The machine manufacturer achieves double-digit growth and the entrance in the packaging market

Dresden, June 20th, 2017 – The German based KAMA GmbH has had the most successful year in the company’s history and closes the 2016/17 financial year (on March 31st) with record sales of 14.75 million euros. The strongly developing machine manufacturer for print converting and print embellishing achieves a double-digit growth and increases the proceeds of the previous year by 13 percent with a clearly positive operating result. “In our core business, the construction and sale of own machines, we even realized a growth of 30 percent”, says KAMA CEO Marcus Tralau.

Efficient for short runs

“The novelties we have presented at the Drupa - the world’s first folder gluer for short and digitally printed runs in particular - have been very well received in the market”, says Tralau. KAMA was the first manufacturer that developed - with the FF 52i - an efficient solution for the booming demand for versioned and personalised folding cartons as well as delivery “on-demand”. The highly automated folder gluer for fastest job changeovers has just recently been awarded the EDP Award (European Digital Press Association) for the “best folding carton solution”.

The new generation of die cutting and embellishing machines (ProCut 76 Foil and KAMA DC 76 ASB) with reduced setup time, new options, more operating comfort and servo drive as well as a “mini-boom” regarding the universally usable ProFold 74 for folding, gluing and dispensing have contributed to the sales increase as well. “We take a good order backlog into the new financial year”, reports Tralau.

KAMA ‘round the world

The machine manufacturer from Dresden achieves about 40 % of its sales in Western and Eastern Europe, 10 % in the Middle East and Africa and one quarter both on the American continent (26 %) and in Asia (23 %). The strongest individual countries are Germany, China and the USA. “The new sales structure with a mix of large and, in some countries, even small partners has proven its worth”, states Tralau. “We still see potential in Germany as well.” According to him and the Managing Director Steffen Pieper, their company will continue to grow in the future: “The packaging market entry was successful, our main pillar in job printing is stable and the new products are well received”, says Tralau. “We anticipate a slight increase at a high level.”

Constantia Flexibles Group has started up a new laminating machine at its manufacturing site in the Krasnodar region of Russia, to serve growing demand in the domestic food packaging industry.

A new solvent triplex laminator was inaugurated this month to commemorate the 12th anniversary of Constantia Kuban, the Russian subsidiary of Constantia Flexibles. With an annual capacity of 60 million meters, the machine can simultaneously glue three rolls of different types of material, using glues with a wide grammage range.

“This important investment will serve our customers with high-quality packaging for coffee, dairy and processed food industries and underlines our credentials as a key player in the local Russian market, which is starting to rebound,” said Friedrich Humer, Executive Vice President of the Food CAA division.

The IMDA Awards competition is an annual event organized by the American ‘In-Mold Decorating Association’. The IMDA is an organization of molders, printers, material suppliers and equipment manufactures representing in-mold labeling and decorating industries, whose products can be found all over the world.

The jury of the eleventh IMDA Awards ceremony congratulated market leader Verstraete IML on winning in the following four categories: Best Thermoformed IML Package, Best Part Design, Best Label Design and for the second consecutive year the Best Thin Wall Package. In total Verstraete IML brought home 4 of the 13 awards, having increased its IMDA collection to 12 awards in just three years of participation.

IMDA Symposium defines the IML future

On June 19 th , Verstraete IML received 4 IMDA Awards during the international IMDA Symposium 2017 at Marriot Resort in Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Peter Paelinck (Business Development Manager North America): “For many years, we participate in the IMDA awards competition. We love to show the plastic packaging industry inspirational IML projects. Thanks to a good collaboration with our customers and brand owners, we were also this year able to submit multiple entries. I can honestly say that we are delighted to win 4 awards in 4 different categories. All of the winners show the exceptional abilities on how to decorate thin wall packaging with IML.

IML has endless possibilities.  It has evolved from the standard IML labels towards more and more use of innovative aspects in both ‘look & feel’ and ‘functionality’. Visual aspects such as Metallic, Doublesided and Matte & UltraGloss give brands the possibilities to stand out on shelf. Furthermore, IML labels can also help to preserve food for a longer time, thanks to Barrier IML.”

And the award goes to…

• Best Thin Wall Package – Gold for Dairymaid Plastic packaging producer Dairypack Tubs developed, together with Verstraete IML, a new Country Fresh IML box that became the very first ice-cream packaging in South Africa with the lid entirely covered by an IML label. Not only is the new design eye-catching, it is also more user-friendly thanks to the ‘open here’-corner. The advanced injection molding technology helped to make the package 10% lighter. This, together with a new compact format allowed shop owners to stack up to 25% more. The entire packaging is 100% recyclable as both the container and the lid are made out of polypropylene. The usage of temperature resistant IML labels was an ideal solution for decorating plastic packaging for refrigerated products such as ice cream. The innovative IML packaging already won no less than 2 awards and still keeps on conquering the podiums.
• Best Thermoform IML Package - Gold for Pillsbury As one of the leaders in the consumer packaged goods industry, J.M. Smucker, partnered with Tech II and Verstraete IML to launch a new and exciting Pillsbury Peanut Butter/Chocolate Frosting product. In-mold labeling provides this package with premium, picturesque graphics highlighting every detail of the peanut butter swirl. This innovative IML packaging is in compliance with several sustainability criteria. Because of its unusual form it requires fewer truckloads, thus reducing carbon footprint. The elongated shelf life provided by the oxygen barrier layer also decreases the spoilage rate of the product on the grocery store shelf. After being used, the package can be simply tossed into the recycling bin; no label separation is required.
• Best Label Design - Silver for SNO-BALLS TO GO The world famous refreshing shaved ice, produced by Sno-Balls To-Go, received a new shiny and colorful package that catches the attention in the stores. The brand owner decided to convert the previously used paper rolled pint into a new polypropylene container with premium in-mold labeling (IML) in order to prevent the product from licking and drying out. Thanks to the great cooperation between plastic packaging producer Berry, Verstraete IML and Sno-Balls To-Go a new package turned out to be very captivating and enhanced the product’s shelf appeal. Matte & Ultra-gloss IML were selected to feature the desired details in the new design. The contrasting combination of the two look & feel options highlighted the logo and product images of the Sno-Balls To-Go IML label.
• Best Part Design - Silver for Valio Ltd The Finnish leading dairy producer Valio Ltd presented a lactose-free panna cotta in a specially developed packaging that allows to serve this dessert quickly and attractively. A new customized pot with a convenient click-and- push feature at the bottom was developed by the reputable packaging company RPC Superfos. Valio was looking for premium quality and a great look, which is exactly what IML offers: the printing quality is excellent and the entire packaging can be covered with a single label. In addition, the labels are strong, hygienic and resistant to moisture and extreme temperature fluctuations. The new Valio Eila® cream pudding has already won customers’ hearts as well as several prestigious packaging awards.

Your partner for IML labels and professional advice Verstraete IML has over 25 years of experience in offset-printing labels on polypropylene for injection molding, blow molding and thermoforming.  The company produces more than 50 million in mold labels every day for various segments of the packaging industry. Choice of materials, efficient production, state-of-the-art printing and finishing processes all contribute to making Verstraete IML a very innovative company. As a result our client receives a high-quality product accompanied by top-notch customer service.

Tokyo, Japan & Brussels, Belgium, June 23, 2017 – Asahi Photoproducts, a pioneer in flexographic photopolymer plate development, and Correct-Touch Graphic Arts, the exclusive distributor of Asahi flexo plates in the United States, today reported a self-promotional piece produced by Dixie Graphics and Prolamina using Asahi flexo plates with Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer was awarded first place for that category in the 2017 Excellence in Flexography Awards. The entry, an HD flexo water promo bag, is the latest in a number of awards Asahi flexo plates have garnered in global competitions during 2017.

FTA judges stated the water promo bag had “great ink laydown, very sharp text and excellent tonal range. Overall, a great job.”

“This particular piece would have been nearly impossible to produce at the same level of quality with any other flexo plates,” stated Dieter Niederstadt, Technical Marketing Manager for Asahi Photoproducts Europe. “Credit also goes to Dixie Graphics for production of exceptional quality plates, and to Prolamina for its excellent flexographic craftsmanship.”

“This award is another great example of the level of quality that can be achieved using Asahi flexo plates with Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer,” said Scott Keran, President of Correct-Touch Graphic Arts. “We are proud to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of such an amazing line of products. This particular submission featured heavy ink coverage, brilliant colours, complex graphics and highly legible small type, an excellent piece to demonstrate the capabilities of Asahi plates. Our thanks go to Dixie Graphics and Prolamina for their excellent work in producing this award-winning piece.”

Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer: The Details

A feature of many of Asahi’s flexographic printing plates, Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer enables a clean ink transfer and prevents ink accumulating on the plate surfaces and shoulders in screen areas. This leads to fewer cleaning intervals and reduced press downtime, as well as significant quality improvements. Precise plate register achieved with Asahi plates ensures very
 

high quality process printing with a fixed colour palette, minimizing the need to use and manage spot colour inks.

Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer allows a kiss-touch printing pressure setting. It makes use of low plate surface tension, made possible by a specially engineered Asahi polymer chemistry, to inhibit liquid flow. The ink forms a globule, with a large contact angle and high pinning point. This results in a cleaner and more homogeneous ink transfer from plate to substrate, helping flexographic printers meet the ever-increasing quality demands of their customers.

For more information about Pinning Technology for Clean Transfer and other flexographic solutions from Asahi Photoproducts Europe, visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com.

--ENDS--

Image caption

1.    Team photo of CTGA, Asahi and Prolamina

2.    Award winning packaging

3.    Image of award winning packaging

About Asahi Photoproducts

Asahi Photoproducts is a subsidiary of the Asahi Kasei Corporation which was founded in 1971 holding its European Headquarters in Belgium, Asahi Photoproducts is one of the leading pioneers of flexographic photopolymer plate development. By creating high quality flexographic solutions and through continued innovation, the company aims at driving print forward in balance with the environment.

Follow Asahi Photoproducts on    .

Please visit www.asahi-photoproducts.com 

RPC Bramlage Barcelona has developed a special solution to meet the packaging requirements of a new range of products from leading Spanish personal care company Boddy’s Pharmacy Skincare.

The customer needed a standard 75ml thick wall jar, something which RPC Barcelona did not offer. Instead, the company’s technical team devised an alternative approach by offering an injection moulded jar in PCTG, a material that provides compatibility with cosmetic formulas. Most important, this solution does not require a polypropylene inner section in order to achieve the required volume. The complementary cap incorporates an induction seal.

The stylish and user-friendly jars feature silk screen decoration in white, gold and silver to create a family image across the range of four face masks and two anti-wrinkle creams.

Thanks to a close working partnership between Boddy’s and RPC Barcelona, the solution was devised and the project delivered in a very short time.

API is leading the way in the creative development of holographic and other highly visual optical packaging solutions with the launch of its custom decorative holography service, Holonique™ Boutique. The service is designed to provide API’s specialised knowledge in the use of holography and 3D Designs, which, as an integral part of the product pack design, can add the extra dimension to brands across the food, drinks, personal care and beauty sectors.

Holonique™ Boutique is a key element in API’s expansion of holographic foil and film manufacturing capabilities after its completion of a recent £0.5 million investment in its facility in Livingston, Scotland. The site is now the key holographic manufacturing site in Europe for API, providing packaging customers with world-leading decorative holographic foils and films from three separate coating lines and a seamless embosser.

API uses its wide range of novel visual effects to create exciting and engaging holographic designs that make products distinctive, communicate brand values and attract more consumer interest. While holography is often used to protect against counterfeiting, it is its eye-catching appeal that is the core of API’s Holonique™ proposition. The bright colours and dynamic movement of a hologram, together with the traditional print on a pack, add the kind of depth and dimension with which consumers love to interact.

Through providing this holographic interplay with print and helping brand owners visualise their brand’s potential, API’s brand enhancement products and Holonique™ Boutique service are ensuring brand packaging meets the latest in design needs and delivers an extra dimension to customers.

The Holonique™ Boutique team is led by David Peters, Creative Development Manager, whose two decades of experience in luxury products and packaging are helping to spark innovation and aid brand evolution to a larger audience, including designers, printers and brand owners. This breadth of experience is ensuring that API can help identify relevant trends and specify the best packaging approaches for its customers. By working to identify the underlying need in each customer’s brief and ensure that the creative solutions presented answer this need, API’s recent work with holography is delivering the very best results for each customer’s pack.

“As brand and category managers grow more sophisticated with their market segmentation, holographic and diffractive patterns are becoming key to this differentiation, delivering luxury effects, increased customer perception and premium impact as part of the overall packaging design,” said David Peters. “By working closely with our customers and from a much earlier stage, our Holonique™ Boutique team are here to guide through the complete process, with support at every level.”

Uniquely, API’s end-to-end holographic product and service capability in this arena, together with its design knowledge, is helping make holography genuinely relevant for brands. Holographic techniques can be incorporated into packs, and the Holonique™ Boutique team works with customers and designers to develop this concept – from knowing how the light will catch a shopper’s eyes by combining with the pack structure and print, to taking inspiration from the latest trends to deliver dynamic impact, the opportunities to add depth and sophistication are aplenty.

“By delivering the completed product solution through working across the packaging supply chain, we have helped a number of new and exciting holographic packaging designs launch in the market,” concludes David. “From a new premium impact drinks gift box for a leading spirits brand, which highlights the interplay with the print, and a Fresnel holographic lens that enhances the unique branding device, to the subtle visual elegance delivered on packaging – holograms are delivering an edge to countless brands.”

Global closures specialist Silgan Closures will have a major presence at this year’s Drinktec, providing a showcase for its wide-ranging solutions for key sectors of the beverage industry.

The Silgan Closures stand (Hall A4, Stand 531) will underline the company’s expertise in the design and manufacture of both metal and plastic closures, demonstrating their ability to effectively seal all types of containers with different neck sizes, including glass, PET and liquid cartons, for a variety of end markets such as still mineral water, dairy drinks, non-carbonated beverages and liquid foods.

Among its plastic closure highlights, Silgan will display its market-leading range of Sports Caps combining a robust design with a tamper-evident spout and maximum consumer convenience, including variants offering one- step opening. For the still-growing water cooler sector, the company’s new improved 5 Gallon K-Seal closure incorporates Silgan’s innovative Probe+ ® system that ensures full plug engagement to the cooler spike to keep hygiene levels high and bottles consistently sealed when not in use. A reduction in pigment usage also substantially reduces the risk of taint or odour issues, while the latest manufacturing techniques together with a new resin and low-power consumption moulding during production, help to reduce a company’s carbon footprint.

Other plastic closures on display include Silgan’s extensive choice of flat caps for hot, cold and aseptic filling requirements, all helping to deliver line efficiencies, product integrity and ease of use.

Silgan’s metal closure ranges will underline the extensive choice available for non-carbonated beverages and foods packed in glass or plastic containers, with aseptic, hot fill, pasteurisation and retort offerings.

In addition, the stand will detail the extensive range of support services offered by Silgan Closures in the development of its closure solutions. These include its Litho Design Service that maximises efficiencies while taking customer designs from concept to production; the range of decoration options available for effective on- shelf branding; Food Technology Service that ensures process reliability and product quality to meet all food and drink standards; and Customer Technical Service and Line Planning that provide a one-stop engineering solution with the supply of machines and support services for an efficient filling operation.

“We are delighted to be returning to Drinktec, as the exhibition is the ideal vehicle to enable us to reach a global beverage audience,” comments Markus Laurenz, Vice President Sales & Marketing/Service EMEA of Silgan Closures.

“We believe our comprehensive choice of closures and support services enable us to successfully meet the needs of even the most demanding applications and we look forward to discussing specific customer requirements with visitors during the show.”

Silgan Closures

With eighteen manufacturing facilities in Europe, North and South America and in Asia, Silgan Closures is a leading worldwide manufacturer of metal, plastic and composite closures for oxygen sensitive, vacuum packaged and aseptically packaged food products and still beverages. Silgan Closures is part of the Closures division of Silgan Holdings Inc.

In 2017, it will be seventy-five years since BOBST started designing and producing folder-gluer machines for the packaging industry.

One of the very first such machines, a PCR382, was set up in 1942 at the Zeiler company near Bern, Switzerland. This same company, which under its current name, Limmatdruck Zeiler, is now an extremely successful part of one of Europe's leading manufacturers of folding boxes — the RLC Packaging Group — is, to this day, still a BOBST client.

What began in 1942 is very much a success story. Thanks to their reputation for consistently high box quality and outstanding performance, BOBST folder-gluers have imposed themselves as the benchmark for the folding carton and corrugated packaging industries. And today’s client can purchase complete folding-gluing lines. They combine highly configurable machines with top-of-the-range peripherals to provide integrated and automated solutions for anything the customer might need.

BOBST has consistently invested around 6% of its annual turnover into research and development. This has allowed the company to develop innovative new systems, equipment and processes — many of which are still patented and unique to the sector. For all of those 75 years, BOBST folder-gluers have continually evolved through the roll-out of ground-breaking new technologies such as, the blank aligner, the crash-lock module, four-corner box folding systems, the flipper-ejector, as well as GYROBOX for the production of complex boxes in a single run, Braille embossing and zero-fault quality checks, in-line and at full running speed.

Philippe Milliet, Head of Business Unit Sheet-fed, explains, “The success of our folder-gluer equipment over the past seventy-five years is the proof that passion and innovation are part of our DNA. Over the years, customers have demanded equipment that runs faster and faster, is more and more efficient, and can deliver boxes that meet increasingly stringent quality requirements across a whole range of packaging markets. We are continually developing the sophisticated materials and technologies that allow us to deliver all this, while maintaining the same reliability and longevity as those very first machines.” It is this ability to respond to client needs through constant innovation that has earned BOBST its dominant position in the folder-gluer market, such as the sector of e-commerce.

Today, BOBST folder-gluers are sold worldwide, often locally produced for different markets. BOBST understands, however, that technology alone is never enough, so the company — now present in fifty countries around the world — also invests generously in local services.

How services help to build, maintain and improve beverage producers’ line performance throughout their asset lifecycle will be a key highlight for Sidel and Gebo Cermex services teams, exhibiting jointly as part of the Sidel Group at Drinktec 2017 (11-15 September).

With the marketplace growing ever more competitive and with ever-changing consumer demand for greater flexibility, beverage producers are pushing the limits of their production equipment to their very maximum. This increasingly emphasises the need to secure optimum performance throughout their asset lifecycle.

Jean-François Tourrenc, Gebo Cermex Vice President Services, comments – “Beverage producers need to be able to focus on their core business – achieving the productivity levels and meeting the quality targets that are key to profitability. In order to do that, they need to rely on continuous performance throughout the whole production process. Clearly, each stage of production comes with specific requirements: after designing and building a piece of equipment or a line, a fast and safe start-up allows the benefits of the asset to be realised more quickly through well trained operators. Once production has started, the main objective is to maintain and enhance the value of the investment made in the equipment, getting the most out of it. This is where stable and continuous performance is required, to achieve total control and predictability of line output and operational costs over time. Throughout the assets’ lifecycle, longer-term competitiveness is secured, continually ensuring that installed solutions are flexible enough to accommodate evolvingconsumers’ needs and technology developments, while constantly reducing environmental footprint and TCO (total cost of ownership).”

Continuous performance means maximum production uptime and constant availability of materials, technical and field support. Tourrenc continues – “We will showcase how the Sidel and Gebo Cermex Services portfolio can help beverage producers to secure no-stop operations, via a real partnership with their OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Today leading organisations are leaving behind reactive maintenance: they understand that more proactive approaches can lead to more predictability over production output and costs over time. A close partnership with the OEM is crucial in adopting such a path.”

Among the new Sidel and Gebo Cermex services launched at Drinktec are:

• Modular maintenance solutions, evolving from existing support and supervision packages, offering tailored answers to customers’ needs. This enables manufacturers to achieve maximum availability and reliable production, while controlling costs.
• Customised training solutions, helping beverage producers build their teams’ performance. This allows a shorter time-to- market and a safe vertical start-up, together with reduced long-term Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) for better efficiency.

Les Ulis, France, 22. June 2017. IMA Erca, the packaging machinery manufacturer, has developed a new FFS machine for the Mexican dairy group LALA. This enables the dairy to manufacture technically sophisticated, filled snap-on lids  for various yoghurt products itself. The company had previously purchased the snap-on lids externally.

A new patent was developed for the FFS machine EF825 for the "Duomo" project, under which transparent plastic snap-on lids for yoghurt products are thermoformed and filled with cereals or other toppings such as puffed rice and chocolate balls. Both, polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can be processed as materials for the lids. The fill quantity is regulated by volume or weight depending on the topping type. It is also possible to position in line with topping filling a small spoon into the cup lid.

Flexible and efficient

"Market requirements can change quickly" said Philippe Ley, Managing Director of IMA Erca. “That is why it was crucial that a future-proof solution be designed that copes with several materials and products." With an output of about 32,000 filled and sealed lids per hour the machine is also extremely efficient. The quality of the lids and filling process was also improved. The newly developed machine makes a degree of precision possible that was not achieved by the previously used pre- formed lids.

"With the new IMA Erca machine we now have the entire value-added chain in our own hands" emphasises Oscar Ordonez, General Manager of the LALA Group. "This increases our efficiency and makes us more independent". It is expected that the new machine will generate its return on investment (ROI) within nine months.

Networked development activities

Several companies in the IMA Group and other companies worked closely together on the new machine which took just under a year and a half to develop. The technology and expertise for the filling of cereals and lidding foil station originate from IMA Hamba, the robot solution for positioning the spoon comes from a partner company. "The project is an excellent example of how genuine innovations with added value can be generated through the networking of our group-wide expertise" emphasises Philippe Ley.

The machine will be delivered in June and go into operation at the Irapuato site. LALA has been working with companies in the IMA Group since 1998 and uses several IMA Erca and IMA Gasti machines.

Newly-Enhanced Opening Mechanism  Improves Customer Experience for Eco-Friendly Package 

Newark, NJ –Keystone Folding Box Company has released an improved version of its child-resistant Ecoslide-RX compliance package, which includes an updated re-closable locking feature designed to offer consumers a better experience. 

Ecoslide RX 3.0 passed Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) protocol testing for child-resistance and received the highest rating, F=1. In addition, the Ecoslide RX 3.0 was also described as being “easy to open” in consumer testing.  Introduced in late 2011, the Ecoslide-RX is a child-resistant, senior-friendly compliance package that is both eco-friendly and economical to produce.  The Ecoslide-RX 3.0 carton contains no plastic, and the internal blister requires minimal film and foil.  

The Ecoslide-RX 3.0 is made from 100% recyclable paperboard.  It is easily separated from its internal blister for recycling. The blister is disposed of, but contains only a fraction of disposable plastic when compared to bottles. The challenge with recycling prescription medicine bottles is that most curbside programs do not accept them.  According the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), prescription bottles smaller than 3 inches in all directions will not be recycled, and ultimately become landfill waste. 

The Ecoslide-RX 3.0 package format allows for large, easy-to-read type on all sides of the package for clear product identification.  As the unit is prefilled with a 30-day supply and is label-ready, pharmacy dispensing time is reduced when compared to counting and bottling pills by hand.  The Ecoslide-RX is typically distributed to pharmacies in a 12-count paperboard dispenser carton that takes up less shelf space than the equivalent dosage amount packaged in pre-filled, unit-of-use bottles. 

Recent studies have demonstrated bottles provide substandard moisture protection for medication once opened, while blisters maintain an ideal moisture barrier for each tablet.  They can be printed with calendar-style reminders that prompt patients to take each dose. Many studies conclude that calendarization of doses has a positive impact on medication adherence.  

According to Ward Smith, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Keystone, “A driving reason for the redesign of the package was the desire to improve ease-of-use; we wanted to gain more consumer acceptance, and the initial consumer research reflects we have succeeded.”

For more information on Ecoslide-RX 3.0, please contact Ward Smith, Director of Marketing at Keystone Folding Box Company, Newark, N.J. at (513) 871-4747, ward.smith@keyboxco.com or visit www.keyboxco.com.

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About Keystone Folding Box Co.
While Keystone continues to be a leader in the manufacturing and design of paperboard packaging, they are also a design center and source for non-paperboard packaging components. To learn more about Keystone Folding Box Company, please contact Ward Smith at Keystone Folding Box Company, at (513) 871-4747, ward.smith@keyboxco.com or visit www.keyboxco.com.

Flint Group has today announced publication of its 2017 Sustainability Report - providing the most comprehensive and accurate view of the organisation’s sustainability performance to date.

“We are proud to be able to share the progress that has been made over the past two years, in what has been an exciting and transformational period for our business.” said Antoine Fady, CEO Flint Group. He continued, “As our organisation has continued to grow we have maintained a strong focus on building and consolidating on our sustainability culture, taking some important steps to measure and reduce our environmental footprint.”

Aligned to the Dow Jones Sustainable Index, the report outlines the Group’s performance in three key areas—Social, Economic and Environment—detailing the way in which Flint Group has incorporated sustainable business practices into its daily activities. This year’s report also features a significant emphasis on Flint Group’s approach to measuring energy, expanding its scope and focus to not only review energy usage but also evaluate the energy intensity to provide a greater depth of understanding and transparency within its sustainability reporting.

“We are delighted to introduce our 2017 Sustainability Report, which explores in depth the progress we have made in 2015 and 2016 on our sustainability journey,” says Russell Taylor, Senior Vice-President Global Human Resources with leadership responsibility for Flint Group’s sustainability programme. He continues, “We have been encouraged by our achievements to date, stepping up our focus on environmental measurement and reporting, initiating many important improvement projects and working to further embed sustainability practises firmly within the core of our organisation. We recognise fully we are on a journey with so much yet to be done - but that progress is very encouraging and importantly is built on authentic and solid foundations.”

“Within the report you will find many examples of how the organisation has strived to understand and respond to our customers’ precise needs, empowered our people and give back time and resources to our local communities. The sheer energy and commitment of so many Flint Group teams around the world to this subject is quite remarkable and humbling. ”

Since its formation in 2005, Flint Group has continued to deliver market-leading sustainable solutions and has adopted a strategic approach to sustainability—based on the organisations own Mission and Guiding and Principles. This approach not only ensures alignment to business strategy but also to its organisational goal of operating in a manner that maximises product performance and makes strong financial sense - whilst minimising any negative impact of its operations on the environment.

As one of the leading suppliers to the Printing and Packaging industries, Flint Group remains committed to implementing initiatives that support continual improvement in all areas – including sustainability. The report is intended to serve as a flagship document for stakeholders to help understand Flint Group’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. We welcome any questions or comments – which should be addressed to Colin Stokes at colin.stokes@flintgrp.com

Flint Group’s 2017 Sustainability report is now available to download via the following link:
http://www.flintgrp.com/en/rely-on-us/

Flexibility, reliability and high quality codes are the major benefits of four Linx 8900 Continuous Ink Jet (CIJ) printers installed at specialist manufacturer and contract packer Micromix Plant Health in Nottingham.

Micromix develops chemical formulations and manufactures a wide range of crop and plant nutrition products, as well as offering a contract packing operation. As a result, it has a variety of coding requirements for different pack formats including bottles, buckets and boxes.

The company had previously used an alternative CIJ coder, which had proved unreliable and was messy to operate. Hand applied labels, meanwhile, were inflexible, offered a limited area for printed information and carried the risk of coming off the containers. This was a particular concern for certain herbicides and pesticides, where regulations require long-lasting batch and traceability codes. Micromix was also seeing demands from customers for enhanced product branding through better quality codes.

The Linx 8900 has the flexibility to print crisp and durable single, two and three line codes in line with Micromix’s different requirements. Importantly, the coder can print in any orientation, for example on the neck of a bottle, on the side or underneath, and can easily be moved around the factory in line with changing production requirements.

The printer is able to code onto both plastic (HDPE and PET) and cardboard substrates. For certain products, one Linx 8900 is used to print the same batch code onto bottles and the boxes into which they are then packed. The coders use Linx Black mixed base ink 3103 as recommended by Linx. This provides excellent adherence and durability across all substrates and is also highly resistant to removal by a variety of substances including acid, alkali, detergent, petrol and water.

The Linx 8900 features Linx’s industry-leading sealed printhead which can function in even the harshest factory conditions and typically only needs to be cleaned every three months. This is a particular benefit for one of Micromix’s contract packing operations repacking cement into buckets where the environment is very dusty. In addition, Linx’s proven autoflush system thoroughly cleans the printhead every time the printer is shut down, which ensures a fast and clean start-up.

Another important benefit for Micromix is the ease of use of the Linx 8900. The large high resolution touch screen ensures simple and error-free operation and can store multiple line settings for fast and easy setup in different coding locations. The top screen is customisable to provide quick access to regularly used functions. Ink and solvent refilling is also clean and easy.

“Our operators really like the 8900s,” comments Micromix’s Works Manager Chris Hardy. “They are easy to programme, and print every time without fail, so the bottles are going through more quickly and smoothly, and the printing is a lot neater and more readable than our old batch printers.”

Micromix produces and packs around 2.5m litres of product each year. The Linx printers are in continuous operation throughout a nine hour shift five days a week, and have delivered a more efficient use of consumables, including saving on label costs, while spend on fluids has also gone down.

“Since we’ve been using the Linx 8900 printers we have found them to be extremely flexible and reliable in all the coding situations we come across,” says Micromix’s Account Manager Clive Baker. “Efficiency has improved overall while the backup from Linx has also been good.“We are confident that the printers will continue to meet all our requirements going forward.”

SIG Combibloc, one of the world’s leading solution providers for the food and beverage industry, in partnership with Languiru, Rio Grande do Sul’s second largest production cooperative, is launching an unprecedented digital solution.

This solution provides transparency for quality and food safety, optimises production processes and enables personalised digital marketing promotions.

The project started with the launch of the Languiru “Qualidade do início ao Fim” (“Quality from Beginning to End”) dairy line. The filled aseptic carton packs from SIG Combibloc are printed with individual and unique QR codes at the time of production. In addition, the trays are printed with unique QR codes; the pallets with barcodes. This provides a convenient digital solution to monitor the supply chain and the quality process from the collection of raw material up to the milk’s industrialisation and commercialisation via a single platform. It ensures operational traceability from the raw product to the point of sale. This means that Languiru can prove the quality of their products to consumers in a fast, practical and accessible way.

Using this new digital solution, Languiru can locate every single packaged product at any point in the supply chain, whether for quality crosscheck or for recalls (if necessary), resulting in greater value and protection of its brands.

To provide further convenience to consumers, when the QR code is read they are automatically directed to the website relevant for the product inside that packaging. The website is an integral part of this SIG solution and contains information on the customer’s quality system, the product and the production process, as well as an interactive interface.

“The launch of this new digital platform represents our response to three consumer mega-trends: connectivity – consumers are increasingly aware and want to receive information anywhere at any time; authenticity and trust – through total transparency of quality information, food safety and procedures to prevent fraud; and finally, natural products with a certificate of origin that are free from chemicals, genetically modified crops, among other things,” says Ricardo Rodriguez, President and General Manager SIG Combibloc Americas.

The advantages of this new technology, to be exported to more than 65 countries supplied by SIG, include the fact that it also maintains the control and management of production lines. This maximises the plant’s overall efficiency and cuts operational and investment costs by means of a specific information intelligence tool known as Power BI.

The unique QR codes also allow the simplification and customisation of promotions, such as those developed for a specific chain of supermarkets or in a specific region of the country. For this type of campaign, SIG has developed a unique application that will allow the development of rich databases for marketing and sales analysis.

Packaging with QR Code will be available for the following Languiru products: UHT whole milk, skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk, zero lactose and UHT chocolate milk. The packages have an ergonomic and modern shape. The screw cap allows for opening in a single twist and closes perfectly. The visible seal still offers high security against tampering.

Other distinctive featuresA proprietary application connected to the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) was developed to track the product in the supply chain. Inside the factory, the information is collected via interfaces with the client’s ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning), data entries, tablets and data collectors. RFID technology is used to incorporate quality information from the packaging.

The platform developed by SIG is open, enabling connection to equipment from different suppliers. The interfaces are efficient both for capturing information and for performing process data analysis to optimise manufacturing efficiencies and reduce operating and investment costs. QR codes are printed with antifraud paint. 

“We have no doubt that from now on we will have a greater competitive advantage within the market compared to many other brands. The new technology enables us to offer differentiated products. Our consumers are able to trace the origin of the products right to the shelf,” says Dirceu Bayer, president of Languiru. “Besides that, we benefit from detailed end-to-end value chain performance monitoring, which will support us to continuously improve operations and logistics. SIG understood our demands and developed a tailor-made product for Languiru specifically to demonstrate this quality and thus add value to our brand”.

More info:

www.sig.biz

PHILADELPHIA, June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) will release its earnings for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 20, 2017. 

The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (630) 395-0227 or toll-free (888) 606-8412 and the access password is "packaging".  A replay of the conference call will be available for a one-week period ending at midnight on July 27, 2017. The telephone numbers for the replay are (203) 369-1363 or toll free (866) 462-8977.  A live webcast of the call will be made available to the public on the internet at the Company's website, www.crowncork.com.

Crown Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world.  World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

For more information, contact Corporate Communications at (215) 698-5351.

SOURCE Crown Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.crowncork.com

The unique and innovative design of the GLÜCK jar has given the Friedrich Göbber Company its first sector award. The ‘Innovative Glass Product’ award is organised by Aktionsforum Glasverpackung (part of BV Glas, the German Glass Association), where judges selected the preserve jar as this year’s winner.

This coveted award, now in its fourth year, pays tribute to companies that package quality products in the sustainable material of glass. The stylish award was presented to the jam and marmalade maker, Friedrich Göbber Company on 18 May at the Trendtag Glass event.

The Ardagh Group manufacturing facility in Nienburg, Germany produces up to 3.3 million glass packaging products for the food and beverage market every day.

One of the 150 products manufactured at the plant, and a recent addition to the portfolio, is the GLÜCK jar for Friedrich Göbber, a German jam and marmalade company. It has a unique and premium, consumer- friendly design that perfectly fits the shape of your hand.

GLÜCK – the German word for happiness – is the name of a new range of fruit spreads by the Friedrich Göbber Company. They approached the experts at the Ardagh Group in Nienburg and asked them to design a jar that reflected the product’s name.

“When Göbber explained its initial ideas for a new jam jar to us we knew straight away it was going to be a new and unique jar in our production range,” said Gerd Zurawsky, Senior Sales Manager Food at the Ardagh facility in Nienburg.

Ardagh’s design team carried out all the design and development work in-house, creating several different concepts in response to the initial brief.  The designs were developed through many different iterations, in close collaboration with Göbber, with Ardagh’s designers applying their technical and creative expertise at every stage.

The result is a pack which satisfies both the technical and functional requirements of the brief, to create a unique and highly premium preserve jar which stands out from other products on the retail shelf, thanks to its striking packaging. Its convex contours and extra-thick base make it the ideal shape to hold in your hand.

“We wanted a jar for our fruit spread that looked good and was practical to use. Market research told us that consumers prefer jars with large openings because the content can be spooned out without any spills, so ours are perfect for jam lovers,” explained Marc Ebbert, Purchasing Director at Göbber. Not only is the Göbber jar aesthetically designed, it also has a unique presence on the supermarket shelves because the printed text is applied directly to the glass, rarely seen in food packaging.

Philadelphia, PA – June 19th, 2017. CROWN Food Europe, a business unit of Crown Holdings, Inc. (Crown) (www.crowncork.com), has been honored with a Gold Award in the 29th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation for its easy-open foil sealed can. The Peelfit™ can, which enhances convenience, lightweighting and product protection, was highlighted as a standout product in the ‘technological advancement’ and ‘responsible packaging’ categories of the global competition.

Developed specifically for the dry food sector, Peelfit™ utilizes revolutionary Direct Heat Sealing Technology (DHS) to seal a peelable aluminum foil lid to a collapsed bead within the can body. The end result is a package that is 16% lighter than cans using conventional foil seam closures. This unique design eliminates the need for the rigid steel ring that is typically required with double seaming applications.

The innovation also offers significant sustainability advantages for manufacturers. For example, DHS technology reduces energy use by 32% when compared to other existing foil seam closures. In addition, like all metal packaging, Peelfit™ is 100% recyclable and fully protects the package contents against oxygen, gas, light, moisture and other contaminants – keeping products fresher for longer.

Customers fill product through the base of the can before seaming on a non-easy-open end. No capital investment is needed to adopt Peelfit™ since changes do not need to be made to existing filling lines.

“The DuPont Packaging Awards honor innovations in the packaging supply chain that demonstrate excellence in technological advancement, responsible packaging and enhanced user experience while incorporating science, inspiration and creativity,” commented Bernard Rioux, Global Packaging Leader at DuPont. “Crown’s Peelfit™ can encapsulates all of these qualities, and is a true example of how companies innovate and collaborate to solve industry problems.”

St. Croix Falls, WI, June 19, 2017 - YOUR PRINT SOLUTION, based in High Wycombe, UK, has recently installed a Kluge EHD Foil Stamping, Embossing and Diecutting Platen Press. The press was fully remanufactured at the Kluge facility in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, USA and delivered with Adjustable Impression - an optional feature which decreases make-ready time and allows the impression to be infinitely adjusted with the simple turn of a handle. Designed to accommodate sheets up to 17" x 24.75" (431mm x 628mm) with up to 40 square inches of die area, the Kluge EHD is known for providing years of reliable service and is well established within the industry as the standard by which all presses in its class are measured.

Established in 2006 by Steven Brown and David Jackson, Your Print Solution brought together both Brown's and Jackson's respective expertise. The pair originally met at college in 1984 and spent the following 18 years independently building their skills and growing their proficiency within big name print companies. Between them, they have many decades of knowledge and experience covering the full range of print services, from design and artwork, to color reprographics and marketing.

Today, Your Print Solution employs 19 people and specializes in developing Web2print, Marketing Portals, and all forms of digital print using HP Indigo technology. Your Print Solution can boast many high profile clients including YMCA, 20th Century Fox and EuroCar Parts, to name just a few.

Steven Brown of Your Print Solution says "We believe that technology and the right equipment is key to the continued success of YPS and we have made a number of key purchases recently". He continues, "We first came across Kluge at Drupa 2016 when we were seeking out diecutting and foiling options. Having not previously been familiar with their products, we were very impressed with the foiling and embossing on the Kluge which was far superior to anything we had seen before". Brown adds, "The Kluge adds perfectly to our internal finishing capabilities and will allow us to both foil and die cut in-house, thereby keeping control of time critical jobs".

From the heroLINE cross-process platform, which brings bottlers and converters closer together, to heroBlock, the all-new compact, efficient quadblock that combines stretch-blow moulding with labelling and filling. Last but not least, new digital labelling developments which join the already popular COLORA CAP unit for the digital printing of caps

SACMI is warming up for Drinktec, the most important international beverage technology fair being held in Munich from 11 th to 15 th September 2017. The Group's goal? To illustrate everything it has to offer the industry, starting with unmatched technological and plant engineering solutions than provide a high-level response to the needs of both bottlers and converters.

The star of the SACMI stand (Hall B5, stand n° 302) is heroLINE, the new dynamic cap and preform buffer that achieves total integration both upstream and downstream from the bottling process. “Decades of experience and expertise in the manufacture of caps and preforms and unequalled know-how in integrated filling, labelling and stretch-blow moulding systems have allowed SACMI to develop an innovative solution that synchronises and integrates these two process sets”, explains Vezio Bernardi, general manager of SACMI Beverage. “Thanks to our advanced CPB cap and preform magazine, we offer converters something extra: the ability to move closer to bottlers by using wall-to- wall or in-house manufacturing solutions”.

Visitors to Drinktec 2017 will have a great opportunity to see this line in operation and get a close look at what is a completely new manufacturing approach. “We aim to send out a dual message", points out Mr. Bernardi. "On the one hand, we shall be presenting the world's first cross-process platform, capable of integrating both these process sets and offering potential added value to both bottlers and converters. On the other hand, Drinktec gives us a welcome opportunity to show the market all the latest individual machines, which still constitute the core of our technological and plant engineering solutions”.

A look at the latter reveals that, alongside the tried and tested IPS (preform manufacture) and CCM (cap manufacture) units that operate upstream from the CPB magazine, SACMI shall be presenting HeroBlock. This all-new quadblock combines stretch-blow moulding, filling, closing and labelling - all on one machine. This solution offers unique compactness, efficiency and versatility: “Total elimination of conveying systems and intermediate stages", explains SACMI Beverage’s manager, "allows process optimisation in terms of both efficiency and costs”.

And then, there's the final frontier, digital labelling. Thanks to the expertise already gained in digital cap printing with the successful COLORA CAP, SACMI will be offering Drinktec 2017 visitors a sneak peek at its digital label printing module. The latter is perfectly integrated in the labeller, allowing for agile customisation (with logos, codes etc.) of pre-printed labels but without the difficulties that come with the installation of complex machines designed to print directly on the bottle. "This choice", sums up Vezio Bernardi, "means our customers can test all the advantages of ‘digital customisation’ immediately with an affordable device that can be retrofitted on existing solutions and can, above all, be used whatever the shape of the bottle as the module operates directly in line with the labeller”.

The pack has been developed with parkside’s unique laser scribe technology, parkscribe®, creating an easy open and reclosable pack for frozen products.
Paul lenihan, business development manager at parkside, said: “the growing urbanisation and fast-paced lifestyle of consumers in the uk means less time is available for cooking a traditional home cooked meal and an increase in convenience foods including frozen products.
“frozen foods can be stored for longer periods and can be prepared easily. Our new pack provides consumers with a re-close feature allowing them to easily open the packaging time and time again, with no compromise on the function of the pack.”
The parkside pack design was created using a pet / pet laminate, which seals to apet and rpet trays. In addition, it utilises parkside’s specially developed adhesive and parkscribe laser technology that allows the all-important re-close function in both ambient and freezer conditions without loss of adhesion, giving consumers a usable portion control pack.
Mr lenihan adds: “within the frozen food market segment, the continuous innovation and development of packaging continues to attract new customers. We are seeing further development of new features for existing products, such as hanging holes and single serve options. Parkside is focused on continuously developing strong market insight, with the consumer front of mind, to deliver innovative and relevant solutions to our customers.”
The packs are initially being developed for frozen prawns and will soon be available across a range of northcoast products distributed to uk retailers.
Chloe darwood from northcoast seafoods, comments: “we were originally looking for a re-close pouch though after hearing about parkside’s reclose options, we were sold. We have been suitably impressed with parkside’s solutions and the company’s expertise. The team worked closely with our co-packer to ensure the new pack ran down existing packing lines, avoiding any extra costs in additional machines. At northcoast seafoods, we are excited to have developed the first reclosable pack developed for the freezer.”
For more on parkside and its product range, please visit www.parksideflex.com.