As part of its continued growth plans and focus on providing creative brand enhancement solutions, API has announced that it will open its new Customer Design Centre and Group Headquarters at the prestigious Voyager office building at Manchester Airport this June.

With its global customer base and increasing focus on providing creative and design support services, it had become essential for API Group to provide the right environment for visiting brand owners and converters. Accordingly, the new API HQ has been designed with a real focus on its creative space – enabling effective interaction with customers and suppliers – as well as providing the ideally situated location. 

Voyager, situated in Airport City Manchester, is located directly next to Manchester Airport’s transport interchange and within minutes of the passenger terminals, meaning that international visitors will be able to walk from their plane to the new premises.  Being adjacent to the motorway network and the airport’s transport interchange, also makes API’s Group HQ ideal for all UK road, rail, Metrolink and bus journeys, connecting to Manchester city centre in just 17 minutes.

The new API Group HQ will cover 3,500 sq ft, with its conference area and innovations room forming an integral part of the development. It will also provide the base for the API executive team who will move from the current API Laminates manufacturing site at Poynton.

Commenting on the move, API President and CEO Dino Kiriakopoulos said: “With the increasing need for creative engagement throughout the supply chain it is essential for API to provide the right space and environment for our visitors.

“Our new location is the ideal creative and design location for growing our business and will ensure that API remains a global leader in the provision of brand enhancement solutions for consumer goods and printed media worldwide.”

David Fowlds, Head of Asset Management, MAG Property, said: “API Group is another international company that has realised the advantage of locating at Manchester Airport, with its unrivalled global connectivity. 

“Our focus at MAG Property is on providing the right kind of property and location to suit the individual needs of businesses. I know that API will benefit from being at one of the best-connected locations in the North West as they look to grow their business in this region and beyond.” 

About API    
www.apigroup.com   
API is a leading manufacturer and distributor of foils, laminates and holographic materials that provide exceptional brand enhancement for consumer goods and printed media worldwide. With roots in the British paper industry, the company’s reputation is founded on a trading history going back over a century.
Operating from thirteen locations across Europe, America and Asia, API’s packaging solutions enable companies across a wide-range of industry sectors, including premium drinks, confectionery, tobacco, perfumery, personal-care, cosmetics, and healthcare, to empower their brands on the shelf and in the hand.
API Group is an indirect subsidiary of Steel Partners Holdings L.P. (NYSE: SPLP), a global diversified holding company, based in New York, that engages in multiple businesses through consolidated subsidiaries, associated companies and other interests. It owns and operates businesses and has significant interests in leading companies in various industries, including diversified industrial products, energy, defence, supply chain management and logistics, banking, and youth sports.

For more information on API and its range of foil, laminate and holographic brand enhancement products, visit its website at www.apigroup.com.  

About MAG Property
As the property and development arm of the UK’s leading airport operator, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), MAG Property own and manage almost 6m sq ft of offices, hangars, warehouses and hotels across a £641m UK airport property portfolio located at Manchester, London Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth.
MAG are also a 50% joint venture partner in landmark £1bn Airport City Manchester, adjacent to the Manchester Airport. This 15-year project will develop 5m sq ft of offices, logistics, hotels and advanced manufacturing space and create up to 11,600 new jobs.
For more information, visit: www.magproperty.co.uk 

Holland, Ohio (June 14, 2017) — The use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for packaging has seen tremendous growth due to the material’s ability to offer light weighting options, unique container designs, clarity, long shelf life and recyclability. But unfortunately, only non-colored and lightly-tinted blue PET bottles offer reclaimers a high value in today’s recycle market.

According to a recent report by Plastic Technologies, Inc., (PTI) an opportunity to create a market for non-colored problematic PET bottles may be available that does not exist today. However, rigorous performance testing would need to be done to understand how the incorporation of these PET bottles might impact an amber recycle stream.

“The goal is to find a way to allow clear, but problematic bottles, that yellow when recycled to benefit an amber recycling stream. It’s possible that yellowing can be offset by blending them with amber colored bottles to yield an acceptable amber color for reuse,” said Frank Schloss, Ph.D., Plastic Technologies, Inc.

While end-use markets exist for high-quality, uncolored PET bottles, the same cannot be said for most colored alternatives. However, if the relatively low volume of PET used for amber carbonated soft drink, beer and pharmaceutical PET packaging usage increases, items returned for recycling may reach a level significant enough to warrant their own stream. Additionally, brand owners would be under pressure to demonstrate that these packages can be sustainably reused in the production of new amber recycle-content bottles.

The use of PET to produce bottles and containers for oxygen sensitive products as well as carbonated beverages is limited to some degree by its barrier properties. These limitations can be overcome through the use of oxygen scavengers, multilayer structures and plasma coatings. But unfortunately, other than some plasma coating options, these barrier solutions also present recycling difficulties. The oxygen scavenger and multilayer barrier bottles present PET reclaimers with issues that cause the rPET materials to yellow after melt reprocessing.

As a result, many brand owners who want to support sustainability initiatives by producing truly recyclable bottles have shied away from some technical developments that could give them additional right-weighting or longer shelf lives. They realize that these technologies would present problems to the PET reclaimers and, in turn, harm the very type of rPET they wish to buy for their own reuse. For more information on the report visit this page.

“Now is the time to begin addressing this issue. The goal is to how best to handle an amber colored bottle stream, and other problematic PET bottles, so that value can be added to the recycling stream in the future,” Schloss said.

 About Plastic Technologies

 Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI) is recognized worldwide as the preferred source for preform and package design, package development, rapid prototyping, pre-production prototyping, and material evaluation engineering for the plastic packaging industry. For more information: www.plastictechnologies.com.

Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 220, 000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com
3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass logo and the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, BIOVIA, NETVIBES and 3DEXCITE are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries.

The survey, detailed in the full report, “digitization of asset and wealth management: promise and pitfalls,” provides insight into the key drivers of digitization, its current state of adoption, and its blockers and enablers, as well as examines the nature of the ensuing industry disruption, its success factors and benefits.
Findings from the survey include:
• growing cost pressures, the rising importance of fees and charges as differentiators, the rise of low-cost passive funds, the market entry of fintech and internet giants, and a new generation of digitally-savvy investors are accelerating digitization.
• 54 percent of asset managers have adopted social media tools, while 56 percent of wealth managers have adopted new digital platforms; blockchain is the least implemented of eight digital tools cited.
• 80 percent of asset managers and 77 percent of wealth managers expect digitization to partially or fully disrupt their industry within ten years.
• the majority envisages a competitive landscape of alliances with external disruptors or the development of proprietary platforms; only a minority expects external disruptors to carve out niches. 
• early adopters report reduced operating costs, stronger market position, higher efficiencies, improved regulatory compliance and better client experience.
“the key driver of digitization in the years to come will be changing client behaviors, under which financial services will evolve from being supply-led to demand-led,” said amin rajan, ceo, create-research. 
“this means that wealth management is at the dawn of a new transformation, more far reaching than anything experienced before. Digitization is not the first choice or the last choice; it is the only choice. The future belongs to those with a clear vision for their business in the digital age.”
“we commissioned this study to measure the expected impact of digital technology on the asset and wealth management industries in the next ten years and its perceived role in sustaining or transforming business models,” said guillaume dufour, vice president, financial and business services industry, dassault systèmes.  “we will continue supporting financial institutions in their digital transformation with industry solution experiences such as our ‘innovation factory’ to digitize processes, strengthen governance, accelerate time to market and reduce regulatory-related costs, to better serve a changing customer base.”
“digitization of asset and wealth management: promise and pitfalls” is based on a global survey of 458 asset and wealth managers from 37 fund jurisdictions with total assets under management of $32 trillion.  The full report is available at:  https://www.3ds.com/industries/financial-and-business-services/innovati…

for more information on dassault systèmes’ industry solution experiences for the financial and business services industry: https://www.3ds.com/industries/financial-and-business-services/

Exhibiting as part of the Sidel Group, along with Gebo Cermex, Sidel will be introducing a number of breakthrough packaging solutions at Drinktec 2017 (stand A6.330), to help producers meet the challenges of ever-changing demands in beverage markets.

Frédéric Sailly, Executive Vice President for Product Management and Development at Sidel, comments – “Beverage producers, brand owners and co-packers need to stay competitive in an evolving and demanding market, with easy-to- use, smart, flexible and customised solutions. At Drinktec 2017 we are looking forward to showing how this understanding of our customers’ needs and the trends in the liquid packaging industry enables us to deliver greater performance for bottling lines. The future-proof technologies and market-tailored innovations on display on our stand are designed to achieve these goals while optimising total costs of ownership (TCO) and ensuring high product quality and enhanced versatility.”

Among the global launches taking place at Drinktec (11-15 September) are:

• The Sidel Super Combi - an all-in- one system for water and carbonated soft drinks (CSD) production that delivers ready-to- sell products at very high speed, with maximum uptime and ease of operation – all at the lowest TCO. Integrated equipment intelligence means it continuously self-optimises for the best possible performance and efficiency, making it one smart solution.
• The new modular labeller which has the flexibility to accommodate different labelling technologies applicable to both glass and PET containers, for easy and quick format changeovers and increased productivity.
• The new Sidel can and glass fillers, based on the proven Sidel Matrix™ platform, offer producers of beer and CSD improved hygienic conditions, maximised efficiency and high flexibility. This allows the production of top quality drinks that meets strict standards in terms of sustainability.

Another highlight at Drinktec 2017 will be the Sidel Group Agility 4.0™ framework. This offers customers digitally-aided understanding, enhanced performance and packaging mass customisation opportunities. Additionally, solutions to handle aseptic and hot fill production in PET will be a particular focus on the stand with experts available to discuss these technologies. Recently, Sidel received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Aseptic Combi Predis™ FMa blow fill seal filler. This solution is the world’s first aseptic PET filling equipment with dry preform sterilisation validated for low acid manufacturing and commercial distribution in the United States and other FDA markets. Recognising the importance of services, Sidel will also be highlighting its Sidel Services™ portfolio which helps customers to build, maintain and improve the performance of bottling lines throughout the production lifecycle.

RPC Promens Consumer Kolding is supplying custom-designed PET bottles for a range of dressings and sauces from leading Scandinavian food company Scandic Food A/S, part of the Good Food Group A/S.

The injection stretch blow moulded bottles – in 250ml, 350ml and 400ml sizes, with a 520ml soon to be introduced for export markets – incorporate gentle curves for an attractive, modern look on shelf that establishes a family image across the various sizes. Equally important, there is a large decoration area for the colourful and distinctive labels that distinguish the different products in the range.

The glass-like high clarity of the PET ensures the products are effectively displayed on-shelf for a premium quality image, while the lightness of the bottles and the curved design provides easy handling for maximum consumer convenience.

“The bottles represent the combination of knowhow, innovative design and the exact understanding of our requirements and our business,” comments Scandic Foods Technical Product Manager Henrik Meldgaard. “This also includes experience of the demands we are facing from our customers and the retail chains in different markets.”

Romaco took advantage of the recent interpack 2017 to show a total of 15 machines not only to industry professionals but also to its new owner, the Chinese Truking Group. Seven innovations and the launch of a new product line attracted numerous visitors to the exhibition stand.
    
interpack 2017 marks the beginning of a new era for Romaco. Just two days before the Dusseldorf fairground opened its doors, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG) announced the sale of the Romaco Group to the Chinese Truking Group in Changsha. The new owners, among them Truking founder and Chairman Yue Tang, took the opportunity to pay a two-day visit to the Romaco booth at interpack. “After our intensive negotiations, it was a good chance to get to know each other better in an informal setting – and for Romaco to show itself off at its best in the presence of the new owners”, emphasised Paulo Alexandre, CEO

Romaco Group.

Innovations for the pharmaceutical process chain

The Romaco Group exhibit at interpack 2017 comprised 15 different machines, including three packaging lines and nine standalone units for manufacturing and packing pharmaceutical solids. The launch of four new machines in the corporate industrial design underlined the supplier’s key role within the Group with its very broad portfolio of seven brands. In addition to the new Noack NBP 950 blister machine and Promatic PCI 915 intermittent motion cartoner, the Siebler STF 120 tube filler also made its debut at interpack.

The KTP 590X, the youngest addition to the successful KTP series, was premiered by Romaco Kilian. This single-sided rotary press for bi-layer and effervescent tablets was sold to a Korean pharmaceutical manufacturer directly at the exhibition. The laboratory scale VENTILUS® V 5 from Romaco Innojet with

the IHD 5 hot melt device, which is now available for the first time in a GMP design, was a further innovation in the area of processing technology. Several selected classics like the Noack 960 blister line, the Macofar MicroMaxX 18 aseptic powder filling machine, the Kilian KTP 720X and STYL’ONE Evolution tablet presses and the Innojet VENTILUS® V 100 were also presented by Romaco.

Four of the exhibition machines were configured with Remote Assist, Romaco’s

Industry 4.0 technology, for demonstration purposes. This new remote maintenance generation uses smart glasses for virtual communication between the machine operator and Romaco’s service technicians.

Promising results

Yue Tang, Chairman of the Truking Group was thoroughly impressed: “The diversity of Romaco technologies at interpack is an inspirational experience. The synergetic effects of the brands are instantly apparent to visitors to the trade fair and the potential created by Romaco’s system solutions for the global pharmaceutical industry is easy to see.”

“It was an interpack with the focus on content”, concluded Paulo Alexandre, CEO Romaco Group. “More than three quarters of the people we spoke to at our booth were new or existing customers, and the dozens of talks we had and the negotiations we engaged in were output orientated and targeted.”

Kilian and Macofar sales representatives each signed deals with customers from Asia and North Africa directly during the interpack week. The new STF 120 tube filler from Romaco Siebler was sold to a German pharmaceutical manufacturer even before interpack began. The MicroMaxx 18 was acquired by a customer in Spain prior to the exhibition. The Noack 960 also changed hands only a few weeks after it finished. This blister line will soon be on its way to Mexico.

The Romaco Group

Romaco is a leading global supplier of Processing and Packaging equipment, predominantly for the pharmaceutical industry. Divided into three business areas, Processing, Tableting and Packaging, the company develops engineered system solutions for the pharmaceutical market, but also supplies the cosmetics, food and chemical markets. Romaco operates from four European locations with the headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany. The company serves the multiple industries

through a total of seven brands. The packaging product lines Noack, Siebler, Bosspak, Macofar and Promatic are manufactured in Karlsruhe, Germany, and in Bologna, Italy. The tableting product line Kilian is produced in Cologne, Germany, while the Innojet product line in Steinen, Germany, is responsible for granulation and coating. Romaco’s product portfolio includes primary, secondary and final packaging, aseptic and non-aseptic liquid and powder filling, tablet press technologies, granulation and coating. Over 12,000 Romaco installations are currently in operation in more than 180 countries. The company’s worldwide customer base is supplied and supported by over 550 highly skilled and committed employees.

In 2014 the Romaco Group was voted by “Wirtschaftswoche”, the prestigious German business weekly, as one of Germany’s best 50 innovators among small and medium-sized enterprises. In this corporate benchmarking contest, Romaco was named runner-up in the “Process and Packaging Machinery” category. In the “Pharmaceutical Machinery” segment, the Group was awarded first prize.

For more information about the Romaco Group, visit www.romaco.com

Sidel has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its Aseptic Combi Predis™ FMa blow fill seal filler following tests run at a dairy customer in North America. This means that the Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis FMa PET filler is validated for low acid manufacturing and commercial distribution in the United States market. The Sidel Aseptic blow fill seal solution is the world’s first aseptic PET filling equipment with dry preform sterilisation approved by FDA.

“We are particularly proud of this FDA acceptance”, explains Guillaume Rolland, Sensitive Products Director at Sidel. “It confirms our Aseptic Combi Predis design is compliant with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.” This FDA approval officially qualifies the Sidel aseptic solution with dry preform sterilisation technology to produce and distribute shelf-stable low acid products in PET bottles for the US market.

Independent evaluation from experienced organisation

The Process Authority for the Sidel aseptic filler was Dover Brook Associates (DBA). DBA applied their 30 years of professional experience in sterile processes to validate the scheduled processes of the Aseptic Combi Predis. Using a scientific-based approach of specific tests and acceptance criteria, DBA was able to prove that the scheduled processes were in compliance with the predicate rules and expectations of the FDA so that the equipment could produce a commercially sterile low acid product.

The successful completion of this extensive and exhaustive evaluation process confirms the performance of the other 100 Combi Predis lines in operation worldwide. Sidel’s key accounts, along with co-packers and local brands, have been manufacturing low and high acid products using PET line applications for nearly 10 years. This regulatory acceptance demonstrates how the Sidel patented technology is 100% safe for the packaging of UHT milk, soymilk, coconut water, or teas in PET bottles, sold through the ambient chain market in the US and the rest of the world.

A scientific approach for regulatory validation

The Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis merges dry preform sterilisation with aseptic blowing, filling and sealing functions within a single production enclosure and respects the fundamental concept which underpins state-of- the-art aseptic packaging rules: producing a commercially sterile product, filled in a sterile zone, in a previously sterilised package. It differs from traditional aseptic technology because the package sterilisation takes place at the preform rather than at the bottle phase.

DBA conducted a detailed review of the design, critical factors, and the sterile zone boundaries. The stringent validation tests were performed on a commercial filler producing aseptic UHT milk, and all the tests were successfully passed. “We accumulated more science from these tests performed with DBA. They challenged and validated the process and the technology itself”, explains Arnaud Poupet, Aseptic Product and Platform Manager at Sidel. DBA concluded that the minimised sterile zone provided a safe and successful aseptic process that produced a commercially sterile, hermetically sealed bottle. “DBA’s testing demonstrated that the sterile zone during the blowing process was the critical component, not the blow-moulding zone itself, which was due to the Sidel patented dry-preform sterilisation technology”, comments Poupet. The scheduled processes require minimal critical factors, which have to be monitored during the production, cleaning and sterilisation phases of the aseptic process. The critical parameters are continuously monitored to ensure full production sterility, beverage integrity and food safety. “Our best warranty for food safety is simplicity, because a line with a small sterile zone and minimal critical factors is managed more safely, easily and effectively,” continues Poupet.

“We partnered with one of the major dairy producers in North America who was confident of the safety and efficiency of the Aseptic Combi Predis. He invested in the solution to introduce new UHT liquid dairy products in PET bottles. Under the coordination of DBA, we went through a rigorous FDA qualification process at the FDA registered customer site”, explains Poupet. The Aseptic Combi Predis approved by the FDA is very similar to the existing machines installed for aseptic production in customers’ plants worldwide.

A proven technology successfully implemented worldwide

Sidel’s reputation is built on a long history and experience with sensitive products: 40 years in aseptic beverages and dairy bottling solutions, more than 35 years in PET packaging and 50 years in blowing. Sidel was a pioneer in preform sterilisation, allowing the first production of PET bottles for UHT milk on a Sidel aseptic Combi with this dry preform sterilisation technology in 2002. With its proven and patented solution, Sidel Predis, Sidel continues to enjoy a leading position in sensitive beverages and liquid dairy production technology. Sales of Sidel Predis have grown steadily as companies throughout the world have recognised the benefits it offers: safety and simplicity, cost-effectiveness, no water and use of very few chemicals (offering significant environmental advantages). More than 100 Combi Predis installations worldwide are a clear endorsement of this technology by major beverage and dairy companies, many of which produce leading national and international brands. The high level of customer satisfaction is ultimately the best indicator of the reliability of the technology.

Waldkirch, June 2017 - At this year’s drinktec, SICK will present sensors for an automated production process for the food and beverage industry. The sensors not only communicate at the controller level, but also at the higher data level. The additional interface to the data or software system enables new analyses and functions to be performed, which increase flexibility, quality, efficiency, and transparency in production.

Backward compatibility means that SICK sensors can already do both: They send data reliably to the PLC, but also to the data world. Where the customer benefits is that this proven technology can continue to be used going forward, but it is still possible to take advantage of the additional benefits on a gradual basis.

Stainless steel DOSIC® for flexible flow measurement

SICK present the DOSIC® stainless steel sensor for flow measurement. It detects the flow volume of conductive and non-conductive liquids based on non-contact ultrasonic technology. With its measurement channel and stainless-steel housing, the ultrasonic flowmeter is suitable for measuring tasks in hygienic environments. The compact and rugged design makes the sensor ideal for a wide range of application possibilities, including those where space restrictions or aggressive media play a role. Installation is quick and easy, and does not require medium calibration. The seal-free, self-draining measuring tube enhances process reliability. Up to two configurable digital and analog outputs as well as the IO-Link interface ensure the right output signal. The DOSIC® is EHEDG-certified and FDA-compliant.

Hall A4, Stand 304

Schreiner Group has won first place in the “Innovation” category of the 2017 FINAT Label Competition. The high-tech company convinced the jury of the European association for the self-adhesive label industry (FINAT) again this year and was presented with the award on the occasion of the European Label Forum in Berlin.

“Innovation is one of the central values in which our company is rooted. The fact that we have once again been recognized with the FINAT Award shows that the commitment to innovation is consistently being lived and practiced at Schreiner Group,” said CEO Roland Schreiner. “We owe the associated ingenuity to our employees, who keep rethinking and continually developing established and new technologies, and convert them into innovative products.”

The annual FINAT Award recognizes the best pressure-sensitive labels and related products. Some 300 print products were entered in this year’s competition.

On-Street Parking Made Easy: with the ((rfid))-Parking Permit

The ((rfid))-Parking Permit developed by the Schreiner PrinTrust business unit convinced the jury with its reliable technology and numerous user benefits. Since September 2016, it has been used for on-street parking throughout Vienna, having considerably reduced the administrative workload for the city as well as for inspectors and drivers. Users stick the high-tech label on the inside of the windshield once where it can remain for years – even if parking authorizations change, for instance when permit owners move within the city limits or sell their cars. Even the process of issuing annual extensions of the parking permit becomes more efficient and economical because the “sticker” no longer has to be replaced.

Stored on the chip is an identification number which inspectors scan using handheld readers and automatically match with the license number, type of vehicle, the permit’s scope of application and expiration date stored in a database. As the database contains no personal data, privacy protection is consistently guaranteed. Thanks to UHF, vehicle identification is contactless across a distance of a few meters without line of sight, which enormously reduces the effort of checking parking permits.

Worldwide Recognition for RFID UHF Label

In parallel to the FINAT Awards, the 2016 World Label Awards were presented in Berlin. Only the winning products from the association’s eight major competitions held the year before are entered in this global competition. Here, Schreiner Group achieved 1st place in the “Innovation” category as well: for the ((rfid))-DistaFerr Mini – last year’s FINAT award winner. As a result, the extremely small label for on-metal RFID applications has now also won worldwide recognition.

"Luxembourg. 13 June 2017. UNITED CAPS, an international producer of innovative caps and closure solutions and a global industry reference for the design and production of high performance plastic caps and closures, today reported it held a grand opening celebration at its brand-new fully automated warehouse that increases its storage capacity by 30%, from 3,000 palettes to 4,500."

“We opened our plant in Wiltz 25 years ago and have made significant investments in the operation each year,” says Benoît Henckes, CEO. “It is the largest UNITED CAPS plant and arguably one of the most productive and technologically advanced in Europe. The addition of this new fully automated warehouse facility is the latest masterpiece to complete the factory. It is designed to support our manufacture of more than nine billion high-performance closures and caps each and every year. Our special thanks go to the authorities of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg who have been unerring in their support for our efforts. This development, plus our plans to break ground on our first non-European site in Malaysia in 2018, are signs of our healthy growth and our dedication to our ‘Close to You’ strategy designed to strengthen ties with our key customers around the globe.”

Close to You: Customer Advantages

In addition to increasing storage by 30%, the new warehouse brings a number of customer advantages, including:

• Significantly improved logistical quality with quality inspections conducted during the entire storage and loading process. Industry-leading automated inspection processes have been implemented.
• 100% First-In-First-Out automatic management of inventory ensures best quality products.
• The two aisles, each 50 x 10 meters with multiple levels featured products symmetrically in both aisles ensuring accurate delivery even should a breakdown be experienced.

Henckes adds, “The new warehouse also enables faster loading of trucks – we can now load 10 trucks per day. It also improves our environmental sustainability by eliminating the need to move product to an external warehouse and by virtue of the fact that its state-of-the-art energy management system results in very low power consumption. Open house attendees were able to see all of this first-hand, and I believe they were quite impressed!”

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy honoured the event

UNITED CAPS was especially pleased that the Honourable Etienne Schneider, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Minister of Internal Security, and Minister of Defence took time from his busy schedule to speak at the event. “Minister Schneider has been particularly supportive of our efforts,” Henckes adds. “Although Wiltz is a relatively small city, it is projects such as this one from UNITED CAPS that validate the spirit of innovation that permeates the City. It is initiatives like this, and the support of Grand Duchy authorities, that make Wiltz an increasingly attractive destination for businesses of all types.”

With B&R's industrial transport system, it is now possible to transport liquids quickly with no spills. SuperTrak is the only system on the market to offer anti-sloshing technology. This technology suppresses the formation of oscillations on free surfaces to prevent liquids from spilling over container edges during transport.

No spills from open containers

The term slosh is used to describe the behavior of liquids in moving containers. Specially designed move-ment profiles prevent the development of positive feedback loops on the surface of the liquid so that it remains calm during transport. This minimizes downtime and increases productivity when handling open containers.

Higher production speeds

Minimizing oscillations on the surface of liquids is particularly important in the packaging industry. The better you are able to control sloshing, the faster the products can be transported. B&R's sophisticated anti-sloshing technology also prevents the formation of air bubbles and foam. The downtime otherwise required to allow the liquid to settle is reduced drastically or eliminated entirely for a substantial improvement in packaging line productivity.

As the only system on the market, SuperTrak offers anti-sloshing technology that suppresses the formation of surface oscillations to prevent liquids from spilling during transport.

B&R continues to expand its mapp Technology software framework. The new mapp Tweet function allows a machine application to send information via text message or email. The increased intelligence boosts machine availability.

Automated text messaging

The new software block mapp Tweet allows a machine application to send text messages and emails trig-gered by specific events. Set up with just a few clicks, mapp Tweet can easily be connected to other mapp components. This enables the mapp AlarmX component, for example, to automatically notify a maintenance technician when an alarm requires immediate action. mapp Tweet can supplement the message with addi-tional information, such as troubleshooting instructions that allow the technician to quickly and efficiently resolve the cause of the alarm. This is an effective way to achieve a targeted reduction in machine down-time.

Fast maintenance response times

If the service technician isn't on site, they can quickly connect via B&R's remote maintenance solution in order to run diagnostics, adjust parameters and resolve the error – all in a matter of moments. The solution utilizes the latest IT and security standards and allows for significant savings with low investment costs.

B&R continues to expand its mapp Technology software framework. Functions are now available for sending automatic notifications that enable advanced maintenance concepts.

TOWACO, NJ – Uhlmann Packaging Systems LP, a worldwide leader in pharmaceutical packaging, has acquired Cremer Speciallmachines B.V., the Dutch manufacturer and engineering specialist of counting and packaging systems. The two family-owned companies, each leaders in their respective market segments, will combine their technological, research, and market development expertise.

By acquiring Cremer Speciallmachines, Uhlmann – the world's leading machinery supplier for the packaging of pharmaceuticals in blisters and bottles – strengthens its market position in bottle packaging systems, expanding its strategic offer to include the counting modules for which Crèmer is known. For Cremer, whose core competency is the counting and separating of sensitive products for the pharmaceutical, food, consumer goods and agricultural industries, affiliation with the Uhlmann Group provides long-term stability and access to new markets.

"It was important for me to hand my company over to a highly competent partner with a long-term interest in its health and continued development," said Fred Cremer, owner of Cremer Speciaalmachines. "In this sense, we have found our new home at Uhlmann."

Tobias Uhlmann, owner and chairman of the Uhlmann Supervisory Board, said, "The Cremer brand and the Lisse production site will remain. The respective expertise of our companies complement each other perfectly and, by bundling upon our talents, we will drive the goals of both companies forward. We also are very pleased that Fred Cremer will remain active."

Both family businesses were founded around the same time, and have expanded their technological and market expertise over the last few decades. While Uhlmann laid the foundation for pharmaceutical packaging in 1948 with its production of precision molds for suppositories, Cremer began developing and producing a counting device for tulip-bulbs in 1949. Both companies began as family enterprises and remain loyal and true to their common values.

Wolfertschwenden / Irschenberg, 12. June 2017 – With effect from 1 June Harald Suchanka (42), as the representative of the majority owner, has joined the Management Board of TVI Entwicklung und Produktion GmbH in Irschenberg. Together with Thomas Völkl, Managing Director and Partner, and Boris Bachmeier, CEO, he will focus on the future development of the company. Following the successful transfer of the TVI business to MULTIVAC, Michel Anton, Managing Director and Partner, has decided to withdraw from the TVI company and also to completely divest his share of the business to MULTIVAC.

“We greatly regret this step but are also very grateful to him for sup-porting us in recent months in implementing the smooth transition of TVI into the MULTIVAC Group. Mr Anton relinquished the company management in May 2017,” says Christian Traumann, Director and Group CFO of MULTIVAC.

It has been possible to appoint Harald Suchanka as his successor. He has worked for MULTIVAC since 2005, and his roles have included CEO of the subsidiary in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, as well as Vice President of Sales & Operation for South America, and latterly as Vice President of Sales & Operation for Africa, the Near & Middle East, Asia and Oceania. In addition to this, he has very success-fully looked after MULTIVAC's partner business. “Mr Suchanka brings with him all the requirements necessary to succeed Mr Anton and to successfully continue to develop the TVI business in future,” adds Hans-Joachim Boekstegers, Director and Group CEO of MULTIVAC. “We would like to thank Mr Anton very much for the work that he has performed, and we wish him all the very best for the future. We are delighted, that Mr Anton remains on friendly terms with us after his withdrawal from the business.”

TVI is the market leader in meat-portioning equipment and complete portioning machines. The portfolio includes solutions for tempering, pressing, portioning and automating, as well as equipment for winding grill sticks and manufacturing kebab skewers. On 1 January 2017     MULTIVAC acquired as a first stage 49.9 % of TVI Entwicklung und Produktion GmbH, and it now has a majority share. This means that the packaging specialist has taken a strategically important step in being able to offer in future complete production lines from one source.

In order to be able to meet further expansion, TVI and MULTIVAC will jointly invest in a new production and office building with a Demonstration and Customer Center. This is due to be opened in 2018 at the new Bruckmühl site.

About TVI
With approximately 90 staff currently employed at its Irschenberg site, TVI develops and produces some 180 machines per year. TVI's customers typi-cally portion steaks, schnitzel, roulades, chops and grill sticks for the entire retail and catering trade. TVI supplies both individual components and complete production lines, and its equipment ranges from freezing and tempering of meat right through to portioning machines and the automatic loading of finished portions into packs. TVI has a technological advantage, which provides the corner stone for growth, innovation and international reach. The company's testimonials cover virtually the entire world, particularly in Europe, USA, Russia, China, Japan, Latin America and Australia. TVI's innovative machines increase productivity and yield and reduce give-away, while providing the highest possible level of product flexibility. The intelligent line concepts guarantee a high degree of efficiency and machine availability. Further information can be found at: www.tvi-gmbh.de.

About MULTIVAC
MULTIVAC is one of the leading providers worldwide of packaging solutions for food products of all types, life science and healthcare products as well as industrial items. The MULTIVAC portfolio covers virtually all customers' requirements in terms of pack design, output and resource efficiency, and it includes vacuum packaging machines, traysealers, thermoforming packaging machines, labellers, quality control systems and automation solutions - right up to turnkey lines. The MULTIVAC Group has approximately 5,100 employees worldwide, with some 1,900 based at its headquarters in Wolfertschwenden. With almost 80 subsidiaries, the Group is represented on all continents. More than 1,000 sales advisors and service technicians throughout the world use their know-how and experience to the benefit of customers, and they ensure that all installed MULTIVAC machines are utilised to their maximum. Further information can be found at: www.multivac.com. 

Company enquiries
MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG
Tanja Nickels
Bahnhofstr. 4 
D-87787 Wolfertschwenden Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 8334 601 – 1544
E-mail: tanja.nickels@multivac.de
www.multivac.com

Press enquiries
REDAKON
Vera Sebastian
Seestr. 18
D-80802 Munich
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 – 31 20 338-21
E-mail: vera.sebastian@redakon.com
  www.redakon.com

Today Anguil Environmental Systems, Inc. (Anguil) headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin announced that they have signed an exclusive product licensing agreement with American Micro Detection Systems, Inc. (AMDS) of Stockton, California. Under the terms of the agreement AMDS will allow Anguil to exclusively present the REX product line to their Fortune 50 customers in the electronics space. The AMDS CEO Robert Keville stated that, “This agreement opens a new verticle market for AMDS products with substantial sales potential.” He further stated that, “The total market value to AMDS through this agreement will, over the term of the license and in aggregate, total tens of millions of dollars in revenue to AMDS. We are very excited about working with Anguil and having them as a sales channel partner.”

Christopher Anguil, President of Anguil stated that “As a provider of single-source, fully-integrated air and water treatment systems, we are always looking for ways to increase the value for our global customer base. By leveraging and integrating the REX capabilities into our client processes, we will be able to help our customers mitigate exposure to operational risk and costs. The analytical capabilities that REX adds, but moreover the speed with which REX delivers those results, will help some of our clients improve their process monitoring to minimize downtime and potentially reduce production losses.”

DELHI, June 2017 – Cosmo Films, a global leader in films for packaging, labeling and lamination applications would now offer an extended range of direct thermal printable (DTP) products. This would include standard DTP films, top coated DTP films, high temperatures DTP films and DTP paper.

Direct thermal printing is generally used for tagging and labelling applications where elaborate printing is not required and printing is done only for critical information like barcodes. Direct Thermal printing does not require an ink ribbon for printing, and the image/impression formation takes place simply when coated substrate comes in contact with the print head of the thermal printer.

The company has just launched a BOPP based top coated direct thermal printable film which is water and solvent resistant and can be used for tough weather labelling such as deep freeze product labelling, industrial bar coding, track & trace and logistics. The film can endure temperatures of -20 to 70 degrees. A high temperature resistance variety with endurance level as high as 130 degrees is also being offered. The product has been developed keeping meat packaging & carcass tagging applications in mind requiring relatively higher temperature process parameters.

The company would now also offer direct thermal printable paper in both top coated and uncoated varieties. Top coated variety would be well suited for applications requiring water resistance.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Kapil Anand, Head - Speciality Labeling Exports, Cosmo Films said, “Direct thermal printing has been gaining significant prominence in recent times due to its ease of use, low total applied cost and optimum image density and we are glad that we can offer both paper and filmic solutions for a wide range of applications now being printed by this printing technology.”

une 2017, waldkirch. Drugs such as vaccines or antibodies are sensitive products. Storage temperatures that are too high or too low can affect their quality and efficacy. With the new temperature logger tt sensor plus™ 2, the august faller group, in cooperation with avery dennison, offers an intelligent label which ensures that drugs can be monitored over 3 years with more than 150,000 temperature measurements stored and which is also considerably more compact than ordinary solutions. Using an app makes it easy to provide complete temperature monitoring of medication required to be maintained at low temperatures or during the entire cold chain. At the push of a button, an led indicator on the label indicates whether the cold chain has been maintained and the product can continue to be used.

Many medicines are only effective if stored at low temperatures. According to estimates by the german institute for drug use evaluation e.v. (dapi), 25-30 million drugs subject to mandatory cold storage are dispensed annually in pharmacies in germany alone. Most of these pharmaceutical products must be stored between 2-8º celsius. Temperature-sensitive medications must also not fall below or exceed these temperatures during transportation.

In cooperation with avery dennison, faller offers the new monitoring label tt sensor plus™ 2 and integrates it into individual packaging solutions such as folding cartons or in shipping boxes for customers.
 

Setting and handling via app

The label records the temperatures to which a product is exposed throughout the entire value chain. The data is stored on an nfc chip. By connecting to a digital it system and an appropriate app, the data can be read from any pc or smartphone at any time, regardless of its location.

With the desktop application ttscan, users can set the time intervals and the temperature range for which the label is tasked with measuring and recording the ambient temperature. This facilitates rapid access to all relevant information over the entire value chain for the parties involved, from the transport company employee to the doctor or pharmacist, thus ensuring the highest level of protection for temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products. The comprehensive it service package includes the online applications ttapp and ttnet, which make it possible to activate

And read the tt sensor plus™ 2 label  as well as store all relevant data in

The cloud (ttnet).
 

With the help of an integrated battery, the label can check and record more than 150,000 ambient temperature measurements around a product for a period of up to 3 years. With just one click, the label indicates whether the cooling chain has been interrupted. A green led indicates that the product has been correctly handled. If -on the other hand- the temperature was too low or too high during transport or storage, a red led will light up.

The label differs from previous solutions in terms of its compactness: the temperature logger is less than half the size of a credit card and measures just 68 x 26 x 3.5 mm. As a result, the label is also suitable for temperature monitoring of small, individual packs. To date, a cost factor for intelligent labels has been the minimal return rate. Avery dennison has consequently designed the new label to be a competitive alternative for single and multiple use.

"by working with avery dennison, we are the first packaging supplier in germany to offer pharmaceutical manufacturers an intelligent temperature logger of this type," stresses tanja feldmüller, head of marketing &
 

Innovation at august faller. "at the same time, we are pleased to further strengthen the longstanding successful partnership between faller and avery dennison."

Length of text: approx. 4.000 characters (with blank spaces) / approx. 380 words

Further information available at: www.august-faller.com/ttsensorplus/en

A cold foil from brand enhancement specialist API is creating a stunning visual identity for the award-winning SnowFox vodka. Perfectly integrated with the brand essence of the drink from Port Royal Distillers, the API 1000 TA foil depicts the piercing gaze of the iconic Canadian snow fox on its shrink label.

SnowFox Vodka is a premium vodka drink with a hint of sweetness for the upscale market, inspired by the purity of the Canadian arctic and its native snow fox. The drink has won the Gold Award for Flexible Packaging at the Canadian Print Awards and the Silver Medal at the New York Wine & Spirits Festival.

Applied to the front graphic panel of the shrink label by Spectrol, the over-printable TA cold foil shows a Canadian snow fox in finely detailed close-up, gazing out from above an icy blue labelled area. It produces a striking glow-in-the-dark effect, causing the electric-blue eyes of the snow fox to illuminate dramatically in low-lit areas such as nightclubs, drawing the attention of consumers.

On the lower blue area, the API foil produces an air of textured high quality by creating a doming effect on the drink’s name and by representing the second “O” in “SNOWFOX” as a paw print.

“Originally, we were using a different foil and experiencing some problems, but when we switched to the foil from API, everything clicked into place,” explains Vishal Sahadeo, Account Manager at Spectrol. “We wanted to create an effect that wasn’t already available on the shelf, and the result, with the amazing blue eyes of the snow fox, certainly achieves this. It’s one of the most visually arresting labels we have ever produced.”

At the Spectrol factory in Ontario, Canada, the foil is printed using a Gallus EM5 10S 20-inch flexographic printing press with ten colours and a full servo drive (inline).

“Both the foil product and the level of support from API were highly impressive,” says Vishal. “Since we had never printed onto a shrink label before, we required a lot of guidance at first – and the API representative was always on-site with helpful advice. This was invaluable, saving us what would have been a lot of downtime while we worked things out for ourselves.”

API manufactures and distributes foils, laminates, and holographic materials to a wide variety of consumer brands. The shrink label for SnowFox perfectly exemplifies the packaging trend “Second Skin,” identified in API’s annual trends folio, which describes when the packaging becomes a seamless extension of the product inside.

API is a leading manufacturer and distributor of foils, laminates and holographic materials that provide exceptional brand enhancement for consumer goods and printed media worldwide. With roots in the British paper industry, the company’s reputation is founded on a trading history going back over a century.
Operating from thirteen locations across Europe, America and Asia, API’s packaging solutions enable companies across a wide-range of industry sectors, including premium drinks, confectionery, tobacco, perfumery, personal-care, cosmetics, and healthcare, to empower their brands on the shelf and in the hand.
API Group is an indirect subsidiary of Steel Partners Holdings L.P. (NYSE: SPLP), a global diversified holding company, based in New York, that engages in multiple businesses through consolidated subsidiaries, associated companies and other interests. It owns and operates businesses and has significant interests in leading companies in various industries, including diversified industrial products, energy, defence, supply chain management and logistics, banking, and youth sports.
For more information on API and its range of foil, laminate and holographic brand enhancement products, visit its website at www.apigroup.com.  

As a key player in the Factory of the Future movement, Gebo Cermex - world leader in packaging line engineering and material handling - will be returning to ProPak Asia 2017, demonstrating the latest advanced performance systems and innovative solutions for the beverage, food, home and personal care markets.

On booth BW01 (Hall 104) at Asia’s leading processing and packaging event that takes place 14 - 17 June in Bangkok, the company will be demonstrating its portfolio based on its Agility 4.0™ Advanced Production System program.

Guido Ceresole, Zone VP SEAP for Gebo Cermex, comments “With our recently unveiled program, Agility 4.0™, we are bringing the 'Smart Factory' to life in order to create a world of greater choice and unique consumer experience driven by packaging mass customization and product diversity.”

Encompassing 'Smart Machines', system and data intelligence, digital connectivity and powerful simulation tools, Agility 4.0™ is designed to enable producers to manufacture small production batches at cost levels typically associated with mass production, without compromising on key performance criteria such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and sustainability.

A main focus for the ProPak Asia booth will be the leading role that Gebo Cermex plays in the implementation of cobots in packaging applications, helping make previous manual ancillary tasks fully automatic while enabling complete interactive human/machine relationships. These developments in collaborative robots - demonstrated by a cobot operating on the booth - provide reliability and, importantly, eliminate the potential for operators’ musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). As Gebo Cermex leads the packaging industry in the use of virtual reality, the booth will also offer a great immersive and interactive experience to visitors. The main purpose will be to demonstrate innovative ways of training operators and maintenance personnel, as well as providing an insight into how the future of packaging lines will look via an engaging tour of a production facility.

Other innovative modules covered on the Gebo Cermex booth at ProPak Asia 2017, will include:

• Connected machines that are easy to operate and manage across the whole organization via user-friendly design interfaces
• EIT™ - the Efficiency Improvement Tool that uses comprehensive line monitoring to accurately detect the causes of unplanned stoppages and help increase operators’ responsiveness.
• Remote video assistance, which - in the event of breakdown - uses video and audio technology with augmented reality to allow Gebo Cermex experts to view the line as if on- site, to secure a rapid recovery

In Bangkok, Gebo Cermex will be presenting many new solutions developed to make Industry 4.0 opportunities a reality for packaging producers within the South East Asia Pacific region, in areas such as line design, services and asset optimization. Ceresole explains: “One of the key aspects of the Agility 4.0™ program is the ability to use high-precision simulation and modelling tools to allow customers to both visualize and forecast, so that they can make all the right decisions and thus keep their Operating Expenditure (OPEX) to an absolute minimum. At ProPak Asia this year, we will be showing how our approach – based on a unique integration business model – is able to ensure high performance, cost- effectiveness, high productivity and greater agility for packaging lines of today and tomorrow.”

ESE World plastics bins for waste and recyclables have been awarded the Blue Angel ecolabel, underlining the company’s ability to support its customers’ focus on meeting sustainability targets and pursuing environmentally-friendly policies.

The standards for Blue Angel accreditation are very strict. Containers must be made from at least 80% post-consumer recycled plastics, and the material must be certified according to EuCertPlast criteria – this means that its origin and that of the whole supply chain need to be traceable. In addition, the production site and the processes have to be certified by an independent accredited institution.

Compared to the production of virgin HDPE, recycled HDPE saves 100% crude oil, only needs a small percentage of energy use and delivers a much smaller environmental impact. 

At the same time, it is essential that the use of recycled plastics does not affect the performance, quality or longevity of the containers. Significantly, all ESE Blue Angel containers fulfil the tests and requirements of the relevant national and European standards and are certified in accordance with RAL-GZ 951/1.

ESE Blue Angel containers – available in both 2-wheel and 4-wheel versions – therefore provide an effective eco-balance solution that adds another unique feature to these products.