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.

Source: packagingnews

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

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.

Source: packagingnews

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