Agreement between ALP.I, the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) promoted by Mediobanca, and Antares Vision, world leader in vision control systems, traceability solutions and data management in the pharmaceutical sector, signed ten months after ALP.I was listed on the stock market, and introduces new features to the SPACs universe

Milano, Travagliato, 19 December 2018. Antares Vision and ALP.I SPAC announce they have reached an agreement for the two companies to merge, The rationale for the merger is to provide support for and accelerate the growth path undertaken by Antares Vision from its inception to the present day. ALP.I will invest €70m, taking an approx. 12% stake post-acquisition in the Brescia-based firm. The general meeting to approve the business combination will be held in February 2019.

Antares Vision – founded in 2007 by Emidio Zorzella and Massimo Bonardi, two opto-electronic engineers from Brescia who have worked together since their university days – is a technology company with an industrial culture. Antares Vision is a world leader in the pharmaceutical sector, in the design, realization and implementation of traceability solutions – hardware and software – with more than 2,000 installations in product lines in over 200 pharmaceutical facilities in Italy and worldwide. Antares Vision is the sole or main supplier of ten of the twenty leading pharmaceutical groups worldwide. Over 80% of its production is exported, and Antares Vision offers global coverage and 24/7 assistance in more than sixty different countries.

Track & Trace, Visual Inspection, and Smart Data Management are the main business lines on which Antares Vision’s fully scalable technology product offering is based. The company also offers a portfolio of maintenance and post-sales assistance services. Between 2012 and 2017 Antares Vision grew at a CAGR of over 50%. In 2017 its EBIT margin was over 25%, reflecting steep growth versus the previous two years.With its strong pipeline and the recurring nature of its contracts, the company has high visibility over future results.

The niche technology segment in which Antares Vision operates is growing strongly, following the trend in product protection, starting from integrity in terms of quality control, throughout its life-cycle, and remaining traceable along the entire supply chain.. The pharmaceutical industry has an important regulatory component linked to drug anti-counterfeiting measures, meaning that such systems have been adopted earlier. However, the Antares Vision management believes that these tracking solutions will soon be extended to other non-pharmaceutical industrial sectors which are equally demanding and sensitive to quality control and supply chain transparency issues, such as food, beverages, biomedical devices, OTC drugs and cosmetics. With theliquidity injected by the ALP.I merger, Antares Vision will be able to look carefully at possible acquisition opportunities which are available due to the high degree of market fragmentation.

The project has received support from a share capital increase subscribed by Sargas, the vehicle company setup ad hoc by Guido Barilla in which the following, among others, have stakes: Inpar Investment Fund, H14 semper(Berlusconi family) and Antonio Belloni. Sargas will have approx. 14% of the share capital post-combination. Now, with the agreement with ALP.I, the aim is for the combined entity to proceed to listing first on the AIM, and at a later stage, on the MTA.

The shareholders of ALP.I, with an investment of €70m, will own approx. 12% of Antares Vision post-combination. More specifically, the deal involves an investment of €70m (the other €30m will be returned to the ALP.I investors net of any withdrawals), €50m of which will be contributed by ALP.I to Antares Visionto strengthen its capital, with the other €20m available to buy out certain minority shareholders of Regolo, Antares Vision’s controlling shareholder. The choice of a target significantly larger in size than those onaverage selected by other SPACs is another new feature contributed by ALP.I. Because of its growth story and size, Antares Vision is an ideal candidate for a successful IPO.

An innovative change brought by ALP.I is the fact that the research notes prepared by analysts from Mediobanca Securities and Equita SIM, the number one and number two equity research houses in Italy respectively (according to Extel), are available for investors basically at the time the deal is announced.

A further innovation relates to the structure of ALP.I itself: the promoters have made changes which align their interests even more closely to those of the investors, eliminating the various triggers for the special shares (originally set at €11, €12 and €13 per share), and instead setting a single trigger of €13.50 per share, and extending the vesting period to five years. Thus, the promoters of ALP.I will be in a position to convert only after the market investors have received the maximum number of shares deriving from their warrants (i.e. at €13 per share) and such investors would have achieved an estimated overall return, on shares and warrants, of over 50%. Also, in agreement with Antares Vision and its shareholders, it has been decided to keep the number of warrants and conversion shares unchanged for investors, despite the 30% reduction of the ALP.I investment (which usually would have led to a pro-rata reduction in the warrants), thereby increasing the leverage in favour of each ordinary investor.

Emidio Zorzella, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Antares Vision, said: “This deal represents another step on our path to growth. Today, after consolidating our business development plan, we are looking to bolster our financial structure which is why we have chosen a partner of the excellence of ALP.I and its promoters. We believe strongly in our business mission, and with this merger we are confident we can improve our appeal and our positioning on the market. Technology is an important driver in economic and cultural change and it is vital to continue the innovation process to drive further success in the future.”

Roberto Marsella, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ALP.I, said: “We are grateful to Emidio Zorzellaand Massimo Bonardi, the founders of Antares Vision, for the confidence they have shown in ALP.I, and support the company’s business development with enthusiasm and conviction. We believe Antares Vision isan ideal candidate for a successful IPO, in line with the best listings seen in recent years, on the back of the management’s clear strategic vision and solid global competitive positioning in a strongly expanding nichetechnology segment. The significant changes we have made to the structure and process of ALP.I reflect our conviction regarding the quality of the Antares Vision project, and at the same time seek to provide concreteanswers to specific market requirements.”

In the deal ALP.I has been assisted by Mediobanca – Banca di Credito Finanziario as financial advisor,BonelliErede as legal advisor, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn for legal due diligence activities regarding the US subsidiaries forming part of the Antares Vision group, New Deal Advisors for the financialdue diligence, and PricewaterhouseCoopers as auditor. Antares Vision has been assisted by Rothschild &Co as financial advisor, Orsingher Ortu – Avvocati Associati as legal advisor, and EY as auditor. EquitaSIM has acted as nominated advisor and specialist.

Antares Vision – company profile

Founded by Emidio Zorzella and Massimo Bonardi in the province of Brescia in 2007, designs, realizes andimplements both hardware and software Visual Inspection and Track & Trace solutions and systems chieflyfor products in the pharmaceutical sector and for more demanding and sensitive sectors in terms ofguaranteeing product quality and supply chain transparency. The technology side complements a range of Smart Data Management software products and the offer of Services – assistance and maintenance –functional and related to the solutions proposed and sold.

On the back of the position it has acquired in its reference market over the years through its continuousdevelopment of innovative solutions, Antares Vision, which originated from a spinoff from the University of Brescia and in its first year of life had a headcount of 18 employees generating sales of around €4m, is now agroup which employs over 350 staff and has a footprint in sixty countries worldwide.

The solutions developed by Antares Vision function both on a stand-alone basis and can be integrated intoany type of automatic line for primary and secondary packaging in various industrial sectors. For further information on Antares Vision’s commercial product and service offering go to: www.antaresvision.com.

As of today, the Antares Vision group has:

1. A global footprint, through directly-owned subsidiaries in Italy, Germany, France, Ireland, theUnited States and Brazil, and a network of over thirty commercial partners operating in the main reference markets in Europe, America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa; 
2. Over 2,000 packaging lines and more than 200 pharmaceutical facilities worldwide fitted with Antares Vision tracking solutions;
3. Consolidated relations with the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide: for ten out the leading twenty producers Antares Vision is the sole or main supplier;
4.  Over 7bn products serialized, aggregated, dispatched and notified using Antares Vision solutions;
5.  More than 25,000 CCTV cameras installed;
6.  Six facilities in Europe, three of which in Italy and one in Germany, France and Ireland respectively, one facility in Brazil and one in the United States;
7.  Two research centres situated in Italy and Ireland, for ongoing research and development for new technology and operating solutions.

Through the years, the Antares Vision group has grown also as a result of targeted acquisitions of small, outstanding companies. These acquisitions, along with the ongoing allocation of funds to research and development, have served above all to preserve and consolidate the group’s position of technology leader in its reference sector.

ALP.I is an Italian-incorporated SPAC listed on the AIM Italy stock market. Its mission is to search andselect target companies with which to complete business combinations. In particular, following a restricted placement qualifying for exemption of the provisions in respect of offerings to the public pursuant to Article100 of the Italian Finance Act and Article 34-ter of Consob’s Regulations for Issuers to raise capital of €100m, on 1 February 2018 trading commenced on the AIM Italy stock market for 10,000,000 ordinaryALP.I shares with no express indication of their nominal value (the “Ordinary ALP.I Shares”), with up to 5,000,000 Warrants (the “ALP.I Warrants”) attached, of which two million had already been assigned freeof charge at the date on which trading started, while the other three million ALP.I Warrants will be assigned free of charge at the date on which the Merger becomes effective (the “Effective Date”). A total of 300,000special shares are also in issue, also with no indication of their nominal value (the “Special ALP.I Shares”). The Special ALP.I Shares have not been admitted to trading on the AIM Italy stock market but have beensubscribed to by the company’s promoters.

Decine le soluzioni installate presso i protagonisti del settore, con un’ampia gamma di offertache va dalle presse a compressione a tutte le soluzioni per la linea di imbottigliamento. Valore aggiunto e garanzia per il cliente, la presenza strutturata e capillare con SACMI Moscow e il supporto della Divisione SACMI Customer Service

SACMI si conferma leader in Russia, tra i più grandi e dinamici mercati mondiali del packaging&processing. Sono oltre 50 le presse CCM vendute in questo mercato ai principali interlocutori del plastic-closures, a conferma della grande affidabilità di questatecnologia che si caratterizza per le alte performance e i costi di esercizio più bassi del mercato.

Questo ed altro in mostra a Upakovka-Interplastica, la fiera numero uno in Russia dedicata alle tecnologie del packaging&processing in programma all’Expocenter TradeFairground di Mosca dal 29 gennaio al 2 febbraio 2019.

Grazie alla capillare e strutturata presenza nel Paese – SACMI opera da decenni in Russia sia con ufficio di rappresentanza, sia con sede OOO SACMI MOSCA – il Gruppo si presenta in fiera con l’obiettivo di illustrare le proprie proposte tecnologiche che, insieme alle presse CCM, comprendono soluzioni ed impianti completi per la produzione di preforme, soffiaggio, riempimento ed etichettaggio.

Diversi i vantaggi della proposta SACMI, tra i pochi competitor al mondo capace di dare una risposta di alto livello per ogni fase della linea produttiva beverage. Oltre allagaranzia di un interlocutore unico, affidabile, competente, capace di operare al fianco del cliente sin dalla fase progettuale, SACMI punta infatti sull’integrazione impiantisticacome chiave di volta per una maggiore efficienza sotto il profilo dei consumi, dellalogistica, della qualità.

Accompagnata con un’ampia offerta di sistemi di visione su tutta la gamma per il total quality control delle produzioni, SACMI offre al cliente il valore aggiunto della propria Divisione Customer Service, con software avanzati che, anche avvalendosi dei più recenti sistemi di teleassistenza consentono ai clienti di tutto il mondo di ricevere assistenza in ogni momento da parte di un tecnico specializzato SACMI.

Vieni a trovarci in fiera presso lo stand SACMI (FO C 59). Il team SACMI Moscow sarà a tua disposizione per illustrarti tutte le novità. SACMI, leading the way, worldwide

Greiner Packaging’s winning streak continues: The plastic experts have won yet another prize after a series of awards this autumn in Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Austria. At the WorldStar Packaging Awards they have now been honored with the title of “WorldStar Winner 2019”.

Kremsmünster, December 2018. Every year in the name of the World Packaging Organisation,the WorldStar Packaging Awards honor innovative, sustainable and safe packaging concepts,as well as successful marketing concepts. This year, the specialist jury met in Jingjang, Chinato decide on the winners. The official award ceremony, however, will take place on the 15th of May at a celebratory gala dinner in Prague, Czech Republic. The innovative food packagingsolutions of Greiner Packaging continue to be an inspiration for the industry – the consecutive award is irrefutable proof of the company’s capacity for success.

Convenience solution

The product – a transparent lid made of polypropylene in which a spoon is inserted – received the award in the category “Food”. The lid is produced with the help of thermoforming technology, in an effort to offer customers a cost and time efficient solution. The included spoon makes it practical to enjoy various dishes on the go. Therefore, the innovative packaging solution complies perfectly with the current trend for convenience foods.

Significant packaging award

The WorldStar Packaging Awards Competition is one of the major events of the World Packaging Organisation and is the pre-eminent international award in packaging. WorldStarillustrates the continual advancement of the state of packaging design and technology and creates a living standard of international packaging, inspiring other companies worldwide. In
this year, products had the possibility to be entered into a total of 16 categories, 56 entries were registered in the food category alone. The fact that Greiner Packaging’s innovative lid solutionwent up against notable competition and was ho nored, is proof of the company’s innovativecapabilities.

Packaging facts:

• Diameter: 95 mm
• Material: PP
• Technology: Thermoforming
• Dekoration: Label
• Color: transparent

About Greiner Packaging

Greiner Packaging is a leading European manufacturer of plastic packaging in the food and non-foodsector. For almost 60 years, the company has stood for a high level of solutions expertise in the fieldsof development, design, production, and decoration. Greiner Packaging addresses the challenges of the market with two business units: Packaging and Assistec. Greiner Packaging employs a workforceof around 4,800 at more than 30 locations in 19 countries worldwide. In 2017, the company achievedannual sales revenues of EUR 641 million (including joint ventures). This represents more than one thirdof Greiner’s total revenue.

Pamex, the International Exhibition on Printing & Allied Machinery Industries, is happening at Mumbai from 6-9 January 2020 at BEC, Mumbai. The Show, organised by All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) in association with Print-Packaging.com (P) Ltd., is proud and honoured to host WPCF board meeting and the ‘Print Matters for the Future’ conference, concurrently with the event.

The World Print & Communication Forum is a collaborative platform for the world’s major transnational and national printing to work together to promote the development andprosperity of the global printing industry. WPCF also facilitates and encourages communication with other parts of the print value chain to further develop the print and communication market through international and cross-industry collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

The Purpose of WPCF is -

•  To promote the development and prosperity of the printing, graphic arts, communication and allie industries in all regions of the world.
• To improve the management of these industries with a view to their continuing and increasing prosperity.
• To provide a platform for exchange of information and cooperation between users and suppliers of technology and services and to jointly promote and develop other related activities.

The meeting, for the first time ever, will run concurrently with PAMEX 2020. Besides the Governing Council Meeting, the NAEP award ceremony will also be organized during the same period.

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

“The results are even more astounding if we think of the present economic unrest. We export between 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 concerned about how the present-day political scenario will affect us locally and nationally. Despite the uncertain economic situation, Marchesini’s prospects are still thriving”, said Maurizio Marchesini.

“Our figures boost our confidence,” Pietro Cassani, CEO of the Group, added. “Nowadays, you have to grow to survive. There’s no slowing down or turning back. In fact, to achieve this we concentrated our efforts again this year on acquiring small but strategic “Made in Italy” companies to boost our expansion strategies. As always, the workforce will continue to work where they are located now so that local identity and input is preserved”.

The first of the new companies to join Marchesini, which today signed a 60% acquisition, is CMP PHAR.MA S.r.l. located in Costabissara (Vicenza), which 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 Euro, 35% more than 2017.

By taking over CMP, the Marchesini Group confirms its name as manufacturer of complete lines for producing and monitoring the wholepharmaceutical packaging process, 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 continues the growth strategy that started with the acquisition of 48% of SEA Vision last January. The company from Pavia - also thanks to the consistently high demand for machines equipped with cutting-edge of track and trace systems for pharmaceuticals - will end the year with an expected consolidated turnover of over 50 million, an increase of 50% on 2017.

The other company to join the Group is Proteo Engineering. 60% of thiscompany from Spilamberto, (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 self-learning software, Proteo will assist the Marchesini Group in perfecting the so- called machine learning process, one of the most fascinating frontiers of the 4.0 model. The final goal is to create machines that are fully linked to business systems, capable of constantly tracking quality parameters, anticipating every possible type of mechanical error and suggesting scheduled maintenance.

We are proud to introduce ourselves as the pioneer of BOPP film manufacturing in India. Today, we are a leading manufacturer & exporter of BOPP films for Lamination, Food Packaging, Labeling and Over wrapping applications. We also have specialty films like coated labels & synthetic paper.

We have our manufacturing units in Aurangabad & Vadodara, with our marketing offices in Mumbai, Vadodara, Delhi, Aurangabad, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. We have strong dealers network all over India.

Product Range:

The company offers the widest product portfolio available under one roof which includes both commodity and speciality products for packaging, labeling, lamination and industrial applications. Some of our speciality products include high barrier films, overwrap films, velvet & black velvet thermal lamination films, scuff free and digital lamination films, PSA label face stock films, direct thermal printable films and synthetic paper.

Packaging Films:

High Barrier Films:

• Transparent Films: These films are used in varied applications and include Aroma Barrier Films for coffee/tea and spices packaging; High Oxygen Barrier Films for biscuits packaging and High Oxygen & Aroma Barrier Films for ready to eat pack applications etc.
•  Metalized Films: It comprises of High Moisture Barrier Films for sandwich lamination in shampoo sachets, dry milk powder & powdered drinks sachets/packs where loss of moisture is a concern. It also includes High Seal Strength films for bulk packs rrequiring high seal strengths and Ultra High Barrier films for foods with fatty contents such as dry fruits, chips, cream biscuits packs etc

Overwrap Films:

The company offers range of overwrap films which is used in various applications including general overwrap, cable overwrap and cigarette overwrap. The cigarette overwrap films are co-extruded, low heat sealing and hot slip modified non-treated BOPP films, which can run effortlessly on high speed machines. Different shrinkage values of these films support wrapping of both single as well as medium bundled packs.

Lamination Films

•  Velvet and black Velvet Films:             

As the name suggests, these are thermal lamination films offering velvety touch and feel and intense black colour along with rich velvet finish to the printed surface respectively. Apart from the soft and velvety touch and feel, these films give excellent scuff resistance and are suitable for UV spot lamination and foil stamping as well. Engineered on special matte base films, these films not only protect the printed surface but also enhance the aesthetics.

• Scuff Free Matte Lamination Films:

Unlike a traditional matte film, this film provides excellent resistance to scuff marks which could develop during production, transportation and handling of the pack. The matte surface of the film is also ideal for post laminating procedures such as UV spot coating, hot foil stamping, embossing etc. Apart from the luxury packaging applications mentioned earlier, this film is best suited for laminating packing boxes of electronic goods like mobile phones, tablets, power banks etc.

• Digital Lamination Films:

Regular thermal lamination films do not give adequate bonding with digital printed surfaces containing high levels of fuser oil. The premium digital film has been specially engineered to provide excellent bonding to digital printed surfaces, along with providing excellent optics and protection. This film is available in both gloss and matte varieties.

 Label Films

• PSA Label Face Stock Films:

Available in transparent, white and metalized variants, label stock films are used by majority of the home care & personal care products around the globe for their self-adhesive label needs. These films also find usage in imparting functional and aesthetic appeal in beverage and pharmaceutical products.  All the films meant for label face stock are Universal Printable films; which means that they can deliver superior print performance across diverse printing processes which include UV, flexography, gravure, letterpress and offset. The films are also compatible with all ink based systems, i.e. UV, water and solvent based.

• Direct Thermal printable Films:

Direct thermal label films used for multitude of applications like information labeling (airport baggage tags etc.), manufacturing tracking, weight and price labeling is a speciality BOPP film with a proprietary coating which enables image/impression formation upon contact with the print head of the thermal printer. The film is obviously used in variable printing applications where good scuff & water resistance is desired. The printing type also works well in areas of sensitive information and tamper resistance.

It is a replacement of paper in applications where durability and longevity is desired. It is non-tearable, has moisture and chemical resistance and excellent lay flatness. It is printable with most available printing technologies which include wet & UV offset, wet & UV flexo, letterpress, screen, thermal transfer and most of the digital toner technologies. The versatility of synthetic paper is reflected in the vast number of applications where it can be used. This includes areas such as commercial printing, tags & labels, retail & packaging, identification & credentials and outdoors. Today it is used primarily for printing visiting & ID cards, garment tags and marketing collaterals such as posters, banners etc.  Going forward, all important documents like medical reports, educational certificates & land documents and instruction manuals could be printed on synthetic paper. Another important application of synthetic paper could be children & recipe books. Stationary items where longevity is essential such as maps, flip charts, and calendars could also be printed on this paper.

Customized Innovation:

Apart from the widest portfolio of BOPP and CPP films, the customers recognize Cosmo Films for the customized innovation that they provide them as a part of their strategic relationship and the customer centric approach. Their customer base includes the leading global flexible packaging and label face stock manufacturers like Amcor, Constantia, Huhtamaki, Avery Dennison etc., which in turn service brands like PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Unilever, P&G, CP, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle, and Mars etc.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation announced its new Global Commitment, ‘A line in the sand’, at the ‘Our Ocean Conference’ in Bali on 29 October 2018. The objective: eliminating plastic waste and pollution right at the source. Over 250 leading organizations from around the world are committing to these ambitious objectives. Verstraete IML is also committed and will be taking the lead in sustainability efforts.

Innovation at the forefront

Verstraete IML was one of the first to commit to the New Plastics Economy initiative launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British NGO, in 2016. It was a logical decision for the market leader in in-mold labeling, for which sustainability is the major leitmotif. Koen Verstraete, Managing Director: “Innovation is in our DNA. To both develop high-tech products for our customers and create environmentally friendly solutions that contribute to a sustainable economy.”

Perfectly recyclable IML packaging

Verstraete IML produces over 50 million in-mold labels daily for the plastic packaging industry. Nico Van de Walle, Product Manager: “Plastic is strong, lightweight, and hygienic. It’s also easy to reuse and recycle. Moreover, the packaging and the IML are made from the same material, which makes it mono-material packaging, meaning it is perfectly recyclable.”

The buck stops here

Trying to clean up all the plastic in the oceans is fighting a losing battle, unless the problem is dealt with right at the source. That’s why the New Plastics Economy draws a clear line in the sand. Companies, governments and organizations must create an unambiguous vision on the circular economy. They must also join forces to bring a stop to plastic pollution.

The New Plastics Economy targets three objectives:

1.  Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models
2. Innovate to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025
3.  Circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastic reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products

Environmentally friendly actions throughout the entire chain

Verstraete IML strongly believes in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s – literal and figurative – cross-border approach. That is why the company is actively participating in the Holy Grail pioneer project to create more value in the waste flow. It does this, for example, by applying digital watermarks to the IML and packaging in order to better sort the waste. In addition, Verstraete IML has been making major, long-term efforts to write a truly sustainable story. Nico Van de Walle: “Our spin-off company Plastic Recycling Verstraete (PRV) converts more than 4,500 tons of polypropylene waste into the new basic raw material, rPP pellets, annually. We’re making major cuts in our energy consumption. And we take the environmental impact into account as much as possible when buying raw materials and in our production processes.”

Measurability and transparency

Sustainability isn’t just some short-lived buzzword at Verstraete IML. Koen Verstraete: “The fact that we don’t go in for greenwashing is apparent from, among others, our commitment to the New Plastics Economy and our signing of the Global Commitment. Companies that actively support the initiative must achieve results and prove them. They do this by, among other things, publishing measurable data on specific achievements and progress made annually. Plus, we publish a sustainability report every three years, in which we explain our actions in detail.”

Pioneering positive change

With the Global Commitment, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation wants to create the ‘new normal’ for plastic packaging and implement changes from production onwards. This is because the majority of the packaging that ends up in the environment and the oceans escapes collection because it’s ‘worthless’. Plastic packaging with greater intrinsic value ends up where it should end up: in a circular system for reuse and recycling. Nico Van de Walle: “We always take the functional objectives, circularity, and final destination into account when designing all of our IML products. Because, as a manufacturer of in-mold labels, we are at the source and we can outline a positive course for the future. It’s a major responsibility that forms the basis for everything we do.”

“Tamper Evident Nozzle” and “Twist’n’use™” tubes exemplify solutions to be manufactured in Wilson, NC plant starting spring 2019.

Thun, Switzerland – Hoffmann Neopac, a global provider of high-quality packaging for a broad array of industries and applications, has earmarked two of its small-diameter Polyfoil® tube solutions for production at its first U.S. manufacturing facility, which is scheduled to open in spring 2019.

The 37,000-square-foot Wilson, NC plant will be punctuated by a high-speed tube line as part of an operation capable of producing some 80 million tubes annually. The new plant will have floorspace for several additional packaging lines to meet anticipated North American growth in the small tubes niche, especially in the pharma, cosmetics and animal health sectors but also for emerging applications such as cannabis-based creams and liquids.

Like all tubes manufactured at the North Carolina facility, the two new small-diameter tubes utilize Neopac’s Polyfoil® technology. Polyfoil® is a proprietary blend of materials providing advanced barrier properties for products requiring ample protection against moisture, oxygen and other potentially harmful external factors. Products housed in Polyfoil® solutions can enjoy a longer shelf life compared to those stored in conventional polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) packaging.

Tube solutions slated for production at the new U.S. facility include:

1.  Neopac’s Tamper-evident Nozzle Tube features Polyfoil® technology with a wall thickness of just 0.3mm. Ideal for topical disinfectant solutions, eye ointments and eye creams and gels, the tube is available with either 0.9- or 1.1mm orifices and features a ribbed cap for ease of use. Additionally, the tamper-evident closure guarantees supply chain integrity for end user reassurance and safety.
2.  Also comprised of Polyfoil® technology, Neopac’s Twist’n’use™ Tube is a small- volume single-dose solution that, once the cap is twisted, is irrevocably opened. In addition to tamper-evidence, the tube’s permanently affixed cap emphasizes consumer simplicity and offers accurate application of the enclosed product to the area of treatment. The Twist’n’use™ cap can be used across the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors, including applications for animal health, first aid products and dietary supplements.

“The new manufacturing facility represents Neopac’s expanding presence in the United States and promises continued growth”, said Martina Christiansen, Head of Sales and Marketing Pharma of Hoffmann Neopac. “By supporting production of solutions like the Tamper-evident Nozzle and Twist’n’use™ tubes, the new plant promotes manufacturing expertise and innovation.”

About Hoffmann Neopac

Hoffmann Neopac is a privately-owned company, headquartered in Thun, Switzerland. The company produces high-quality metal and plastic packaging in five locations: HOFFMANN tins in Thun and CMP tins in Holland; Polyfoil® and plastic tubes with NEOPAC in Switzerland and in Hungary. Its longstanding customers include internationally active pharmaceutical, cosmetics and consumer goods manufacturers in the European and North American markets.

The company has recently taken a majority stake in 3D Technopack Ltd, from Mumbai, India, thereby securing its foothold in the Asian market. With the new production facility in the United States ready in Spring 2019, the company employs around a thousand employees and has a capacity of 1.3 billion tubes.

Greiner Packaging’s winning streak continues: The plastic experts have won yet another prize after a series of awards this autumn in Germany, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Austria. At the WorldStar Packaging Awards they have now been honored with the title of “WorldStar Winner 2019”.

Kremsmünster, December 2018. Every year in the name of the World Packaging Organisation, the WorldStar Packaging Awards honor innovative, sustainable and safe packaging concepts, as well as successful marketing concepts. This year, the specialist jury met in Jingjang, China to decide on the winners. The official award ceremony, however, will take place on the 15th of May at a celebratory gala dinner in Prague, Czech Republic. The innovative food packaging solutions of Greiner Packaging continue to be an inspiration for the industry – the consecutive award is irrefutable proof of the company’s capacity for success.

Convenience solution

The product – a transparent lid made of polypropylene in which a spoon is inserted – received the award in the category “Food”. The lid is produced with the help of thermoforming technology, in an effort to offer customers a cost and time efficient solution. The included spoon makes it practical to enjoy various dishes on the go. Therefore, the innovative packaging solution complies perfectly with the current trend for convenience foods.

Significant packaging award

The WorldStar Packaging Awards Competition is one of the major events of the World Packaging Organisation and is the pre-eminent international award in packaging. WorldStar illustrates the continual advancement of the state of packaging design and technology and creates a living standard of international packaging, inspiring other companies worldwide. In this year, products had the possibility to be entered into a total of 16 categories, 56 entries were registered in the food category alone. The fact that Greiner Packaging’s innovative lid solution went up against notable competition and was honored, is proof of the company’s innovative capabilities.

Packaging facts:

• Diameter: 95 mm
• Material: PP
• Technology: Thermoforming
• Dekoration: Label
• Color: transparent

Dettingen/Erms, 5 th December 2018 – Hugo Beck, the world’s leading manufacturer of horizontal flowpack, film packaging and post-print processing machines, is providing increased levels of automated robotic solutions to global copackers in order to streamline previously labour-intensive process for promotional packs.

Multi-pack, promotional retail deals such as “Buy 2, get 1 Free” are becoming increasingly important for competitive food manufacturers and require individual products to be packaged together in a variety of pack sizes and configurations – a process often carried out by hand – which is both labour intensive and time  consuming.

Recently, a leading global copacker recognised the challenge and approached Hugo Beck to help automate its packing process. The solution needed to present various packing processes on a single display and for ease of use, all robots also needed to be controlled via the main packaging machine control system.

For this application Hugo Beck provided three servo X film packaging machines with each line having two parallel robots and shrink tunnel. Third-party robotics initially load the product onto the Hugo Beck packing line which visually checks that all biscuit boxes are correctly aligned on the conveyor. Once on the conveyor the two parallel robots pick up the biscuit boxes and group them into the desired configuration, ready to be fed into the film packaging machine.

The configuration is fully adjustable allowing both different groupings or stacking of products. After the biscuit boxes have been grouped they are then fed automatically into the shrink-wrapper and the multi-packing process is complete.

The customer was delighted with the Hugo Beck solution which was made significantly easier by only having to deal with a single project partner to deliver the entire line, from product pick-up to robot technology right up to the packaging machine.

“Co-packers and logistics providers demand a simple, effective and integrated solution that can adapt quickly to changing production demands”, said Timo Kollmann, Hugo Beck’s Sales Director.

“Flexibility is key for these applications and our machine control systems enable the packaging process and robots to change automatically to new products through the saved program functionality. This delivers a streamlined production process and optimised quality assurance through error-free automation”.

About Hugo Beck:
Founded in 1955 and based in Dettingen/Erms near Stuttgart, Hugo Beck provides the most comprehensive manufacturing product range in the film packaging segment for flowpacks, poly bags and shrink packs in the world. With a focus on maximising automation, flexibility and availability, Hugo Beck’s innovative packaging solutions are developed and produced by some 110 specialists at the company headquarters. Today, the family enterprise is represented all over the world by a network of contract partners and Hugo Beck machines are currently being used successfully across a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, print and paper, textiles, glass and wood.

Hugo Beck’s horizontal flowpack, film packaging and post-print processing machines operate in an output range of 3,000 to 18,000 cycles/hour. Flexibly deployable periphery modules are available for all machines, among them feeders and high-speed robot systems as a component of various automation solutions. In addition to providing series machines, Hugo Beck focuses on enabling customer-specific solutions. State-of-the-art in-house project planning and manufacturing processes are the prerequisite for being able to react flexibly to virtually all customer needs.

The new VARODRY is a 100% oil-free, dry compressing screw vacuum pump. Screw pumps are currently state-of-the-art in the field of industrial vacuum pumps. The VARODRY will initially be available in the sizes VD65 (65 m³/h) and VD100 (100 m³/h), the sizes VD160 and VD200 are already in preparation.

What qualifies the pumps of the VARODRY series is their excellent suitability for the manufacturing industry. The reason: In industrial processes, pumps do not only need to handle clean air, but also dirt, particles, outgassing of media and vapors. Processes do also not always work stable, other disturbance factors might also be involved. The pump must be able to tolerate all of this. In general, screw pumps are the best choice for such demanding requirements. You can compare their function a bit to an extruder that pushes out the disturbing particles together with the regular material at its exhaust. In addition, these pumps are able to handle vapors in the best possible way. All those advantages of the screw-pump functional principle apply to the VARODRY, but next to this, due to its integrated silencer the pump offers also a quiet and pleasant sound profile. 

However, there are other factors, which make a significant contribution to improving production processes. The variable inlet flange arrangement enables a flexible installation of the pump within the plant. Furthermore, the design of the silencer without “sponge-like” damper materials and the exhaust flange located at the lowest point of the pump facilitates pushing-out liquids or condensed vapors, which might incur in some industrial processes. This prevents potential formation of rust and contributes significantly to process reliability. 

A further process advantage is the reliability and efficiency of the pump. It can be operated continuously at any inlet pressure and is fully resistant even against repeated shock venting. Any number of cycles can be run without overload, which is still not the current market standard.

A major differentiation of the VARODRY is its complete oil-freeness. All other screw-type vacuum pumps on the market are “dry compressing”; nevertheless, all these pumps have gear compartments partly filled with oil to lubricate the bearings and gear wheels. 

Exactly this is not the case with the VARODRY pumps. The VARODRY is 100% oil-free. Because of this there is no chance for oil migration from the gear chamber into the pumps compression chamber where this oil might react with the pumped gases or in worst case even migrate backwards to the process chamber. 

This hazard cannot happen with the VARODRY, as it uses grease-lubricated bearings and as even oil-lubricated synchronization gears are not used. Drive and synchronization is done with a high-tech tooth-belt, which on demand can be exchanged in a few minutes by the user himself. This also eliminates the gear oil exchanges which are still required at other screw-type pumps. It is therefore impossible that any oil can migrate backwards to the process chamber, will be blown out of the exhaust or might leak on the floor during gear-box exchange. The VARODRY is therefore the first pump on the market which is 100% oil-free which will have a significant impact on cost reduction and process room cleanliness. 

Another technical advantage for industrial use is the complete air cooling of the pump. This simplifies the integration of the pump into the plant as there is no need for the sometimes complicated water supply.

In contrast to most competitor products, the VARODRY has a moderate temperature profile. The low internal temperatures which peak around 100 to 130°C (depending on operation point) also allow a handling of temperature sensitive media, often preventing that those react immediately and build-up layers inside the pump. This moderate heat is the optimum for many applications enabling long-time operation without need for compression room cleaning.

These properties qualify VARODRY for a number of applications:
Optical coatings such as spectacle lenses or decorative coatings, e.g. for bathroom fittings, usually produce dust in the sputtering process. A dry compressing screw-pump simply blows such dust through while in oil-sealed pumps the dust is trapped which causes strong wear of the motive parts.

The VARODRY is also a perfect pump for drying processes and industrial cleaning systems, e.g. for casted machine parts. Such parts must be dried thoroughly after cleaning to avoid immediate flash rust corrosion. The best method to dry such massive parts which have sometimes hidden solvent reservoirs inside bore-holes or cavities is vacuum drying. The moisture is extracted from even the smallest holes and the part is completely dried. This application requires pumps that can tolerate a lot of vapors – such as the VARODRY vacuum pumps. 

The same prerequisite applies for successful cryo-pump regeneration. Cryo-pumps freeze the gases and require a regular regeneration, during which the pump is heated and the stored gas will be released and must be pumped out. Large quantities of water are appearing during this process.

In addition to drying processes in industrial cleaning systems, the VARODRY is also used in freeze drying application, as well in pharmaceutical as also in food-related freeze drying. Drying applications are also necessary in lithium-ion battery production and in the manufacture of power storage devices. 

Another target market which involves vacuum drying is the manufacturing of transformers or other high-voltage transmission components. Such components contain insulation materials, i.e. paper windings, which must be absolutely dry. Under vacuum, the moisture in the insulation is reduced to a few ppm only. Water vapor compatibility is also important here. 

In composite applications, the resin must be degassed prior to usage to ensure bubble-freeness. During the following infiltration step, the resin is then pulled into the pre-evacuated fiber material. In both process steps the resin is outgassing and vapors enter the pump which needs to tolerate this. In this application the VARODRY excels again with its moderate process room temperature, as the build-up of layers is widely prevented which ensures a long-time, trouble-free operation of the pumps.

Besides liquid, gaseous and solid, plasma is the fourth state of aggregation. Typical plasma applications are surface cleaning and activation or sterilization where bacteria are killed by the hot surface plasma without a real heat-load for heat-sensitive products. In plasma applications the pressure is typically reduced to 

With the attributes "easy", "reliable", "efficient" and "dry", the VARODRY is a very good alternative to the usual pumps on the market.

To present the highest quality asparagus and artichoke in a variety of delicious dressings, Bonduelle has turned to Ardagh Group to produce an eye-catching rectangular aluminium can for its premium Cassegrain range.

Each of the products in the range is identified through the striking design printed at Ardagh’s at the La Flèche facility, France, whose advanced Graphic Centre was able to create the ultra-realistic imagery. 

Ardagh’s Laurent Cordier, Sales Director at Ardagh’s metal food sector explains: “Bonduelle choose a rectangular can for the majority of its premium Cassegrain products, with a slightly conical shape allowing easy stacking. The horizontal storage in the can allows the aromatic herbs and marinade to remain with the product ensuring a premium taste sensation. It satisfies so many consumer requirements; 100 per cent recyclable, total barrier protection and a long shelf life without any need for refrigeration, and, with its Easy Open lid, very convenient.

But of equal importance for the asparagus and artichoke range is our ability to create such high definition graphics that convey how delicious the contents are.”

The asparagus cans, a first for the French market, are produced in Ardagh’s manufacturing plant at Schweighouse, France.

Ardagh Group is a global leader in glass and metal packaging solutions, producing packaging for most of the world's leading food, beverage and consumer care brands. We operate 100+ facilities in 22 countries, employ 23,000+ people and have global sales exceeding approximately US$8.6 billion. 

Bonduelle is a French company producing processed vegetables. The company was originally founded in 1853 in France and has more than 9.500 employees. Bonduelle is number 1 in Europe for canned vegetables and number 2 in frozen vegetables. 

"Growth Potential in the Print Market? - Without a Doubt!"

EyeC GmbH develops inspection systems for all areas along the entire print process chain. Since its start in 2002, it has advanced into a globally active medium-sized company with more than 60 employees in Germany. Dr. Ansgar Kaupp, one of the three EyeC founders and its general manager, talks in an interview about the challenge in differentiating between process-specific deviations and errors, the potential for inline inspection in Print 4.0 smart processes and EyeC's further growth prospects in the print market.

Dr. Kaupp, would you like to give us a brief run-down on EyeC?

Dr.Ansgar Kaupp :With pleasure. We supply inspection systems that ensure print quality throughout the entire production process. Since we started in 2002, we have grown from a staff of three to now more than 60 employees. We work with sales and service partners in more than 20 countries and, with their help, to date we have installed 1,800 inspection systems in 51 countries. We achieve around 8 million Euro in turnover and invest 20.5 percent of this in R&D.

What do you think are the reasons that EyeC has been able to establish itself so quickly?

Dr. Kaupp: When we started up in 2002, we already had image processing know-how from CD and DVD inspection. What we wanted was to transfer this know-how to quality management in printing processes so we actively looked for pilot customers. We were immediately able to recruit a key customer and highly important development partner to develop our first system and we still work with this partner today. Alongside meeting customer needs, we were also lucky. We immediately started off with label inspection, which we thought would be simple. Today, we know that, from an inspection viewpoint, we started with the most complex of all printing processes: flexo printing. This is the process where the precision of the print image varies the most due to the flexible relief plate used. We had to design our pattern recognition algorithm so that it can differentiate between tolerable, process-specific deviations and print errors, which is exactly what print product inspection is all about. Thanks to the dot fringes, distortions and variety of spot colors and substrates in flexo printing, we have been able to adapt our image processing software to the entire complexity of the print market. It was then so versatile that we could relatively easily adapt it to other printing processes and, working together with customers, we were able to develop it according to their needs. Operability is called for here: printers want "error detection devices" that give them process reliability without stopping them from working. They want them to inspect automatically and only raise an alarm when something goes wrong.

What are the key target markets for your inspection systems?

Dr. Kaupp: An important sector is pharmaceutical packaging. Inspection here is an absolute necessity because of the high safety awareness, especially since a recall is more expensive than our systems. Many brand owners use EyeC inspection technology as well. Close process monitoring ensures the perfect quality of the elaborate printing and special finishing of their packaging for cosmetics, tobacco or spirits. In addition, the growing safety requirements for food packaging are also generating demand. Error-free packaging is becoming a must, for example, for labelling allergens correctly.

EyeC systems cover the entire print process chain. What do they all have in common?

Dr. Kaupp: Whether it is artwork, prepress inspection, offline or inline inspection: the bottom line is pattern recognition. The software compares two images and interprets any deviations. Are these deviations production-specific or are they errors? If no objects disappear and there are no additional new ones, deviations are generally tolerable. Depending on the font size and the language used, we define each time the smallest relevant objects and can reliably identify missing commas or the dots on an i. So the system makes rational decisions. This means that printers can talk to their customers on the basis of facts - instead of subjective impressions. Our inline inspection systems also ensure that inspection keeps up with the speed of modern printing processes. Meanwhile we also make use of deep learning technologies, and the whirlwind rise in processor performance is also helping. To use multi-core architectures optimally to ensure timely inspection, we parallelise our software's computing processes.

How is growing digitisation changing your target markets?

Dr. Kaupp: We are a digital company through and through and see ourselves as a driver of digitisation. The printing industry is printing digitally more and more often and it is digitising its process chains so that, despite ever smaller batch  volumes, it can produce efficiently. No matter whether with digital or conventional printing processes: only as much is produced as can be sold within a short space of time. Short-run jobs especially call for efficient quality assurance. EyeC systems can carry out print proof inspection in less than two minutes instead of three-quarters of an hour. Thanks to the automated connection to the press, the inspection device can also now be set up in no time at all. EyeC systems can quality monitor along the entire process chain including post-processes. They minimise makeready waste and misprints, ensure efficient production of the required batches and, as such, optimise the ecological and economic footprint.

To what extent is the inspection of artwork and prepress automated?

Dr. Kaupp: Some of our systems guide the operator through the inspection process. Some are fully automated and can be integrated into the workflow systems of the large press manufacturers if required. Each one has its justified existence. Guided inspection can be practical, especially when it comes to standardisation in PDF print proofs, because it can determine the variance in the input files from the onset so that reasonable standards can be developed on this basis.

EyeC systems also inspect Braille. Does that mean the inspection of decorative embossing on packaging is feasible?

Dr. Kaupp: This is indeed a challenge. With the help of adapted lighting and other tricks of the trade, we have managed to create an environment for testing the presence and precise positioning of such decorative embossing. The difficulty is that embossing is often carried out in a separate process - and embossing register and print register do not necessarily match a hundred percent. But customers only accept minimal damage to the decorative embossing. We have been able to resolve this issue together with our customers. Our aim is that our optical inspection systems can answer all the customer's questions in one step. If, for example, the customer is printing fruit juice packaging, then our systems inspect on the one hand whether the printing is correct. But on the other hand they also check whether the printed bar code is readable and whether the folding edges are symmetrical because, if they are not, you can be sure that the multiplelayer material structure will be damaged. It is a sort of upstream process approval...

... in the form of offline quality control. Will this be superseded by inline systems in the long run?

Dr. Kaupp: There are customers who check upfront whether they have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure an error-free printing process. This is enough for them and their customers. In contrast, there are other customers who require seamless quality monitoring including documentation of their production processes. For them inline inspection is then an essential. Sometimes proof of data integrity and system validation are also called for. We offer such services from a single source.

Do customers use your "one-stop shop approach"?

Dr. Kaupp: We listen to customers and generally we have a product that can efficiently resolve their problem. Customers often start with initial basic inspection and then expand their quality assurance more and more with our systems. This is where the consistency and simplicity of our interface metaphors across all our products play a central role. Nobody wants to have to cope with a new operating logic or different data structures at every inspection stage.

What are the central components of your inspection systems?

Dr. Kaupp: First of all, our software, which accounts for the majority of our added value. But we also attach great importance to being able to offer our customers entire systems with hardware and software. We optimally match line cameras, optics and lighting with each other and with the process to be monitored. Strong lighting sources are required especially in high-speed processes so that the camera can actually record all image dots in a fraction of a second. Added to this of course, we have a high-performance processor whereby the number of  processor cores and the parallelisation methodology or the speed of access to the cached data can change from generation to generation. In such cases, we adapt our software each time. Together with engineering companies, we also offer modular retrofit solutions with which printing companies can expand theirexisting equipment with inline inspection technology. This enables them to take on the appropriate jobs or upgrade production line changeover for such jobs.

Inline inspection is considered a central building block for Print 4.0 smart processes..
.
Dr. Kaupp: ... and I think that we as a sector are on the right road with this. If we can further develop this ability to exchange information, then it is absolutely feasible that printing presses will be able to regulate themselves when errors occur. Using reliable standards, we can enable customers to freely select their equipment components as a contribution to flexibilising process chains and achieving genuine competition among solutions. And it opens up opportunities in predictive maintenance where process data is loaded into the cloud and intelligently analysed. This applies not only to our own systems but also to all other components in the process chain. Our systems are the eagle eye in the process and allow all kinds of inferences to be made on the machine status. We are in the process of leveraging this potential, together with pilot customers from the engineering sector. By the way, the networking opportunities within VDMA are very helpful

Will inline systems supplant offline inspection in the world of Print 4.0?

Dr. Kaupp: There will always be situations in which only one batch needs to be checked. Offline systems are necessary for such situations as well as for extremely high measurement accuracy. However, inline inspection will become more attractive in as far as its costs fall and its performance increases. This makes a shift in the weighting therefore probable. I assume that in 2030 all printing presses will have an integrated inspection system, which means that in many areas there will then be zero-error production.

You can see behind the curtain in many areas of the packaging market. Is the mix of packaging materials used changing?

Dr. Kaupp: The focus is more on the ecological footprint. Environmentally compatible, recyclable packaging on the basis of paper and carton is gaining significance in our target markets pharmaceuticals and branding. Especially when it comes to flexo printing, we are waiting to see how the social debate on plastics in the oceans will impact on the packaging market and the political framework put in place.

EyeC is focussing on print inspection. Are there growth opportunities in printing?

Dr. Kaupp: Growth potential in the print market? - without a doubt! Print might be losing relevance in its function as an information channel, but presenting products via their packaging is and will remain a growing market. This is where we are active with our inspection systems and we can hardly cope with the demand. We will need to increase personnel to be able to achieve all the many applications that are still at the concept stage.

A final question: where do you see EyeC in 2030?

Dr. Kaupp: As I said, I foresee that every printing press will have an inspection system and we will be working with press manufacturers together on this. If we carry through our growth strategy, we will be five times larger than today in turnover as well as in personnel. We will continue to act on a global scale and expand our portfolio along the printing process. 

In cooperation with Austria’s Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs awards the “Staatspreis Smart Packaging” (National Award for Smart Packaging) every two years. This year, Greiner Packaging took home the Special Award for Innovation for its “fresh clip” solution.

Kremsmünster, November 2018. Good packaging gives brands their distinctive character, influences purchasing decisions, and drives innovation. Austria’s National Award for Smart Packaging recognizes B2B and B2C packaging solutions that stand out thanks to their
environmental sustainability and technical functionality as well as their design and convenience. Greiner Packaging’s “Frische-Clip” (fresh clip), which received the Special Award for Innovation in Vienna, impressed the jury in every category.

Preventing food waste

The plastic fresh clip allows the user to reseal a carton after it has been opened. This keeps cereal, muesli, and similar foods fresh for longer, actively helping to prevent food waste. The combination of cardboard and plastic means usage of both materials is reduced to a minimum. At the same time, the solution ensures that the contents are given optimum protection against moisture, pests, and spoilage.

An eye-catching solution using less plastic

The fresh clip is produced using the injection molding process. It features a sealing surface onto which a plate element made of plastic, cardboard, or aluminum can be affixed – this ensures the package’s original appearance on retail shelves and enables the clip function once it has been removed. The creases positioned around the clip allow the packaging to be clipped together and sealed. The fresh clip can be attached to the carton in such a way that it can either be removed or remain affixed. There is the option to attach the clip permanently with adhesives, and interlocking or mechanical connections could be integrated as well. Reducing the plastic content was central to the clip’s design. A variety of finishing methods – from gloss, matte, and metallic to textures and tactile elements – can be used to attract more attention at the point of sale. A clicking sound signals that the clip is completely sealed.

Ease of use
But the packaging isn’t just visually appealing; it’s also easy to use. The contents of the carton can be accessed by simply pulling off the plate element. To seal the packaging again, the two grips on the sides are pressed together until the clicking sound is heard. The packaging’s gape-like opening is also an aid to dispensing and pouring out the contents.

The award ceremony took place at “Österreichischer Verpackungstag” in Vienna, an event focusing on Austria’s packaging industry. More than 60 entries in five categories were submitted or the award this year.

About Greiner Packaging
Greiner Packaging is a leading European manufacturer of plastic packaging in the food and non-food sector. For almost 60 years, the company has stood for a high level of solutions expertise in the fields of development, design, production, and decoration. Greiner Packaging addresses the challenges of the market with two business units: Packaging and Assistec. Greiner Packaging employs a workforce of around 4,800 at more than 30 locations in 19 countries worldwide. In 2017, the company achieved annual sales revenues of EUR 641 million (including joint ventures). This represents more than one third of Greiner’s total revenue.

Kerstin Seiler took on the position of Commercial Director for BEKUM Maschinenfabriken GmbH and Group Controller for the BEKUM group at the beginning of November 2018.

After completing her graduate studies in Business Administration, specialising in accounting, taxation and auditing as well as banking and finance, Ms Seiler spent over 20 years in a managerial capacity in the commercial sector, primarily in controlling; here she worked for a number of international companies, most recently as the commercial director of a company in the optoelectronic industry.

At BEKUM, Ms Seiler will be responsible for the areas of finance, human resources, administration and IT. At the same time, she will focus on establishing more efficient processes and structures across the entire BEKUM group, in order to identify and foster synergies. In this way, she will further develop the intensive network which exists within the BEKUM group.

BEKUM, known internationally for nearly 60 years as a technology leader in the blow moulding industry with high quality standards, will gain greatly from Ms Seiler’s extensive expertise and her many years of experience, to continue sharpening the core competencies and help shape the future success of the company.

About BEKUM ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pioneer and Trendsetter in Blow Moulding Technology

Founded in Berlin in 1959, BEKUM Maschinenfabriken GmbH is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of extrusion blow moulding machines.

Founder Gottfried Mehnert conceived the name BEKUM as the acronym (Berliner Kunststoff Maschinen).

The company began to flourish in its founding year with the development of the world’s first neck-rim calibration. Numerous innovations and patents followed, confirming that BEKUM, with its innovative and customer-oriented machinery solutions, has always been ahead of its time – and remains so to this day.

When innovative and economical machinery solutions with high productivity for individual packaging requirements of hollow packaging are in demand, then BEKUM, with over 55 years of experience in blow-moulding technology, is the first choice worldwide.

Product Range and Applications in Food and Non-food

With future-oriented and reliable production processes and fully electric, as well as hydraulic machinery for the commercial production of blow moulded containers ranging from 5 ml to 3000 l, BEKUM offers everything for plastic packaging from one source. 

Philosophy of the Company

Building and maintaining long-term relationships with market partners through future- oriented, predictable company policy determine the actions of the first and second generation of the family, represented by Michael Mehnert. This strategy ensures the jobs
of dedicated and experienced staff. The preservation of traditional structures, an established network of partners and far-sighted adaptation to change form the basis for continuous development and inspiration for the company in the interest of partners, 0customers and employees.

Innovation and Technology

Process reliability, availability, efficiency and sophisticated design characterise the high standard of BEKUM production lines for blow moulding. BEKUM contributes the expertise that has grown based on these references, associated with various patents in blow moulding, to the fulfilment of every customer requirement.

The level of process design is key for process reliability, reproducibility, parts quality and cost-efficiency. A high-quality production line for extrusion blow moulding, consisting of machine, die and automation which is impressive in terms of speed, wear resistance, availability, process reliability and stability alike, is critical for return on investment (ROI) and the level of added value.

Facts and figures

With 18,000 machines delivered and installed worldwide - about half of them still in use - the BEKUM Group has achieved by far the largest production of blow moulding machines of any brand.

The BEKUM Group serves approximately 100 countries around the world directly or through representatives.

Today, 300 employees work for the BEKUM group worldwide at three locations in Europe and in the US (Berlin (Germany), Traismauer (Austria) und Williamston (USA)).

The 29th edition of packaging innovation competition De Gouden Noot was won by ACU- Drop® II, a unique, patented packaging form that revolutionises quality control in the In Vitro Diagnose (IVD) market. The innovative, dual chambered device keeps various fractions separated, preventing reactions between components of the desired matrix. When ready, the user simply pushes a button to allow the fractions to combine. Then mix with the integrated “static stirrer” and the sample is ready to use, either from the built-in dropper bottle or by attaching a syringe. ACU-Drop® II will open doors in the quality control arena with its ease of use, elimination of the need for pipetting and by solving matrix interactions - all in a single container.

Winning business combination Verhoeven Ontwerpburo and Eurotrol received the winner's trophy containing the well-known solid gold walnut during the Award Ceremony on Thursday evening 22 November 2018 in the A’DAM Tower Amsterdam. Master of ceremony was Francesca Vanthielen.

The Silver went to the Combo Excelsior®, a multiple-use container with many new innovative features. The elements used (walls, base, lid) have a superior strength/volume ratio. The floating hinges, ergonomic sidewall latches and self-locking lid provide easy and safe operation with minimal risk of damage to the product or the operator. And thanks to its modular construction, all individual parts can be easily replaced in the field, further extending the life of the product, says Silver winner Schoeller Allibert.

The Bronze was for Arcwise, a patented alternative way to produce corrugated board. The end result is a corrugated board that is easy to bend, in a way that even, "fluent" (not kinked) round shapes can now be made of corrugated board without any problems. Arcwise is predestined because of its application possibilities to be combined with round shapes such as bottles, tubes and cans, and to be able to realise beautiful round shapes in displays. This from a threefold point of view: round shapes are significantly stronger
than square shapes, in addition, the Arcwise corrugated board uses less material, so your carbon footprint is smaller and, finally, consumers rate round shapes more positively than square shapes, which can boost sales, according to the Bronze winning Brohl Wellpappe.

De Gouden Noot (first edition in 1958) is the world's most competitive packaging innovation contest. With De Gouden Noot, NVC Netherlands Packaging Centre stimulates ground breaking packaging innovations worldwide every two years. De Gouden Noot (‘gold walnut’) owes its name to the unique trophy containing a solid gold walnut, symbol of truly 'holistic' innovative packaging.

The first jury round of this 29th edition, with all packaging entries physically present for assessment by the full jury, took place on 28 and 29 June 2018. At the end of these two days, the jury selected the ten Finalists by consensus. These were then published on the internet. In the second round, on 17 October 2018, each of these ten Finalists defended his/her entry before the full jury.

Jury chairman Professor Renee Wever about the entrants, the ten Finalists and the final winner of the Gold: "It is incredibly inspiring to experience how much creativity and innovative power there is in all the entries and of course especially in the ten Finalists we chose after our first jury round - which took two full days. Each entry had a surprising aspect, each with its own 'angle' to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. And then there is the spirit of innovation that we have all experienced. All ten Finalists were surveyed after their presentation to us in the second round of the jury, which took a full day (and where the winner's trophy with the solid gold walnut was within reach). When asked about their favourite word to characterise their hard work to bring their innovation to life, the vast majority of them replied with the word 'Fun'! Then something about the great jury members, all active in the field of packaging but with backgrounds ranging from a PhD in quantum physics to marketing in e-commerce. Together we managed to reach our final verdict in a good atmosphere, on time and especially in consensus. I am looking forward to the next edition with enthusiasm!”

The winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze as well as the other seven Finalists of the 29th edition of De Gouden Noot are on display in the Creative Lounge at the ALL4PACK packaging exhibition in Paris from 26-29 November 2018.

The end of this Award Ceremony was the start of the 30th edition of De Gouden Noot. The ten Finalists of this 30th edition will be on display at the NVC booth at the interpack2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany (North Entrance ENB/03) and on the NVC website after the first jury round. The Award Ceremony of the 30th edition of De Gouden Noot is 8 October 2020, again in the A’DAM Tower Amsterdam.0

Alcalá La Real, Spain - November 19th, 2018 - On rare occasions, a company launches a product on the market making a substantial difference with existing products and leading to new sensations. DERPROSA TM launches SANDY ORIGINAL, a new matte film, granular to the touch, unique in its kind.

A few years ago, DERPROSATM (currently known as Taghleef Industries S.L.U.) captivated prestigious brands, publishers, graphic designers, and printers all over the world with its first tactile film for paper and cardboard lamination. DERPROSATM created and patented DLSOFT TOUCH®, a film with an ultra-matt finish that conveys a silky and velvety feeling to any laminated graphic product.

This worldwide novelty, which has since then set the standard in the graphic industry, has defined the innovative path taken by DERPROSATM in those years, during which it had time to perfect and diversify DLSOFT TOUCH® Original with scratch-resistant versions, opaque and color versions, and even metalized ones. Moreover, new silvery and golden films have been developed, as well as high-gloss, scratch-resistant films, and versions featuring improved adherence for digital printing, among many others.

Thanks to its proven track record and experience, and coinciding with the 30th anniversary of DERPROSATM, it now goes by the name of SANDY (DERPROSATM SANDY ORIGINAL). Once again, a film that makes the difference as far as sensations are concerned.

DERPROSATM SANDY ORIGINAL is an innovative haptic matt film that evokes pleasant feelings of homogeneous roughness to the touch, providing a perfect contrast with the already widely acclaimed DLSOFT TOUCH®. Both products produce a unique and unmistakable feeling, inciting consumers to make purchases or choose a product to the detriment of any other non-laminated or traditionally-finished product. Many Neuromarketing studies have demonstrated the direct and positive connection between the choice of new film textures and the income statement of brands requiring films such as SANDY or DLSOFT TOUCH® in packaging lamination processes.

DERPROSATM SANDY ORIGINAL is applied just as any other conventional lamination film used in the graphic arts and may be used in any project seeking to achieve a matt finish and an impressive feeling to the touch. Currently, to achieve a similar quality, one has to resort to serigraphic varnishes, which are far from providing the same level of homogeneity and consistency.

In 2018, DERPROSATM SANDY ORIGINAL will be showcased at the three editions of LuxePack, the world's landmark event in the premium and luxury packaging industry. In Europe, its debut coincides with LuxePack Monaco, held from October 1st to 3rd where it will be shown to the industry's leading brands and professionals.

Taghleef Industries keeps making progress through innovation, differentiation, diversification, and the addition of value to its clients and society as a whole.

About Taghleef Industries:
Headquartered in Dubai, Taghleef Industries is the world's leader in the production of BoPP films. With production centers located in 10 countries, across the 5 continents, Ti produces more than 500,000 t of specialty film for multiple applications: food packaging, labels, industrial applications, and the graphic arts. Film types include OPP, CPP, and PLA. Taghleef Industries strives to achieve product efficiency through research, development, and innovation, to provide added value on an ongoing basis to its clients and stakeholders, while offering top-notch performance, quality, and service, with a broad range of products. Its brands portfolio includes TitaniumTM, NATIVIA®, EXTENDO®, DERPROSATM, SynDECORTM, and SHAPE360TM

For the graphic arts, the Group relies on its factory, Taghleef Industries SLU, located in Spain, from which it coordinates a global distribution network with a branch in the USA, "DerprosaTM Specialty Films USA", and 14 warehouses all over the world.

The world’s fourth-largest producer of flexible packaging, Constantia Flexibles, signed the Global Commitment to eliminate plastic pollution. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with UN Environment. It was officially unveiled at the foundation’s Ocean Conference held on October 29 in Bali and signed by 250 organizations.

Researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced since the early 1950s. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment. If current trends continue, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.*

“As a global flexible packaging producer and a company committed to sustainability from the very beginning, we have of course recognized the importance of actively contributing to the circular economy,” says Alexander Baumgartner, CEO of Constantia Flexibles. “Taking part in the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is one aspect of our strategy for more sustainable packaging.”

Measures to reduce plastic pollution

One of the most important targets of the Global Commitment vision is transitioning from linear to circular packaging models. Participating companies and organizations have made the commitment to focus on developing packaging innovations which
ensure easy and safe reuse, recycling, or composting. Therefore, Constantia Flexibles recently pledged that 100% of its packaging will be recyclable by 2025. “To achieve these goals, we are focusing on those products which are already currently recyclable in practice and at scale. Additionally, we are strengthening development efforts directed at overcoming the challenges of problematic or unnecessary non-recyclable packaging,” explains Thomas Greigeritsch, Vice President of Group Sustainability at Constantia Flexibles.

Constantia Flexibles’ solutions to support a circular economy

Ecolutions – a recently developed packaging line from Constantia Flexibles – meets these and other sustainability requirements while having all the properties required to protect the packaged products. Mono PE laminate EcoLam is one of the products in this new line of packaging solutions. Its OPE/PE structure is fully recycle-ready due to its mono-material structure. Another example of the new product line is EcoPouch, made of a high proportion of renewable resources.

In addition, Constantia Flexibles is currently testing an entirely fresh approach to more sustainable food packaging. Paper made from the renewable resource grass is manufactured without bleach or other chemical treatments.

“These are just some of our solutions aimed at making our packaging, including our plastic packaging, 100% recyclable. The real question is not whether a world without plastic pollution is possible but what we will do together to make it happen,” says Thomas Greigeritsch.

Constantia Flexibles is the world’s fourth-largest producer of flexible packaging. Based on the guiding principle of People, Passion, Packaging, some 8,300 employees manufacture tailor-made packaging solutions at 39 sites in 17 countries. Many international companiesa nd local market leaders from the food and pharma industries choose the sustainable and innovative products of Constantia Flexibles.

Mark Andy Print Products, the supplies, and consumables division of Mark Andy Inc. has been named the preferred global distributor of RotoMetrics print cylinders and magnetic cylinders. The partnership supports Mark Andy Print Products’ commitment to maximizing uptime and pressroom efficiency, offering printers and converters best-in-class offerings for their tooling needs and the ability to get alltheir printing equipment, supplies, and services from a single source.

Mark Andy Print Products will now support order specifications for the RotoMetrics line of print cylinders including, RotoGuard™ and RotoGuard™, as well as the line of high-quality magnetic cylinders includingAccuBase™ XT and AccuBase™. RotoMetrics has a relentless focus on constant improvement recently released RotoGuard™ XT, a new coating advancement that offers extreme wear, thermal, chemical and corrosion resistance. Compared to other hard-anodized coatings in the market, RotoGuard™ XT is up to 15x stronger, offering maximum durability and extended life of the cylinder. 

RotoMetrics has focused on manufacturing the highest-quality rotary cutting tools to serve their customers with fast, reliable solutions since 1957. Pairing the high-quality tooling from RotoMetrics with Mark Andy Print Products distribution network and a team of technical supply experts, the partnership ensures narrow and mid-web converters will receive high-quality products matched with best-in-class service. This strategic partnership with RotoMetrics is focused around the success of the end-users and the recommended option for new Performance Series presses and existing Mark Andy equipment in the market.

“Mark Andy Print Products is excited for the opportunity to include another premium product to our already extensive portfolio. By integrating the performance of RotoMetrics tooling with Mark Andy presses, we can offer our customers a competitive advantage that allows them to print more productive. With the addition of pressroom tooling, we continue to support being the one-stop-shop for all supplies and consumables.”  Tom Alba, Vice President, Mark Andy Print Products.

Molly Moroni, Vice President of Sales at RotoMetrics said “The strengthened60-year partnership with Mark Andy enables a forward-facing collaboration with industry-leading press technology that allows us to optimize the performance of the tooling on-press. We are working with a company that places the same level of importance on customer service and support as we do.” 

Mark Andy Print Products offers RotoMetric AccuBase™ XT Magnetic Cylinder, AccuBase™ Magnetic Cylinder, RotoGuard™ Print Cylinder, and RotoGuard™ XT Print Cylinder immediately via an extensive, expert sales organization. Label converters looking to purchase RotoMetrics magnetic cylinders or print cylinders can do so by contacting their Mark Andy Print Products technical representative. 

About Mark Andy Inc.
Mark Andy Inc. is the Total Solutions Partner to the label and packaging industry with a mission to be 'the supplier of choice with high quality innovative solutions that drive customer profitability.'  The company responds to business needs by offering a broad range of equipment, education, support, and supplies to printers and converters around the world. Partnering with Mark Andy means access to award-winning technologies including Mark Andy flexographic and digital printing presses, Rotoflex offline finishing systems, and a complete line of consumables and press room supplies from Mark Andy Print Products. The company has the largest customer support team with global coverage, offering spare parts, technical service, retrofits and rebuilds, PM programs, and superior training through Mark Andy University. 

Mark Andy is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, with sales and distribution offices worldwide. 

About RotoMetrics
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, with facilities on 5 continents, RotoMetrics is the worldwide leader in precision rotary tooling for the printing and converting industries, enabling the efficient conversions of substrates into individual labels and parts, through customized cutting solutions to help customers and partners “Unlock the Power of Precision”™.  For additional i

The Commercial Printing, Package Converting and Digital Sign Show is coming to Bengaluru in the month of April next year!

The Indian packaged printing industry is growing at an annual rate of 17%, commercial printing at an annual rate of 10-12% and digital printing at a robust growth rate of 30%. The overall industry is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 7% till 2020. The optimistic figures open up various new opportunities for the industry. Amid this scenario, PrintFair is setting up a business and networking platform for the industry to help showcase all that is innovative and ground-breaking. The event is happening, concurrently with PackPlus South, from 10-13 April 2019 at BIEC, Bengaluru.

Renowned players from the industry including NBG Printographic Machinery Co. (P) Ltd.; Xerox India, Monoprint Digital Equipments; Outabox Media Solutions LLP; Compact print Tech; Max Print Engineers; Prosper Group; Print Max Technologies; Riso India (P) Ltd.; Tech Master Engineering; Konica Minolta Business Solutions India (P) Ltd.; Prizm Holography And Security Films (P) Ltd.; Reves Technopack; Photokina Chemicals (P) Ltd.; Dizario Industries; Polyplex Corporation Ltd.; Learn and Design; Sree Venkataramana Graphics (P) Ltd.; Abhikruti Digi Soft, Arrow Digital, Zhongke India are already on board, with several others soon to join the list.

The visitor pre-registrations are already in full swing with people registering from all parts of the country. The event will be attended by Package, label and commercial Printers; Converters, machinery for corrugated box & box manufacturers; Printing & print buyers; Publishers, owners of commercial newspapers; Production / quality control managers; Design houses, art directors & production managers; Graphic designers; Packaging development manager; Print shop managers and Printing technologists.

The event comes together with PackPlus South, the flagship event of Next Events (P) Ltd;, which happens to be the prime packaging exhibition of South India.