Jul 14, 2008

Dsi Talisman moves into long-perfecting with £3m spend


Dsi Talisman, part of the Dsicmm group, has made its foray into the long-perfector market with a £3m investment in two Heidelberg Speedmasters.

A Speedmaster SM 102-12-P with CutStar and a SM 74-6-P+L will both be delivered to the company in September.

The major investment is part of a push to modernise the group's press battery and move into additional markets.

Dave Reynolds, managing director of print services at Dsi Talisman, said: "This is the company’s debut in long-perfecting, and having the potential for single-pass full-colour, including specials and seals, will take us into extra markets and applications."

He added: "We have a policy of guaranteeing maximum customer support through advances in technology to increase efficiency and retain top quality."

The company is anticipating the Speedmaster with CutStar, will allow the business to improve its paper spend from job-to-job.

"CutStar will give us economies in paper purchasing, enabling us to cut paper to the size of the job. We estimate we could reduce our paper spend by 10-15% with this reel-to-sheet facility," Reynolds said.

Source: printweek

UK hit hard by high energy prices


Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle has said the government needs to wake up to the fact that energy prices are higher in the UK than in mainland Europe.

Searle made the statement in response to comments made by BERR energy minister Malcolm Wicks that average industrial gas and electricity prices in the UK are "broadly in line with average prices in the EU15".

British Glass director general David Workman said that in terms of the domestic market, Wicks was "probably quite correct" to compare competitiveness between the UK and mainland Europe.

However, he pointed out that energy intensive manufacturing firms were exposed to the full impact of movements in the wholesale market where "day ahead" prices are currently at twice the level of last year. The problem is heightened even further for firms trying to buy ahead for next year as prices in early 2009 are doubling again.

As of July 2008, UK gas prices are around 16% higher than in continental Europe and UK electricity prices are around 38% higher than in Germany on a year-ahead basis.

In response to the problem, Workman is calling for the UK's liberalised energy market to be expanded to mainland Europe.

Workman would also like the government to ensure that liquid gas (LNG) terminals are full over the winter period.

He argued that one of the reasons gas prices are so high is that speculators in the city do not believe there will be enough gas in the winter.

A more environmentally contentious option would be a "strategic decision" to switch from gas to coal to generate electricity in the UK.
Source: packagingnews

Sun Chemical hikes ink prices by up to a fifth


Sun Chemical is raising its publication market prices by between 10 and 20% to reflect global rises in raw material, energy and transportation costs.

The increases will be implemented from 1 August and will not to affect any of the company's other sectors. The price increases will hit the ink manufacturer's customers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Customers have been assured that the company is working with suppliers to keep costs to a minimum, but no price decreases are planned in the short term.

David Meldram, president of Sun Chemical Europe, said: "The considerable increases in the price of oil and natural gas, combined with governmental policies in China and shortages in certain raw materials, have had a dramatic impact on our costs.

"The printing industry is experiencing a challenging business environment in Europe, but these price increases are essential to enable us to continue to provide proactive support and advice to our customers, and to maintain our reputation for quality, service and innovation."
Source: printweek

Impress sets sights on Peru with Inesa joint venture


Impress, the metal packaging manufacturer, is targeting the Peruvian market for steel and aluminium cans through a joint venture with Chilean can maker Inesa.

Impress and Inesa will have equal shares in the new company, 2I, which will focus on Peru's growing food markets, particularly locally-sourced seafood.

The joint venture is expected to obtain a 30-40% market share within the next three years.

Inesa has recently completed the construction of a new production plant in the country, while Impress will continue to import from Europe and North America.

Francis Labbé, Impress chief executive, said the joint venture would "provide an exceptionally strong supply base for major customers in Peru".

Inesa chief executive Guillermo Canales said it would "create an important player" in the Peruvian packaging market.

Family-owned Inesa has production facilities across Latin America making tin plate cans and ends as well as plastic and aluminium closures.

Impress produces metal packaging for a range of industries from 60 plants in 21 countries.

Principles creates new look for Sun Valley pretzels


Principles Agency in Leeds has created a new identity and packaging for Sun Valley's Skinny Baked Pretzels, part of the Pretz brand.

Sunderland printer EBR printed the packs flexo in eight colours on metallised polyester supplied by Innovia.

The design agency was briefed to target the Pretz products, including a new jalapeno flavour, at the adult market, particularly younger women aged 20-30.

The Pretz brand’s main target previously was children’s snacks.

Sun Valley marketing manager Jonathan Barr said: Research through Principles Agency conclusively showed that a low-fat snack, with real taste would appeal to the health-conscious, young woman.

The research invited women to ‘make a date with their taste buds’ using sensual imagery and dating style language.

Each flavour is linked in with a different type of man, to add the fun element.

The Jalapeno Chilli flavour is moody and unpredictable, while Worcester Sauce is strong and dependable, and Sour Cream & Onion is cool and sophisticated.

Strong nutritional messages, including ‘ditch the fat’, ‘be demanding’ and ‘no dark secrets’ strengthened the health proposition.

The packs will be stocked at independent retailers, foodservice, forecourts and vending machines, priced 45p, from this month.
Source: packagingnews

Packaging Market Weekly Wrap – Graham Packaging in $3.2bn Deal

Hicks Acquisition Company has agreed a partnership with Blackstone Group for Graham Packaging Holdings in a deal believed to be about $3.2bn.

As a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), the Dallas-based Hicks Acquisition is a shell organisation that will raise money in an initial public offering for the acquisition, and then publicly trade the business through the SPAC's shell company after shareholders approve the deal.

The combined enterprise will be called Graham Packaging Company and will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Private equity firm Blackstone is to maintain the largest ownership stake for at least the first two years of the deal.

As a manufacturer of plastic containers for the branded food and beverage, household and personal care industries, Graham Packaging achieved net sales of roughly $2.5bn in 2007.

WRAP INTRODUCES FOOD PACKAGING WASTE INITIATIVE

The UK's Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has invited food manufacturers to take part in a project aimed at reducing waste through food packaging technology.

The manufacturing sector will receive funds for up to 50% of project costs focused on reusable and refillable packaging, new merchandising and dispensing systems or product reformulation.

The government-backed programme has said that a tender process is currently underway for the project. WRAP estimates that each year 5.2 million tonnes of food related packaging waste and 6.7 million tonnes of food waste are disposed of within UK homes.

NEW PACKAGING ENGINEERING COURSE LAUNCHES

Packforum will provide a course aimed at providing food professionals with information on food processing and packaging engineering for the development of convenience foods.

Run by Cryovac Food Engineering, the first of the courses will be based on microwave heating, providing lessons on product formulation, product layout and packaging design necessary for the development of food products designed for microwave cooking or re-heating.

BELFAST PACKAGING FIRM REVEALS NEW BOARD MEMBERS

The Belfast-based pharmaceutical packaging firm Sepha has announced two new board members.

Sepha produces equipment used for blister packing, de-blistering and the detection of leaks in blister packs of prescription and over-the-counter tablets and capsules. As part of the company's strategic bid to increase sales worldwide, Dr Alan McClure will become chairman of the business with Dr Hugh Cormican becoming director.
Source: packaging-technology

Finat sees stable demand for European labels in 2008


European demand for self-adhesive labels in 2008 will be "stable, at best", according to industry association Finat.

In 2007, label sales rose by 4.3% to just over 5.5bn square metres, although the first quarter of 2008 was the first time in three years when growth did not exceed the previous period.

70% of demand was for paper rolls, but the trend towards non-paper labels continues, particularly in Eastern Europe.

Managing director Jules Lejeune said that Eastern Europe would continue to drive the sector, "not only due to manufacturing moving into the region, but also rising disposable incomes and increasing domestic demand".

David Harrisson, Finat past president, told Packaging News the sector was "looking for new opportunities and market trends".

"Self-adhesive labels are ideally suited to short runs and specialisation of packs," he said.

Harrisson said the organisation was also looking to promote the sustainability of self-adhesive labels. "The labels themselves can be recycled with the pack, and we can also deal with the liners and matrix waste."

However, he added that label firms also had to deal with rising substrate costs, particularly plastics.
Source: packagingnews

Superior buys UK's first Avalon N8-50


Wiltshire-based Superior Creative Services has become the first UK printer to invest in the Avalon N8-50 - part of Agfa's latest series of platesetters.

The spend, which includes developer-free Amigo plates and Agfa's Apogee Suite of workflow and production software, is part of a bid to secure the ISO14001 environmental standard this year.

The platesetter replaces a previous Esko machine and will image plates for the Melksham company's 10-colour Komori LS40 perfector and a B2 Heidelberg CD74.

Ian O'Connor, managing director of Superior Creative Services, said: "We are going for the ISO environmental accreditation and the developer-free Amigo plate is a major step towards achieving this."

The company, which already has FSC and PEFC accreditation, is aiming to seal the green standard by the end of the year.

Production director Stewart Powell said productivity was another key reason behind the investment.

"Having a strong visible image before going on the press was important, while the quality of the plate means we run up quickly and have a superbly stable platform to ensure the highest quality of our print."

Superior Creative Services, which employs 110 staff, will take delivery of the machine later this month.
Source: printweek

Océ investment allows Liverpool Council to tender print services


Liverpool City Council is making "considerable savings" having brought its entire transactional and year-end billing operations in-house with an investment in an Océ VarioPrint 6250.

The VarioPrint 6250 is currently operating from the council's print unit, the Resolution Centre, and has already printed and fulfilled 220,000 council tax bills and 180,000 other documents for the 2007/08 year-end.

In addition to this, the council has been able to offer its printing services out to other UK local authorities, as well as customers in the private sector, producing forms, letters and bills.

Tony McNulty, document production manager of the Resolution Centre at Liverpool City Council, said in the first quarter of 2008 alone, the council had printed approximately 5m documents.

He added: "For the first time, we are now printing all the council's daily transactional and year-end billing in house, enveloping it and making considerable savings on print and post."

The Océ VarioPrint 6250 is running alongside two mono systems – an Océ VarioPrint 2090 and an Océ VarioPrint 3090 – as well as two Océ CPS900 Platinum colour machines.

The range of the kit means the centre can produce up to 96m documents per year, allowing the council to carry out a range of print for outside companies.

"We have won some new business as a result of the new Océ system, a lot of which has come externally from the private sector.

The new machine has given the centre a "considerable" amount of extra capacity for outside work.

"Within that new business, 90% of that is variable data printing such as forms, letters and bills," McNulty said.

Source: printweek

'Kangaroo tub' nests small bottle


Avlon Industries, Inc., Melrose Park, IL, a leading manufacturer of salon and consumer hair products for the ethnic market, has introduced new packaging for one its best-selling products-Affirm Crème Relaxer.

Because this product is intended strictly for salon use rather than consumer retail sale, packaging design had not previously been a priority. However, it became clear that the product's package was inhibiting proper use.

Avlon spokesperson Zohaira Rizvi notes, "Traditionally, we had just taped the 4-oz plastic bottles of Protecto pre-relaxer conditioner to the 4-lb buckets of Affirm. But after the tape was removed, the pre-relaxer bottle often was misplaced and never used. We knew there had to be a better way."

Working closely with packaging engineers and designers from TricorBraun (www.tricorbraun.com), Avlon created the "kangaroo tub"—a custom high-density polyethylene 4-lb bucket incorporating a molded indentation where the Protecto 4-oz bottle snaps in place.

Package delivers

"This package delivers in several important ways," says Rizvi. "It makes assembly quicker and more efficient; it makes the product easier to use at the salon; and it enhances our company's image as an innovative industry leader."

TricorBraun also assisted in custom-designing and supplying low-density polyethylene snap-on lid to replace the previous bucket lid that had a tendency to occasionally pop off unexpectedly. In addition, the revamped packaging that neatly tucks the bottle into the side of the bucket makes shipping and storage more space-efficient. Avlon can fit more products into a case and onto a pallet.
Source: packworld

Jul 6, 2008

EC issues guidelines for the use of recycled plastics in food packs


The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued industry guidelines governing the use of recycled plastics in food packaging to help protect consumers from ingesting contaminants that could migrate from packaging into food.

New European Commission (EC) regulations on plastics stipulate that recycled plastics which come into contact with foods should only be obtained from processes that have been given the green light by the EFSA.

Dick Searle, chief executive of The Packaging Federation, welcomed the move. "It is interesting in the sense that at the end of the day there has to be a set of guidelines," he said.

"All organisations, particularly WRAP, have found that one of the impediments has always been the quality of recycled plastic packaging for food contact."

The European food standards watchdog now becomes responsible for evaluating the safety of mechanical recycling and manufacturing methods in which recovered plastics are ground into small pieces, decontaminated and then processed into new packaging.

The EFSA's guidelines do not cover the chemical de-polymerisation process, which is covered by another EU directive.

The issue of the guidelines follow a public consultation held earlier this year by the EFSA's Scientific Panel of Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food. The two-month consultation invited members of the scientific community and stakeholder to comment and drew 40 questions and comments.

Sarah Plant, industrial issues executive of the British Plastics Federation, said: "We are pleased that steps have been taken towards increasing the use of plastics recyclate in food contact applications and that the full potential of this can be realised.

"We will be examing the guidelines in full to ensure that adequate controls are in place to guarantee the exclusion of contaminanted materials while minimising the administrative burden on recyclers and processors."

Any company wishing to use recycled plastics in food packaging will need to gain approval from the EFSA, which will base its safety assessment on factors such as the quality of the recycled raw material, the efficiency of the decontamination process and the the plastic's intended use.

Once the EFSA has evaluated a particular case, its verdict will be forwarded to the EC. If the EC authorises the case, it will then be added to the register of approved recycling processes. An authorised recycling method will then fall under the remit of EU member states' own quality assurance systems.
Source: packagingnews

Océ to cut 600 jobs as profits plummet by 68%


Dutch printer manufacturer Océ is to slash 600 jobs after seeing second-quarter profits tumble by a massive 68%.

The company will also go on a 50m euro (£40m) cost-cutting spree in an effort to get itself back on track.

However, Bron Curley, managing director of Océ UK, said the British arm of the business was not expected to be affected by the job cuts.

Océ profits have fallen to just 5.5m euro (£4.4m), down from 18.3m euro (£14.5m) a year ago.

The company lays the blame for most of the problems at the door of the US economic slowdown, but also believes the grim economic conditions are now starting to show their effects in the UK and Europe.

"Like other parts of Océ's business across Europe, UK customers in certain sectors of the economy are currently going through a challenging time and we are not immune from the effects this could have our business," Curley said.

Despite this, he remained optimistic about the rest of the year and said he expects the UK side of the business to hit its targets for 2008.

The latest round of cuts comes on the back of an 80m euro (£63m) belt tightening exercise the company started in April, which is expected to lead to the loss of 350 jobs. The company says it has already trimmed 20m euro (£16m) off this figure in the first half of 2008 and cut 280 of the 350 jobs.

Shares in the company were down by nearly a fifth in the morning following the announcement.
Source: printweek

Rivals spurn chance to buy Capital


Administrator Begbies Traynor faces an uphill battle to sell failed large-format printer Capital as a going concern after rival companies distanced themselves from a possible purchase.

However, several of the firms have said they may be interested in purchasing kit.

Begbies will now have the arduous task of picking over the pieces of a company that has been shrouded in mystery for several months.

David Hudson and Mark Fry of Begbies Traynor were appointed administrators at east London-based Capital last Thursday afternoon (26 June), shortly after staff had been told to leave the site at around 3pm.

Hudson said: “Capital’s employees had left the company prior to our arrival. Since then, we have secured the site and commenced our investigations into the company’s affairs, including the appointment of independent valuers, with a view to assessing assets and liabilities.

“We have re-employed a small number of employees to undertake a limited amount of work in progress in order to enhance realisa­tions. We would invite all parties interested in purchasing the business or its assets to contact us as soon as possible.”

The large-format firms most likely to buy Capital, including St Ives, Augustus Martin, Creo Retail Marketing and Bezier, have told Print­Week they are not interested.

The London Development Agency (LDA), which financially assisted Capital’s move out of the designated 2012 Olympic stadium site in Stratford last summer to new premises at Beckton waterfront, has said it is investigating what has occurred.

Although the LDA told PrintWeek it had completed payments to Capital, it added: “We are keeping track of the companies that we relocated and we have a team looking into how much involvement we can offer in terms of the administration.”

Staff have also been left in limbo because they did not receive wages for their final month of work, understood to be due on 27 June.

Staff, who have aired their anger on printweek.com’s online forums, were reported to have taken company equipment, including computers and in one case a widescreen television, when they left the site last Thursday.

The events follow a number of changes at the company. Its registered office was changed on 29 February from the factory’s Beckton address to an address in Holland Park, west London, then to an address in Mayfair on 20 March. Both addresses are understood to be managed mailboxes.

Entrepreneur Myles Bunyard also appeared on company records briefly as a director in February.

Phones at Beckton are not being answered and managing director David Gill declined to comment on the situation.
Source: printweek

Promens staff to strike over pay


Workers at Promens' plastic packaging factory in Beccles, Suffolk, are to hold industrial action next week over pay.

According to reports, workers will walk out on Tuesday (8 July) after being offered a 2.2% pay rise.

Unite regional industrial organiser Ivan Crane said staff at Promens had reluctantly accepted below inflation pay offers over the past few years, but now they have said "enough is enough".

The current rate of inflation, according to the government's Retail Prices Index is 4.3%.

Next week's 24-hour walkout could be followed by further action if the company does not change its offer, the union said.

Promens said it would be making a statement on Monday (7 July), but refused to give Packaging News more details.

The company, formerly known as Fibrenyle, is one of three UK packaging factories owned by Icelandic firm Promens. It employs 255 people at the Ellough Industrial Estate in Beccles.
Source: packagingnews

Corporate Express to reduce carbon emissions with smaller boxes


Corporate Express, the supplier of office products and furniture, has launched two new box sizes, a move that it claims will enhance its environmental credentials.

The company has developed two corrugated board boxes that are the same height as its existing small and medium-sized boxes, but take up only half the base size.

The new sizes were introduced after Corporate Express hired environmental consultancy firm Enviros to assess the carbon footprint made by its packaging and delivery boxes.

The environmental review included the option of using reusable tote boxes, liners and additional smaller cardboard boxes, but Corporate Express decided that the best option would be to introduce two smaller cardboard boxes.

According to Enviros, the smaller sized boxes will reduce Corporate Express's annual volume of cardboard shipped to its customers by 148 tonnes and cut its carbon emissions by 208 tonnes a year.

The boxes, supplied by Lancashire-based TRM Packaging, are made from 100% recycled materials and are fully recyclable themselves.

Corporate Express said that no plastic film will be used to seal the contents inside and it has also changed the board used in its other boxes to include 100% recycled material.

Peter Aggett, technical director at Enviros, said: "The benefits of using an additional two smaller boxes include savings in volume of goods shipped, a reduction in carbon emissions and a reduction in corrugated board disposed by customers and the ability of Corporate Express to use the smaller boxes through all distribution channels."

Corporate Express's existing portfolio comprises small, medium and large boxes and a biodegradable jiffy bags used for smaller orders.

Packaging Market Weekly Wrap - Anheuser Not Selling Packaging Division

Anheuser-Busch says it has no plans to sell its packaging business or its theme parks.

Chief Executive August Busch IV said a sale is not of benefit to shareholders.

The comments came in a conference call in which Anheuser-Busch executives detailed their cost-savings plan and explained the decision to reject InBev NV's $46.3bn bid, Reuters reports.

ALCAN TO BUILD CZECH PACKAGING PLANT

Rio Tinto's Alcan Packaging division is to build a €17m packaging facility in the Novy Bydzov area of the Czech Republic.

The new facility will produce and print packaging for the emerging Central European food market, Alcan Packaging said.

The plant should be operational by the fourth quarter of 2009.

"This investment will strengthen our position on the fast growing Central Europe market," Alcan Packaging President and Chief Executive Officer Ilene Gordon said.

"It is a new and important step in Alcan Packaging's growth strategy implementation," she added.

HICKS TO BUY GRAHAM PACKAGING

Hicks Acquisition Co says it will take Graham Packaging Holdings Co public in a deal worth $3.2bn.

A partnership with the Blackstone Group and the Graham Group has been formed to make the move.

Under the terms of the deal, current stockholders of Graham Packaging will receive $350m of cash held in trust, 35 million common shares, and 2.8 million warrants upon completion of the transaction.

WINPAK BUYS WALSRODER

Winpak has bought the film packaging business of Walsroder Packaging, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co.

Walsroder Packaging is a converter and distributor of flexible plastic rollstock packaging to the US food industry.

Winpak manufactures and distributes packaging materials and related packaging machines mostly used for perishable foods and in health care applications.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

LINPAC OPENS CHINESE PLANT

Linpac Packaging has opened its first plant in China, at Changzhou, in Jiangsu province.

The 20,000m² factory has two extrusion lines for production of PVC stretch film for wrapping of fresh foodstuffs and employs 60 staff.
Source: packaging-technology

Three-in-one closure launched by Empire Manufacturing


Empire Manufacturing, the supplier of perfume and cosmetic bottle tops, has launched a closure that does the job of a crimping ring, sealing gasket and sprinkler top in one unit.

The three-in-one closure for perfumes, lotions and oils is made from recyclable aluminium with a polished or machine finish. The internal section is made from a Tri-Seal plastic.

The firm said the closure gives an "excellent fit" to the bottle and is supplied in a number of designs to be secured onto a variety of bottle sizes.

A spokeswoman for Empire Manufacturing said: "Companies can use the three-in-one bottle, replacing three separate components, keeping costs to a minimum and saving time in the assembly process."

The company has taken orders for the closure for perfume, aromatherapy oils and aftershave bottles.

Empire Manufacturing was set up in 2007 and employs six people in Hoddeston, Hertfordshire.
Source: packagingnews

Job fears as Nampak considers closure of Somerset site

Nampak is considering closing its Crewkerne factory in Somerset and reorganising administrative roles at its Gillingham site in Kent, putting up to 125 jobs at risk.

The packaging manufacturer has begun a 90-day consultation process with affected employees, although a final decision on the proposed closure has yet to be made.

Nampak said the restructuring was part of an investment programme that it hoped would enable it to maintain a competitive edge and become the lowest-cost packaging producer in the UK.

In a statement, the company said the potential closure would not result in a reduction of capacity, but a more "efficient and streamlined operation with lower costs".

It said: "Nampak Cartons has completed a review of its UK operations with a specific focus on increasing efficiencies and technological improvements."

Nampak hopes, by focusing on the most modern factories that offer the most efficient production facilities, it will stay ahead of the changes within the industry.
Source: printweek

Polywrap ban proposed in strict direct mail standards plan


Mailing houses could be forced to scrap the use of polywrap in favour of paper that is up to 75% recycled under a newly proposed UK standard for direct mail that is being endorsed by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).

The PAS 2020 standard has been proposed by the British Standards Institute (BSi), but has been developed in conjunction with a panel of direct mail experts, including industry practitioners, representatives of national and local government and consumer groups.

A draft copy, which PrintWeek has obtained, is currently with the panel. Respondents have until 25 July to give their thoughts on the proposed standards.

According to the DMA's director of media channel development, Robert Keitch, the organisation hopes to have the standard in place by September.

The standard will have three levels, with companies having to adhere to stricter rulings in order to meet each level.

Some of the criteria included are the eradication of bindings, laminations, non-biodegradable plastic wrapping, polystyrene envelope windows and staples; a minimum of 75% recycled fibre; 75% of inks used to be vegetable oil-based and contain no mineral oil; and 75% of all finishes to be water-based.

Although direct mail companies may be concerned about meeting such hard-hitting targets, at the moment there are no plans to make the standard mandatory.

However, Keitch believes there will be still be a high take-up when the standard is brought in.

He said: "The smart organisations will understand that the environment is an investment in a strategic capability. It is not a cost, it is a competitive advantage.

"Clients will be asking what do I have to do to be more environmentally focused, and the answer is to follow this standard – it is a clear-cut strategic way forward with no ambiguity.

"The point of the standard is that we can provide the whole industry with a tool that is able to improve their environmental performance. This is about members and individuals demonstrating to policy makers that they can seize the challenge and live up to it before the policy makers decide they have to do that for themselves."

Keitch added that the BSi was "arguably the world's best standard setting body", which was the reason the DMA had worked with them in this instance.
Source: printweek

Jun 22, 2008

HP consolidates Imaging and Printing group to cut costs


HP has announced it is to reorganise its Imaging and Printing group by consolidating the division from five groups down to three, in a bid to enable revenue growth and reduce costs within the company.

Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP's Imaging and Printing group, revealed news of the significant shake-up to employees on Wednesday, however he stayed quiet on the issue of potential job cuts.

However, the company confirmed to PrintWeek there would be a "rebalancing of staff" with people being employed into other areas "as much as possible".

The move will see HP consolidating the group into three areas, Graphics Solutions, Inkjet and Web Solutions and Laserjet and Enterprise Solutions.

Graphics Solutions, will deliver HP's portfolio of products and services for printers, the company said.

Inkjet and Web Solutions will focus on consumers and small businesses. Laserjet and Enterprise Solutions will aid HP's Enterprise customers in optimising their printing and imaging infrastructure and improving workflow.

Through reducing the number of its Global Business Units from five to three, HP says it has created units dedicated to providing print technology determined by each customer segment.

The move also represents a consolidation of consumer services and hardware into one group, with HP's enterprise services and hardware sectioned off into another.

The reorganisation plans are described as being part of HP's Print 2.0 strategy – a pitch to enhance and expand its business to offer a broader range of printing activities, such as large-scale billboard printing and graphic arts to label production.
Source: printweek

Packaging Market Weekly Wrap - P&G to Share Packaging Know How

Procter & Gamble is allowing another company access to its packaging technologies for the first time.

Food manufacturer ConAgra will get access to its industry-leading packaging and design skills in one of the most ambitious cooperation deals struck by the world’s biggest seller of consumer goods, the Financial Times reports.

P&G Vice-President of External Business Jeff Weedman said that under the deal "P&G's packaging capabilities are going to be applied to ConAgra's needs".

The deal has the potential to be one of the biggest to be developed under P&G's "connect and develop" open-innovation strategy.

The deal also covers P&G's nutrition-enhancing food ingredients.

Financial terms of the deal were not unveiled.

BAN CALLED ON REPACKAGED MEDICINE

Drug makers called on Thursday for a ban on the repackaging of medicines within the European Union in order to stamp out the growing threat of counterfeits.

"It is absolutely imperative, if we are going to try and protect consumers from counterfeits, that we do not allow a system that can take our medicines out of its packaging," industry association head and Bayer Healthcare CEO Arthur Higgins said.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers blame the legal practice of parallel trade - in which drugs bought in low-priced markets are repackaged and resold in high-price countries - for fuelling counterfeit traffic. Parallel traders deny the charge.

Preventing repackaging would deal a blow to the parallel trade and could also help drug makers' profits, since companies' revenues are currently eroded by arbitrage dealings in their products across borders.

Under current EU rules, medicines can be repackaged, relabelled and the tablets even removed from blister packs, all of which drug makers argue jeopardises security and provides an opportunity for criminals.

Counterfeit medicines, which may contain the wrong or even toxic ingredients, are on the rise worldwide. The World Health Organisation estimates they may make up 10% of the global pharmaceutical market.

The problem is most acute in developing countries but it is also increasing in Europe, with fake versions of life-saving drugs like AstraZeneca Plc's cancer medicine Casodex and Sanofi-Aventis SA's blood-thinner Plavix turning up in the supply chain in the past year.

Sanofi Chairman Jean-Francois Dehecq said counterfeiting was now being carried out on an industrialised scale, often by the same criminal gangs which dealt in narcotics.

"It is time for Europe to act as the driving force in the fight against this deadly crime," he said.

Dehecq and Higgins said they hoped for tougher EU legislation by the end of the year as part of a new pharmaceutical package being developed in Brussels.

In the meantime, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations will launch a pilot scheme using complex bar codes and tamper-resistant packaging in Germany next year, designed to show that secure packaging for drugs is feasible.

In the long term, it wants to see a standardised and unique coding system for medicines across Europe.

Reuters

SCA AB TO DOWNSIZE

Swedish paper company SCA AB has announced plans to sell parts of its UK packaging operations to Spain's SAICA and will close down its New Hythe containerboard mill in Kent by 2010.

SAICA is paying £100m for SCA's conventional corrugated business.

After the sale, SCA will focus on specialised packaging in its operations in the UK and Ireland.

EAFA PRESIDENT RE-ELECTED

Hydro Aluminium's head of business unit foil Fred McDonogh has been re-elected President of the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) for a second term.

Group Chairmen Michael Cronin of Flexible Packaging Europe and Hans Hogeveen of Rewinder Group were re-elected as EAFA Vice-Presidents.

Completing the board Felix Steinbrecher was newly elected as EAFA Vice-President representing the Container Group.
Source: packaging-technology

Print finisher Fastnet sold in management buyout


Fastnet, a Mitcham-based print finisher, has been sold to a team of long-serving employees in a management buyout.

The MBO team is being headed up by Richard Ashcroft who has been running production of the company for the past 13 years.

The £2m turnover company, which employs 34 staff, specialises in the finishing of wiro and plastic spiral bound books, calendars, and diaries.

In February this year, Fastnet installed a calendar binding line, increasing output by 18%.

David Martin, who formed the company, will remain during a short transitional period, before moving on to pursue other interests, including some work for Dash Products – the UK's only manufacturer of plastic spiral for the bookbinding industry.

Martin said: "The new team will need some time to settle down and decide how best to make joint decisions, regarding direction and investment. As they have all been with the company since the start, I know the company is in good hands.

"For myself, after 33 years in the printing business, I am now looking for a quieter life away from the red tape that consumes much of everyday life in business these days."
Source: printweek

St Ives reports sales growth despite declining US demand


St Ives has announced continued growth despite a significant drop in volumes in its US division.

The US suffered a 20% drop in sales this year, largely down to the consolidation of Florida plants at the end of the last financial year.

However, between August and May, total sales grew by 4.6% on the previous year, with Service Graphics, which it acquired in November 2006, posting a growth rate of 9%.

The statement said: "Overall market conditions have been more challenging than we had expected when we issued our half-yearly statement, but we continue to seek ways of reducing cost and increasing revenues to mitigate the effect."

Since 1 February 2008, demand for books has remained steady, according to the company, which warned that, although new contracts for magazine printing were being won, pagination was unpredictable.

Sales in the company's multimedia and music division were down but Brian Edwards, chief executive of the company, would not be drawn on plans for a disposal of this business, saying a sale of its Dutch music division remained "under review".

He added that the company had no plans to move into colour book printing at its Clays site, despite the demise of Butler and Tanner.

"With mono work, there is a time sensitivity which means that it has to be produced locally," he said. "With colour work there does not tend to be so many repeat runs meaning that it can be printed at a lower cost elsewhere."

The transition of work under the Royal Mail contract (announced in October 2007) will be completed by the beginning of July 2008.
Source: printweek

Jun 16, 2008

De La Rue sells off Cash Systems divisions in £360m deal


De La Rue has entered into a conditional agreement to dispose of its Cash Systems business to private equity house The Carlyle Group for £360m.

The deal, which is subject to shareholder approval, is expected to complete in September of this year and brings to an end months of speculation concerning the possible purchaser for the business.

Nicholas Brookes, chairman of De La Rue, said: "The disposal of Cash Systems, in the more uncertain economic environment, reflects the quality of the business that we have built since 2004 and crystallises its value for our shareholders."

The disposal of Cash Systems will enable De La Rue to focus on its core business as a supplier and manufacturer of banknote printing. In a statement, De La Rue said that a focus on this segment of the business will deliver higher margins.

Cash Systems manufactures and distributes handling technology for the authentication and sorting of bank notes, including ATM machines, which De La Rue invented in 1965.

For the financial year to March 2008, the company reported revenue of £286.6m and operating profit of £35.5m.
Source: printweek

Green plan fails to save struggling Polar Print Group


B1 environmental printer Polar Print Group has gone into administration with 45 redundancies being made.

Administrators at KPMG were called into the business on Wednesday evening.

A statement from Richard Philpott, joint administrator from KPMG said the business "has been experiencing trading difficulties for some time, in the main caused by increasing competition within the printing sector as well as rising business overhead costs."

The Leicester-based printer had recently invested £3m in new KBA pressroom technology with a Rapida 105 six-colour sheet-fed press being installed last November and another 10-colour machine due for installation in the second half of 2008.

Polar said at the time it was hoping to capitalise on the growing demand for "green" printing and believed that the new press would add £2m to the company's existing annual sales of £4.5m.

2007 accounts for the company are not available, but in 2006 Polar Print made a £202,000 pre-tax loss compared to a profit of £105,000 in 2005. The company employs 51 staff.

Managing director David Gask could not be reached for comment. Further details are not available at this stage.
Source: printweek

Snacks debut in resealable pouches


New York Style, a snack brand of Nonni's Food Co., Inc., headquartered in Tulsa, OK, has introduced Focaccia Sticks in packaging designed by brand strategy specialist Murray Brand Communications, Inc. (www.murraybrand.com).

Supplied by C-P Flexible Packaging (www.cpconverters.com), the preformed, stand-up, resealable pouches are flexo-printed in 8 colors and incorporate color-coding to distinguish flavor varieties. The undisclosed packaging structure has excellent oxygen and moisture barrier properties, which preserve product freshness and extend shelf life up to one year.

New York Style marketing manager Bill Corcoran comments, "Consumers have responded very well to our new Focaccia Sticks. The graphics designed by Murray Brand Communications do a great job of standing out on the crowded snack food retail shelf and telling a story about the uniqueness of the product and its usage occasions. The resealable stand-up pouch allows us greater merchandising flexibility, and the packaging structure helps keep the product fresh longer."

New York Style Focaccia Sticks were introduced in retail outlets across the U.S. beginning in February 2008. Average retail price is $3.29 per 5-oz bag.

Source: packworld

Loadhog installs pallet pad wash


Loadhog, the Sheffield-based returnable packaging firm, has installed a layer pad wash plant in the city to speed up service for key customers, such as Quinn Glass.

Plastic layer pads are used in the transport of transit pallet-stacked products, especially in the glass bottle industry, which dictates that pads are cleaned after every trip.

Loadhog currently washes 2.5 million pads for Quinn Glass annually.

The £500,000 Italian-manufactured machine is one of four in the country. It is located in 10,000 sq ft facility on Blast Lane in Sheffield and is open to other transit packaging companies to use.

Loadhog requires that its plants wash pads to British Retail Consortium's Global Standard for Food Packaging and in accordance with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Protocol.

Pads are not released to customers until microbiological testing has been carried out.

Wash plant manager Dave Clark said the plant, which can handle seven million pads a year, "opens up a new income stream from other companies requiring a fast turn round pad cleaning service".
Source: packagingnews

Ball Packaging to employ 100 at second Polish facility


Ball Packaging Europe could employ more than 100 skilled workers at its new 125,000 square metre can-making plant at Lublin, Poland, when it starts production in the first half of next year.

The US-based metal and plastic packaging supplier said it needed the plant to meet "rapid" growth in demand for beverage cans in Central and Eastern Europe.

The "highly-automated" plant, to be built in eastern Poland on the borders of Belarus and Ukraine, will initially have one production line with an annual capacity of approximately 750 million cans a year, but there will be space at the site to accommodate additional lines in the future.

This is Ball's second investment in Poland, it opened a factory at Radomsko in 1995. The site has a workforce of 160 people, it produces 1.5 billion aluminium beverage cans in 330ml and 500ml sizes annually on two lines.

Ball Packaging Europe president Michael Herdman said: "Currently we sell significantly more cans in the Polish market than we produce locally."

"Our existing plant in Radomsko serves us well for central and southern Poland. The Lublin plant will provide us with geographic coverage across Poland and position us to serve even better our customers there, as well as those in countries further to the East."

Jun 9, 2008

PI becomes Packaging Federation's first design member


The Packaging Federation has secured its first member from the design sector after signing up PI Group, the London-based packaging design, prototyping and sustainability specialist.

PI Group partner Steve Kelsey said the Federation would be a "very valuable forum" for the company and provided an "excellent perspective on what the packaging business is thinking".

He also said PI could bring some extra qualities to the Federation.

"The sort of things talked about at Federation meetings are very much looking to the future, and if designers can't spot trends they shouldn't really be in their jobs," he added.

PI decided to join as an individual member after a "very, very lukewarm reception" from other design firms to the idea of creating a design group to sit within the Federation.

"It was only after I had been to several Federation meetings that we decided to join," he added. "I was very impressed by the quality of people who attended."

PI has also joined the Cross Industry Waste Strategy Group, which counts major retailers such as Asda and Tesco as members and aims to standardise waste collected by local authorities across the country and ensure that recycled packaging is of a high quality.

Packaging Federation chief executive Dick Searle said signing up PI as a member was a "significant" boost for the organisation and could help to attract other design companies.

Major packaging groups account for the bulk of the Federation's membership, while sector trade associations are affiliates.
Source: packagingnews

Drupa sales total £360m at halfway point


More than 450m euro (£360m) worth of software, equipment and services were sold during the first half of Drupa, according to newly released figures.

Show organisers Messe Düsseldorf revealed the interim figures last Thursday, covering visitor and exhibitor numbers, as well as half-time sales and national growth trends.

Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, Drupa president and Koenig & Bauer chief executive, said on Wednesday: "By this evening, 213,000 visitors from 115 countries have passed through the turnstiles – 64% of them international. The trend at the event is extremely positive."

Inkjet presses and digital print engines seemed to be leading the sales charge at the show, with presses flying off the HP and Xerox stands, among others.

Meanwhile, heavy-metal manufacturers Goss, Heidelberg, Koenig & Bauer and manroland all began the show as the they meant to go on, with orders from the very first day.

On the prepress side, Agfa led the charge, announcing two significant five-year plate deals in the first week, as well as selling several units of its new Avalon VLF platesetter.

Of the show's 213,000 first-week visitors, 15.2% were from Asia – representing a rise of 3% on 2004, and 7.4% were from South and Central America, whose attendance was up from 4.7% last Drupa.

The Drupacube and the Drupa Innovation Park, both of which are new features of Drupa 2008, were singled out for praise by the Messe, which is already planning ahead for Drupa 2012.

In an announcement earlier this week, Messe Düsseldorf revealed that the 15th Drupa will take place from 3 to 16 May 2012.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drupa halftime numbers:
213,000 visitors
1,971 exhibitors
52 nations exhibiting
175,000sqm stand space
104,202sqm from international companies
Source: printweek

Packaging Market Weekly Wrap – Bright Future for Pharmaceutical Packaging Market

According to the business research company Freedonia Group, demand for pharmaceutical packaging in the US (including Puerto Rico) will increase 5.5 percent annually to US$16bn in 2012.

The rise is due to the increased focus on regulations and standards that address issues such as barrier protection, infection control, patient drug compliance, drug dispensing errors and drug counterfeiting.

The US-based industry research firm also identifies a 5.2 percent annual increase in demand for primary pharmaceutical containers and anticipates fast growth for prefillable syringes and vials.

Furthermore, it expects plastic bottles to remain the most widely used package for oral drugs distributed in bulk and that the market for pharmaceutical pouches will expand at a fast pace.

CHAMPAGNE INDAGE BUYS CORBY BOTTLERS

Corby Bottlers has been purchased by the Indian firm Champagne Indage for an undisclosed sum.

The Northamptonshire wine bottler and supplier of bag-in-box wines and sister company Darlington Wines have continued trading despite going into administration in March.

The two businesses generate a combined turnover of £25m.

POLYONE SIGNS ON FOR EASTMAN TRITAN COPOLYESTER

PolyOne has signed an agreement with Eastman Chemical Company to become the exclusive compounder of filled systems for Eastman's Tritan copolyester in the US.

The global provider of specialised polymer materials, services and solutions will work with customers and Eastman to develop new applications and markets for compounded materials.

The new copolyester is marketed as durable, resistant to chemical and heat, and easy to process.

It can also apparently be molded with lower levels of residual stress compared to polycarbonate.

AMCOR TO SELL PACKAGING PLANT TO IPG

Amcor is to sell its flexible packaging plant in Western Australia to Integrated Packaging Group (IPG) for about US$35m.

The plant, which is located in Perth, currently produces industrial stretch wrap film for domestic and New Zealand markets.

The proposed sale would mark Amcor's exit from the production of industrial stretch wrap film.

The planned acquisition is part of IPG's growth strategy of buying established businesses and expanding its existing plants in Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand.

IPG and Amcor are expected to complete the transaction by the end of July.

ASTRAPACK APPOINTS NEW CEO

Plastic packaging company Astrapak has appointed Marco Baglione as its new chief executive office.

Bagilone was previously divisional chief executive of the rigids division and has been at the company for 11 years.

He replaces Ray Crewe-Brown, who will retire at the end of June but remain as a consultant to Astrapak for the next 12 months.
Source: packaging-technology

Printing.com bucks the trend with sales rise of 15%


Printing.com has defied current economic uncertainty, announcing record sales, profits, earnings per share and dividends.

"We said last year we would focus on expanding our franchise base, and that's what we've done," chief executive Tony Rafferty said.

His company saw 51 new outlets open over the year and the successful launch of Printing.com France. Plans to set up operations in Australia are also still on track, he said.

Printing.com, which has 261 outlets in the UK and Ireland, reported a sales rise of more than 15% to £24.5m in the year ending in April.

Preliminary results revealed an 11% increase in turnover to £13.5m and profit before tax was up nearly 6% to just under £2.5m.

"In this uncertain economic climate, a lot of small printers are putting off big capital investments and buying a slice of our action," he said.

Printers spent an average of £6,000 to £7,000 for a "bolt-on franchise", and Rafferty's company spent £30,000 a month tweaking software to "make life easier" for printers to detail and confirm orders, and to add up payments.

"Who knows if we will see the same size of expansion next year given the economic conditions? But we will seek to push forward and are cautiously optimistic."

Earnings per share rose 2.5% to 3.64p and dividends went up 20% to 3.00p.
Source: printweek

I2r invests in packaging kit after securing grant


I2r Packaging Solutions, the food packaging firm, has invested in new tooling for its Telford-based plant after securing £800,000 of funding through Business Link.

The company, which produces smooth-wall aluminium foil containers for customers including Sainsbury's, Asda, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, declined to give further details of the tooling.

Chief executive Peter Reay said: "The funding from Business Link has enabled us to install new state of the art production lines at our premises and in response to this, 11 new jobs have been created."

I2r, which stands for innovation to ready, was launched in July 2007 by three former Nicholl Food Packaging directors - Reay, Jon West and Richard Chaplin.

The Business Link Access to Finance programme, which is available to all small and medium sized businesses employing less than 250 people, offers support from impartial advice to holding seminars and workshops.
Source: packagingnews

Sainsbury's starts selling milk in a bag


Sainsbury's will start to sell milk packaged in a recyclable plastic pouch in 35 of its stores this week.

The supermarket said the two-pints pouch, produced in partnership with Dairy Crest, would reduce milk packaging waste by 75%. It will be available in 500 stores within a year.

The "Jug-it" pack is made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and fits inside a reusable jug. It is opened with a spike that pierces the bag and forms a no-leak seal. Once emptied, the pouch can be put in recycling bins in Sainsbury's stores, or recycled with other plastics at home.

Rival Tesco started selling milk from Welsh organic milk co-operative Calon Wen in low-density "eco pak" polythene bags in 43 stores across Wales in April.

The Tesco move followed Waitrose's trial of the Calon Wen offering that has been running for a year, while Asda trialled the Greenbottle, consisting of a recycled cardboard bottle with a plastic liner, at stores in East Anglia earlier this year.

A spokeswoman from Sainsbury's said its move was a "revolution" in milk packaging, but a previous pouch launched by the supermarket in 2001 did not stir up much interest among consumers and was scrapped.

"Consumers are now ready for it. There is much more demand for products that are environmentally responsible," the spokeswoman added.

"Milk in a bag is an incredibly simple way for families to reduce their environmental impact."

The Jug-it pouch will be on sale across London and the South-East from Wednesday.

Sainsbury's is also considering using bags for its own brand juice and is examining alternatives to the wine box using the same packaging technology.

M-real to phase out four cartonboard grades


M-real, the Finnish cartonboard and paper manufacturer, will phase out four of its cartonboards by the end of the year following the introduction of new grade Carta Elega this month.

The company will discontinue the production of heavier weight cartonboards Gala X, Nova X, Simwhite and Avanta Ultra.

Carta Elega is a fully-coated folding boxboard, available in 200-380gsm, which is recommended for beautycare and other high-quality packaging and graphics.

M-real said it is a combination of the best bits of discontinued grades Simwhite and Avanta Ultra.

The company will continue to produce grades Carta Integra, Carta Solida, Avanta Prima and Simcote alongside Carta Elega.

A spokesperson said that having fewer grades would result in better availability and faster deliveries, mostly due to fewer products per production line.

Mika Joukio, executive vice president of M-real Consumer Packaging, said the company "strives for fast and secure availability, as well as for high quality and consistency of our board without forgetting sustainability issues."

Confectionery machine roll-out boasts 400 products per minute

As ever shorter product life cycles continue to dominate the packaging landscape for confectioners, two Bosch Packaging Technology firms have extended their range of horizontal pillow-pack machines.

Offering a machine suitable for packaging products in trays, the two companies, Tevopharm and Doboy, claim their new Pack-401 is suitable for three-shift operations.

The horizontal pillow-pack machine achieves "medium to high operating speeds for output levels of 20 to 400 products per minute or a film speed of up to 80 meters per minute," they assert in a recent statement.

Tighter margins are driving increased efficiencies for businesses across the food sector. For confectioners, a lift in flexibility changeover rate and more competitive product life cycles could raise efficiencies at the packaging level.

"Its design allows for flexible changeover to various packaging formats for product widths up to 450 millimeters or film widths up to 650 millimetres," add Tevopharm and Doboy, part of the €46bn german Bosch group.

In addition, the design of the Pack-401 enables it to "operate as a standalone machine or to be integrated with other packaging systems such as Delta Robots, secondary packaging machines, product handling, and various infeed modules," add the firms.

The "cantilever design of feeder, longitudinal and transverse sealing" also enables operators to have an "excellent overview during operation and facilitates access for cleaning," they continue.

In today's competitive food sector, companies are, arguably, starting to recognise that brands are among their most valuable assets. Brands account for about one-third of the value of Fortune 500 companies, and a recent report from Milward Brown Optimor found that the combined value of its Top 100 Brandz, across all industries, topped €1.2 trillion in 2008, a 21 per cent rise from about €1 trillion in 2007.


Harnassing this state-of-play, Bosch Packaging technologies stated in a report recently that 'successful brands build on innovative and efficient packaging solutions with high consumer benefit.'

The firm claims that technologies can be applied that completely redefine a product category or, in some cases, create an entirely new product from an existing brand.

An example of pro-active packaging technology design, Bosch Packaging cites the Pull Pack designed by one of its firms Sigpack Systems, that worked with existing equipment and knowledge of existing lines to create a new package that would require minimal alteration of those lines.

"The Pull Pack enables consumers to simply pull off the short end of the wrapper for quick access to contents," says the firm.

The cost of production, and efficiencies therein, are clearly also key factors for the evolution of a brand; when coupled with creative design, 'they can be a successful formula', adds Bosch, citing the advent of robots on the line.

Once thought to be too expensive and too difficult to handle by food production and packaging facilities, according to Bosch, 'robots have come down significantly in price'. The german firm continues that 'a robot's enhanced flexibility adds to its process and production speeds.'
Source: foodproductiondaily

154 jobs lost as Trader Media Group closes Wiltshire site


Trader Media Group (TMG) has closed its Wiltshire print plant, resulting in 154 job losses.

The group announced plans to shut the site, which produces Auto Trader magazine, at the beginning of the year, citing an increased use of its online property, coupled with a slip in circulation.

A 90-day period of consultation was entered into with staff and management, but of the 164 positions at the plant, only 10 staff have opted to relocate to the group's other sites.

The Wiltshire site will now be sold with kit, including manroland and Rockwell Goss presses, either sold off or transferred to the group's Apple Web plant.

Production of Auto Trader magazine will also be relocated to the group's other sites.

"The company is committed to retaining people where possible and will examine relocation options elsewhere within the group," the company said in a statement in January.

It continued: "Trader Media Group regrets any potential job losses, but the re-structure is necessary given the shift in media consumption by motorists and increased competition."

The Wiltshire plant was founded in 1953 and moved to its current location in 1995. Three years later it was bought by Hurst Media, which became TMG in 2000.

TMG also owns the Apple Web, Warrington, and Acorn Web, Normanton, web offset print plants.
Source: printweek

Informa and UBM in talks to create possible £3bn 'supergroup'

Informa and rival United Business Media (UBM) are in talks to merge in a deal that would create a £3bn business publishing "supergroup".

In a statement, Informa confirmed it had "received an approach" about a merger from UBM and said it was considering the proposal.

However it added "there can be no certainty that any transaction will take place," and gave no timeframe on a further announcement.

UBM also confirmed early talks were underway on the "commercial merits of an all-share merger". Merrill Lynch International is acting for the company.

Informa publishes journals and books for academic, scientific and professional groups. It has more than 150 offices in upwards of 40 countries, staffed by 7,500 people.

UBM's 5,000 staff in more than 30 countries focuses on professional and commercial sectors. Last year, it made more than £800m in revenue with an operating profit of £176m.

Joining forces would see the emergence of a supergroup valued at around £3bn, reports have claimed. Informa is worth around £1.6bn and UBM about £1.5bn.

Informa stands for Innovative, Non-bureaucratic, For profit, Open, Rewarding, Market-focused, About quality.
Source: printweek

Jun 3, 2008

Wyndeham signs five-year plate deal with Agfa


Wyndeham will begin a massive pre-press overhaul at four of its sites next month, after buying seven Avalon VLF platesetters and signing a five-year plate-supply deal with Agfa.

Paul Utting, chief executive of Wyndeham, visited Drupa on Monday where he signed for the CTP upgrade, which included the platesetters, plates and Agfa's Apogee workflow.

Utting said: "After an extensive review of various options, we are delighted to be continuing our long-standing working relationship with Agfa.

"Overall, the package of Avalon Platesetters, Apogee workflow and continuous technical support won Agfa the business."

Web offset sites Heron and Impact will get two Avalons each, as will sheetfed-site Grange. All three will be running Agfa's new long-run, no-bake Energy Elite plate.

Installation of the new pre-press setup is due to begin in July and is expected to run until the end of the summer.

Agfa UK managing director Laurence Roberts said the new contract had been very competitive but ultimately rewarding.

"This is a significant vote of confidence for Agfa. The contract incorporates a wide range of our pre-press technologies, including new developments on show for the first time here at Drupa," he said.
Source: printweek

Packaging industry wary over bio-materials


More than half of respondents to a Packaging News survey would consider using compostable or biodegradable materials made from genetically modified sources, although 75% said industry should not adopt products that divert from food supplies.

The majority (79%) recognised a need for the packaging industry to reduce its dependence on oil-based products, but 80% said that compostable packaging materials had been introduced with little thought for their impact on existing infrastructure or potential to confuse consumers.

Less than half thought the benefits of compostable packaging outweighed any potential disadvantages.

Of the 130-plus respondents, 89% said consumers did not understand sustainable packaging materials, although this in itself should not stop their introduction, but 60% urged retailers and brands to wait until the industrial composting infrastructure had improved before using compostable packaging.

This echoed the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (Larac), which last month called for retailers to clarify to consumers how to deal with sustainable materials.

Larac chairman Lee Marshall said: "The idea of biodegradable packaging is good, but the infrastructure is not yet there to fully realise its potential."

Bath and North East Somerset Council has banned householders from putting biodegradeable plastic packs in garden waste collections because it cannot deal with it.

Asda packaging buyer Shane Monkman said the multiple was not using biodegradable or compostable materials due to performance limitations, the presence of GM crops and the possibility of contaminating waste streams.

The survey respondents had examined the full range of materials, including polylactic acid (71%), materials based on cornstarch and fatty acids, for a variety of applications such as fresh produce (45%), pharmaceuticals and detergents.



Main findings:

73% of respondents highlighted cost as a main barrier to entry, followed by availability of material (49%) and consumer confusion (47%)

72% said local authorities should take responsibility for educating consumers, 65% said it lay with retailers, and 59% with the packaging industry

53% had looked at sustainable materials for packaging films; 39% bags; 33% thermoformed or injection-moulded packaging
Source: packagingnews

Symphony reveals reduced operating loss


Symphony Environmental Technologies, the producer of degradable plastics, reduced its operating loss by 17% to £1.9m in the year to 31 December 2007, showing a "much better" performance in the second half.

The Hertfordshire-based company also reported a 9.5% drop in sales to £3.8m.

However, sales of the firm's d2w oxo-degradable additive, which can make plastic degrade completely within six months, increased by 36% to £3m.

Since the year end, the firm said it had doubled the number of international d2w distributors to 30.

Last month Symphony signed a 15-year agreement with Fujairah Plastics Group in the United Arab Emirates, the carrier bag producer, and with Albany Bakeries in South Africa for its d2w oxo-degradable technology.

Symphony said in the past 12 months more than five billion plastic products had been made with d2w additives.

The company's share price rose by 2.3% to 4.63p following today's announcement.

Borcombe SP boosts capacity with 12-colour perfector


Borcombe SP, the commercial printer owned by Media Print and Investments (MPI), has completed installation of a new long perfector and made clear its intentions to improve its environmental credentials.

The Romsey-based company has this week completed the installation and commissioning of a new Heidelberg 12 Colour Speedmaster with Cutstar.

A raft of finishing kit, including a Wohlenberg PUR binding line and Sitma mailing line, has also been commissioned.

Simon Hunt, the recently-appointed managing director of the £15m-turnover firm, has overseen the installation and the recruitment of 20 new staff to run the kit.

MPI chief executive Mike Dolan said: "With the demise of Butler and Tanner (B&T), Borcombe now represents around 50% of the overall business. The company has been something of a flagship for us as it was the first company we acquired two years ago."

The company has now introduced a night shift throughout the finishing department to handle the additional workload.

It is also currently testing and developing a new methodology standard to measure green house gas emissions – PAS2050.

The BPIF has been working closely with Borcombe and the BSI2 to develop the methodology, which is expected to be ratified as a standard in June or July.

Dolan added the Friary Press' move from B&T into the Goodman Baylis premises at Worcester was half complete.

"We lost some business because of the situation with Friary Press at Butler and Tanner; we let a few customers down. We are now making a serious effort to win that back… I hope that we succeed in Worcester where we were unable to in Frome."

Source: printweek

HP Indigo signs 'biggest-ever' press sale at Drupa


HP Indigo has scored its biggest deal yet with the signing of a multi-million dollar deal to supply 36 presses to US firm Consolidated Graphics.

Alon Bar-Shany, vice president of HP's Indigo division said the agreement, announced yesterday at Drupa, was likely to be ''the largest deal we have ever announced''.

Consolidated Graphics, which has facilities across the US, Canada and one in the Czech Republic, will use the presses to output a range of print, specifically products for its photobook printing operation.

The deal also includes three HP SmartStream Ultra Print Servers, which will help drive the company's Indigo setup.

Seven of the presses are HP's new Indigo 7000 which, along with the other new machines, will join the company's existing fleet of 19 Indigo presses.

Installation of the presses is scheduled to begin in June, starting with the company's Prague, Czech Republic, and Medford, Oregon facilities.

Joe Davis, chairman and chief executive of Consolidated Graphics, said: "We are proud of our growing relationship with HP and the ability to leverage their technology leadership as a complement to our strategic focus in this high growth portion of our business."

Bar-Shany said: ''This is not just a press deal but a technology one. Consolidated Graphics has the confidence in digital and the confidence in HP."

He added: "The unmatched quality of our technology allows companies like Consolidated Graphics to pursue even greater profitable growth by meeting the exploding demand for photo-quality digital production printing and variable data print campaigns."
Source: printweek

Heidelberg seals kit deals with UK printers


Heidelberg has announced two equipment deals with UK printers as Drupa 2008 gets into full swing.

Winchester-based Colourworld has become early an adopter of the printing giant's Speedmaster XL 75, by ordering a five-colour B2 press.

The new model will be used to produce magazines, brochures and promotional material. It will give the company 50% greater productivity over the 12-year-old SM 74 it replaces.

Chris Tyler-Smith, managing director of Colourworld, said: "This is our first Drupa and it's jaw dropping to hear and see so many machines in one place. It's a real buzz. We are delighted to see the XL 75 in action.

"The press will generate profit for us because it will reduce our spend on overtime and will print on a larger sheet size."

The press will be delivered in the second week of June.

Elsewhere, Stephens and George Group has installed an XL 105 long perfector. It is 100% more efficient than its nine-year-old SM 102-8P and is already running.

The press achieved 3.6m sheets in the first month of installation before Heidelberg's Inpress Control technology was added.

Group director Andrew Jones said: "I'm here at Drupa at the moment knowing we have already made a momentous investment. Our biggest challenge is cultural not technological. With this, press operators have to set it up and then it runs itself."

Source: printweek