ProPack Pro April 2021

.pro

ProPack People Technology Business

www.propack.pro April 2021

A FOCUS ON:

Epson debuts SurePress L-6534VW

Cyber delivers on press versatility Offers complimentary solutions for package printing and finishing

Australia’s first high productivity industrial UV digital label press New milestones for Highcon Systems Company’s CEO Shlomo Nimrodi turns the business’ challenges into opportunities

Jet Technologies drives change

epson.com.au

Director Jack Malki explains what being at the forefront of change looks like and how business has evolved ALSO INSIDE...

Packaging Leaders Forum

‘CUSTOMER IS ^ KING AT HERO PRINT’ ...AND IT SHOWS o Queen

AUSTRALIA’S BEST BEST TRADE TRADE PRINTER PRINTER AUSTRALIA’S

ning. ooklets this mor em.

I received the b ly I received th ck ui q w ho ve I can’t belie and I’m with the result I’m very happy Greg help. grateful for your

rds my business ca I just received Thanks for your in record time. pt service! per fectly prom

Olev

card! for the sample ns io ill m s nk ng to Tha look great. Tr yi ey th ay d to it Received rs done r friend to get he he ot y m ce in conv e will see!!

Lindsey with you too. W

tting my ank you for ge th to d te an w I just quickly as d delivered as jobs printed an a jam. y got me out of nl ai rt ce It . id d you Matt

the quality ppier with both ha e b t n’ d ul ank I co provided, so th ys gu u yo e ic and serv in touch next I’ll certainly be h! uc m ry ve u yo ething printed.

Leo time I need som

anted day and I just w to ed riv ar e in Our magaz ing and . It looks amaz U O Y K N A TH to say hich has rough quickly w th it d he us p u yo Wendy very happy! made our client

EDITOR’S NOTE HAFIZAH OSMAN

Pivot your business The word “pivot” seems to be one that summarises everything that the packaging industry – and other industries as well – need to do in 2021.

The effects of COVID were dire, and it was indeed a hard time for most sectors to navigate. Certain sectors within packaging saw more growth than other areas, resulting in new forecasts for focus and the need for businesses to – as mentioned above – pivot their directions.

Providing bespoke packaging solutions, in addition to short run solutions was one of the more popular areas of growth for those in this space as client needs evolved to reflect market trends. More brands were increasingly reconnecting with

consumers through new design concepts and campaigns to increase point of purchase impact.

The push for ‘Made in Australia’ and increases in shipping and freight prices, as well as delays, has also spurred local manufacturing and has tipped a lot more buyers into our own local market. This has opened up the industry to offering more locally produced and sourced material, along with solutions created onshore.

Following the peak of COVID and the needs that arose from it, the general consensus from the industry is that sustainability is back yet again on the cards for many businesses, with recyclability and the reduction of waste leading the agenda. If anything, the pandemic has only

stressed the importance for businesses to be sustainable.

Educating the future generation should also be a point of focus for the industry as shaping the minds of these young people is what will drive change as they enter the workforce in future.

As the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) president Pierre Pienaar put it, “The sooner we teach that next generation, 20 years from now, they will do the right thing”.

This issue of ProPack.pro covers the inaugural Packaging Leaders Forum, where industry players provide thought leadership around what 2020 was for packaging, and what we may expect moving forward. We hope you enjoy the read.

Hafizah Osman Editor hosman@intermedia.com.au Ph: +61 431 466 140

Stay informed… visit www.propack.pro and subscribe to receive the latest packaging industry news and views

ProPack Industry Supporters

Managing Director & Publisher: James Wells Editor: Hafizah Osman Design: Carrie Tong

Sales Manager: Brian Moore Sales Manager: Carmen Ciappara Production Manager: Jacqui Cooper

Pre-Press Manager: Tony Willson Printed by: Hero Print, Alexandria, NSW 2015 Mailed by: D&D Mailing Services

ProPack.pro is published by Printer Media Group, registered in Australia ABN 47 628 473 334. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, it is a condition of distribution that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in the publication.

4 ProPack.pro April 2021

www.propack.pro

CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE...

P20-22

P13

P6-8

Epson unveils Australia’s first new SurePress L-6534VW press P6-8

Finishing printed packaging digitally P14-15

ProPack.pro’s Packaging Leaders Forum P26-35

Israeli digital finishing pioneer, Highcon Systems, has passed a number of milestones as its business grows

Thought leadership in the packaging space for 2021 and beyond

Jet Technologies adapts to changing needs P16-17

• P26 Impact International • P27 OMET • P28 Graffica

The L-6534VW digital label press, which has just been launched in Australia a few weeks ago, has also been permanently installed at Epson’s Experience Centre in Yennora, Sydney

Company gets to the forefront of change to ensure that its customers are offered maximum value

• P30 BOBST

The total package

• P33 ADS Australia

Complimentary solutions for package printing and finishing from Cyber as business grows P10-12

Are you considering a fresh new look for your product? Here are a few expert tips and contacts to get you started...

Known widely for its commercial print solutions, Cyber has much to offer the packaging printer and converter as its business grows to encompass more of package printing and finishing

Orora leads in providing sustainable packaging P13 The company is working closely with its customers to develop innovative, recycled and sustainable packaging

Ahead of the pack

P18-19

P 20-22

Sustainability is increasingly important for breweries as they limit their impact on the environment

Consumers indicate strong concern for packaging sustainability P24-25 Brands received a wakeup call from the latest consumer packaging research

• P31 Imagination Graphics • P32 Centrum Printing • P34 AIP • P35 WPO

Redefining what ‘safe foods’ mean in an era of heightened selfpreservation P36-37 The Public Place Recycling Voluntary Product stewardship report outlines the end of life collection of packaging

Pack Diary

P38

A guide to the upcoming packaging industry events globally

THIS ISSUE SUPPORTED BY

Pegras International is a network of Technology Professionals with extensive management and line experience in executing successful business development strategies into the Asia Pacific region. This includes business restructuring and optimisation for supply partners to extract maximum value from joint ventures.

Print Me TECHNO

Market soluti

Sourcin www.propack.pro

April 2021 ProPack.pro 5

Represe

COVER STORY

Epson unveils Australia’s first n The new digital label press has also been permanently installed at Epson’s Experience Centre in Yennora, Sydney

1

E

pson recently took delivery of and installed Australia’s first high productivity SurePress L-6534VW industrial UV digital label press at its recently-opened Experience Centre in Yennora, Sydney.

The second-generation high-speed production press was first unveiled at LabelExpo in 2019, but this was the first time the model was on display to the Australian industry following its local launch.

The new SurePress L-6534VW prints at speeds of up to 50 metres per minute for higher productivity with improved reliability and usability.

It also uses wide gamut CMYK inks with a high opacity white as standard and includes an innovative in-line digital varnish which delivers smooth gloss, matte and spot finishes.

It also utilises single-pass high opacity white ink which provides highdensity performance and is an ideal base layer for printing vivid colour on clear or metalised substrates.

“The bright white ink also gives the ability to print opaque, fine text and lines, even when printing clear labels for clear packaging. It offers the flexibility to print white on top of colours,” Epson said.

Epson said this high value feature delivers printers and converters a versatile platform to service the growing durable label markets including industrial, health and beauty, pharmaceutical and FMCG. The press also uses a wide colour gamut CMYK to produce labels that are weather resistant, which particularly suits the food and beverage industries.

The L-6534VW label press combines Epson PrecisionCore printheads around a central impression drum in conjunction with a narrow platen gap, delivering precise droplet placement without web meandering or skewing.

Its LED pining system also helps deliver finer tonal gradation and sharp images.

Epson’s proprietary Nozzle Verification Technology (NVT) and automatic head maintenance efficiently 6 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. Epson’s Craig Heckenberg with the new press during its launch

help the L-6534VW label press print through each shift without operator intervention.

As the L-6534VW label press supports a wide range of label applications including food and beverage, the labels it produces are also weather resistant.

Standard features for the L-6534VW include corona treater, web cleaner, ioniser and additional UV curing kit for increased ink adhesion on difficult substrates, all of which combine to help the press provide the highest level of versatility in print production.

The many benefits of printing in the digital label space

At the launch of the press, Epson Australia managing director Craig Heckenberg said the introduction of the L-6534VW marks a “significant milestone” for the company’s industrial labels business.

“This is the very first time in the country that we’re showcasing the brand-new UV digital label press.

Secondly, this showcase is reinforcing our commitment to the Australian and New Zealand label industry by delivering a unique value that only Epson can provide to our customers that are serious about printing highquality labels,” he said.

“Epson is committed to sustainability and we’re achieving this through improving the environmental performance of not only our products

but our operations as well. One of the other things we’re looking to do is to work with our customers and help them transition from analog to digital technology, and in doing so, reduce waste, raise productivity, and lower our environmental impacts.

“And we hope, through our new SurePress L-6534VW, we can work with the label printing market to transition from analog to digital.”

Epson Australia general manager of marketing Bruce Bealby said the digital label market is growing not only locally, but globally as well.

“Epson has been in the digital press space for a long time and for our company, the second-generation UV digital label presses are very quickly gaining momentum and popularity,” Bealby said.

“Last year, in Australasia, the market represented almost $800 million – this is a big market and we believe that by 2024, that will grow to almost $900 million. It shows you why Epson has made this big commitment to supply products into this market.

“Digital has very clear benefits over analog label printing. Firstly, digital presses are enabling runs to be very short with quick processing times.

“It also allows for labels to be customised on the fly – something that you can’t do on an analog press. Digital label printing is also much more economical and sustainable. In addition, COVID has accelerated the www.propack.pro

COVER STORY

new SurePress L-6534VW press demand for digital label printing as the disruptions in manufacturing and supply chains over the past few months have resulted in local producers deciding to rely on local production and bringing it in-house.”

Bealby added that the pandemic has also stimulated demand for products that require labels such as healthcare and FMCG products.

2. Epson’s Terry Crawford demonstrates the features of the press in Sydney

2

3. Some samples of labels printed on the SurePress L-6534VW industrial UV digital label press

Key features of the L-6534VW

PrecisionCore linehead: The PrecisionCore linehead is the key behind the high performance and reliability of the SurePress L-6534VW. Each of the six lineheads are comprised of PrecisionCore print chip modules (printheads), delivering precise quality with accuracy and high resolution.

Smooth and natural gradation and colour tone, from highlight to shadow, can be reproduced with 600 x 1200 dpi resolution using a minimum droplet of three picolitres and Variable Sized Droplet Technology.

High productivity: Epson’s PrecisionCore linehead, highly accurate web feeding technology and Epson-developed UV ink enable highspeed printing up to 50 m/min with high reliability and reduced down time.

The L-6534VW saves you time on every job with its many automated and efficient productivity features.

All LED UV colour pinning control: Epson’s own LED UV pinning system semi-cures and stabilises, controlling ink spread for finer tonal gradation, sharp images and vivid colour. UV light is applied immediately after each colour is printed. This allows perfectly round drops to be placed in their correct positions.

Centre drum web handling: The Drum Platen is a highly accurate web feeding technology which prevents meandering and skewing of the web.

The gap between the printhead and substrate is kept to a minimum, which enables accurate ink placement, for crisp text and fine lines.

Meandering and skewing of the web does not occur, because the substrate is held tightly around the drum. In comparison, the camber type platen of other presses requires manual adjustments when the substrate is changed, in cases such as Y-direction skew adjustment and colour adjustment (substantial waste of substrate).

The SurePress registration adjustment is electronic. The substrate is ‘fixed’ to the drum, as it passes all printhead colours, hence it provides excellent colour-to-colour registration. www.propack.pro

3

Nozzle verification technology and auto head maintenance function: Nozzle verification technology is an automatic nozzle check system with advanced ink droplet detection technology. A drive signal is sent to the piezo actuator. The same piezo element is used as a sensor to measure the pattern of the residual vibration. The residual vibration is analysed in milliseconds, reporting the nozzle status. All nozzles are checked after cleaning and before printing.

A manually printed nozzle check pattern is not required to check if a nozzle is firing.

Auto head maintenance cleans the nozzles automatically to eliminate manual cleaning during each shift.

It is fully automatic with no operator

intervention required. Wash fluid is sprayed on the head surface and then the head is cleaned automatically with the cleaning wiper.

The auto self-head maintenance function cleans heads periodically to avoid nozzle clogging based on print duty cycle and results of the nozzle verification test. After maintenance, the press returns to printing again with no operator interaction or interruption in job sequence.

SurePress customer support service by remote monitoring system: The operational status of the SurePress is monitored using a remote monitoring server. The L-6534VW has an extensive network of sensors which Continued on page 8 April 2021 ProPack.pro 7

COVER STORY Continued from page 7

4

feed into a diagnostic system. This allows, at any time, a quick response and predictive analysis, all done in advance of an impending repair visit.

Inline digital varnish: The L-6534VW has the Epson innovative digital varnish ink. A gloss or matte finish can be printed selectively as a varnish. High value and very appealing accents can be added to lift the visual appearance of specific areas.

The different finishes are achieved by changing the way the digital varnish is jetted from the printhead. Brand owners now have digital flexibility with spot varnishes.

Digital varnish delivers smooth and even gloss, matte and spot finishes.

The auto gloss varnish control function enables the appropriate amount of digital varnish to be applied to select areas according to the amount of WCMYK ink. This achieves a smooth, even and glossy finish.

High-opacity white ink: The singlepass high-opacity white ink provides high-density performance equivalent to screen printing and the ideal base layer for printing vivid colour on clear or metalised substrates. The bright white ink also gives the ability to print opaque, fine text and lines, even when printing clear labels for clear packaging. It offers the flexibility to print white on top of colours.

Clear film can be printed with colour ink first, followed by white ink using a printing method that allows you to view the results from the back of the film (reverse printing).

8 ProPack.pro April 2021

4. The launch of the L-6534VW marks a “significant milestone” for the company’s industrial labels business 5. Epson’s Paul Cunningham shows off a product with a label printed on the SurePress L-6534VW press 6. Epson’s Bruce Bealby detailing the specifics of the new press during its launch

Reverse print: The L-6534VW has a function to rewind the substrate. To print white over colour (reverse print) on clear film, you can rewind and print without replacing (returning rewind to unwind manually) the roll. Waste of substrate is reduced by resuming printing after proofing by simply rewinding and resuming printing.

5

FCM compliance for Epson SurePress inks

Epson label inks have reached a major milestone in Food Contact Materials (FCM) compliance. Epson inks used in the SurePress inkjet label presses are compliant with EU Regulation framework (FCM EC No. 1935/2004), Good Manufacturing Practices Regulation (GMP EC No. 2023/2006), Plastics Implementation Measure Regulation (PIM EU 10/2011) and included in Swiss Ordinance (SR 817.023.21) on Food Contact Materials for food packaging printing inks.

6

Wide gamut

A high concentration of pigment particles and UV pinning, which prevents ink drops from spreading or deforming, enables wide gamut and vivid colours. Wide gamut enables the reproduction of a wide range of desired colours that brand owners require.

The gamut volume of L-6534VW is larger than printing standards of offset coated paper like FOGRA, GRACoL and Japancolor.

The new Epson SurePress L-6534VW is shipping now.

For more information on the new Epson SurePress L-6534VW or to get a demonstration of the new industrial UV digital label press at Epson’s Experience Centre in Yennora, contact your local Epson Australia representative. www.propack.pro

Quality. Reliability.

Durability. Speed.

T H E N E W D I G I TA L U V I N K J E T L A B E L P R E S S With LED UV curing ink, the new Epson SurePress L-6534VW industrial linehead inkjet label press enables high-speed printing that's ideal for producing high quality labels, tags and packaging with outstanding durability. Increase your range of applications and improve your bottom line with wide gamut inks and multivarnish technology that delivers high speed, outstanding finish and low TCO. • Proven Epson technology: PrecisionCore printheads, ink, robotic control • High-speed printing up to 50 m/min.

• CMYK, high density white and value-add digital varnish inks standard • Corona treater, web cleaner, ionizer and additional UV curing standard

Learn more, visit www.epson.com.au/surepress or call Terry Crawford – +61(0)424 750 504

PRINT UP TO 50 m/min.

FOCUS CYBER

Complimentary solutions for packag 1

Known widely for its commercial print solutions, Cyber has much to offer the packaging printer and converter

F

or many years, Cyber has been successfully distributing Ryobi printing presses in Australia and New Zealand.

When, in January 2014, Ryobi came together with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to form RMGT (Ryobi MHI Graphic Technology Ltd), this resulted in a wider range of offset presses being made available to commercial and packaging printers, especially in larger formats.

RMGT works closely with its customers to create high-quality printed materials with high added value. A cornerstone of RMGT press design is its high productivity, supporting short-run printing, enabled

2

10 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. The Cyber advantage: RMGT’s 1050TP-9 1050mm single-colour reverse and eight-colour front tandem perfector press with coater and long delivery 2. Patented technology: RMGT’s Translink unit uses a triple-diameter vacuum suction cylinder for stable sheet transport of up to 0.8mm substrates

by ease of operation, easy maintenance and production management.

RMGT’s energy-conserving, long-life LED-UV printing system achieves high operating efficiency with LEDs that turn on and off instantly.

Low-heat LEDs reduce heat-related shrinkage of printing media, making them ideal for printing with resin film.

The TP (Tandem Perfector) series enables double-sided printing in a single pass of up to 0.8mm without tumbling the sheet.

Its unique arrangement reduces fan-out to ensure highly accurate front and back registration comparable to straight printing presses. The RMGT 10, for example, is capable of perfecting at up to 16,200 sheets per hour, greatly boosting productivity.

The PQS-D (Printing Quality System) inline quality control system numbers and inspects sheets during printing, automatically discharging any defective sheets to the reject delivery, eliminating the need to sort defective sheets after printing finishes.

RMGT’s automatic non-stop feeder and delivery shutter enhance efficiency and productivity for continuous printing on heavy stock by continuously feeding sheets and eliminating the need to stop printing when changing the pile.

Equipped with a large, 140cm screen, the PID (Press Information Display) allows real-time monitoring of sheet transport via an IP camera.

It also features a full range of other monitoring functions, including display of printing image data, colour density measurement tracking results, and safety device operation status.

Maintenance Mode significantly

reduces the amount of work required to check and adjust the roller nip, which is essential to ensure consistent printing quality.

It includes a variety of automatic functions for supporting nip width adjustment, including automatic printing of nip width samples and queuing of the nip adjustment position.

PJM (Print Job Manager) manages press operating status in real-time, centrally managing the production schedule for multiple presses and sending the printing job data to each individual press.

The PIC (Press Information Cloud) gathers real-time information on press operating status and automatically generates productivity assessment data for each press.

Data can be checked remotely on any mobile device, anywhere.

Australian experience

Neither the Ryobi nor the RMGT brands are new to Australia.

Cyber Australia and New Zealand managing director Bernard Cheong said, “Our presses are very versatile.

It is becoming more common for many commercial printers to print short-run packaging on their presses.

“Sydney printers, United Printing & Packaging (UPP) in Smithfield and Major Graphics Printing in Warriewood, are both producing packaging on their Ryobi/RMGT presses supplied by Cyber.”

Despite the claims of digital production methods eroding the market share of offset in package printing, Cheong said there is still an enormous volume of packaging printed offset. www.propack.pro

CYBER FOCUS

ge printing and finishing from Cyber

“Fast makeready, automation, high speed and large format are among the features of the RMGT range that make it both efficient and highly productive for package printing,” Cheong added.

“From large volume packaging to short-run, boutique jobs, one versatile RMGT press can do them all. Package printers are producing food-grade board, glove box, paper cups, cigarette cartons and high-end UV finished cosmetic boxes on our presses. By digitising press operation, with SAP (Smart Assist Printing) - non-stop printing together with PQS-D (Print Quality System), we have reduced make ready time and waste.

3. Highly productive: RMGT’s 1050LX-8 1,050mm eight-colour press with coater and long double delivery 4. RMGT 920ST-6 920mm five-colour press with coater and semi-long delivery

“To maximise efficiency, we have also kept human intervention to the bare minimum.

“RMGT has partnered with AGV (Autonomous Guided Vehicle) and robotic arm system integrators to offer further automation such as robotic arm plate loading and pseudolights-off operation,” Cheong said.

“We at Cyber, together with our RMGT partners, are practical, downto-earth people. We work hard to deliver solutions that maximise profitability and help businesses to grow.”

Cheong said most local Cyber customers continue to enjoy steady

growth with their highly automated and productive offset presses.

Regional customer base

North of Australia, there is no shortage of reference sites where printers have deployed RMGT presses for their package printing.

In the lead up to the Lunar New Year, there was a substantial uptick in orders for RMGT 10 series, 920 series and 790 series presses from customers in China suggesting a rapid recovery from the downturn brought about by COVID-19.

Cyber’s customers in China include not Continued on page 12

3

4

www.propack.pro

April 2021 ProPack.pro 11

FOCUS CYBER Continued from page 11

5

only government-run and private commercial printing but also publishing companies, as well as packaging printers.

China’s Zhejiang province is home to a large number of mid-sized RMGT presses and appears to be recovering quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic induced downturn, especially in the packaging sector.

Chinese distributor, DINGA, received orders for five RMGT 790ST-5XL presses, mainly for shortrun packaging printers.

The news from RMGT headquarters is that, as a result of increasing business confidence and increasing order volume, lead times for delivery of presses, especially the RMGT 10 and 790 series, are getting longer.

Meanwhile, during December and January, Sunil Ms Co, the Korean distributor of large size presses (the RMGT 10 series) received orders for six presses.

One of the drivers of demand for new printing press technology appears to have been an amendment to the Korean Labor Standard Act, reducing working hours to 52 per week in medium to small sized businesses from July 2021, as well as an increase in the minimum wage.

These changes have obliged printing company managements to increase productivity whilst also decreasing labour costs.

The RMGT 1050TP model is a popular solution among publication printers in view of its productivity 12 ProPack.pro April 2021

5. New from SBL: the 1060SCB 1,060mm, 9,000sph automatic die cutting and creasing platen with stripping and blanking

which is 2.8 times higher than a straight press as well as reducing the need for press operators by half.

Korea has also seen the commissioning of several of the RMGT 1050LX packaging model in the factories of major packaging companies who regard RMGT’s solutions highly.

Three RMGT 1050LX packaging presses will be installed in Korea in 2021 and further projects are in the planning phase.

Despite the ravages of COVID-19, RMGT continues to receive orders from the United States, Europe and Asia and analysts believe the global printing industry is well on the way to recovery from COVID-19.

As a result of growing demand, RMGT is increasing its production volume by between 1.5 and 2 times.

Whilst it will take some time to ramp up production, RMGT has back orders for its multi-colour 1050LX with coating unit from packaging customers in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Korea and Thailand. Demand is also strong among European and Chinese package printers for RMGT’s B2 press 790 series.

Cyber mentioned that it is able to arrange print samples for interested customers, as well as online meetings and demonstrations.

Across the finishing line

Post-press, Cyber has partnered with Taiwanese manufacturer, SBL, to provide high-end finishing to the packaging industry.

Founded in 1968, SBL has grown to become a trusted manufacturer of machines for post-press and packaging at its factory in New Taipei City.

SBL has adopted a German manufacturing system and utilises precision parts from suppliers in Japan and Europe.

Among its customers has been Heidelberg with many Taiwanese-built finishing machines sold under the German brand.

Over more than fifty years, SBL has become an institution in the print and package finishing industry, relied upon for the quality and productivity of its solutions. Decades of industry experience and research goes into the company’s product designs, assuring that its customers are supplied with efficient, economical, reliable, and safe equipment that will bring more value to their businesses.

Cheong said, “SBL finishing solutions are well known in not only Asia but across the rest of the world as well, especially in countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

“There is also an installed base of SBL machines in Australia, these having been supplied by Heidelberg and the previous agent.

“Cyber took over distribution of SBL finishing solutions across Australia and New Zealand late in 2019, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival on the country’s shores early in 2020, many projects had to be put on hold,” he added. www.propack.pro

ORORA FOCUS

Orora innovates, recycles and provides sustainable packaging The company is working closely with its customers to develop innovative, recycled and sustainable packaging solutions

W

ith Orora being one of the key local players in sustainable beverage packaging, ProPack.pro sister publication Beer & Brewer spoke to Orora Beverage Cans sales manager Adam Johnson (AJ) about beer packaging and sustainability.

Q: Tell us a bit about Orora and what you guys do?

1. Orora prides itself on producing premium quality packaging that performs optimally throughout the supply chain

1

2. Orora works closely with its suppliers to ensure that the recycled content of its products is maintained and increased over time

2

AJ

: Orora is a leader in sustainable beverage packaging – we make aluminium cans and glass bottles. We are one of the largest beverage can suppliers across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and our glass business operates one of the largest glass making plants in the Southern Hemisphere.

Q: Can you share any industry trends regarding beer packaging?

AJ

: Consumers are telling our customers they want to reduce their impact on the world and buy products in recyclable packaging. In response, we are working closely with our customers to develop innovative, recycled and sustainable packaging solutions. Global surveys, such as the McKinsey Packaging Survey, are also reporting that consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of packaging.

Q: Are the products you make sustainable? Are they recyclable?

AJ

: Absolutely! Orora’s efforts to reduce its impact on the planet are guided by the concept of a Circular Economy, where a continuous loop sees sustainable packaging manufactured, used, recycled and transformed into new packaging.

Orora’s cans and ends are manufactured from aluminium that www.propack.pro

contains more than 63 per cent recycled content. Our glass bottles are manufactured from a mix of virgin raw materials and recycled content, called ‘cullet’. We are a significant recycler of cullet in Australia and we’re currently working towards our goal to achieve 70 per cent recycled content for Orora Glass.

Q: Does using recycled packaging affect the quality?

AJ

: Not at all. Aluminium and glass are both infinitely recyclable without any compromise on quality. We pride ourselves on producing premium quality packaging that performs optimally throughout the supply chain.

Q: What else is Orora doing in sustainability?

AJ

: At Orora, sustainability is fundamental to everything we do. We’re working closely with our suppliers to ensure that the recycled content of our products is maintained and increased over time. We’re also looking at improving sustainability outcomes across our whole business,

beyond the products we make. For example, as a manufacturer we need a lot of energy to keep our plants running, so we are investing in renewable energy sources.

Orora has long-term power purchase agreements in place with wind farms to supply renewable energy for volumes equivalent to 80 per cent of Orora’s total electricity requirements in Australia. We also have solar panels installed at most of our manufacturing sites, which collectively generate around 770 MWh and offset around 487 tonnes of CO2e per year.

Q: What are you focusing on next?

AJ

: Environmental sustainability remains a significant focus for Orora, and the beverage industry more broadly, as we continue to invest in technology as well as research and development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase recycled content. Sustainability will continue to be a key driver into the future, and we are actively looking at ways to further invest in this area and deliver against our objectives.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 13

FOCUS HIGHCON

1

Finishing printed packaging digitally ProPack.pro publisher, Brian Moore, speaks with Israeli digital finishing pioneer, Highcon Systems

W

hilst the bosses of many businesses have nothing but bad memories of the COVID year 2020, Shlomo Nimrodi, CEO of Israeli digital print finishing company Highcon Systems, is not among them.

His business passed many milestones in 2020, not least of which was a highly successful IPO which took the business just two months to lock and load.

But then, the TASE (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange) ¬ known to locals as The Bursa ¬ is booming.

Announcing the successful completion in November 2020 of an initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Highcon raised $45 million from leading Israeli institutional investors in an oversubscribed offering, resulting in a $165 million valuation following the offering.

Nimrodi is no stranger to the IPO: he spent the last seven years prior to joining Highcon as CEO of Ramot, 14 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. Highcon CEO, Shlomo Nimrodi: the recent oversubscribed Highcon IPO was the fourth that he has led 2. Highcon’s Beam 2C digital cutting and creasing solution meets stringent demands for corrugated packaging; non-crush process, customisable to enable rightsizing and light-weighting of packaging

the largest centre for innovation and entrepreneurship in Israel at Tel Aviv University. During his seven years there, the centre powered 85 start-up companies and licensed some 150 technologies to multinationals around the world.

The going hasn’t been so easy all year though; when Drupa was postponed earlier in 2020 and Highcon was stuck with $10 million worth of inventory that was to have been exhibited, then sold, Nimrodi faced his biggest challenge since signing on as CEO in March 2019.

After several frustrated attempts, government funding was secured to make up the shortfall in revenue, and the Highcon team went from strengthto-strength, ratcheting up the business to the next level.

Revolutionary digital technology pioneered by Highcon bridges the gap

between agile production and design flexibility delivering cutting edge responsiveness, just-in-time production, short runs, customisation of structure and design, and the ability to perform a wide range of applications in-house and on-demand.

Highcon’s Euclid and Beam digital cutting and creasing products are installed at folding carton and corrugated packaging customer sites around the world.

Founded in 2009 by Aviv Ratzman and Michael (Miki) Zimmer, the company is headquartered in the town of Yavne, near the city of Ashdod and half an hour from Tel Aviv by train.

Highcon’s USP is its unique and proprietary technology for digital cutting and creasing solutions for post print processes in the folding carton and corrugated carton industries, covering a wide range of formats,

2

www.propack.pro

HIGHCON FOCUS

substrates and applications. Its solutions recognise three major global trends which are driving change in the industry: e-commerce, sustainability and omni-channel sales and marketing.

Highcon’s patented digital cutting and creasing process brings all the known benefits previously associated with digital prepress and printing workflow to the existing analogue finishing market.

Whilst other businesses may have slowed at the onset of COVID-19 early last year, Nimrodi saw it as an opportunity for positive change.

As the pandemic began to sweep the world, he added a quotation from Charles Darwin to his email signature: “Those that survive are not the strongest or the most intelligent but the most adaptable to change”.

“Little did I know that this small quotation would really set the tone for us once the first wave of COVID-19 hit and everybody kind of got into a shock situation,” Nimrodi said.

“I believe that it’s only going to make us a better organisation, I really do.

“We realised that we need to harness our personal commitments to the company’s future and unfortunately, we had to part ways with about 20 per cent of our employees very early on in the process.

“Every individual employee gave up a certain percentage of their compensation and we spoke to all of our suppliers and reached an understanding on the open debt.

“We communicated with our customers much more frequently than ever before, making sure they knew we intended to keep up the supply chain because we’re not just selling equipment, we’re also selling consumables and providing services.

“We changed many of our tactics to provide remote maintenance and remote monitoring.

“It has been a challenge because, obviously, if you need to replace a part, you need to replace that part: you can’t do it virtually.

“We managed, even during the height of the Corona, to fly people to our customers and fix their machines.

But I would say we did shift a big portion of our support activity to online, working remotely.”

Following the successful flotation of the company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in November, Highcon sought to bolster its board of directors and executive management team with the appointment of leading industry figures, among them Alon Bar-Shany, former general manager of HP Indigo, who assumed the role of chairman of the board.

During his tenure at HP Indigo as general manager, Bar-Shany was www.propack.pro

3. Well known across Australia and New Zealand, Alon BarShany was appointed chairman of the Highcon board in January

3

4

4. Digital veteran, Benny Landa, an early investor in Highcon, is a member of the company’s board

globally recognised for having grown that company by more than $1 billion in revenues.

Prior to that he ran the HP Indigo business in EMEA, led the worldwide Indigo channel business and was CFO of Indigo at the time of its acquisition from Benny Landa by HP. Highcon’s seasoned board of directors includes Benny Landa, founder of Indigo and chairman of the Landa Group.

Bar-Shany said, “I am looking forward to joining the Highcon board and taking part in the ongoing digital transformation of the printing and packaging industry.

“Highcon has been a pioneer in the digitalisation of the post-print part of the process which, after the growing adoption of digital printing, is where many bottlenecks now occur.

“I have known Shlomo for 25 years and in fact, he recruited me to Indigo.

I have been following the company and its customers for quite a while and will be supporting Shlomo and the management team to ensure the success of Highcon customers, which will be a key driver for the company’s ongoing growth.”

Also in January this year, Highcon and EFI announced that they had entered into a global partnership agreement, the goal of which is to offer customers an integrated, end-to-end business productivity and workflow solution, providing a flexible foundation for digital growth.

EFI’s packaging and corrugated suites aim to deliver off-the-shelf productivity benefits that target specific business areas to reduce waste and inefficiency in the packaging production process, driving cost savings with integrated e-Commerce, ERP and shop floor data collection.

In the coming Highcon Euclid and Beam software release, Highcon customers will be able to integrate with EFI’s MarketDirect PackCentral online customer ordering portal and EFI Auto-Count 4D software, which automatically collects accurate, up-tothe-minute production data for digital presses and cutting devices.

According to the stakeholders, the partnership will significantly improve lead times for printed material development by delivering a fully optimised supply chain that brings together buyers, converters, and digital converting equipment through robust two-way connectivity.

The comprehensive platform delivers value to businesses that are looking to improve efficiency, manage and optimise paper and inventory, reduce process waste and improve profits by leveraging automation.

Commenting on the partnership, Nimrodi said, “We are excited about working with EFI towards an end-toend digital solution, Nozomi and Beam platforms, coupled with workflow automation that will answer the market needs for sustainability and Industry 4.0 manufacturing efficiencies.

“Collaboration with other industry players in the digital space is a critical part of our go to market strategy and we will continue to drive this strategy demonstrating our commitment to provide the best comprehensive solution to the inherent limitations in the conventional process.”

Nimrodi also said he has a soft spot for Australia and especially New Zealand where he and his wife spent a month hiking in 2019.

He is keen for Highcon to be represented down under sooner rather than later.

Vice-president of sales at Highcon, Jens Henrik Osmundsen is currently responsible for sales in Australasia.

He said, “Currently we have one of our corrugated solutions installed at a leading company in corrugated packaging in Australia and we have seen strong interest for our solution from other corrugated companies.

“We are also seeing strong and growing interest for our solutions for folding cartons.

“We do not currently have a representative in Australia or New Zealand, but we are in touch with several parties who have expressed interest in representing our solutions in A/NZ for both the folding carton and corrugated segments.”

April 2021 ProPack.pro 15

FOCUS JET TECHNOLOGIES

Adapting and succeeding wi Jet Technologies prides itself in being at the forefront of change and in providing stellar customer service, ensuring that its customers are offered maximum value

Jet Technologies’ Jack Malki delves into the details surrounding labels and packaging

P

roPack.pro recently caught up with Jet Technologies director Jack Malki (JM) to talk about what the business has been up to since COVID-19, and how its go-to-market strategy has changed to suit current needs.

Is the labels and packaging space a lucrative area for business in today’s world?

JM

: Labels and packaging has been doing record months and a record year, so there are opportunities in this space, whether that is for people from outside of the industry altogether or offset printers jumping in.

For people outside of the industry considering it, the message is that we’re not good at everything but we’re very good at labels. We cover all aspects as some can sell you a printing press and they may be good at it, but half of the story is the finishing and the understanding – and especially coming from offset for sheets and going into a roll form, it’s a huge step. So, you really need somebody to hold your hand and to provide you with that support.

And what we’ve been able to do, with those printers that have been jumping in from a different area is sell them the device, but also literally be there for them. We have our staff around the country and in New Zealand, so we practice a very hands-on approach with them. It’s a very intensive process, but customers remember it. There’s a real advisory role that we play that’s more than just the equipment – the equipment speaks for itself.

Have you noticed commercial printers moving into the industry to replace label companies, and what is its impact on the industry?

JM

: There has been some consolidation happening in the industry – a couple of independents 16 ProPack.pro April 2021

have sold recently, like Rapid Labels in Melbourne sold to Labelmakers and Label Partners in Adelaide sold to Hexagon.

But, it is not like commercial printers need to come in because the market is doing well enough without them; they are coming in because they have to and labels and packaging has been, by far, one of the better categories for growth.

The decline of offset has been happening for 20 years – it’s not just because of COVID – and while offset is still recovering, those that are seriously looking at something outside of their futures, since wide format is very common, are looking at labels and packaging.

In saying that, some of our friends at Avon Graphics, Next Printing and Cactus Imaging have done very well in the wide format space and have a play in labels and packaging.

Has there been any changes to Jet Technologies’ operations since COVID?

JM

: One of the key things that we did in November 2019 was to open up our Melbourne office warehouse. I just cannot imagine how we would have survived COVID without that substantial operation down there. It was brand new – we literally moved in around early December. So, when COVID came around locally in March, we had a fully stocked warehouse in both Melbourne and Sydney.

We need a bigger premise in Melbourne as our business has grown in the last few years – not in every area or sector – but in many. A lot of those clients are in Victoria and want their stock nearby in Victoria. That just gives our clients the security that they need, knowing that they can get to their stock easily. It’s their business and we want to www.propack.pro

JET TECHNOLOGIES FOCUS

with changing market needs ensure that they don’t run out of product. Our people in Melbourne also had a facility to work from and be at.

We were able to offer our clients localised service. And service is a massive part of our business so that has made a huge impact. So much so that we’re actually already looking for a larger premise in Melbourne.

We’re looking to have this done sometime this year. We’ve had to hold more stock than before and this will be our solution to such challenges.

So we haven’t had to change too much – our IT infrastructure has always been more sophisticated and ready for change even though COVID was not planned for.

People are sending more stock on consignment now rather than asking local agents to pay for that. Are you finding that there are different types of stock holdings now post-COVID as a result?

JM

:Not really. We’ve had consignments for many years.

We’ve always found that that it was an efficient way. Effectively, most printers are using the same stock over and over, and those that are sending stock on consignment just don’t want to hold much of it. We would rather they did and pay for when they use it. That way, there is less of a rush. We’ve always run heavy on consignments and plan, very extensively, our inventory management. We’ve also worked on lengthy lead times – much more so than the reality.

This has worked to our advantage this year as when everyone has run out of everything, we’ve got them.

Which areas have seen the most growth in the company?

JM

: Growth has definitely come in the digital labels space.

Labels and packaging has grown yearon-year and that’s quite impressive. It is in a better position than some other markets. In terms of digital and inkjet, we have seen it grow by more than two times in terms of square metres.

Consumables in this sector is what has resulted in growth for Jet Technologies.

At the moment, we’re also seeing some great supply chain disruptions, resulting in challenges in getting things out of Asia in the same sort of way or cost as before. And with consumers demanding solutions ‘now’, inkjet has been on the rise locally. So, I think www.propack.pro

we’re going to see increased growth in packaging and exponential growth in digital packaging as more things get printed locally.

When we sell a digital product, we always tell people to do their math and allocate their investment to a minimum of a three-year timeframe. But, these products will last longer – there is a six or seven-year-old Screen equipment that is printing away perfectly.

That is point of difference – Screen’s equipment really does last.

Has the push for ‘Made in Australia’ and disruptions to supply chains affected Jet Technologies’ operations?

JM

: Our products are all imported and in most cases, there’s no locally made alternative.

So, we haven’t had a negative from the fact that we’re bringing in imported products. But our clients have largely had success in selling more locallymade food.

But in dealing with the containers issue, it’s been an absolute nightmare with prices on the rise. It has been very complicated to manage all of that but our clients have been in the same boat.

Nobody is trying to gouge anybody and everyone understands. This has been a good relationship building exercise amongst the whole industry. There is now a lot more cooperation happening now than a year or two ago.

What are some of the industry’s general goals moving forward?

JM

: The goals depend on the sector but the environmental goals which went by the wayside briefly at the start of COVID have certainly come back in. It’s no secret that Australia is under pressure from both abroad and consumers to have radical and meaningful environmental change. And we’re a part of that.

We take a very pragmatic approach – it’s not about ticking boxes for us – so, we work hard with our clients to implement things that are practical and measurable.

For example, we’re starting to move some of our films from plastic to cellulose wood-based. So, it is from a renewable source and is degradable.

That’s a good start.

The other goal is to be as efficient as we can be in producing things with as little as possible. There’s a huge strain on the workforce and at some of the peaks of COVID, we had eight to 10

times the usual volumes, which is not easy to manage from every aspect. That has put massive pressure all the way up the chain and we’ve come through with flying colours so far.

What can the industry expect from Jet Technologies in the next few months?

JM

: We aren’t planning years in advance; we are planning month by month. We’re keen to have more events – we’ll be exhibiting at PacPrint, and Screen will be there too.

We’ve always invested in growing our services to our clients and we’ll continue to do that. But our commitment has always been there to a longer-term view, meaning that this is an area that is very important to us.

Labels and packaging is a key area and our commitment to our clients is to be able to provide a better service locally.

We’ve spent a huge amount of money on our IT systems in the past year – so that’s the software that works out what we need to order, when and how – enabling our clients with a better way to top up their consignments electronically. Given all of these investments that we have made, I think it is going to be a great year ahead.

We’re also always looking for new ways to provide value to our clients and future clients. We’ll also be looking to introduce more educational sessions and localised events. We can only control what’s happening where we have a local presence.

What would be your advice to businesses in this industry?

JM

: You have to find places in the market that are not being overly served so that you can create your own niche area of play. Some areas of the market are already saturated and extremely competitive.

Taking the wine industry as an example – it has been a very elaborate labels market that is known to be prestigious. If you enter the wine labels market today, you’re up against some extremely strong competition and some extremely large clients that do throw their weight around. That is not an easy segment to enter. Perhaps rewarding if you succeed, but not something I would suggest as an entry point.

So, you’ll have to find your niche – be it in industrial labels or with medium-sized food companies or whatever it is that you may have a good connection to – and you have to make success in it and go from there.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 17

FOCUS PACKAGING & DESIGN

The total package 1

Are you considering a fresh new look for your product? Here are a few expert tips and contacts to get you started...

H

ow often should you refresh your branding or packaging designs?

Many companies have focused on navigating through a challenging year, so it’s understandable if the branding elements or packaging design was the least of their priorities in 2020.

It is however important to consider if the market has changed and when it is a good time to revisit branding and packaging designs.

According to www.thebrandleader. com, even brands that are established household names tend to go through a 18 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. One of Onfire’s World Brand Design Society Award Winning Projects for Hansells Greek Style Yoghurt

brand overhaul every seven to 10 years and smaller refreshes more frequently.

Packaging designs need to be revisited at regular intervals to ensure the designs meet the changing market and have the appropriate call outs and messages to retain or gain the consumer’s attention on crowded market shelves.

In fact, you have only about three seconds to catch the consumer’s attention and ‘explain’ your product to them. This can be achieved with bold colours, catchy words, and packaging that is easy to understand, for example.

Changing or redesigning your packaging is particularly important: • When retailers are telling you that you need to make changes • When your palette or design starts to look dated • When your competitors have changed their packaging • When the market around your product has changed • When the breadth of your products has expanded

New firestarter at Onfire Design following expansion

With expanding business in Australia and Asia, Auckland based Onfire Design has a new firestarter. Jade Woods, previously of Brother Design, has been appointed as Account Manager at Onfire.

Following on from several successful years working across a variety of FMCG projects, Jade has been brought on board to help manage Onfire’s increasing portfolio.

Onfire’s managing director Sam Allan said, “Jade is a true firestarter – she’s passionate about great design that ignites brands and makes sure projects are on time, on budget and on fire!

With the increase in business, we feel it’s critical to ensure our account service matches our creative output.

Jade’s experience in FMCG will be extremely valuable to our clients both here and abroad.”

Onfire is an internationally recognised branding and packaging agency and has been listed in the top www.propack.pro

PACKAGING & DESIGN FOCUS

ten Best Design Agencies by World Brand Design Society three years running, this year coming in at fourth.

2

3

Find out more: www.weareonfire.co.nz

The 100 Club – 100 members; 100 stores and 100 per cent funded by industry

The Packaging Forum’s Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme is now in its sixth year and is a great example of industry taking ownership of its packaging from design through to disposal.

Soft plastic recycling started in Auckland with seed funding from the Waste Minimisation Fund and the initial support of Cottonsoft, Goodman Fielder, Simplot, James Crisp, Kimberly-Clark, Countdown, Foodstuffs and The Warehouse.

Today the scheme is 100 per cent funded by industry, has just welcomed its 100th member with a 60 per cent rise in membership last year.

The scheme represents 75 per cent of the post-consumer soft plastic packaging market.

Consumers can drop off their soft plastic (https://www.recycling.kiwi.nz/ store-locator), which can be turned into fence posts, garden boxes, cable covers and garden edging by two New Zealand processors Future Post, as well as Second Life Plastics.

Members’ levies fund collections from stores, quality checks, baling, transport to end markets, and pay an agreed rate per tonne to cover the processing costs.

In December 2020, The Packaging Forum signed an agreement with the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO) which integrates the New Zealand Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme within the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL).

The Scheme was accredited in 2018 for seven years by the Government as

2. Jade Woods, account manager, Onfire Design 3. Consumers’ soft plastic can be turned into garden boxes and fence posts 4. The design of packaging needs to ensure it gets noticed and lift its sales appeal

a Voluntary Product Stewardship Scheme and reports annually to the Ministry for the Environment on its performance. With plastic packaging now a Priority Product, if your organisation is not already a member, now is a good time to join!

Did you know that 168 tonnes of post-consumer soft plastic was processed in 2020? That’s 28 million individual plastic bags or enough to fill two Olympic sized swimming pools.

To find out how to join the Soft Plastics Recycling Scheme, or how to make your new and updated packaging design recyclable, visit recycling.kiwi.nz/ or contact donna@packagingforum.org.nz .

Getting more out of design

Jenny McMillan, business development director at Brother Design said, “A lot of the design work we do in the FMCG category forms the final link in a chain of product development and testing that commenced well before our involvement. And that’s fine.

“Often we get to create the ‘face’ of the brand, ensure it gets noticed and lift its sales appeal.

“But we also work on projects where clients get us involved earlier in the

process, sometimes at the outset, and that can make a valuable difference.

“Making design an integral part of a product’s development frequently delivers more innovation and differentiation. And the more proprietary a product offering is, the more able it is to fight off competitive threats. The opposite of this is what we see all too often on shelf: category generics that are merely reclothed for a temporary boost before the competition closes in. Applying a ‘total design’ approach can allow a brand to create its own space in strictlycontrolled retail environments.

“From pop-up experiences and category-breaking range extensions to co-promotion opportunities, there are so many potential advantages that can be built into a brand’s design if applied early enough.

“So, even if your next product or brand development exists only on a whiteboard or in a test kitchen, involve your design team.

“Opportunities are too valuable to waste,” McMillan said.

For more information please contact Jenny McMillan, Business Development Director, ph 021 193 2141.

4

www.propack.pro

April 2021 ProPack.pro 19

FOCUS PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY

Ahead of the pack Sustainability is increasingly important for Australasian breweries as they limit the impact their businesses have on the environment.

Their packaging usage is a key aspect in that harm reduction

1

By Gifford Lee

T

he kerer once claimed the title of ‘drunkest bird in New Zealand’ after sightings were made of the native pigeon falling from trees following a feast of rotting fruit. Reports also show that in Summer, when fruit is plentiful, drunk kerer are sometimes taken to wildlife centres to sober up.

Strange, but true, yet there is more to being named after a pigeon with a penchant for boozy lunches for one New Zealand brewery.

Kerer Brewing in Upper Hutt, just north of New Zealand’s capital city Wellington, don’t just do great beer – they won the 2018 AIBA Champion Small International Brewery award – but their sustainability practices are industry-leading.

A key tenet for them is ‘keeping it local’ and they are able to access hops from across the Cook Strait in Marlborough, malt from Christchurch, water from the nearby Akatawara reserves, and their glass packaging is recycled within New Zealand by Visy Glass NZ. “Recyclable products are very, very important. It is essential to our business,” said Kerer Brewing’s owner and brewer Chris Mills.

“Seventy five per cent of the amber glass going in to our packaging is recycled through kerbside recycling.

It’s amazing. It means we’re lowering our overall footprint and it means customers can continue to recycle our glass.”

Buy local

Visy Glass works with trans-Tasman breweries to supply locally manufactured glass that is 100 per cent recycled in Australia and New Zealand.

20 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. Kereru¯ Brewing in Upper Hutt, north of Wellington, won the 2018 AIBA Champion Small International Brewery award for its sustainability practices

“One of the big benefits of glass is that it’s recycled locally and not shipped overseas for processing,” said Visy Glass’ Bayard Sinnema, Marketing, Insights & Innovation.

“In as little as 30 days, your bottle can be recycled and made into another bottle – and we do this again and again all locally.”

Visy Glass have been supporting glass recycling efforts for decades and they work closely with both the New Zealand Glass Packaging Forum and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation.

Those efforts have seen it achieve higher recycled content in every bottle.

Each new bottle made in Australia contains an average of 49 per cent recycled glass, and in New Zealand an average of 69 per cent.

“When we use recycled glass in new bottles, we reduce the amount of energy and CO2 needed in the manufacturing process. And using recycled glass means we use less of

the natural ingredients that create glass – sand, soda ash and limestone,” Sinnema said.

“We partner with customers and educate them on the benefits of glass.

In helping consumers to be more aware, they are getting a better understanding of packaging, in terms of where the raw materials come from, the percentage of recycled content in new production, and importantly what happens once they throw it in the recycle bin. Community and sustainability are driving more accountability from brands beyond just what you put in the bottle.”

For Mills at Kerer , every little bit helps when trying to lower the impact on the planet.

“My personal feeling about sustainability is that it’s a planet that we’re borrowing and we really ought to try to return it better than we found it,” he said.

“We do everything we can, that’s practical, to lower our impact.” www.propack.pro

PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS

From start to finish

For Interpack, who supply a range of Australian breweries – both big and small – with beer bottle crown seals, their sustainability practices start before any packaging begins and extend well beyond the shelf life of the beverages their products once contained. Their Deer Park location in Victoria even boasts one of the largest solar arrays in the industry, producing in excess of 600 kilowatts of power.

“We’re about clever solutions that start by focusing on the product and its inherent packaging needs,” said Interpack’s Director Robert Arduca. “(Our crown seals) work to protect the product, maximise shelf life, minimise waste and inspire consumers to reach out for quality products that will be enjoyed to the end, before being re-purchased again and again.”

In the pre-production phase, Interpack work with breweries on packaging solutions that help find the greatest efficiencies for their product.

This even includes a final proof in 3D so it can be wholly visualised how the product will look on shelves under different lighting conditions. This ability to cut out the trial and error phase means Interpack is helping to reduce a brewery’s footprint before production has even begun.

Once actually on the production line, their crown seals are cut from sheets of aluminium or tin, ensuring as little as possible is wasted. Offcuts are collected and stockpiled for recycling. Strict quality control via a six camera realtime monitoring system means variations are caught before they’re an issue, and wastage is minimised. Their new Capmatrix packaging system, which packs the closures vertically and allows 30 per cent more to be boxed, means more savings are made during the transportation phase.

“We embrace material re-use wherever possible. All Interpack steel food cans and aluminium caps and closures are fully recyclable. We’re proud to be working with independent brewers. We care about the innovation and passion that they bring to their beers, which is why we are proud to be associate members of the Independent Brewers Association,” Arduca said.

The future is in your hands

Seeing images of sea and bird life caught in the old plastic ringed beer holders is a childhood memory many of a certain vintage will never shake.

However, it comes as a relief that those sorts of scenes remain a distant memory thanks to sustainability advances within the beer industry.

PakTech’s beer handles are made with 100 per cent post-consumer material and are repurposed from the www.propack.pro

2. According to Visy, community and sustainability are driving more accountability from brands beyond what is put in the bottle

2

3. Interpack crown seals work to protect the product, maximise shelf life, minimise waste and inspire consumers to reach out for quality products 4. Orora’s aluminium cans are infinitely recyclable and manufactured to global standards, delivering a complete, sustainable packaging solution

3

likes of milk containers. They are in turn 100 per cent recyclable and are often repurposed as composite timber, flower pots, park benches and back into future PakTech handles. And considering our current climate, the holders function like a can’s dust jacket which enhance the hygiene levels for the end user.

“Improving your product’s packaging is one of the fastest ways to boost environmental outcomes,” said PakTech’s marketing manager Elizabeth Kouns.

“By choosing PakTech as a packaging solution, breweries are making the clear choice for meeting their sustainability goals.

“Made from 100 per cent recycled HDPE, PakTech handles use 90 per cent less energy and 100 per cent less petroleum as compared to virgin plastic production.

“When compared to boxboard, PakTech wins as boxboard uses 19.5 per cent more water, 81.8 per cent more energy and causes 475 per cent more mineral and fossil depletion.”

4

People, planet and prosperity

With the onset of digital media, the link between consumers and producers is closer than ever before. The endusers of products can have their voices heard by a massive audience on a myriad of subjects, including a business’ sustainability practices.

Orora Beverage has been listening.

The supplier of cans and glass to the beer industry is supporting its customers to develop innovative, recycled and sustainable packaging solutions. As well as offering their cans with the likes of thermochromic, fluoro and tactile inks, Orora make them from coils that contain more than 63 per cent recycled aluminium.

During production, scrap aluminium is collected and returned to aluminium manufacturers for recycling. They also recycle approximately 80 per cent of all glass collected through South Australia’s container deposit scheme at its glass manufacturing plant in Gawler. Orora also re-melts any glass Continued on page 22 April 2021 ProPack.pro 21

FOCUS PACKAGING SUSTAINABILITY Continued from page 21

5

rejects that result from the manufacturing process.

“In a world where packaging sustainability is necessary, and there is a driving need for a circular economy, brewers are well positioned with both Orora glass and cans,” said Tony Hawthorne, Orora’s General Manager Sustainability & Environment.

“Orora’s glass bottles and aluminium cans are infinitely recyclable and manufactured to global standards – delivering a sustainable packaging solution, which is what we know consumers are seeking in the market.”

To take things even further, Orora has established their own sustainability program – People, Planet and Prosperity – which is guided by the circular economy concept, where a continuous loop sees sustainable packaging manufactured, used, recycled and transformed into new packaging.

They have long-term power purchase agreements in place with renewable energy providers to supply renewable energy for volumes equivalent to 80 per cent of their total requirements in Australia. In 2014, Orora went about challenging Eco Targets related to the intensity of CO2 emissions, the volume of waste its operations send to landfill, and water usage in its manufacturing operations. In 2019, Orora was able to meet all of those targets following a 22 ProPack.pro April 2021

5. Krones’ Dynafiller filler

multi-year program of investments and initiatives to address the target areas across its entire operation.

Powering on

Creating a cost-efficient production operation while at the same time assuring proactive sustainability is a genuine challenge for breweries.

Besides needing plenty of fresh water, the beer production process also requires a substantial amount of energy – including during the packaging phase.

The provision of cooling energy for the brewing process consumes about half of the total electricity needed in a brewery.

Consequently, the biggest potential for cutting power consumption is to be found in optimising this process.

A modification of the cold-circuit can make a contribution towards more effective generation of the cooling energy required, simply by warm-filling the beer at temperatures of up to 30°C. Krones’ newly developed Dynafill machine succeeds in achieving this as it combines filling and crowning in a single unit.

A bottle is filled in just half a second as the valve moves into the pressure chamber, the bottle is pressed against it and flushed with CO2 before the closure is inserted and the chamber sealed while the flushing operation is

still ongoing. The total time required for filling and crowning is reduced by 50 per cent to five seconds, and CO2 consumption for flushing is cut by 20 per cent.

For a rating of 36,000 bottles per hour and a filling temperature of 30°C, the number of filling valves can be reduced from 120 to 66.

Warm-filling in the Dynafill also offers an opportunity for using the beer as a cooling medium.

After filtration, the beer is stored at 0 – 2°C in the bright-beer tanks, and can be warmed up before filling.

In the leak-proof heat transfer unit, the cold beer from the bright-beer tanks is used for super-cooling condensed ammonia in the cooling-energy circuit.

In this process, the beer absorbs energy and is warmed up to approximately 3 – 4°C. It is then still cold enough for turning cold water into iced water.

With Australians consuming an estimated 1.7 billion litres of beer annually – which is enough to fill nearly 670 Olympic-sized swimming pools – that’s a lot of beer, but it is also a lot of packaging.

By looking at their sustainable packaging and recycling methods, breweries are not just reducing their footprint but are supporting local industry and jobs at the same time – which has never been more important. www.propack.pro

P5 350 HS SPEED LIKE NEVER BEFORE

BE PRODUCTIVE

VOC FREE HEAVY METAL FREE REACH COMPLIANT

BE PRECISE

SAVE TIME

Multi track

Dual roll

Multi roll

Continuous printing of up to 6 boards side by side

Integrated material transport system with independent dancers

Roll material changeover time minimized

FROM PIXEL TO OUTPUT durst-group.com/p5

FOCUS NZ PACKAGING RESEARCH

Consumers indicate strong conce Brands received a wakeup call from the latest consumer packaging research

R

esearch company Toluna says New Zealand brands and retailers can no longer ignore shoppers’ packaging concerns. Research from Toluna has revealed a shopper’s shift away from unsustainable products and a drop of brands that don’t meet their eco-preferences.

The company said a growing concern for sustainability and eco-friendly packaging has resulted in a shift in consumer behaviour, with environmental concerns driving purchasing decisions, according to new research by Toluna, a leading consumer intelligence platform.

In December 2020, Toluna surveyed 531 New Zealanders. The research showed that for one in five shoppers, sustainability now defines their choice of brands and products.

It also showed that younger shoppers are quicker to drop brands that don’t meet their eco-preferences, with 26 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 years having stopped using a brand in the last six months due to sustainability concerns compared with 18 per cent of those aged 35 to 54 and 18 per cent for the over 55s.

When it comes to shopping sustainably, the most important factors for New Zealand shoppers are that packaging is recyclable (80 per cent) and made from sustainable materials (60 per cent); that the packaging is made of biodegradable (63 per cent) and compostable elements (55 per cent); and that the products themselves are made sustainably (56 per cent) and from locally sourced ingredients (47 per cent).

Ethically sourced ingredients (36 per cent) and ethical employment practices (34 per cent) were also important, making sustainable purchasing decisions a clear priority for Kiwis at the supermarket.

Young consumers want action

A large majority of those surveyed (85 per cent) say it is important to them that products are packaged sustainably.

This sentiment is strong across all age groups, with little difference between those aged 18 to 34 years (85 per cent), 24 ProPack.pro April 2021

1. Stephen Walker, regional director of Toluna New Zealand

1

2

2. Harry Burkhardt, president of Packaging New Zealand 3. Some 80 per cent of survey respondents want to see recyclable packaging

3

35 to 54 years (84 per cent), and over 55s (84 per cent).

While all demographics expressed concern, the younger respondents showed a greater need to take action and drop brands due to sustainability concerns: 26 per cent for those aged 18 to 34 years, versus 18 per cent for those over 35 years.

Drilling down into why packaging is a concern, respondents cited the threat to wildlife and the environment (67 per cent), the amount of plastics used (65 per cent), and the sheer amount of packaging (65 per cent) as the biggest issues for them.

They also saw overall packaging recyclability (64 per cent) and compostability (43 per cent) as other key concerns.

Respondents were asked to compare how important sustainable packaging is to them now, compared to how they felt at the beginning of 2019.

The responses showed a sharp increase in concern, with two thirds (62 per cent) of respondents stating that sustainable packing has become more important to them now compared with two years ago.

Toluna said that, contrary to what might be expected, COVID-19 has not affected shoppers’ thoughts around packaged fruit and veg, with 83 per cent of respondents stating that they feel just as comfortable, if not more comfortable, buying loose groceries now as when compared with before the pandemic.

Shifting purchasing habits

For around one in five shoppers, sustainability defines their choice when it comes to choosing a brand, with 16 per cent stating it defines their choice of retailer. For more than half of the respondents, sustainability was cited as one of the considerations www.propack.pro

NZ PACKAGING RESEARCH FOCUS

ern for packaging sustainability Customers want change

4

when choosing a retailer, brand, or product (61 per cent), leaving only a small percentage of shoppers who are not considering sustainability at all.

Research found around 54 per cent of New Zealand shoppers look beyond traditional retailers and supermarkets in a bid to shop more sustainably, choosing instead to shop for sustainable products online, at farmers markets, www.propack.pro

4. Paper demand: Consumers want more paper bags available for deliveries and shopping

and boutique eco-stores. In addition, environmental concerns have stopped some using some products altogether.

Examples include takeaway cutlery (34 per cent), takeaway coffee cups (30 per cent), plastic cling wrap and cleaning wipes (21 per cent), aerosol deodorants (21 per cent) and aerosol air fresheners (20 per cent), and plastic sandwich ziplock bags (20 per cent).

When it comes to online purchases, Kiwis believe supermarkets should improve their sustainability choices on home deliveries, with 84 per cent of respondents stating they would like to see home deliveries arrive in paper bags, with bagless deliveries (35 per cent) and plastic bag returns (26 per cent) also popular choices.

Toluna predicts that this year, we can expect to see even more focus on sustainability and environmentally conscious purchasing.

New Year’s resolutions contain sustainable life choices for 58 per cent of respondents.

Stephen Walker, regional director of Toluna New Zealand, said the findings demonstrate a significant shift in consumer sentiment.

He said, “It is clear that sustainability is a key concern for Kiwis, and one that is changing the way they make purchasing decisions.

“Shoppers are more conscious about excess and unnecessary packaging than they were two years ago, and now they are moving to drop certain brands and products altogether if they don’t meet their expectations.

“Retailers and brands can no longer afford to ignore the shifting consumer sentiment,” he said.

“We are already seeing some brands innovating in this space and the research shows us that making sustainable changes to packaging will help brands win customers.

“Shoppers now expect to see more sustainable options, so brands must deliver or risk losing market share.

“As we move through the rest of 2021, it will be more important than ever for businesses to keep track of the changing customer insights and continue to change their offerings according to market needs.”

Harry Burkhardt, president of Packaging New Zealand, said he sees value in understanding consumers’ changing attitudes to sustainability in packaging. He said, “Packaging touches everybody, every day and Toluna’s research gives valuable feedback into what is important for consumers.

“We know many of our members are looking for ways to make their packaging more sustainable and given the increased consumer focus on this issue, we encourage everyone in the packaged goods industry to deliver packaging which not only meets functional requirements, but also reflects those qualities which are important to consumers.”

April 2021 ProPack.pro 25

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM IMPACT INTERNATIONAL

A year of VOLATILITY LEADERS FORUM 2021

T

Aleks Lajovic Managing Director, Impact International

here’s no doubt that 2020 was a tough year for our industry.

Words that we normally do not use (like unprecedented, pivot and uncertain) became commonly used. Some printing companies struggled with order levels and those fortunate enough to have orders struggled to manage a supply chain that became more unstable, from both a cost and delivery on time perspective.

Operating a printing business – or any business – in 2020 was simply very complicated and challenging.

Staying in close contact with customers is very important and in our experience, this is the best way to build relationships. But COVID-19 and travel bans made this impossible.

Businesses that were able to utilise tools such as Zoom, sending out newsletters, increasing their presence on LinkedIn, and advertising in media publications were able to remain at the front of their customers’ minds and maintain relationships.

I am very fortunate that I got to attend a few large tradeshows before COVID-19 hit. However, I do not see tradeshows returning with the size and frequency that we had before COVID19. Increased cost of flights, accommodation, insurance, possibly lower visitor numbers and increased costs of exhibiting at shows will make 26 ProPack.pro April 2021

trade shows much harder for exhibitors to exhibit at and be financially viable.

Equipment suppliers have also been able to develop new avenues to show their equipment, so are less likely to make a large investment in trade shows. The most important thing that we, at Impact International, did to support our industry was to pay our bills in full and in a timely manner.

We also continued our work to push Australian made products. The more tubes we manufacture here in Australia, the more we purchase from our local suppliers.

Sadly, with the Job Keeper scheme being wound back in 2021, we will see an increase in business insolvencies and closures in 2021.

When customers do not pay their suppliers, the whole industry feels the affect in one way or another.

We need to support local suppliers as much as we can as in 2021, I predict a year of volatility. When you compare the situation in A/NZ to say Japan, China, America, South Korea, or Europe, we are truly lucky to call Australia home.

A number of Australian companies export to these markets and others have supply chains that are based out of these countries. Lockdowns, shipping delays, exchange rate fluctuations, trade tensions and low interest rates will make for a volatile 2021. The industry also needs to be mindful of the raw materials being

used and their effects on the environment. Companies should analyse their supply chains and plan for delays. It is no good having orders if you don’t have the necessary raw materials to manufacture or print them.

Hopefully, the Australian Federal and State Governments will start to spend more with local suppliers.

Doing so would provide a welcome boost to companies. If you have customers who are strong in e-commerce, then these customers should continue to do well in 2021.

Here at Impact, we will continue to build on our point of difference and continue working on improving our already high quality standards. We will be supporting Australian suppliers as much as we can and playing a more active role in our local business community. Our journey to become a carbon neutral tube manufacturer in 2021 will continue in earnest.

Companies need to have a clear point of difference over the competition if they want to grow and have a stable and loyal customer base.

During uncertain times, some interesting opportunities can present themselves. Money is cheap and can be easy to borrow. But no one knows how long we will have access to it and companies who take on large levels of debt now may have issues later if interest rates rise. We need to be careful not to become addicted to cheap money. www.propack.pro

WEB CONVERTING SOLUTIONS PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM

Responding to a changed GLOBAL MARKET LEADERS FORUM 2021

T

Paul Briggs Sales Director, Web Converting Solutions (Omet’s official agent for the UK and Ireland, as interviewed by Nick Coombes)

he immediate effects of COVID-19 has been very mixed – there have been winners and losers. Some have seen an overnight leap in demand for food, pharmaceutical and sanitising product labels as the health scare kicked in, and all restaurants, canteens, and other places to eat-out closed down, which created an instant spike in demand from the supermarkets and other food retailers. The industrial sector appears to have been worse hit with demand from a number of traditional customers falling away – though there has been some new business growth too.

Omet reacted and adapted well to the situation. It never closed, even at the height of the pandemic in Italy.

Designated as an essential supplier to the food and pharma industries, it adopted a ‘work at home’ policy for all who could do so, and split the shop floor workforce in half to allow for social distancing. Press production carried on as usual, with the exception that some components were subject to delays in delivery, but otherwise the lines kept rolling and machines were tested and shipped as normal.

In fact, the surge in demand from brand owners for increased volumes of labels and printed packaging put pressure on Omet to supply more technology, and faster. We did our best, but you can’t ramp up production of capital goods that quickly! www.propack.pro

2020’s unusual trading conditions will affect the market going forward as if the demand for delivery of printed packaging wasn’t fast enough before, it just got faster. But that’s been a trend for some time – ‘just enough’ and ‘just in time’ are not new concepts, and I’d say the narrow web sector has reacted better than most to market changes over the years – in fact Omet prides itself on its pioneering R&D and the number of innovative techniques it has brought to the market in response to changes in demand.

For example, we were the first to include chilled impression drums with UV lamps mounted directly onto them to handle heat sensitive substrates, which responds closely to a market trend for more filmic work.

We were the first to offer fully automated register control both across and along the web, which has a significant effect on make-ready time and waste. Then there’s the work we’re doing on developing ways of re-using the liner as a laminate as part of our ‘green technology programme’.

One thing the pandemic has done is make converters review their product portfolio and see how they can use their existing capacity to take advantage of the changed market conditions. I know of a number of label converters who have adapted production on their presses to fulfil the surging demand for face masks and items of PPE – it just takes some lateral

thinking and the right technology.

This is why our collaboration with Durst to produce a hybrid press has been so important. It has the ability to delam/relam, reverse print, turn the web and cross it over for multi-page labels, as well as offer all the variable print advantages of digital inkjet.

Moving forward, converters will focus on a broad spread of production capability with increased automation and an overall reduction in manual tasks. The entire supply chain is under pressure and that’s not likely to alter, so for most suppliers it has to be ‘right first time’. The more that can be entrusted to technology to improve accuracy and reduce waste and energy consumption, the better.

The next five years will also see changes as a younger workforce looks for a cleaner, greener society, which will need to be reflected in the way that goods are packaged, irrespective of how shopping habits change.

Waste will continue to be the hot topic so it will be incumbent on all companies to operate a lean manufacturing process using the latest techniques. In the case of machinery suppliers, we have noticed at Omet that while digital print will continue to grow in volume, flexo and offset techniques will change and improve.

Nick Coombes is the director of The Publicity Studio and a veteran in the label and folding carton industry.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 27

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM GRAFFICA

Confidence in

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM 2021

C

Neil Southerington Director, Graffica

OVID-19 caused the unknown for the industry in 2020 – sales and enquiries went down for Graffica, but most of my customers were extremely busy. Anything to do with boxes and packaging saw an uplift, fueled by changing consumer needs, so their volumes were up.

Having said that, Graffica did install a few large machines in the middle of COVID. The only difference for us was that we usually bring out an overseas technician during installs but this wasn’t possible because if the pandemic. Thankfully our local staff were (and still are) able to provide support through our suppliers remotely, making us more selfsufficient in this environment.

2021 has been more promising for Graffica, with our enquiry levels at the highest it has ever been. We also very recently did an install on the Central Coast of NSW and are in the midst of building a machine for another Melbourne-based company.

The growth in packaging – as in, boxes of all descriptions like product boxes and shipping boxes – is there to remain.

It goes to show that our customers have confidence in the packaging industry, otherwise wouldn’t be investing significantly in our machines in this space.

In the past, perhaps there were a lot more imports but now, we have good packaging manufacturers in Australia 28 ProPack.pro April 2021

that can meet the demands of end users. The push for ‘Made in Australia’ and increases in shipping and freight prices, as well as delays, has also spurred local manufacturing and has tipped a lot of buyers into the local market. As a result of the growth in packaging, there have been a number of traditional large format printing businesses that have moved or are now offering services in this space.

The people that might have had core business in displays, which is quite often the corrugated or corflute products, have taken on packaging as they already do large format printing and die cutting.

They already have the tools, so can easily pick up some extra work in packaging. As for the smaller commercial printers, I don’t see so much cross-over into packaging.

Most businesses have used the learnings from 2020 to prepare themselves in moving forward. Quite a lot of them are looking at installing new equipment, and with more work coming back onshore, some of the run lengths aren’t the traditional big runs that we’re used to – they are now smaller. Many of the businesses in packaging have adapted to this change, with a more ‘just in time’, customised delivery with less minimum orders.

A lot of the feedback I am getting from my customers is that they’re working more closely with their customers to deliver tailor-made,

smaller orders that are more frequent, instead of a large job at one go.

The biggest growth seems to be in the custom-type box market and this would serve printers that are looking to move into the packaging space – they’ve just got to find the right partner in the finishing area or invest in some of those machines, if they don’t already have them. They also have to ensure that they don’t take on the wrong jobs.

Within packaging, sustainability is a huge focus. A few years ago, the major stores stopped taking boxes made of polystyrene. As such, another source was required, which in turn, led to the uptake of corrugated boxes or pressed cardboard. Corrugated had its own challenges, but the industry has worked to overcome them.

At Graffica, we will continue to support the industry with the most relevant and up-to-date machinery.

We have a few more machines that will be installed in the coming weeks and we expect demand to only grow.

A lot of the machines today – such as die cutters and box folding technology – that do the same job as a few years ago operate a lot more simply because they are automated, require less maintenance, are more operatorfriendly and efficient, and are safer.

So, to build their businesses for the future, companies need to work out what equipment they need for their niche area of play and not be afraid to make the investment. www.propack.pro

PACKAGING AND DISPLAY EQUIPMENT CENTURY LARGE FORMAT DIE CUTTERS

• 1050/1300/1450/1650/1850/2100 – and now a NEW size for POS/POP a whopping big 2,300mm x 1,520mm. 2,500 sheets per hour. Does the work of FIVE Clam shell hand fed cutters or cutting tables with one operative!

• Flute and sold fibre • Corflute polypropylene etc • Full and Semi Auto – Various feeding options – Top sheet suction feed. Lead edge feeder. Lead edge suction feed and semi auto.

• Non stripping. Double action stripping, triple action stripping. Grip edge removal.

AMEIDA CUTTING TABLES • • • •

Fast Efficient Various Tooling Demo model available now, includes computer

HIGH SPEED DIGITAL CARTON BOX PRINTER • Full Colour

• Folding Box gluers. Straight line / crash lock /4/6 point.

• Litho Laminating machines. To 1650.

• See us in Melbourne at

– 28 September – 1 October

Graffica Pty Ltd Phone +61 477 200 854 I Email grafficapl@bigpond.com I Visit Us www.graffica.com.au

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM BOBST GROUP

Shaping the future of the packaging

WORLD LEADERS FORUM 2021

2

Jean-Pascal Bobst CEO, BOBST Group

020 will be remembered as unexpected and transformational. Brand owners face increased competition and pressures around shorter times to market, smaller lots sizes, optimal protection and colour consistency.

These factors, along with the rise of smaller companies, associated with new business models including e-commerce, and the need to fulfil sustainability commitments, are leading the packaging industry into a profound transformation.

It is therefore an opportunity to drive more agility and sustainability. In early 2020, BOBST announced a new industry vision that is aimed at connecting all packaging stakeholders throughout a new value chain to enable quality, efficiency, control, sustainability and proximity.

This vision, shaping the future of the packaging world, is based on four pillars: connectivity, digitalisation, automation and sustainability.

Within this vision, we announced BOBST Connect, our software-based offering for digitalising and connecting all products.

The vision is now becoming reality with new products and solutions and with a new company structure to be even more customer centric, less complex, and more agile, delivering more innovations.

30 ProPack.pro April 2021

In 2020, the folding carton and corrugated board industries were marked by an overall acceleration in e-commerce due to global online retail growth, where quality, waste reduction and goods protection are all fundamentals. Within the folding carton space, sustainability, increasing global regulation, and demand for short runs and customisation also grew in importance.

In 2021, we expect to see a continued increase of short production with higher value and premium packaging, meaning small volumes and cost efficiencies for converters, requiring greater automation.

We expect significant growth in Asia, specifically China, propelled by increasing personal incomes and development of traditional retail and e-commerce products. From a product perspective, we believe that the SPEEDPACK, the fully automatic corrugated-box packer that bundles boxes as they exit the folder-gluer, will become a new industry standard.

In labels, 2020 will be remembered as the opening of a new chapter for the industry. BOBST did not participate in the first chapter of the digitalisation of label production, but is now in the second chapter, combining highquality, high productivity and low cost of ownership.

Looking ahead to 2021, the digitalisation will be the main driver for labels – all converters will seek for

complete end-to-end digitalised solutions to optimise their production floor. All that can be digitalised will be, enabling converters to deliver faster, with better quality and less waste, answering the growing demand for on-demand labels production.

Looking forward to 2021, we also foresee an acceleration at the converter level for sustainable solutions, leading to increased investments in printing and coating equipment – both vacuum and wet coating equipment.

We strongly believe that plastic packaging, well produced and well recycled, has a future and we are committed to make it happen.

In 2020, experiencing disruptions and limitations in terms of travel, the word ‘services’ resonated differently, and high-quality remote services has never been more important. For 2021, we expect remote assistance to grow further. Quality control solutions will also gain in importance as the best way to reduce waste, reduce claims and increase profitability. The BOBST oneINSPECTION offering is part of the BOBST commitment to make zerofault packaging a reality.

In summary, 2020 was unexpected but it accelerated underlying trends and made decisions more obvious.

Connectivity, digitalisation, automation and sustainability will be the cornerstones for the future of packaging and we want to achieve this with meaningful innovations. www.propack.pro

IMAGINATION GRAPHICS PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM

Diversify your

OFFERINGS LEADERS FORUM 2021

2

Emmanuel Buhagiar Owner, Imagination Graphics

020 was a very tumultuous time. It was clear that the trade was directly hit by the decrease in demand for most printing services with other industries (and customers) also suffering.

Unfortunately, this meant that many printers were forced to retire or close.

The ones who looked outside the box, branching out into different areas of manufacturing survived.

Shoots of opportunity presented itself in the packaging space, causing a number of printing businesses to move into this space.

Those who were entrepreneurial managed to turn the difficult times into profitable ones.

To remain relevant, a shift in mindset was necessary, with new products being at the forefront.

As consumers’ demands for fast moving consumer goods grew, especially on the e-Commerce platform, there was a requirement for printing and packaging companies to fulfill this demand.

And having a play in this area became instrumental in the success of many within the printing and packaging industry.

For example, Imagination Graphics offered its packaging clients short run drink can holders, boxes and box sleeves and sent out bespoke boxes, box sleeves and standees. www.propack.pro

I’ve noticed that a lot of printers are now taking on small run packaging and sending the jobs out to other printers in the event that they do not have the capacity to take the jobs on themselves.

They’re doing anything and everything that they can to pay the bills and remain operational through these challenging times. Even at Imagination Graphics, we sometimes sent work out and then did all the die-cutting and finishing in-house.

Moving forward, Imagination Graphics is going to take on a lot more packaging work and offering its services to mainly commercial clients.

With our new KM-1, we are in the right position to be able to provide to the market place short run packaging.

Packaging is a lucrative area, but those that are new to it need to be aware that within this field, they need to be able to quote quickly, be competitive, and not only look at new technologies but also stay ahead by adopting them.

The point of sale area is going to continue to fuel requirements within packaging because as the COVID situation improves, there will be more shoppers and more point of sale, resulting in the need for more packaging. Those in packaging should be able to run a tight ship and be as lean as possible, but also be ready and geared up to work at a frantic pace.

They need to know how to balance out workloads as well – there’s no use

taking on too much work if you can’t meet the deadlines.

Planning ahead would also put a business at the forefront.

I would suggest that you look at your business and analyse who your clients are and what you are doing to be able to service them better.

Businesses must continue to effectively advertise and communicate with clients so that they know we are still here and appreciate their support.

In addition, ask yourselves: • Is your equipment too old?

• Should we re-invest?

• Do we need to move to a smaller or larger premises?

• What are our profit margins?

Sometimes, the answer to these questions can be a gamble, but you have to ensure that it is a calculated gamble.

I believe that businesses should also surround themselves with good suppliers and help each other.

We should all focus our efforts on collectively rebuilding the industry and moving forward with technological development rather than stagnating.

In summary, through these unpredictable times, businesses should be focusing their efforts on gaining as many new clients as possible.

Consistently offering new or improved products and services is the best way to achieve this.

By doing so, those within this space will be able to not only keep business afloat, but thrive successfully.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 31

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM CENTRUM PRINTING

Keep evolving and

INNOVATING LEADERS FORUM 2021

2

Sandra Duarte CEO, Centrum Printing

020 was a year no one will forget. However, Centrum remained positive in its approach to business and remained in complete operation throughout.

Fortunately for packaging, demand is on the rise and it is a growing market not as highly affected by online technology, as we experience with the world of print.

During 2020, we saw brands reconnecting with consumers through new design concepts and campaigns to increase point of purchase impact.

Innovation, cost effectiveness and efficiency all played a major role in the packaging space. We saw an increase in packaging numbers for certain industries such as gaming, and pharmaceutical where companies were challenged to keep up with consumer demand. The importance of sustainability become more prominent as consumer preferences changed.

Packaging is a growing industry, one which small to medium commercial printers should consider adding to their product range. Product diversification can help increase profitability and gain regular ongoing business.

Large volume packaging is still dominated by the specialists due to cost effectiveness, production and technology efficiencies. However, there is a market printers can tap into which is considered too small for the specialists. Adapting current 32 ProPack.pro April 2021

technologies to attract new business is important within an industry that is being overshadowed by the world of online marketing.

During 2020, our business saw a decrease in commercial printing, yet an increase in the Point of Sale and packaging products. With our unique advantage in press technology, we were able to provide much needed local support to clients who had previously sourced work overseas. This provided a much quicker output for our clients and we saw an increase in Australian manufacturing of Point of Sale and packaging products.

The best preparation for 2021 is to remain positive, hopeful and flexible in our approach. It is important to ensure that you have the right resources available to maximise sales and production in order to maintain market demand. A successful company is built on the strength of its people. Ensuring the mental health of your team is positive and they feel supported not only as professionals but as individuals is paramount. Upskilling and ensuring employees’ performance is at its best is vital to the success of the business.

Also, you need to improve and review your brand to ensure you are targeting the right market and not missing opportunities. Building and expanding your customer relationships is also important in ensuring a successful business operation. Without customers, there is no production. Providing a

better customer experience helps gain trust, confidence and repeat business.

Businesses need purpose and goals need to be realistic – you need to focus on the positive and what you can do and what you’re good at.

Also, research new markets to expand customer base and sales. Many companies already have technology available to them and could be taping into new markets and providing clients with additional products. Business acquisitions where possible can strengthen and support an industry.

At Centrum Printing, we will be producing more work which was previously sent offshore. We will continue to provide support to our industry and hope that more businesses see the benefit in collaborating with each other to provide a better product and service.

Taking on high school student traineeships and providing student site tours of Centrum is also one of our goals to help promote our great industry and provide career opportunities to the next generation.

We will be launching the “I’m Ready” program that offers site tours and educates students about print manufacturing. Educating the next generation is vital.

Moving forward, it is important for all businesses to build and maintain financial resilience in business. Remain positive and hopeful that the future is ours to create. www.propack.pro

ADS AUSTRALIA PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM

Be innovative and keep

INNOVATING LEADERS FORUM 2021

T

Dean Wright Managing Director, ADS Australia

he packaging industry came out of 2020 quite strong, with an increase in online purchasing, social media influenced campaigns and an increased demand in food packaging.

In 2020, ADS Australia stepped into the bespoke packaging space a lot more than we previously had.

As we are all aware, 2020 saw marketing budgets cut. As such, we worked with our marketing clients to provide them with packaging solutions that were eco-friendly, cost effective but still concept driven.

The current and hottest topic around packaging is its eco-friendly factor.

Many clients are most interested in packaging that is either recyclable or has been made from recycled products.

To keep relevant, we need to know what products are being offered by suppliers so that we have many ecofriendly options to offer clients for their packaging needs. We also need to be innovative – this is very important.

Clients love a ‘wow factor’ and to deliver on it, we as industry thought leaders, need to be constantly inspired by design to offer new concepts.

The occurrence of COVID-19 has played a big part in the wide format industry now receiving a lot more packaging print work.

Prior to COVID, we saw some packaging but 2020 was a game www.propack.pro

changer as customer requirements shifted more towards e-Commerce and panic buying patterns resulted in the need to produce some products more frequently.

Clients now also know they are no longer restricted to only approach the bigger packaging companies but can go to their POS printer.

Our industry best sits in the marketing campaign and startup business space. Clients love multiple designs, shapes and producing prototypes which we can offer as there are no plates or forms required.

During COVID, ADS Australia stepped up to deliver on some of the industry’s needs.

We were able to help out some of our clients that couldn’t afford to produce larger runs.

We also supported the smaller businesses, startups and marketing agencies that couldn’t approach the bigger packaging companies.

Whether your business is small or large, the packaging space has been one of the more lucrative areas of play.

As such, we should all be focusing on producing packaging that is ecofriendly. We are asked on a daily basis what can we offer that can be either reused or recycled in the home.

As we are still in the middle of a pandemic our clients are still affected

by COVID and budget cuts.

In 2021, I foresee a lot of our clients continuing to approach us for smaller

runs of packaging – and we expect this to continue on for a little while longer.

For businesses to stay ahead of the game this year, it is very important for them to continue to be innovative and keep innovating.

Clients love it when their printer can come up with different concepts.

Printing is no longer in its traditional silo – nowadays, the printer has to become the designer as well!

The printer can create the concept, the dielines, prototypes and deliver a finished product to their client.

This is because the printer knows the capabilities of their machinery best, whether it be an interesting way to layer the inks or a better way of utilising the substrates to be much more cost effective.

We should now believe in offering our clients the complete package.

Looking forward to the rest of 2021 and the success of a business going into the future, we should always refer back to a smarter way of producing solutions for our customers.

We need to keep assessing where we source our products from, how we print, how we finish, how we package and then how we can pass this cost saving onto our clients.

At ADS Australia, we are always looking at (and will continue to keep looking at) ways to improve our processes, which then will benefit us on the long-term so that we can continue to service our industry well.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 33

PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM AIP

Taking the necessary step

CHANGES LEADERS FORUM 2021

2

Nerida Kelton Executive Director, Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP)

020 was certainly a unique year. During the pandemic, the packaging industry was recognised globally as an essential service, and many companies that catered for the food and beverage sector had a very busy year. In addition, packaging material suppliers that catered for the e-Commerce category also had a very demanding year.

2020 did present many challenges though, as supply chains were closed or difficult to access. There were delays in shipments and deliveries and at times, packaging materials were hard to access due to limited supplies. When COVID hit our shores in early 2020, the AIP was very lucky that the institute had already established online degrees and courses available for the industry.

Where the Institute needed to pivot was moving the Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards online and creating a virtual ceremony that was the first-of-its-kind in the industry, in addition to adapting our five-hour training courses into virtual programs and building a unique platform to offer a four-day, 20 session, 28-hour biennial Australasian Packaging Conference. In 2020, the AIP offered over 25 webinars, seven training courses, a four-day conference, a two-day awards ceremony, and a site tour – all virtually. The AIP also partnered with many sister associations and tradeshows across the globe and 34 ProPack.pro April 2021

ran a broad range of webinars series in 2020 and again in 2021. As the reach of the AIP covers all of Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia, the virtual educational programs have been a huge success and will be continued in 2021.

From the conversations in the industry, it is evident that the 2025 National Packaging Targets and moving towards a more circular packaging design are the key challenges that people need assistance with. We have also seen an increase in people looking for training in the fundamentals in polymers, plastics and flexible packaging.

It doesn’t matter where you live in the world – there is no silver bullet for Sustainable Packaging Design, recyclability, or how to move to a more circular economy. Some companies and countries have only just started on the path, whereas others have the resources to be able to achieve outcomes more quickly. We need to be recognising and encouraging companies for making step changes, no matter how small. We also need to be supporting developing countries with their sustainable journeys and providing them with guidance and expertise wherever possible.

As every country has a different perception or definition as to the term ‘recycling’ and what they classify as recyclable, every packaging technologist needs to look at the recyclability of the packaging in the

country/countries they sell the item in and be honest on-pack about the recyclability. This is why I believe the OPRL and the ARL are great on-pack tools for consumers to easily understand. On-pack communication needs to be truthful and honest. If your packaging or material is not certified to be home compostable in the country in which it is sold then don’t confuse the consumers with misleading terms that could end up contaminating the waste/recycling stream.

Over the last few years – since the 2025 National Packaging Targets came into effect – we have also seen even more people working ‘around’ packaging that are not packaging technologists. Many have been tasked with the 2025 National Packaging Targets but unfortunately, have not been trained in the fundamentals of packaging technology.

We would like to see more people trained in the fundamentals of packaging, which our training courses are developed to provide.

Moving forward, I am excited to see new material advancements, new technology launches and even more companies making significant changes to become more circular and more sustainable. I look forward to seeing more developments in the monomaterial area, more reusable and refillable alternatives, and hope to see an increase in the use of post-consumer recyclate being used in all polymers. www.propack.pro

WPO PACKAGING LEADERS FORUM

Learning from our

EXPERIENCES

LEADERS FORUM 2021

F

Pierre Pienaar President, World Packaging Organisation (WPO)

rom a global perspective, COVID-19 had a huge impact on our industry.

Issues were varied and everyone better understood its impact in the latter half of 2020.

This involved both raw material supplies and packaging users because many products were being exported from Asian countries and lockdowns and closures caused disruptions for a period of time. Air cargo was at the 50 to 60 per cent mark at its lowest, however, is now at 90 per cent of what it was pre-COVID, showing good signs of recovery.

There are still some concerns about COVID being transmitted through packaging, especially from colder environments. From a scientific perspective, yes it can happen, but it depends on a number of variables.

The e-Commerce sector also grew post COVID-19 – varied figures from around the world show a 15 to 25 per cent increase on e-Commerce. People are buying more online, especially during the months of high COVID transmissions as they try to stay away from retail outlets. This then puts the requirement on packaging to deliver.

To meet the increasing demands, businesses were bringing out and using their moth-balled machines that were becoming obsolete alongside their newer equipment. Some businesses also pivoted from their usual lines of www.propack.pro

business to offer PPE material that was in high demand. This alleviated the reliance on imported products, as countries started to produce solutions for themselves. This is still the case and it will be interesting to see how long it lasts before we revert to ‘normal’ again.

It has also created opportunities for people to earn more money by creating employment in areas that we’ve never thought of previously, like in product deliveries beyond the food space. I’m amazed at how people have rallied and coped, given the extreme conditions, to be able to satisfy their local market in a very short space of time. It is encouraging that the industry, globally, was able to quickly get back on track.

At WPO, we met once a week during the pandemic, and we meet once a month now to discuss what’s happening in packaging with regions across the world. There were a lot of developing countries, especially within South East Asia, that required our assistance. We mainly focused on the technical advisory side of assistance, in addition to the sustainability and recycling education that we have been doing. We also ran a number of webinars to educate businesses across the world.

COVID-19 was a wakeup call not just for our industry but all industries.

It is one of the greatest pandemics since the times of the Spanish Flu. Prior to COVID, we were all complacent that such an event could happen so we were

all caught off-guard when it did. Who is to say a similar situation would not happen again in the future? So, we need to be prepared for such instances in the future.

In saying that, we have learnt since and have geared ourselves better now.

Even for WPO, this has taught us to respond quickly to the events unfolding across the world.

Moving forward, regardless of the pandemic, businesses should not lose sight on the sustainability side of things. If anything, it has made it more important to be sustainable.

The industry, more so than ever before, needs to focus on mono materials. We have the technology available to produce mono materials, manufacture and recycle – there are so many benefits for it. The flexible packaging area is where most challenges lie, so this presents itself as a sustainable solution.

As for WPO, moving forward, we will continue to educate into the future. Most importantly, we will be focusing on the education of younger people – when I say younger people, I mean right back to Grade 1 level.

For the past 14 years, I have been teaching young people about the basics of packaging and these young folks remember what they learnt at that age without the need for any notes – it becomes muscle memory. The sooner we teach that next generation, 20 years from now, they will do the right thing.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 35

UPDATE ‘SAFE FOOD’

Redefining what ‘safe food’ means in an In an era of heightened self-preservation, the food and packaging industries need to re-evaluate their product offerings and product values in light of consumer needs in this changing world

Dr Anneline Padayachee

M

eeting consumer needs (and wants) is essential when it comes to product positioning.

However, consumers’ needs are not static, and can change especially if their perceived safety and security is altered.

The world we live in, trade in, and eat in is no longer the same pre-2020.

Whilst the need for food has not changed, 2020 has changed the way we interact with each other and view our existence in the world around us.

2020 has provided us with many growth opportunities including writing a rule book for a mutating viral pandemic in real-time, establishing the efficiency of sharing knowledge and globally working together to create vaccines, the importance of three ply face-masks, and presenting producers and consumers with the unusual task of what to do with excess lobster that cannot be sold to the usual international markets.

Everything from the speed of vaccine clinical trials through to disposal of excess dead bodies is being reinvented all around the world in developed and developing countries. No one is exempt it seems.

Nevertheless, one thing that is constant across the globe is that lockdowns have highlighted the basics of Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs such as safety and physiological survival coming to the forefront of consumer purchases with toilet paper, mince, porridge, flour, rice and pasta being stockpiled and even fought over.

Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs is essentially a theory for motivational behaviours as proposed in 1943 by psychologist, Abraham Maslow (Maslow, 1943). It is commonly used in marketing for product positioning.

The premise builds on the theory that 36 ProPack.pro April 2021

human behaviours are based on different levels of motivation from the fundamentals of physiological needs required to stay alive (for example, food, water, warmth and rest) and safety (like security, employment, resources, health) followed by love and belonging, esteem, and finally the pinnacle of self-actualisation (where one can become the most they can be).

However, in order to reach the top levels, the requirements for the previous level must be obtained.

And this brings us to the hoarding behaviours of toilet paper, mince, rice, pasta, flour and oats.

Toilet paper, mince, pasta, flour, rice and oats could be argued as being the most basic, staple items that can be purchased. Steady, constant, unaffected by weather or seasonal changes, yet have shot to stardom as

the most popular items to be purchased and hoarded during 2020.

The reason is self-preservation. Selfpreservation is directly driven by physiological and safety needs, the fundamental basics of Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs. No matter how amazing a product is in terms of contributing to self-actualisation, esteem or even a sense of love and belonging, self-preservation trumps all other needs.

So, what does this mean for the food industry? The food and packaging industries needs to re-evaluate their product offerings and product values in light of consumer needs in this changing world. Throughout the world, ‘safe’ and ‘health’, the fundamental needs of human survival, have shot up to pole position. While these themes have been around previously, they have www.propack.pro

‘SAFE FOOD’ UPDATE

n era of heightened self-preservation

partially reverted to the basics of selfpreservation for consumers in the new COVID-19 world that we live in.

Assessing these needs through the lens of Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs and consumer purchasing behaviours can help the food industry to reposition their product offerings in line with shifting consumer needs.

The meaning of ‘Safe’ ‘Safe’ means transparency and technologically advanced authenticity.

For many consumers, food safety is a given. There has been an expectation that the food provided in supermarkets must meet a minimum standard of safety, with certifications of organic, GMO-free, HACCP and ISO accreditations plus marketing terms like ‘clean’ and ‘minimally processed’ equating to safety. www.propack.pro

Whilst the need for food has not changed, 2020 has changed the way we consume food – and packaging should be reflecting it

This isn’t good enough anymore.

Given that there is a link to COVID-19 and a food market in China, food safety within the supply chain and country of origin is a pressure point for many consumers. The use of QR codes exposing consumers to the behind-thescenes manufacturing and farming practices is one thing, and will increase with packaged goods.

However, research is being explored into the use of value-adding QR codes with DNA-barcoding technologies in order to ensure species authentication (Gupta and Kaul, 2017), and laser etching of braille-style 2D QR coding on the surface of fresh produce (Chakravarty et al., 2020) as a way to alleviate consumer fears and control food fraud and abuse through the food supply.

DNA-tracking of microbial spores is also being explored as a mode of assessing food authenticity at the farm gate, but may also be adapted to consumer facing goods (Qian et al., 2020). However, more simpler techniques that are currently available include temperature sensitive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology marrying with the Internet of Things (IoT) (Urbano et al., 2020).

Temperature sensors incorporated into the RFID tags track and trace transportation and storage of conditions through the supply chain and this information may be accessible to consumers in real-time via an integrated QR code (Urbano et al., 2020). The question food companies need to consider is what does ‘safe’ mean to their consumers, and how best can they provide that information to them. Safe may mean authenticity and production hygiene.

If you’re toilet paper however, safe means a readily available supply.

What ‘Health’ means ‘Health’ means not starving, and also losing weight. Considering health is part of the ‘safety’ layer of Maslow’s hierachy of needs, close to the bottom of the pyramid, it’s definitely a basic in self-preservation.

Quarantine and lockdown means consumers are unable to access their food supply whenever they feel like it.

A basic necessity of health and survival is access to food, hence the food hoarding behaviour we have seen.

However, courtesy of quarantine and work from home, the flipside of storing food so that you don’t run out is the ‘COVID Curves’ or ‘Quarantine 15’, referring to number of pounds of weight one has gained.

Stress, a sense of lack of control, being forced to stay at home for longer hours may be leading to more comfort eating and possibly less physical activity resulting in weight gain (Zeigler et al., 2020).

Whilst it’s still early days to assess the impact on COVID-19 on weight gain and obesity prevalence, a preliminary self-reporting online survey of 1200 adult participants found 22 per cent believed they had gained five to 10 pounds as a result of longer hours at home (Zeigler et al., 2020).

It is imperative that the food industry does not repeat the 1980s diet era mistakes as consumers have access to more information. There is scope for food companies to present food products in convenient individual portion sizes in line with dietary guideline recommendations and/or highlight satiety properties of ingredients with function (for example, protein and satiety) in simple, substantiated health messages that allows consumers to take ownership and control of their food intake.

A lack of understanding and culinary skills adds an added layer of fear to consumers if they can’t get mince, or pasta. Nutritionally designed meal kits that allow for some meal prep at home (beyond a microwave) provide both convenience and weight management servicing the fundamental needs of health.

Ask yourself what does ‘health’ mean to your consumer in today’s world.

When push comes to shove, and our survival is being challenged by something outside of our control, we revert to modes of self-preservation.

Face masks, hand sanitisers, elbow taps, minimising interacting with anyone who could potentially infect us, and stockpiling staples like loo roll, mince, flour and pasta.

When fear abounds, trust needs to be re-established. Given the position the food industry is in, with smart use of innovative technologies and convenient-enablers, there is a lot of scope to reposition brands in the heart of consumers using food products. As the saying goes, the way to the heart is literally through the stomach.

Dr Anneline Padayachee is an awardwinning scientist and published author named as one of Australia’s leading science communicators. Dr Padayachee is an independent consultant in Australia and overseas, and is also an adjunct senior lecturer with the University of Queensland and Associate Academic with /the University of Melbourne.

April 2021 ProPack.pro 37

PACK DIARY

Recycling problems solved NSW technical solutions consulting company, PEGRAS Asia Pacific, is meeting local manufacturing challenges with new technological solutions, empowered by a network of experts in Australia, Europe and Asia.

The company has provided solutions for Audi, BioOil, Continental, Siemens Dr Stephanus and Toyo and PEGRAS managing Peters partner, Dr Stephanus Peters, said working with his team has often led to innovation for clients.

“We work differently from most consultants, solving problems from the bottom up,” Peters said.

The company operates across multiple industries from renewable energy and recycling technologies to automation and print manufacturing.

Peters said working with PEGRAS is beneficial not only for large companies with complex problems, but also small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“Many SMEs lack the resources to drive innovation and technologies needed to compete globally. We can help in this space to provide those resources and technologies,” Peters said.

Director and technology consultant, Ian Byrne, said businesses would benefit from expanding their research and development efforts to amplify Ian Byrne local production effectiveness.

“Opportunities have arisen out of COVID-19 for Australian manufacturers to expand their operations and realise the benefits of more local production and self-reliance,” Byrne said.

“Shifting company cultures to engage with local suppliers of research innovation, such as the University sector is vital.

“Advanced knowledge and resources are readily available at universities but are underutilised. To get there, we need to expand the services provided by organisations such as the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) and PEGRAS,” he said.

NSSN, a consortium of eight leading universities, and PEGRAS are collaborating with key industry partners to enhance Australia’s plastic recycling capability.

The industry-led project involves prominent researchers from UNSW, University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) aiming to solve the challenge of removing label adhesives from milk bottles in the recycling wash process.

“The $1.5 million project is an opportunity for industry savings is in the tens of millions of dollars with improved processes and expanded processing, benefitting both the label and dairy industries, Byrne said.

The partnership has also received $650,000 in federal funding through a Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) grant.

“In partnership with NSSN, PEGRAS is well on the way to providing a solution to an intractable problem that has plagued the recycling industry globally for the past 20 years,” Byrne said.

pegras.com

38 ProPack.pro April 2021

UPCOMING EVENTS

LIA and Visual Connections social event

April 21 2021 Lidcombe, Australia eventbrite.com.au/e/print-and-media-industry-social-event-tickets-147718848051

ProPak Asia 2021

June 16-19 2021 Bangkok, Thailand propakasia.com/ ProPak China 2021

June 23-25 2021 Shanghai, China propakchina.com/ ProPak Vietnam 2021

July 28-30 2021 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam propakvietnam.com/ INDOPLAS, indopack and indoprint 2021

August 11-14 2021 Jakarta, Indonesia indoprintpackplas.com ProPak India 2021

September 30-October 2 2021 Mumbai, India propakindia.com/ ProPak Myanmar 2021

December 8-10 2021 Yangon, Myanmar propakmyanmar.com/ Labelexpo Southeast Asia 2022

May12-14 2022 Bangkok, Thailand labelexpo-seasia.com AUSPACK 2022

May 17-20 2022 Melbourne, Australia auspack.com.au interpack 2023

May 4-10 2023 Düsseldorf, Germany drupa.com Got an event? Send an email to hosman@intermedia.com.au with all the details and we will put your event on the page.

www.propack.pro

GRAPH-PAK SUPPLIER PROFILE

Since 2006 GRAPH-PAK PTY LTD has delivered high quality products and services to the printing and packaging industries in Australia & New Zealand.

Our mission is to continue to provide advanced, reliable and functional equipment and engineering solutions and services that enable our customers to maximise their business potential.

SERIESDIE DIECUTTER CUTTER SERIES SERIES SERIES DIE DIE CUTTER CUTTER TheInsignia Insigniaisisaasheet-fed, sheet-fed,rotary, rotary, The The Insignia aadiesheet-fed, rotary, flexo magneticisisdie cutterdesigned designed The magnetic Insignia sheet-fed, rotary, flexo cutter flexo magnetic die cutter designed for production-driven operation magnetic die cutter designed forflexo production-driven operation atat for production-driven operation at an affordable price point. for production-driven operation at an affordable price point. an affordable price point. an affordable price point.

INSIGNIAS W/ WASTE STRIPPING UNIT INSIGNIAS W/ WASTE STRIPPING UNIT INSIGNIAS W/ WASTE STRIPPING UNIT INSIGNIAS W/ WASTE STRIPPING UNIT

INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING STACKER INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING STACKER INSIGNIAS W/ RECEDING STACKER

Available Sizes • 510 x 380 • 510 x 510 • 760 x 610

See us at on stand D08

A TRUE GUIDE & GRIP REGISTER A TRUE GUIDE & GRIPSHEET-TO-SHEET REGISTER SYSTEM ENSURE SYSTEM ENSURE SHEET-TO-SHEET AACCURACY. TRUE GUIDE GRIPGUIDE REGISTER SIDE&PULL IS ACCURACY. PULL GUIDE IS SYSTEM ENSURE CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER A TRUE SIDE GUIDE & SHEET-TO-SHEET GRIP REGISTER CAPABLE OF ENSURE PULLING EITHER ACCURACY. SIDETOPULL GUIDE IS LEFT OR RIGHT MATCH PRESS SYSTEM SHEET-TO-SHEET LEFTCAPABLE OR RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS IS PULLING REGISTER ACCURACY.OFEDGES. SIDE PULL EITHER GUIDE REGISTER LEFT OREDGES. RIGHT TO MATCH PRESS CAPABLE OF PULLING EITHER REGISTER EDGES.TO MATCH PRESS LEFT OR RIGHT REGISTER EDGES. A TOP SUCTION AIR FEEDER A TOP SUCTION AIR IS POWERED VIAFEEDER A BUILT IS POWERED VIA A BUILT AINTOP SUCTION AIRINFEEDER BLOWER PUMP THE IN BLOWER PUMP INAIR IS POWERED ATHE BUILT MACHINE. ANVIA OPERATOR CAN A TOP SUCTION FEEDER MACHINE. AN OPERATOR CAN IN BLOWER PUMP THE INDEPENDENTLY IS POWERED VIA ADJUST AINBUILT INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST MACHINE. ANPUMP OPERATOR VOLUMES BOTH & IN BLOWEROF INBLOW THECAN VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW & CAN INDEPENDENTLY ADJUST SUCTION FOR THE MACHINE.TOANADJUST OPERATOR SUCTION TORANGE ADJUST FOR THE & VOLUMES OF BOTH BLOW WIDEST OFADJUST MATERIALS INDEPENDENTLY WIDEST RANGE OF MATERIALS SUCTION ADJUST FOR THE POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT VOLUMESTOOF BOTH BLOW & POSSIBLE. WIDEST RANGE OF SUCKER HEADS CANMATERIALS BE SUCTIONINDEPENDENT TO ADJUST FOR THE SUCKER HEADS CAN POSSIBLE. INDEPENDENT ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE. WIDEST RANGE OFBEMATERIALS ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE.BE SUCKER CAN POSSIBLE.HEADS INDEPENDENT ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE. SUCKER HEADS CAN BE ADJUSTED TO SHEET SIZE. A RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON A RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON SINGLE MAGNETIC MACHINES SINGLE MAGNETIC MACHINES AALLOW RECESSED SCRIBE LINE ON FOR FAST, CONSISTENT ALLOW FOR FAST,SCRIBE CONSISTENT SINGLE MAGNETIC MACHINES DIE MOUNTING & ENSURES A RECESSED LINE ONDIE DIE ALLOW MOUNTING &FAST, ENSURES DIE & FOR CONSISTENT TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL SINGLE MAGNETIC MACHINES TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & DIE DIE MOUNTING ENSURES CENTERED. ALLOW FOR FAST,& CONSISTENT CENTERED. TOOLS ARE HUNG& PARALLEL & DIE MOUNTING ENSURES DIE CENTERED. TOOLS ARE HUNG PARALLEL & CENTERED. A PIN MOUNT SYSTEM ON DUAL A PINMAGNETIC MOUNT SYSTEM ON ENSURE DUAL MACHINES MAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE ATHEPINALIGNMENT MOUNT SYSTEM DUAL OF THEONPAIRED THEMAGNETIC OFSYSTEM THECYLINDERS PAIRED ENSURE SET DIEMACHINES TOOLS. AALIGNMENT PINOFMOUNT ON DUAL SET THE OF DIE TOOLS. CYLINDERS ALIGNMENT OF THE PAIRED ALSO HAVE BUILT-IN MICROMAGNETIC MACHINES ENSURE ALSOSET HAVE BUILT-IN MICRODIE TOOLS. ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES TO THE OF ALIGNMENT OFCYLINDERS THE PAIRED ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES TO ALSO BUILT-IN MICROENSURE MATING. SET OFHAVE DIE TOOLS. CYLINDERS ENSURE ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES ALSOMATING. HAVE BUILT-IN MICRO-TO ENSURE MATING. ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITIES TO ENSURE MATING. HYDRAULIC PRESSURE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED EASILY ASSEMBLIES AREPRESSURE ADJUSTED EASILY HYDRAULIC VIA THE BLACK WHEEL. INFINITELY VIA ASSEMBLIES THE BLACK WHEEL. INFINITELY ARETOADJUSTED ADJUSTABLE UP 3,000 PSIEASILY OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE ADJUSTABLE UP TO 3,000 OFEASILY VIA THE BLACK WHEEL. INFINITELY CUTTING PRESSURE IS PSI AVAILABLE. ASSEMBLIES ARE ADJUSTED CUTTING PRESSURE ISOPERATOR AVAILABLE. ADJUSTABLE UPWHEEL. TO 3,000 PSITOOF GAUGES ENABLE VIA THE BLACK INFINITELY GAUGES ENABLE OPERATOR TOPSI OF CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAILABLE. DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES ADJUSTABLE UP TO 3,000 DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES GAUGES ENABLE OPERATOR TO TO EXTEND DIE LIFE. CUTTING PRESSURE IS AVAILABLE. TO EXTEND DIE LIFE. DETERMINE MINIMUM PRESSURES GAUGES ENABLE OPERATOR TO TO EXTEND DIE LIFE. PRESSURES DETERMINE MINIMUM TO EXTEND DIE LIFE.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE

Specialising in Capital Equipment PLEASE Sales, Service, Engineering FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE Specialising in Capital Equipment Sales, Service, Engineering Solutions and Consumables.

Solutions and Consumables.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE HEAD OFFICE Head Office: 1/44 President Avenue Caringbah, NSW,CONTACT 2229, email:OUR info@graph-pak.com.au info@graph-pak.com.au SpecialisingEnquiries: in Capital Equipment Sales, Service, Engineering Enquiries: info@graph-pak.com.au FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT OUR HEAD OFFICE Solutions and Consumables.

Specialising in Capital Equipment Sales, Service, Engineering

Unit 1G, 1-3 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au Unit 1G, 1-3 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au Toll Free: 1300 885 550 NSW www.graph-pak.com.au Unit Toll 1G, 1-3 Endeavour 2229, email: info@graph-pak.com.au Free: 1300Road, 885Caringbah 550 www.graph-pak.com.au Enquiries: info@graph-pak.com.au Solutions and Consumables.

ON/OFF instant light source switching

* 91％

lower power consumption

15,000hr long life

Ozone free

Low heat

RMGT 1050TP-8 LED-UV

RMGT 1050ST-6+CC LED-UV

1,050mm Format 8-Colour Offset Press with LED-UV

1,050mm Format 6-Colour Offset Press with LED-UV

NEW! LED-UV now available to all

Why LED-UV ?

2021 ushers in a new chapter to LED-UV dry-to-dry printing system. It is now made available to all makes and models of offset printing machines.

Starting from $90,000, come join the LED-UV revolution.

No odor No Ozone No spray powder No set-off No loss time

• Instant dry • Instant ON/OFF irradiation

Reduce CO2 emission No large peripheral equipment No need for overprint varnishing Reduce electrical consumption

• Up to 91%

No VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) Reduce heat generation Long life span

• Up to 15 times

Printing on film and cardboard Just like your conventional offset press ...without the cons.

Sydney

Energy-Saving & Environmentally-Friendly LED-UV dry-to-dry printing system.

Pioneering success, first introduced in Drupa 2008. Ryobi single-handedly led the industry in LED-UV printing. This revolutionary, award winning printing system offers impressive cost-savings by greatly reducing replacement frequency, power consumption, installation space and peripheral equipment space, while eliminating the odor of UV printing.

The defecto standard for small lot on-demand printing today, it is an important strategic advantage in being able to provide high-quality, small lot on-demand printing at low cost.

Now, 13 years later, Cyber is applying our wealth of expertise as an LED-UV pioneer to provide the printing industry with innovative solutions that meet your needs.

Rediscover the joy of printing…

Specifications

Singapore - Tel: (65) 6272 8936 Thailand - Tel: (66) 2 682 3411-4

Operating Temperature

25°C

Lifespan

15,000 hours

Additional Printing substrate

Yupo, foil, plastic and film

Irradiation

Patented optical design

Applications

Ink and varnish

Start-up time

0 seconds

Press size

52cm - 162cm

Shut down time

0 seconds

Printing Speed

18,000 sph

Sydney - Rob Crough 0423 337 788 Melbourne - Greg Knight 0411 338 855 Brisbane - Peter Erskine 0432 663 322 Perth - Alan Strugnell 0418 955 512 New Zealand - Paul Hilleard (64) 21 191 6548 Malaysia - Tel: (60) 3 7955 1668 (Kuala Lumpur) Indonesia - Tel: (62) 21 2555 8924 Tel: (60) 7 598 0771/2 (Senai, Johor) Vietnam - Tel: (84) 9 0938 9468

: 38 Victoria Street, Beaconsfield, NSW 2015 Australia Tel: (61) 2 9318 0099 Fax: (61) 2 9318 0399 New Zealand : Unit 22, Ground Floor, 6 Ken Browne Drive, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3200, New Zealand Tel: (64) 7 949 7722 sales@cyber1976.com www.cyber1976.com

Mercury free