturing experience and knowledge of a range of industries, Mark will accelerate the centralisation of our global supply chain and continue our strategy of diversification

Timo Donati, sales manager, Western Europe, Mark Andy

Michael Brandmeier Executive VP, Toray Plastics

Matteo Cardinotti MD, Nuova GIDUE

At Mark Andy’s Switzerlandbased sales office, Timo Donati is now sales manager for Western Europe. Donati brings 15 years’ experience in print, most recently as sales manager for AVT Ltd, Advanced Vision Technology. He worked in production in offset printing before moving into a sales role promoting sheetfed offset presses in Germany. He will be responsible for sales of both the Mark Andy press and Rotoflex finishing lines.

Toray Plastics (America), Inc has promoted Michael Brandmeier to executive vice president with responsibility for Torayfan, Lumirror and Toraypef. He will remain on the Board of Directors. Brandmeier was formerly SVP and GM of the Torayfan Division. He joined Toray in 1995 as a director of sales for Torayfan. Brandmeier launched his career in the plastic-film industry 33 years ago at Mobil Chemical Company.

Matteo Cardinotti takes over as managing director of GIDUE, where he has served for many years at the head of the R&D department. During the last two years he has re-organised all the operations departments to improve and develop commercial strategies more quickly and consistently. Matteo will work in close cooperation with Maurizio Trecate, VP sales, Cristina Toffolo VP marketing, and in direct connection with Magda Ciapponi, VP finance.

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into new product areas like packaging. “Importantly, Mark also has extensive change management experience. This will be a vital asset as we continue to transform Goss into a truly customer focused organisation, providing quality products and timely local service where and when our customers need it.” Oggero earned a BSc in industrial engineering. He has 28 years of experience within low- and high-volume manufacturing industries, a strong international background and expertise in change management. Goss International supplies presses and finishing systems – including the most automated and productive web offset presses in the world – for magazine, newspaper, catalogue, packaging, direct mail and other printing applications.

Priya Mehta Marketing Manager, Saga Digital

Priya Mehta has joined Saga Digital to establish and expand the company’s portfolio in the Middle East and Africa. In her core responsibilities, she will be focused towards growing the brand name of Saga in the digital printing and flexible packaging segment across the region. She brings to the role more than 16 years of practical experience in sales and marketing, during which she has received many accolades.

nov-dec 2013

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IBC_V2.pdf

12/4/13

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THE NEW EXPERTCUT 106 LIKE AN EXPERTCUT ONLY BETTER

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The brand new BOBST EXPERTCUT 106 has been designed to maximise your productivity and lower your production costs further than any previous model. Using a host of clever features, the new EXPERTCUT makes ready more quickly, runs more consistently, cuts down your process waste and reduces your tooling costs. So, when you need a great die-cutter like an EXPERTCUT 106, why not choose exactly that?