In 2015 the global savory snack food market was worth $94.3 billion and is expected to grow to $220 billion by 2025 according to the 2018 Assessment of the Snack Foods Market report produced by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. As the second largest market for snack foods, accounting for 33 percent of market value, North American snack food manufacturers can find the most comprehensive food and beverage processing technologies and solutions at ProFood Tech (March 26-28, 2019; McCormick Place, Chicago).

Powered by three of the world’s trade show leaders – PACK EXPO, Koelnmesse (organizer of Anuga) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) – this biennial processing show in Chicago is unprecedented in its ability to bring the industry together and address the key issues facing food and beverage processing operators in North America. The show will include 7,000 processing professionals and 400 of the world’s top suppliers spanning 125,000 net square feet of exhibit floor and 25 hours of blockbuster educational programming.

Of the North American snack food market, sweet snacks account for 60 percent, and savory snacks account for 40 percent, per the report, with savory snacks growing at a greater rate than sweet.

Over the next two to three years, snack foods manufacturers are expected to invest heavily in X-ray machines and foreign object detection mostly due to Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations and the need to reduce scrap costs. Snack food manufacturers are looking for improved sanitary design, ease of maintenance and operation and reduced lead times for machines and parts ordered.

Switching material from plastic to paperboard can reduce a packaging’s climate impact by 99 per cent. For people who influence the choice of packaging material, this single choice can make the biggest climate impact during a product manager or designer’s entire professional career. That’s the conclusion of a study done by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute for Iggesund Paperboard.

The starting point was to study some of the commonest packaging types and compare the differences in climate impact depending on the choice of packaging material.

“There are tables giving carbon dioxide emissions per kilo of material, but when you compare real examples of packaging, you realise the great importance of the choice of material,” comments Johan Granås, Sustainability Director at Iggesund Paperboard.

“Plastic is a fantastic material for many applications and we use it ourselves when producing paperboard for food packaging that needs a thin plastic barrier to protect its contents,” he adds. “But we believe that decision makers in the packaging industry must know about the effects of their choice of material.”

Packaging light bulbs in plastic or paperboard respectively is the most extreme example in the survey. By switching from plastic to paperboard, it is possible to reduce the climate impact of the packaging by 99 per cent. In the example that was most favourable for plastic, a paperboard carton containing 500 grams of pasta was compared with the corresponding amount of pasta packed in a thin plastic bag. The conclusion was that the plastic bag has a 3.25 times larger climate impact than the paperboard carton. This is despite the fact that the bag only weighs one-sixth as much as the carton and has significantly worse protective and stacking properties.

“There are masses of packagings that cannot be made in anything other than plastic today,” Johan Granås emphasises. “But there are also packagings that are made of plastic where it is easy to switch material without losing function at all – and it is logical to start there if we want to reduce packaging’s climate impact.”

For the paperboard packagings used in the study, climate data for Iggesund’s paperboard Invercote was used. For the plastic materials, IVL drew on data from the databases used for doing lifecycle analyses. None of the paperboard packagings used in the study is made of material from Iggesund Paperboard.

“This is a study that shows the climate impact of different types of packaging. The mandate to IVL was to be general. Neither they nor we know the climate data for each individual packaging. However, based on the recognised environmental databases, this definitely indicates the great importance of the choice of material,” Granås concludes.

IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute was jointly founded in 1966 by the Swedish government and industry to do research into industry’s air and water management issues. Today IVL is an environmental institute that focuses on the interplay between environmental, economic and social perspectives.

Pamex, the International Exhibition on Printing & Allied Machinery Industries, is all set for Mumbai from 6-9 January 2020 at the state-of-the-art facility of Bombay Exhibition Centre. The event is organised by All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP), in association with Print-Packaging.com (P) Ltd.

The 2017 edition of the exhibition, which presented more than 350 companies, recorded numerous business deals and also witnessed an unprecedented 25223 unique visitors. In 2020, Pamex will bring 400+ exhibitors from more than 25 countries. The Show features generation next technologies from worldwide solution providers across various categories like pre-press, in-press and post press segments. The Show also presents dedicated pavilions for label & narrow web printing and presses; paper & board converting and corrugated machinery & equipment. Flexo & gravure printing, digital presses, web offset presses, sheet fed offset presses and signage machinery & process equipment will widely be displayed at the event.

The added attraction in 2020, besides several new companies signing up for the Show, will be the World Print and Communication Forum (WPCF) meet. The WPCF is a collaborative platform for the world’s major transnational and national printing associations, who work together to promote the development and prosperity of the global printing industry. This will be the first edition of the meet at Pamex exhibition.

The Pamex promotional activities are being carried extensively in all parts of the country. The show has also participated in related international events to drive participation from all across the globe. Few leaders from the industry who have already confirmed their presence in the exhibition are Acme Machinery (India) (P) Ltd., Advanced Graphic Systems, AmpleGraphics (P) Ltd., APL Machinery (P) Ltd., Autoprint Machinery Manufacturers (P) Ltd., Canon India, Condot Systems (P) Ltd., Electromec Machinery Manufacturers (P) Ltd., Five Star Printing Machinery, Komori, Konica Minolta Business Solutions India (P) Ltd., Line O Matic Graphic Industries, Memory Repro Systems (P) Ltd. and Xerox India.

Company to contribute to the building of a fourth classroom and the board and lodging of the school's teachers for a year. Aimed at providing children from the village of Cireja (DRC) with educational opportunities, the initiative is named after Pietro Venieri, an Imola-born youngster who passed away prematurely in 2013

Alongside the Imola-Bukavu Mission Group, SACMI is helping to provide free school attendance and quality teaching to children in the Congolese village of Cireja, in the Kavumu district. Located in the Bukavu area - one of the country's poorest, devastated by poverty and civil war - the village is slowly coming back to life thanks to the ‘Pietro's School’ project, an initiative that aims to provide the community with a new school where children can complete the entire primary school syllabus.

Established by the Imola-Bukavu Mission Group in collaboration with the Kitumaini Center in Bukavu and the Les amis de Don Beppe community, the project is supported by SACMI, which has, this year, chosen to provide financial support for the construction of a new classroom in addition to the three already built since 2016. The funding extends beyond the construction of new infrastructure. It will also pay for a year's board and lodging for the school's teachers, another vital resource for children who would otherwise be condemned to a future of poverty and illiteracy.

Named after Pietro Venieri, a young Imola-born man who died in a traffic accident in 2013, the school is - from both a religious and civil standpoint - an initiative that honours the memory of those no longer with us, establishing a connection that extends beyond our earthly life. Another fine example is provided by SACMI's late Giorgio Sarani, who supported the establishment of the IMF Microcredit Institute: that body is now officially acknowledged by the Central Bank of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is pivotal to development of the local community.

For SACMI, the decision to support ‘Pietro's School’ is part an ongoing set of initiatives that have, over the years, seen the Cooperative work alongside key associations, schools and Imola-based health facilities to develop projects that benefit both the Imola area and the wider international community (from primary health care to training and initial employment). “This latest project”, points out the President of SACMI Imola, Paolo Mongardi, “is another example of how, through practical involvement, we can put social responsibility into the business equation and ensure its benefits extend to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged”.

The fourth SACMI-supported classroom at the Cireja school is a key part of the overall project. The latter is likely to be completed by 2021 and will involve a total of six classrooms, allowing pupils to complete the country's 6-year primary education syllabus. “The school is currently attended by over 220 children” says Stefania Batani, a doctor and volunteer with the Oratorio San Giacomo of Imola and the mother of Pietro Venieri, whom the school was named after, “and it enjoys huge support among the local community, especially from women. We need to remember that many of these children were born out of ethnically- motivated rapes; the school is thus a valuable support tool for an entire community that, above all, needs to rebuild its identity and create new networks of solidarity and human interaction” The initiative, as Stefania Batani reminds us, “also renews the Bukavu community's strong ties with the city of Imola, especially its Secondary School Centre, which organised the first long-distance adoption projects back in 2001”.

The philosophy at Q-Pumps is based on developing products of the highest quality, offering a world class customer service and generating a successful link with each and every one of the distributors, always having the end user

In the search to fulfill these objectives and generate a constant improvement, we created a series of tools that contribute to teamwork among Q-Pumps, distributors and end users. Below you will find the tools and a brief explanation of their operation:

• Distributor Locator:

This tool is intended as a support for all those end users who want to buy a product Q-Pumps and do not know who to go to to start the purchase process, in the same way promotion is given to distributors by placing them in the selection that Your target market is looking for. The locator therefore manages to streamline the processes to have more dynamic and agile operations.

• Cross Reference:

In several cases customers are working with other brands and seek certainty about the interchangeability of their equipment by new ones without damaging their production, choosing Q-Pumps for the positive impact that using the technology of our products would provide their processes, is then where Cross Reference is available to enter the data of the previous equipment and show the equipment of our lines that could enter to renew them without damage to their production.

• Team of selections Q-Pumps:

We have a team composed of customer and engineers who collaborate together offering the customer a quick and accurate response time, by selecting the ideal equipment for each of the applications, through which we can maximize the benefits of the products, obtaining excellent results that satisfy and exceed the expectations of our customers.

Barcelona, ​​December 2, 2015.- The prestigious French company Boho Cosmetics has relied on Pujolasos Wood & Pack for the launch of a new range of natural cosmetic products, made up of two lines of makeup, nail polishes and perfumes. This new range, created and patented by Boho, has been developed by Pujolasos with ash wood and exclusive high-tech laser engravings.

The Boho line is faithful to the commitment of the French company for organic materials and respect for the environment, and that is why Pujolasos has developed a range that has natural wood as the protagonist. At the same time, it maintains the fresh, young and vital style that Boho has already become a hallmark of identity.

The new range has the particularity that it can be customized by consumers with interchangeable pieces and in tune with the latest trends in the world of cosmetics, such as the combination of colors and textures of makeup.

Versatility is another of the essential features of the set of pieces that Boho launches to the market. The make-up line, for example, includes an original set of spheres that interact with each other through a set of high-precision magnets. The result is a makeup set of interchangeable pieces, which offers the possibility of altering the order of the floors according to their own preferences.

The choice of Pujolasos Wood & Pack is directly related to the high commitment that the Boho brand maintains towards the care of the environment. Boho has shown once again that environmental respect is compatible with the commercialization of state-of-the-art natural products, popularizing the motto 'Le green, c'est chic!'.

Pujolasos, as a global provider of organic packaging solutions in the premium segment , maintains a high level of commitment to respect for the environment and the highest quality of the products it develops in its new plant in Sant Pere de Torelló (Barcelona). It holds the PEFC and FSC international certificates, which guarantee responsible management of forests.

Convened by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, the OpX Leadership Network’s new Remote Equipment Access: Options Analysis tool provides a common understanding of the industry methodologies for remotely accessing equipment installed in manufacturing facilities.

Based on the collective experience of the OpX Leadership Network’s Remote Equipment Access Solutions Group, this discussion tool was created for production teams to consider approaches for enabling access to equipment for diagnosis, potential repair and performance improvements from remote suppliers that are not part of the customer’s company.

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies as well as their suppliers, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and service providers can benefit from understanding the evaluations of skills required, costs, reliability and security in order to enable safe and secure remote equipment diagnostics and assistance.

“While the technologies enabling remote equipment access have been present for some time, adoption has been slow,” said Christopher Hough, general manager, ZPI, a ProMach Product Brand. “The OpX Leadership Network’s new solution can help bridge the gap and provide guidance on remote equipment access options.”

The OpX Leadership Network was founded in 2011 by PMMI to ensure CPG companies and OEMs are well-connected and well-prepared to solve common operational challenges, make smarter decisions and achieve operational excellence.

Thailand, Bangkok 6 th and 7 th Dec, 2018– Platinum Global Solutions concluded its 5 th Global Brand Protection Innovation Programme and IP Summit at Mövenpick Hotel Sukhumvit 15 Bangkok.

Platinum Global Solutions brought industry keystones from top brands of all industries to discuss multiple thought provoking strategies related to protecting brands in the age of digital economy, initiatives to manage cyber threats, adding tracking technology to combat illicit trade, infringement of intellectual property rights and overall impact of brand protection and Intellectual Property in cross border landscape were tracked under with the help of this prestigious platform. Delivered supply chain security and brand protection by generating data- driven insights into a product’s manufacturing, distribution and authentication history. It’s a real-time, detailed road map of every when and everywhere your product has been.

This innovational two-day Summit aimed to promote solutions for strengthening IP and brand protection. Event featured remarks from high-level keynote speakers, thought-leading panel discussions, and networking sessions. The biggest highlight of the event was the pre-scheduled ONE to ONE partnering meetings with the decision makers of their own choice.

This prestigious event was chaired by well-known and remarkable speaker Sourav Dutta, Director Analytics Center of Excellence, from JCPenney.

Summit attendees also heard remarks from prominent keynote speakers including:

• Patrick Jonasson, Director Public Policy, GS1
• Ben Chen, Brand Protection Regional Investigations Manager, HP
• Axel Lundvall, Chief Sales Officer, Rolling Optics
• Shreedhar S. Parundekar, Senior Manager - Brand Protection, Pidilite Industries
• Pius Haas Thomas Himmelrich, Head of Business Development Director of Sales Asia, U- NICA Solutions AG
• Peeraphan Piyatamrongrat, Country Legal Counsel, Traveloka
• Pumin (Louis) Yuvacharuskul, Co-founder & CEO, Eatigo
• Abdullah Faeez, CFO & Founder, LuxTag
• Sourav Dutta, Director Analytics Center of Excellence, JCPenney
• Maprang Sombatthai, Head of Legal, LINE
• Kelvin Liu, Director Brand Protection, Qualcomm
• Shengtao Hu, Director IPR Policy, Ericsson China
• Desarack Teso, Corporate, External & Legal Affairs Director, Microsoft
• Puja Tiwari, Senior Manager- Legal, Godfrey Philips India Limited
• Pramod Krishna, CEO and Director General, Vlazimir/ Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage

Platinum Global Solutions identifying the strategies that needs to be adopted by organizations in order to excel in their brand protection and IP strategies. It is stepping head to discover the techniques to increase the extent of brand protection and intellectual property to gain a wider range of visibility and enhance learning among corporates from all across the world.

The Marchesini Group is about to end the year with an escalation in turnover of 12% compared with 2017, when the Group’s consolidated figures almost hit the 300 million Euro mark. Forecasts of growth are backed by two new acquisitions, alongside a boosted workforce. As a whole, the Group’s Italian production sites and foreign branches presently employ two thousand people. In 2018, the Group took-on 165 new staff members throughout Italy - of which 82 in Pianoro alone - most of whom are graduates from technical schools and Engineering universities.

“Such results are even more astounding if we think of the present economic unrest. We export from 85% to 90% of our production, yet, speaking firstly as a man born and bred in Emilia and secondly as a business expert, I am however concerned about how the present-day governmental scenario will affect us locally and nationally. Despite the uncertain economic situation, Marchesini’s prospects are still prosperous” said Mr. Marchesini.

“Our figures boost our confidence” Mr. Pietro Cassani, CEO of the Group, added. “Nowadays, you have to grow to survive. There’s no slowing down or turning back. In fact, we have pinpointed two little gems of “Made in Italy” this year again to boost our expansion strategies. As always, the workforces will continue to work where they are in order to safeguard their identity and local input”.

The first of the new companies to join Marchesini, which today signed for a 60% take-over, is CMP PHAR.MA S.r.l. in Costabissara (Vicenza). This business specialises in pharmaceutical inspection systems. Since 1982, when it was the first in the world to launch an automatic laser inspection machine for vials, CMP has grown and now exceeds a turnover of 9 million, which is 35% more than 2017.

By taking over CMP, the Marchesini Group confirms its name as manufacturer of complete lines for producing and monitoring the whole packaging process of pharmaceuticals, from start to finish, thanks also to the Group’s partner, SEA Vision, which also co-participated in the CMP transaction. Their vision and inspection systems guarantee total process quality and perfect traceability of the finished product, as well as the possibility to analyse and boost production performance.

The acquisition of CMP pilots a policy of growth that accelerated with the acquisition, last January, of 48% of SEA Vision itself. The company from Pavia - also thanks to the incredible demand for machines rigged-out with the most cutting-edge of systems for tracking and tracing pharmaceuticals - will end the year 2018 with a consolidated turnover of over 50 million, which is 50% more than 2017.

The other company to join the Group is Proteo Engineering. 60% of this company from Spilamberto, near Modena, has been acquired over 3 years. Proteo specialises in developing software and industrial automation systems and will help Marchesini to develop the models related to Industry 4.0.

These are the hot topics to which the group is devoting impressive resources, which last June led to the worldwide preview at “Achema” of a blister packaging line set-up entirely to meet the customers’ Industry 4.0. requirements. In addition, by using a customised sensor system and teach-in software, Proteo will aid the Marchesini Group in perfecting the so-called machine learning process, which is one of the most amazing frontiers of the 4.0 model. The final goal is to create machines that are completely linked to the business systems, capable of constantly tracking quality parameters and anticipating every possible type of mechanical error and suggesting scheduled maintenance actions.

Fourth Quarter:

• Sales were $569 million
• Operating profit was approximately $115 million, or 20 percent of sales; excluding restructuring charges of $3 million, operating profit was $117 million, or 21 percent of sales
• EBITDA was $143 million, or 25 percent of sales; excluding restructuring charges of $3 million, EBITDA was $146 million, or 26 percent of sales and equal to prior year’s fourth quarter
• GAAP diluted EPS was $1.47; adjusted diluted EPS, which excludes restructuring charges and discrete tax benefits in the quarter, was $1.44
• Free cash flow before dividends increased 5 percent over the prior year to $118 million, or 136 percent of net income

Full Year:

• Full year sales, operating profit, GAAP diluted EPS, and EBITDA are company records
• Sales of $2.3 billion included 2 percent organic growth, with operating profit and EBITDA growth over the prior year of 8 percent and 11 percent, respectively
• GAAP diluted EPS increased 26 percent to $6.40, and adjusted diluted EPS increased 11 percent to $5.94, both compared to the prior year
• Free cash flow before dividends increased 44 percent over the prior year to $415 million, or 110 percent of net income

Full Year 2019 Guidance:

• Organic sales volume growth forecasted to be in the range of 3 to 5 percent compared to fiscal 2018
• Operating margin and EBITDA margin forecasted to improve 100 to 150 basis points compared to fiscal 2018

Westlake, Ohio, USA – December 12, 2018 – Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq: NDSN) today reported results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018. For the quarter ended October 31, 2018, sales were $569 million, a 1 percent decrease compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter. This change in sales included a decrease of 1 percent in organic volume, growth related to the first year effect of acquisitions of approximately 1 percent, and a decrease related to the unfavorable effects of currency translation as compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter of 1 percent.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018, reported operating profit was $115 million, net income was $87 million, and GAAP diluted earnings per share were $1.47, inclusive of a $0.03 per share benefit related to one-time items. Free cash flow before dividends increased 5 percent over the prior year to $118 million in the quarter, reflecting strong cash conversion of 136 percent of net income. Prior year fourth quarter sales, operating profit, net income and GAAP diluted earnings per share were $574 million, $125 million, $80 million and $1.37, respectively. A reconciliation of GAAP diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share and calculations for EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow before dividends, and adjusted free cash flow before dividends are included in the attached financial exhibits.

The current quarter’s results include a non-recurring restructuring charge of $3 million, or $0.04 per diluted share. Additionally, discrete tax benefits of $4 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, were recognized in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter Segment Results

Adhesive Dispensing Systems sales increased 1 percent compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter, inclusive of 3 percent organic growth and a 2 percent decrease related to the unfavorable effects of currency translation as compared to the prior year. Reported operating margin in the segment was 27 percent in the quarter, or 28 percent on an adjusted basis to exclude non-recurring restructuring charges of $2 million related to a previously announced facility consolidation. The adjusted fourth quarter fiscal 2018 margin performance was equal to the prior year’s fourth quarter.

Advanced Technology Systems sales decreased approximately 1 percent compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter, inclusive of a decrease in organic volume of approximately 2 percent, an increase of approximately 3 percent related to the first year effect of acquisitions, and a decrease of approximately 1 percent related to the unfavorable effects of currency translation as compared to the prior year. The fourth quarter’s acquisitive growth includes the fiscal 2018 acquisition of Sonoscan. Reported operating margin in the segment was 20 percent in the quarter. As compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter margin, acquisition dilution, product mix, and higher spending contributed to the margin decline.

Industrial Coating Systems sales volume decreased 8 percent compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter, inclusive of a decrease in organic volume of 7 percent and a 1 percent decrease related to the unfavorable effects of currency translation as compared to the prior year. Compared to the prior year’s fourth quarter, reported operating margin in the segment improved 200 basis points to 20 percent, driven by improved product mix and focus on continuous improvement initiatives.

Detailed results by operating segment and geography are included in the attached financial exhibits.

“Despite tough comparisons to the prior year’s fourth quarter, Nordson delivered solid results,” said Michael F. Hilton, Nordson President and Chief Executive Officer. “Reported operating margin in the current quarter was negatively impacted by certain long-term investments, including facility consolidation efforts within the Adhesives segment and costs related to the launch of our new centralized shared service center in the United States. These investments will benefit both our customers and shareholders over the long-term.”

Fiscal 2018 Full Year Results

Sales for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018 were $2.3 billion, an increase of 9 percent compared to the same period a year ago. This change in sales included organic volume growth of 2 percent, a 5 percent increase related to the first year effect of acquisitions, and a 2 percent increase due to the favorable effects of currency translation as compared to the prior year. Full year operating profit was $495 million, net income was $377 million, and GAAP diluted earnings per share were $6.40, or $5.94 on a normalized basis to exclude one-time items. Prior year sales, operating profit, net income, and GAAP diluted earnings per share were $2.1 billion, $458 million, $296 million, and $5.08, respectively.

“Our global Nordson team delivered full year organic sales growth of nearly 2.5 percent in the current year, against two challenging prior year comparisons where we generated organic sales growth of 8 percent and 7 percent in fiscal years 2017 and 2016, respectively,” said Hilton. “In fiscal 2018, sales, operating profit, GAAP diluted earnings per share, and EBITDA were company records, highlighting our continued commitment to deliver the best technology solutions to our customers and to generate growth through innovation and superior customer service.”

Full year EBITDA increased 11 percent to $605 million and adjusted EBITDA increased 8 percent to $609 million, both compared to the prior year. EBITDA margin and adjusted EBITDA margin were both 27 percent of sales. Free cash flow before dividends increased 44% over the prior year to $415 million, or 110 percent of net income. In addition to funding organic and acquisitive growth initiatives, Nordson returned value to its shareholders by distributing $72 million in dividends in the fiscal year 2018 and investing $19 million for the repurchase of shares during the fourth quarter. The company also reduced net debt leverage on the balance sheet to 2-times trailing-twelve-months EBITDA at the end of the fiscal year.

Backlog

Backlog for the quarter ended October 31, 2018 was approximately $394 million, a decrease of 1 percent compared to the same period a year ago, inclusive of a 3 percent decline in organic growth offset by 2 percent growth due to acquisitions. Backlog amounts are calculated at October 31, 2018 exchange rates.

Outlook

“We continue to diversify our business into more steady growth end-markets, and we have consistently delivered annual organic sales volume growth, as evidenced by the new exhibit included with this press release. We believe investors are best served by focusing on our annual growth performance,” said Hilton. “We are forecasting that the strength of our end markets and our ability to execute on our growth initiatives will enable another year of solid organic sales growth in fiscal 2019, recognizing that the first quarter faces a very challenging comparison. In addition to driving top line growth, we expect to leverage the Nordson Business System to generate further operational improvements over 2018.”

For the full year fiscal 2019, organic sales volume is forecasted to increase in the range of 3 to 5 percent compared to fiscal year 2018, offset by an unfavorable currency translation effect of 2 percent based on the current exchange rate environment as compared to the prior year. In addition to this sales growth, reported operating margin and EBITDA margin are forecasted to improve by approximately 100 to 150 basis points compared to fiscal 2018 results when excluding $3 million related to short-term purchase accounting for the step-up in value of acquired inventory and approximately $7 million of restructuring charges. For fiscal year 2019, the company expects interest expense to be approximately $45 million and maintenance capital expenditures to be approximately $50 million. The company’s estimated effective tax rate is approximately 23 percent.

Nordson management will provide additional commentary on these results and outlook during a conference call Thursday, December 13, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. eastern time which can be accessed at www.nordson.com/investors. For persons unable to listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available for 14 days after the event. Information about Nordson’s investor relations and shareholder services is available from Lara Mahoney, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at (440) 414-5639 or lara.mahoney@nordson.com.

Except for historical information and comparisons contained herein, statements included in this release may constitute “forward-looking statements,” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, as discussed in the company’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that could cause actual results to differ.

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures and markets differentiated products and systems used for the precision dispensing of adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials, polymers, plastics and other materials, fluid management, test and inspection, UV curing and plasma surface treatment, all supported by application expertise and direct global sales and service. Nordson serves a wide variety of consumer non-durable, durable and technology end markets including packaging, nonwovens, electronics, medical, appliances, energy, transportation, construction, and general product assembly and finishing. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, the company has operations and support offices in more than 35 countries.

• Clariant named as supplier for a highly effective solvent to be used in agrochemical formulations
• Clariant brings formulation expertise and market access to support agrochemicals industry
• Eastman delivers innovation excellence for effective, low-toxicity ingredient

Muttenz, December 12, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, and Eastman Chemical Company, a global advanced materials and specialty additives company, are proud to announce an exclusive cooperation agreement for the distribution of Eastman’s Tamisolve NxG solvent, an innovative, low-tox, and highly effective solvent for the agrochemical industry.

TamiSolve NxG was developed for the global plant protection sector, for use in plant growth regulators, biological control agents, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Under this exclusive agreement, Clariant will globally market and sell TamiSolve NxG under Clariant’s trade name, “Genagen™ NBP.”

In a plant protection market governed by rigid regulations and increasing demand on efficiency due to a growing population, crop protection players must develop innovative, efficient, and environmentally-friendlier solutions. Eastman and Clariant’s collaboration is a testament to both companies’ commitment to the industry and these goals. Combining their resources and expertise, the two companies seek to bring Genagen NBP to the forefront of the agrochemical field. The collaboration will deliver significant business benefits to agrochemical formulators and end customers alike, bringing chemical production excellence from Eastman and application and formulation expertise from Clariant.

In recent years, Clariant has made massive strides in the agrochemical market. In addition to expanding its portfolio of crop solutions, in 2017, the company announced its investment in an R&D greenhouse that houses opportunities for real-world crop protection testing and advances in future solutions.

“Clariant has, in recent years, played a pioneering role in formulation science as an innovative supplier and collaboration partner”, said Ralf Zerrer, Global Head Innovation and Strategic Marketing at Clariant's Industrial & Consumer Specialties Business Unit. “That we have entered into such a collaboration with Eastman is a testament to our capabilities to expertly support the agrochemical industry in terms of developing highly effective formulations that are both safer for the environment and those involved in their handling.”

With a lack of effective, low-toxicity crop protection solutions on the market, Genagen NBP is a powerful, best-in-class water miscible solvent with excellent toxicity labeling for agrochemical formulations. The dipolar aprotic solvent works well in a variety of different applications thanks to its excellent solvency power and water miscibility. It is a safer alternative to commonly used dipolar aprotic solvents.

“We are delighted to be entering this cooperation agreement with Clariant for the marketing of Genagen NBP, the latest addition to our leading-edge active ingredients portfolio for the agrochemicals industry”, said Dave Watson, Director Agricultural Chemical Intermediates, Eastman. “Clariant’s formulation know-how and extensive reach into the market will ensure the success of this innovative ingredient.”

With this collaboration Eastman and Clariant utilize their strengths to bring more sustainable, efficient, and innovative solutions to farmers throughout the globe.

Piramal Glass, a global specialist in design, production, and decoration of glass packaging (flaconnage) solutions for Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Perfumery, and Specialty Food & Beverage industries, has deployed Microsoft’s Azure IoT platform to digitally transform its manufacturing operations. An early adopter of the technology, Piramal Glass has currently implemented the solution, Real-Time Manufacturing Insights (RTMI), on 46 production lines across their four plants at Kosamba and Jambusar in Gujarat, India, Sri Lanka and the United States of America. The plants have an overall capacity of 1375 tons per day, with 12 furnaces and 60 production lines, all of which run on a 24/7 basis.

Piramal Glass has leveraged IoT to get real-time visibility into its line manufacturing operations and to analyze production line losses at various stages. Using Azure IoT Hub, Microsoft helped Piramal Glass acquire data from sensors on production lines to identify quality parameters at each stage and get insights on line efficiencies in real-time. This resulted in improved production efficiency and cost reduction up to 70% as compared to a glass industry manufacturing execution system (MES).

Vijay Shah, Director – Piramal Glass & Executive Director – Piramal Enterprises Ltd, said, “As the world’s most preferred supplier of glass packaging solutions, Piramal Glass is committed to continuously adding value to its customers. We are happy to have collaborated with Microsoft on our journey towards digital transformation and business critical future readiness. Glass manufacturing is a complex process with many interactive variables. Combining digital technologies with precision high-quality glass manufacturing, has helped us fortify our accelerated growth path.”

The Azure IoT platform enabled Piramal Glass to connect and monitor their equipment to gain real-time visibility into operational data that was previously unavailable. The technology integration was designed for fast and easy set-up to rapidly showcase the results and build on its existing sensors, equipment, systems, and data.

Sashi Sreedharan, Managing Director, Microsoft India, said, “Microsoft is committed towards the technological advancement of the manufacturing sector in India. We are excited to partner with Piramal Glass as they create a strong foundation for driving transformational change. It is significant that Microsoft technology enabled plant operations to continue as usual during the roll out of the Azure IoT solution, ensuring no disruption to the core manufacturing and deep integration with critical business processes.”

To facilitate this transformation, Precimetrix, a Microsoft partner, brought in its Plant Monitoring System hosted on Microsoft Azure. The sensors on high speed conveyor lines were interfaced with data acquisition devices that record the key metrics, as the bottles move along the production line. This data is aggregated on an edge gateway and then pushed to Precimetrix’s Plant Monitoring System on the cloud.

A custom solution was developed on top of this platform to provide stage-wise losses, production reports, quality control workflows as well as role-specific KPIs on PCs and smartphones of plant personnel. Actionable alerts are sent through SMS, email and push notifications whenever there is an anomaly detected or the production efficiency drops. In summary, RTMI has democratized real-time information availability to all plant stakeholders, enabling them to take faster decisions.

Piramal Glass is the largest specialty glass player in Asia and has been the fastest growing glass company in the world for over a decade. The company is the only significant player from Asia with a strong presence in the premium segment. It has progressed rapidly on its Digital Transformation journey and has made substantial investments in IoT as well as other digital technologies. While many of its digital initiatives started as experiments, a number of these have been scaled up, namely, computer vision to improve worker effectiveness, persuasive technologies to drive innovation, bots to enhance employee productivity & AI to create a manufacturing process Digital Twin.

IoT has reached an inflection point and is helping businesses improve operational efficiency and generate new business models from their existing assets and equipment. Microsoft believes that in the coming years, this will be the new normal across all industries and that companies will need to leverage IoT to maintain competitive advantage. Piramal Glass is committed to fast tracking its journey towards Industry 4.0 by leveraging Microsoft’s end-to-end IoT platform & Cognitive Services.

Westlake, Ohio, USA – December 11, 2018 - Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq:NDSN) today announced that its board of directors declared a first quarter 2019 cash dividend in the amount of $0.35 per common share, payable on January 8, 2019 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on December 21, 2018.

This amount equals the $0.35 per common share dividend paid in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018.

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures and markets differentiated products and systems used to dispense, apply and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids, to test and inspect for quality, and to treat and cure surfaces. These products are supported by application expertise and direct global sales and service. Nordson serves a wide variety of consumer non-durable, durable and technology end markets including packaging, nonwovens, electronics, medical, appliances, energy, transportation, construction, and general product assembly and finishing. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, the company has operations and support offices in more than 30 countries.

MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection celebrates its 25th anniversary as a MULTIVAC subsidiary and expands production capacity

Enger, December 10, 2018 - Last Friday, MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection inaugurated a new production and office building with a grand opening ceremony - and at the same time celebrated its 25-year association with the MULTIVAC Group. The keynote speakers included Christian Traumann, Managing Director and CFO of MULTIVAC, Volker Gerloff, Managing Director of MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection, and Thomas Meyer, Mayor of Enger. Numerous guests, including Inge Nienhüser, Head of Urban Planning, Urban Development and City Marketing, architect Frank Ebeler from Kenterplan GmbH and Guido Spix, Managing Director, CTO and COO at MULTIVAC, employees and representatives of the press attended the event.

After a welcome and the symbolic opening of the new building with the cutting of a ribbon by the management, the guests were guided through the new building and the new logistics and assembly processes were explained. Afterwards the afternoon in the wintry decorated marquee ended with a buffet and music.

"We are pleased to officially open the new building complex with you today, in which the new warehouse, production and pre-assembly are located on an area of ​​1,600 square meters. In the completely renovated warehouse, it will thus be possible to expand production capacities, especially in the area of ​​conveyor belt labellers and inspection systems. The investment volume was around three million euros, "said Christian Traumann. "In addition, there is another reason to celebrate: for 25 years now, MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection has been part of our corporate group. Our subsidiary is a very important part of the MULTIVAC Group and one of the leading providers of innovative marking and inspection solutions on the market. "

"In the course of the construction work, we also took the opportunity to further optimize our logistics and assembly processes," explained Volker Gerloff. "The entire processes in goods receiving and warehouse, in production and in the assembly departments, in the acceptance and also in the shipping are converted to this. In addition, we are introducing shopfloor management as a component of our lean management. The goal is to achieve more efficient planning and control of operations, greater transparency, shorter response times, and improved resource management. "

With the help of the shop floor management system and the associated panels, the work areas are visualized, current challenges are addressed and the fast processing is ensured. This should also ensure fast and targeted communication across all levels and initiate a problem-solving and improvement process.

A total of around 200 employees are currently employed at MULTIVAC Marking & Inspection in Enger. With the new building, the operating area has increased to 7,400 square meters. The new assembly logistics production area takes up about 900 square meters and 300 square meters are available for machining and welding. In addition, around 30 new office workstations were set up on the first floor.

Swiss food manufacturer Coop has selected NiceLabel to help streamline and improve the company’s labeling processes at its factories and in-store bakeries. Those processes include the design, management, quality assurance and production of food labels that contain allergen, ingredient and nutrition information in a consistent and traceable manner.

Coop is the second-largest retailer in Switzerland, and is using the NiceLabel label management system across its production sites. This latest project sees the food retailer roll out that functionality to its network of 45 in-store bakeries to improve accuracy of labeling and food safety.

The NiceLabel system enables Coop to consolidate the labeling process, remove inconsistencies and improve workflow and quality assurance when designing and printing product and packaging labels.

Didier Gremaud, Head of IT Processes ERP Production Companies at Coop, says: “We cannot ignore the issues within the industry around allergen labeling. Coop requires that all food prepared in the store is clearly and uniformly labeled with ingredients and potential allergens. Rolling out NiceLabel to our 45 in-store bakeries allows us to do just that.”

The NiceLabel label management system integrates with Coop’s existing SAP system. Each production site and bakery can produce their own labels, but the centralized document management system means that only specified users can make changes; the result is a more secure workflow which produces consistent labels in a timely manner. Coop can now use universal templates that maintain the correct, approved label format, regardless of the printer type or resolution.

“In addition, NiceLabel digitized our processes and removed the IT burden every time we wanted to change a label. Before, we had multiple interfaces to multiple printing solutions. Now we have one system, one single point of contact and one interface. NiceLabel’s Document Management System logs everything, making it traceable, and is critical to our quality control processes,” adds Didier Gremaud of Coop.

Ken Moir, VP, Marketing, NiceLabel says: “The food label market is changing, and while it’s all about consumer safety, there’s a lot of confusion at the moment about what’s actually required. It is good to see that an industry leader like Coop is leading the way in food safety labeling and taking a definitive stand by transforming the way it labels its food in its bakeries.

We are working with Coop to help them achieve these goals, by enabling them to produce labels that are universal and portable, with consistency, speed and accuracy across the process. No matter which bakery or production facility the label is printed at, users and customers can be confident that it contains accurate and up-to-date allergen and nutritional information. This process is supported by NiceLabel’s document management system which streamlines, automates and improves the quality assurance process, removing human error, risk and improving its overall accuracy.”

• Technology bringing change, both positive and negative
• Consumers struggle to ‘stay normal’
• ColorForward® trends suggest a shift to cooler tones

Muttenz, December 11, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, announces the release of ColorForward 2020, the 14th edition of the annual color forecasting guide for the plastics industry.

While consumer preferences have been trending toward warmer tones in recent years, Clariant color-trend watchers see a shift to cooler blues and greens in the palette they developed for 2020. In fact, of the twenty colors in the latest edition of ColorForward, five of them are different shades of green. Some are genuine and natural looking, while others seem more artificial or ‘digital.’

That doesn’t mean the 2020 trend colors don’t include some warmth, says Judith van Vliet, ColorWorks® Designer and a leader of the ColorForward team. There are a range of reds, yellows and even a couple of oranges. These tend to be bright and, in many cases translucent or tuned up with special effect pigments.

“There are a lot of things going on in the world these days,” van Vliet explains. “Not all of them are negative, but the sheer volume of ideas, images and information confronting us, and the speed at which it comes at us, can seem overwhelming. Instead of trying to escape, which often seems impossible, people are seeking ways to harden themselves as a sort of emotional self-defense. We see other trends springing from developments in gene modification, increasing surveillance and loss of privacy, and the potential for ultra-high-speed travel.”

The View from Singapore

The ColorForward workshop was held this year at the Clariant ColorWorks center in Singapore. As they have every year since 2006, an international team of Clariant specialists came together for a week-long series of creative exercises aimed at defining four global trend themes that can be expected to influence consumers in the near and mid-term future, and selecting colors or color combinations that evoke an emotional response related to each trend. The result is a unique tool that can be used to help plastic product designers and marketing professionals make more informed color choices.

Packaging is a common problem for many companies.

Whether filling chemicals, food, e-liquids, labeling pails of paint, wine bottles, cosmetics ... CDA machines are often versatile and adaptable to many applications.

Multiple needs, a precise answer

The Design Office of CDA designs all of our machines in order to make them adaptable to the most precise needs using advanced technologies.

Our team of experienced engineers offers a consistent response to every packaging project, regardless of your industry or the specificities of your products.

To stick as close as possible to the expectations and constraints inherent to each one, we have developed a wide range of machines presenting characteristics that are specific to different needs: handle lug for buckets, weld marking for precise labeling, removal of labels inviolability, precise volumetric or weight filling ...

Each sector specificities and labeling , filling , piece dedicated.

To help you see more clearly in the machines adapted and adaptable to your products, we created the section " sectors of activity ".

These pages are intended to show you the machines that can adapt to your needs according to your sector of activity.

Each business sector has its page and dedicated machines!

• Beekeeping and beekeeping products sector : which filler, which labeller to pack your jars of glass or plastic? Our "labeling, filling and packaging for honey" page tells you everything!
• Agribusiness sector : all CDA packaging machines designed for the food industry on our page "Labellers, fillers and complete lines for the food industry".
• Brewery sector : the "special beer" label maker and monobloc designed by CDA are waiting for you on our page "Labeling and filling machine for the brewery sector".
• Cosmetic sector : labeller, filling machine, monobloc and complementary solutions for the packaging of your perfumes, creams, varnishes and other cosmetic products on our special page.
• E-liquid sector : all the machines dedicated to e-liquid and the electronic cigarette universe of CDA are on our page "labeling machines, filling machines and monobloc packaging e-liquid products".
• Sector paint : labeler specific to the presence of a handle or a weld on your buckets and jars of paint / varnish, fillers or complete line for paint and varnish industry.
• Wine sector : All CDA labeling machines for wine bottles and spirits are on our special page "Labellers and Seamers for the Wine & Spirits Sector".
• Chemistry sector : discover the CDA machines for chemistry and detergent on the page "filling, labeling and packaging line for the chemical industry".

These pages sectors are made to guide you in the choice of your packaging machine. They will be enriched and developed over time, new CDA and requests from our customers. Do not hesitate to come back to see them!

Stora Enso and Sulapac continue to combat the global problem of plastic waste by launching a demo for sustainable drinking straws at Slush 2018, a leading startup event that gathers 20 000 tech enthusiasts from around the world. The demo, which targets production on an industrial scale, is designed to replace traditional plastic straws with renewable ones. The straws are based on Sulapac’s biocomposite material – made of wood and natural binders – designed to be recycled via industrial composting and biodegrade in marine environments.

“This is an important step for Stora Enso and showcases our long-term commitment to gradually replacing fossil-based materials with renewable solutions. Our collaboration with Sulapac is a great example of what we can achieve through partnership in terms of driving innovation to create sustainable solutions within the bioeconomy”, says Annica Bresky, EVP, Consumer Board division.

Stora Enso signed a joint development agreement with Sulapac in May 2018 to license its materials and technology. The development of the demo straw is a joint collaboration between Stora Enso and Sulapac – a cooperation which complements Stora Enso’s extensive biocomposite portfolio.

“Eco-awareness is a strong driver for consumer demand, and our customers want help in replacing non-renewable materials. Different biocomposite solutions, such as renewable caps and closures and straws will be add-ons and a complement to our own consumer board portfolio, bringing additional value to our customers”, says Hannu Kasurinen, SVP Head of Liquid Packaging and Carton Board.

Sulapac’s material works in existing extrusion lines and the target is to have the straws commercially available in the second quarter of 2019.

“Today, we proudly announce that we are launching a demo for a recyclable, microplastic-free and marine biodegradable straw. This is the world’s most sustainable straw that can be produced on an industrial scale and we have jointly developed it with Stora Enso. Billions of plastic straws are produced and used every week. This straw has the potential to be a true game changer”, says Sulapac’s founder and CEO Suvi Haimi.

Packaging solutions specialists, Parkside, has collaborated with Alara Wholefoods Ltd. to produce a natural and sustainable liner for its range of organic muesli carton boxes.

Parkside developed a clear, duplex, home compostable, high barrier paper laminate to replace Alara’s existing petrochemical based polyester/polyethylene inner liner. The cellulose film laminates are manufactured using bio-based materials that have been sustainably sourced. They are suitable for both home and industrial composting. Once the pack has been used, it can be added to an ordinary garden compost heap or included in local council food waste collections.

Alara’s Managing Director, Alex Smith, commented: “These new liners are officially certified as home compostable in line with our ethical philosophy. Our aim is to always use sustainable and recyclable packaging, so we could not turn down the opportunity to work with Parkside and incorporate their innovative compostable liners into our packs.”

Produced in the UK and sold in leading retailers, Ocado, Wholefoods Markets and Sainsbury’s, the organic muesli range from Alara uses cartonboard outer packaging manufactured from renewable raw materials and is 100% recyclable. The combination of cartonboard and Parkside’s compostable liners means that the packs are one of the most sustainable packaging solutions on the market.

Parkside’s compostable laminates are durable and impermeable just like traditional plastic packaging, making them safe to use for food packaging and come in a range of aesthetic options including white, matt, clear, metallised and kraft.

The compostable laminates took seven years of research and development and, to date, Parkside has developed 19 accredited home and industrial compostable laminate structures designed to replace traditional plastic packaging.

Head of Innovation and NPD at Parkside, Phil O’Driscoll, said: “Food manufacturers, brands and retailers are seeking packaging solutions which strengthen their green credentials. For Alara, sustainability is a core value of their business and this is reflected in the products they produce and the packaging they use. We are extremely proud to have been able to partner with them and help them to achieve a superb pack solution that is sustainable in every way.”

Parkside has been shortlisted in the ‘Resource Efficient Product of the Year’ category at this year’s UK Packaging Awards for the compostable liner development.

MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2018-- Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN) announced that it has entered into an intellectual property licensing agreement with New Jersey-based Eutectix LLC. The agreement, which is effective October 22, 2018, grants to Eutectix, a manufacturer of specialty alloys and master alloys, a license to the entire Materion bulk metallic glass patent portfolio and to any and all patents arising therefrom, which license is exclusive for the first five years. In 2010, Materion was one of the first in the industry to begin producing high quality alloys for use in bulk metallic glass manufacturing applications.

“Our agreement with Eutectix presents a unique opportunity to increase market penetration of this exciting value-creating technology,” said Clive Grannum, President Materion Performance Alloys and Composites.

“We are very excited to move forward with this agreement,” said John de Neufville, Chief Executive Officer for Eutectix. “Customers can expect the same reliable quality and service that they have come to know when working with Materion.”

The enhanced business relationship will begin immediately. As part of this change, Jason Clune, Manager, Application & Business Development and Nick Hutchinson, Senior Engineer for Materion will transition into new roles with Eutectix.