WILLIS, Texas (Nov. 29, 2018) – InkJet, Inc. will be doing live demonstrations with its portfolio of marking and coding printers as an exhibitor at IPPE. InkJet, Inc. specialists will be at Booth B8356 in Hall B, Meat & Poultry Processing/Packaging.

The International Production & Processing Expo is the world’s largest annual poultry, meat and feed industry event of its kind. This event offers the largest variety of education and interactive exhibits from “feed to fork” in the egg, poultry, and meat industries. Attendees include representatives from all over the world including operation and plant managers, purchasing agents, engineers, and researchers from leading feed, meat processing and packing, and poultry companies. Go to www.ippexpo.org for more information.

InkJet, Inc. will be running its DuraCode Continuous InkJet (CIJ) printer, Precision Series high resolution case coder, and its Thermal InkJet (TIJ) Anser printers. Detailed information on these and inks and fluids is available at www.inkjetinc.com.

“InkJet, Inc. has been working with food and beverage packaging and processing companies for almost 30 years. The company is well-equipped to help them address their needs for printing and coding on all types of substrates, including plastic, paper, metal, cardboard, styrofoam, and glass, to name a few. We encourage show attendees to come see us and bring by a sample for us to code on for them” explained Marc Berger, Director of Marketing for InkJet, Inc.

• Expansion enhances Clariant’s global production network
• Maximize High Purified Ethylene Oxide (HPEO) production
• Commitment to support the market with EO-based specialties with a strong market driven innovation pipeline

Muttenz, November 29, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, announced today the expansion of the capacity of its ethylene oxide (EO) unit in Gendorf, Germany. The investment positions Clariant to continue its successful development of innovative EO-based specialties to support a wide range of industries, such as personal and home care, crop solutions, and industrial applications. No further details of the investment will be disclosed. “As a globally leading company for specialty chemicals, Clariant continues to invest also in our production network in Europe. I am confident that this sizeable expansion will support our strategic goal of intensifying profitable growth in both developed and emerging markets”, said Christian Kohlpaintner, member of Clariant's Executive Committee. The expansion of Clariant’s state-of-the-art facilities at Gendorf will enable higher production yields, greater process reliability and enhanced product quality. An increase of High Purified Ethylene Oxide (HPEO) is expected to be available from 2020. João Tavares Correia, Head of the RBL EMEA region, Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties at Clariant, comments: “We are pleased to announce this strategic investment for Gendorf committing to the long-term growth of our customers across our different markets. With this capacity increase of High Purified Ethylene Oxide (HPEO), Clariant will continue to expand its market driven innovative portfolio of EO-based specialties.”

“Since its inception in 1958, Packaging Innovation Contest De Gouden Noot (“The Gold Walnut”) has developed into the world’s most competitive packaging contest. With De Gouden Noot, NVC Netherlands Packaging Centre stimulates ‘holistic’ innovation in packaged products and packaging…”

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT), a global leader in data visualization technologies, today announced that Gregory A. Woods, President and Chief Executive Officer, and David S. Smith, Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, will be presenting at the LD Micro 11th Annual Main Event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 4 at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. EST.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181127005494/en/

An audio webcast of the AstroNova presentation will be available at http://wsw.com/webcast/ldmicro15/alot/ and on the “Investors” section of the Company’s website, https://investors.astronovainc.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

Third-Quarter Fiscal 2019 Achievements (all comparisons with third-quarter fiscal 2018)

• Revenue of $34.2 million, up 18.9 percent
• Operating income of $2.4 million, up 44.7 percent
• Operating margin of 6.9 percent, up 120 basis points
• Diluted EPS of $0.20 per share, down 4.8 percent
• Bookings of $34.2 million, up 9.7 percent
• Backlog of $24.5 million at October 27, 2018, up 15.1 percent

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT), a global leader in data visualization technologies, today announced financial results for the fiscal 2019 third quarter ended October 27, 2018.

“Record revenue in the quarter with continued double-digit increases in revenue and operating income highlighted a solid third quarter of financial results for AstroNova,” said President and CEO Greg Woods. “We are encouraged with the continuous growth in both our segments with the Test & Measurement segment posting 51 percent revenue growth year-over-year reflecting the growth of our new data acquisition products and accelerated performance in our Aerospace business from the acquired Honeywell printer line in last year’s third quarter.

“The Product Identification segment reported growth year-over-year with new products such as the QuickLabel QL-120 and the TrojanLabel T2-C generating strong momentum,” Woods said. “As evidenced by the strong lead-generation and on-site sales we experienced during the recent Labelexpo Americas 2018 and PACK EXPO International trade shows, our new QuickLabel and TrojanLabel products are attracting brand owners as well as commercial printer customers across a wide range of industries.”

Revenue through domestic channels for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was $21.5 million, an increase of 18.9 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2018. International revenue was $12.7 million in the third quarter, up 18.9 percent year-over-year.

Recent Highlights

AstroNova on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jean A. Bua, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., to its Board of Directors as a new independent director, effective immediately. A financial expert, Ms. Bua brings significant experience to the Board in the areas of accounting policy, internal controls and risk management.

AstroNova demonstrated innovative new tabletop and specialty printing solutions at Labelexpo Americas. Featured products included the Kiaro! QL-120 color label printer and the Trojan T4, a compact digital label press and finishing system that is ideal for small- to mid-sized commercial printers.

The Company introduced a new solution at PACK EXPO International that enables its TrojanLabel presses to digitally print food friendly, heat sealable, flexible packaging materials. The solution features novel ink and lamination that allows users to seal in both horizontal and vertical form fill and seal machines using low temperatures for high speed sealing.

Business Outlook

“We begin the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 with good momentum,” Woods said. “We continue to expect the second half of the fiscal year to outperform the first half, with gains in both Product Identification and Test & Measurement.”

Third-Quarter 2019 Operating Results

Total revenue was $34.2 million, an 18.9 percent increase over the prior year.

Gross profit was $13.9 million, or 40.7 percent of revenue, compared with $11.8 million, or 41.0 percent of revenue for the prior year.

Operating expenses were $11.5 million compared with $10.2 million in the prior-year period, primarily reflecting the Honeywell intangible amortization, costs associated with increased selling and marketing initiatives, and costs associated with the integration of the Honeywell printer line into the West Warwick, Rhode Island manufacturing facility. As a percentage of revenue, operating expenses decreased 150 basis points from the same period last year.

• Operating income was $2.4 million, a 6.9 percent margin, compared with $1.6 million, a 5.7 percent margin, in the prior year.
• Net income was $1.4 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, compared with net income of $1.4 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, in the prior year.
• Bookings increased 9.7 percent to $34.2 million from $31.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.
• Backlog at October 27, 2018 was $25.4 million, up 15.1 percent from $21.3 million at the end of the fiscal 2018 third quarter.

Third-Quarter 2019 Operating Segment Results

The Product Identification segment generated revenue of $21.7 million, a 6.0 percent increase compared with $20.5 million in the prior year, on higher sales of hardware and supplies. Segment operating income was $2.0 million, or 9.3 percent of revenue, versus $2.7 million, or 13.0 percent of revenue, in the prior year, due primarily to higher costs associated with new product development.

The Test & Measurement segment generated revenue of $12.5 million, a 50.7 percent increase from $8.3 million in the prior year, primarily reflecting the impact of the Honeywell asset purchase and licensing agreement. Segment operating income was $3.2 million, or 25.4 percent of revenue, versus $1.6 million, or 18.9 percent of revenue, in the prior year.

Hardware revenue was $13.1 million, a 39.4 percent increase from $9.4 million in the prior year. Supplies revenue was $18.1 million, a 9.0 percent increase from $16.6 million in the same period of fiscal 2018. Service/other revenue was $3.0 million, up 8.5 percent from the prior year.

Board Declares Quarterly Dividend

On November 19, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.07 per share. The dividend, which represents a cash dividend of $0.28 per share on an annualized basis, is payable on December 21, 2018, to shareholders of record on December 14, 2018.

Third-Quarter Fiscal 2019 Conference Call

AstroNova will conduct an investor conference call at 9:00 a.m. ET today. To participate on the conference call, please dial (877) 260-1479 (U.S. and Canada) or (334) 323-0522 (International) approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time and enter confirmation code 6597585.

Located in Alliance, Ohio, IML IMD Technology LLC specializes in the manufacturing of custom industrial robotics, end-of-arm tooling and in-mold labelling systems. A leader in the field of in-mold labelling technology development, IML IMD requires a local supplier for the delivery of reliable and compact in-mold labeling systems to help produce the most visually appealing products for its demanding customer base. For this, the company puts its faith in Meech International’s in-mold labeling equipment.

“With our busy schedules, IML IMD needs an equipment provider who can supply high quality products that can be quickly delivered and easily installed,” says Mike Ensinger, President of IML IMD Technology. “Meech, with its extensive range of in-mold labeling equipment and highly efficient service ticks all these boxes.”

Meech USA, also based in Ohio, has installed many of its static generation products at IML IMD’s facilities, including the 994IML-20kV Generator, 994 Hydra distributors, Hydra splitters and supply cables. These solutions have been helping IML IMD deliver high quality products to its customers for over ten years.

Meech’s static generation equipment works together to create a controlled static charge on a non-conductive material that will allow a temporary adhesion between surfaces with charges of opposite polarity.

“Meech’s products have worked very well since the moment they were installed,” continues Ensinger. “We have used chargers from other companies in the past and none were easy to install – some had very complicated wiring.”

Ensinger goes on to explain the ease with which Meech’s in-mold labeling products are integrated into IML IMD’s production: “Whenever we order new products from Meech, installation is always fast and simple. There are two wires to the 24-volt power system and two wires to a set of dry contacts for switching. The Hydra pinners provide the exact amount of power to the necessary points with no dead spots and voltage adjustments are carried out with just a single dial, removing all the guess work. The simple running of the Meech system, and its installation, makes product training very straightforward for our operators.”

With Meech systems being, as Ensinger puts it, “essentially ‘set it and forget it’”, there has been a very positive response from IML IMD’s customers: “Nothing is complicated, there are no constant adjustments, and once dialed in there is nothing else to do,” he adds.

The reliability of Meech’s in-mold labeling products has ensured a long-term partnership with IML IMD. Ensinger concludes: “I have never had to return a Meech charger for service – some have been running for ten years or more. Meech’s static charging equipment works from day one and keeps on going.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Meech for many more years to come.”

Matt Fyffe, Vice President and General Manager at Meech USA says: “For over a decade IML IMD has come to Meech for its static generation and in-mold labeling equipment and we’re delighted they have found our products to be the perfect solution for them, and their customers.

“Our ongoing collaboration with IML IMD has been a very pleasurable experience and we are looking forward to continuing our relationship with them in the future.”

The new Pro-Surveil kit for vertical form fill seal (VFFS) bagging provides a high-resolution video surveillance system, that enables fast precision calibration of combination weighers for proper product distribution

SAUKVILLE, Wis., (October 15, 2018) – Matrix Packaging Machinery, a product brand of ProMach, introduces Pro-Surveil, a simple to install, high resolution video surveillance system that increases the output of vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) bags by enabling operators on the production floor to precisely control mezzanine mounted combination weighers for proper product distribution at the start of the shift, during changeover, and throughout the day.

The Pro-Surveil kit is designed to increase machine throughput and improve employee productivity. It consists of a hospital-grade surveillance camera with analog color, a color monitor, wiring, and connectors. The camera and monitor are housed in washdown rated stainless steel protective casings for long service life. The Pro-Surveil can be used on any combination weigher and is VFFS independent.

The Pro-Surveil keeps operators on the production floor instead of climbing up and down mezzanine stairs, saving time when trying to calibrate product distribution. Current video systems for combination weighers feature digital cameras, which are notorious for producing grainy, low resolution, choppy images. Monitors for these systems also typically generate only a small, lower quality image display. The Pro-Surveil color analog camera, on the other hand, offers a pristine TV-quality image displayed across the entire monitor. With each detail of product distribution distinct, operators achieve maximum output from the combination weigher.

Easy to install Pro-Surveil kits are in stock and ready for shipment. See Matrix and their Pro-Surveil kit live in action at Pack Expo, Booth #S-3632. Also, on display will be other high-performance flexible packaging solutions including the Morpheus with SmartGate for high speed, quality sealing of narrow-width snack packaging; the new INV Pack MVA3 compact sachet machine; precision Toyo Jidoki premade pouch fillers and sealers; and the versatile FLtecnics roll stock pouch HFFS machine.

Westkey Graphics has announced that they have installed an SEI Labelmaster digital finishing machine, the first in Canada, to accompany its new HP 6900 digital press. Together, the two machines provide Westkey with a complete, true digital label production system.

Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Vancouver, Westkey Graphics Ltd. has become one of the largest and most successful print providers in its chosen markets. Part of the Stern Partners business group, the company provides organizations of all sizes with print products and services for their operational and marketing requirements. Westkey’s core competencies include commercial print, labels, business documents, roll products, packaging and display, digital print, wide format, new media, and print fulfillment services. The company’s label production has been growing at a great rate during the past ten years, becoming one of the major players in Vancouver.

“When we made the decision to invest in our HP digital press, we visited SEI Laser and tested the SEI Labelmaster finisher for a full day. We experimented with samples of our own work to see how it would look. We were impressed and made a deal right there,” remembers Alfie Karmal, President & CEO, Westkey Graphics Ltd. “SEI and Matik were very helpful. It took a few days to install and then they provided us a comprehensive day’s training. We were up and running the next day.”

The SEI Labelmaster offers true digital finishing, delivering on-the-fly cutting of a variety of printed jobs—including through cutting, kiss cutting, perforating, micro-perforating, and single pass engraving. With the Labelmaster digital system, jobs of one to one million labels can be cut without die tooling. This can all be done on roll to roll, roll to sheet, and roll to part cutting, producing intricate designs, cutting and engraving on a variety of substrates at speeds up to 330 feet per minute with quad lasers, with excellent quality.

True digital finishing enables label printers to proceed from a PDF file to ready-to-ship, finished and counted rolls. It eliminates steps such as creating separate die files and reducing die delivery and die station set-ups, which can take more time than the actual production of the labels.

“Most diecutting is mechanical. You have to build dies, and keep and replace them. I found the process slow. For us, true digital cutting is clean and simple. More important, we are not waiting for dies, which can take as long as a week. There are no longer specialized dies or a library for every label. That’s a big difference,” explains Karmal. “The cost of ownership is reduced because it is difficult to charge a customer for dies. It’s a sales cost that you cannot recover.

“The SEI Labelmaster also offers intricate cuts that are not possible on traditional diecutting machines, and it cuts on a wide variety of materials, such as synthetic and litho labels,” adds Karmal. “Ultimately, if we are making the labels the same way as everyone else, we are competing as a commodity. Now, we can produce different labels for our customers—something no one else can offer.

“Digital finishing has been huge for us. With many major investments, you do not see a cent for months,” concludes Karmal. “It doesn’t matter how much you print. If the job isn’t cut and finished, you cannot ship and bill for it. The SEI Labelmaster has accelerated our speed to market and opened up markets for us. The SEI Labelmaster and Matik have been great to work with.”

The Marchesini Group and SEA Vision - in partnership with Tecnopolo Mario Veronesi in Mirandola – took part in a symposium on a hot topic among experts, namely the new coding regulation of medical devices (MD) introduced by the European MD Regulation 2017/745. The medical devices involved are those used for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes, such as syringes, plasters, aerosols and artificial body parts, to mention just a few.

WHAT THE REGULATION MEANS

In short, the European Regulation determines the procedures bound to the new unmistakable coding regulations of the MDs registered on the European database“Eudamed”. The most important novelty is bound to the definition of new roles and obligations for importers and distributors, who in the past were exempt from such responsibilities, but which only manufacturers and proxies had. Over the next few years, all these operators will receive explicit mention and juridical acknowledgement of the obligations associated to their roles.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of Regulation 2017/745 are the following:

• to ensure greater traceability of the MDs and greater safeguard of public health and patient and user safety;
• to better monitor the MDs by Authorities and to have stricter after-sales checks;
• to improve purchase and waste disposal policies for hospitals and agents.

TRANSITION TIMES

From May 2017 to May 2020, the EC marking of medical devices according to the two current Directives for MDs (Directive 93/42/EEC and Directive 90/385/EEC) will start to change to the marking method of European Regulation MD 2017/745.

Even if the transition period could take up to May 2024 for devices certified by an appointed organisation according to the Directives in force, new certifications according to those Directives will no longer be issued as of May 27th, 2020.

European Authorities and Appointed Organisations will continue to monitor the EU market to make sure that all the MDs are safe and perform their expected function, be they marked EC according to the current Directives or to the new Regulation.

The regulatory documentation, such as the declaration of conformity, certificates, labels and instructions of use issued according to the current Directives, may be considered valid up to May 2024 and both types of devices can continue to be used and distributed regularly.

Actually Propadyn had a particular success because of it offers the possibility to stabilize the humidity at the level requested. Also Shockwatch product range against impacts had success, because offers more safety and confidence during shipment of your materials. But also our desiccant products range had its importance because completely usable within the PROPATECH VCI system.

The new OPTIMA ImmuFill made its debut appearance at Compamed. This machine dispenses (ancillary) reagents into bottles, topping off the range of products for manufacturing and packaging complete ELISA test kits. The subject of web converting for products such as transdermal patches and orally disintegrating films (ODFs) also met with great interest and was one of the reasons for Optima Life Science’s highly positive verdict on the trade fair.

A profile of the new machine

The OPTIMA ImmuFill was specifically designed for filling bottles with (ancillary) reagents. The rotary transfer machine dispenses the liquids in bottles of varying diameter and depth. As small batches are often produced in the diagnostics industry, it is essential that formats can be changed quickly. The machine only requires very few format parts, allowing the format to be changed in under 30 minutes.

One special feature is the integrated robot which inserts the bottles together with their caps into the star wheel. Only the robot’s vacuum cup needs to be switched when changing formats, which can be done particularly quickly and easily with a plug-in coupling. In addition, two-, four-, ten-, and one-hundred-milliliter bottles can be processed on one wheel.

The OPTIMA ImmuFill consists largely of aluminum components and is altogether a lot cheaper than machines from the pharmaceuticals industry, which predominantly uses stainless steel. Making the machine compact was also a key consideration. Occupying an area of three square meters, the machine is perfect for both smaller production spaces and for laboratories.

The system complements the modular OPTIMA ImmuCoat® machine platform, which covers the entire process of coating microtiter plates. Every process step required can be integrated into this platform. For instance, it includes incubators in which the microtiter plates are stored between the individual process steps. Also in the portfolio is the OPTIMA ImmuPouch machine, which packages the plates in three-side pouches and seals them. The OPTIMA Life Science machine range therefore covers the whole range of functions required for manufacturing and packaging complete test kits, including reagents.

Synergies within the Optima Packaging Group were systematically harnessed to design the OPTIMA ImmuFill, a process that saw Optima Life Science draw on the specific expertise of R+E Automation.

Web converting for transdermal patches and ODF products

Fair visitors were also very interested in the subject of web converting, especially the OPTIMA TDC 125. This is the ideal type of machine for new products and business areas in the field of transdermal patches (TDPs) and orally dissolving films (ODFs), which are manufactured in runs ranging from laboratory scale down to smaller batches. All production and packaging processes can be validated and later transferred to larger production machines as required. The scalable machine is suited to manufacturing product samples for clinical tests, for market launches, and for subsequent production. In its simplest form, the system works intermittently, but it can also be operated continuously with high throughput for mass production.

As a member of the COMEDCO alliance, Optima Life Science also offers complete solutions for TDS and ODF products. As well as the OPTIMA TDC 125, this includes manufacturing and coating the films for active substances. Both are done together with Oatema in Dormagen, which, as a development partner, can also provide support as required with its own laboratory.

Optima Life Science’s verdict on the trade fair

Optima Life Science came away from Compamed 2018 extremely satisfied. The excellent quality of contacts more than made up for the slight decrease in visitor numbers. This year, Optima Life Science received a particularly high number of prospective clients from the diagnostics industry thanks to the new OPTIMA ImmuFill machine and the complete solution for ELISA test kits. And the company from Schwäbisch Hall had every reason to be happy with how the trade fair went, with 70 percent of inquiries relating to specific projects and 70 percent of inquiries coming from new contacts.

Budenheim – November 26, 2018 Dairy products belong to a growing product group in global food consumption. Liquid dairy products are forecasted to grow by 30% between the years 2010 and 2020 to reach 350 billion liters. What will be essential for a sustainable growth of the industry will be a light, economic, environmental-friendly packaging of the products – while at the same time convenience demands increase continuously.

In this fast-growing product segment, the protection of the products through the packaging is crucial, since milk and dairy products are expected to keep their preferred taste, vitamin content, and color. Especially for long-life dairy products with a longer shelf life, this poses great challenges to the industry. The packaging must meet optimum aseptic and hygienic standards and protect its contents from external influences for at least the promised shelf-life. At the same time, however, consumers in the "to-go” era attach great importance to ensuring that the products, respectively their packaging, are handy, lightweight, easy to transport and, above all, reclosable.

In this context, the closure is just as crucial as the PET bottle itself. BERICAP supplies closures for dairy products in PET bottles worldwide. As one of the leading manufacturers of closures for bottles, BERICAP is the partner of choice for the dairy industry in all major markets. Special requirements are placed on closures for long life dairy products. "While closures for fresh milk must be primarily liquid-impermeable because of their short shelf life, in aseptically filled products additional protection against the ingress of microorganisms and impact of light is crucial”, says Christoph Thünemann, Group Director Communication and Marketing at BERICAP. For a long time, this greatly restricted the design of the packaging and thus the differentiation of the products at the POS. To achieve maximum opacity, special-colored master-batches that provide a UV barrier should be used. However, these limited the possible color variations.

BERICAP has succeeded in developing an optimal UV light barrier solution, which enables the production of screw caps in all colors. The product range encompasses light weight screw caps for 38mm neck and the 33mm neck and provides numerous customized closure solutions to this market. The 33 mm size has now become established as a new, user-friendly, weight-optimized closure – also for dairy products – in several European countries. Closure specifications for premium products like oxygen reduction or aseptic filling are not a challenge for the packaging experts from Budenheim in Germany. “Our closure solutions with incorporated oxygen scavenger – O2 reduced headspace bottles – provide maximum quality standards. And based on our vast experience in closure solutions for aseptic filling, we offer the necessary technical customer service, as well”, Thünemann explains.

Besides closures for PET or HDPE bottles, BERICAP, in cooperation with carton converters, offers carton fitment for various beverage carton packages. Those fitments are either pre- or post- applied to a beverage carton. Dairy products are usually filled in cold fill (e.g. pasteurized milk in the cold chain) or aseptic application (e.g. UHT milk).

Customization: Overcaps, decoration and custom design

BERICAP supplies both customized closure designs and overcaps which can be used for small volume promotions or for long-term customization of the package. They can be clipped onto almost all screw caps available in the company’s portfolio. “One of the most significant recognitions from market research and marketing theory is that a product’s customization strongly influences consumer behavior. It is a matter of course that we offer our customers a broad range of personalized and customized features so that their products stand out at the point of sale. Our solutions include top printing, embossing, debossing, laser coding and pad printing”, Thünemann concludes.

Leading aerosol dispensing company, Lindal Group has picked up the prestigious Aerosol Packaging Award for its Enhanced Mist Technology at the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association annual forum.

The company, which manufactures spray caps, valves and actuators for different types of aerosol products, collected the award at the BAMA 2018 awards ceremony held at Oulton Hall Hotel in Leeds on Tuesday 16th October.

Kashif Choudhry, Lindal Group Product Marketing Manager said: “Receiving an award win in this category and alongside other aerosol industry professionals is an excellent achievement. A combined and concerted effort from the Lindal team has gone into the research and design of EMT and it is very rewarding to know it has paid off.”

Lindal’s EMT is a versatile, two-parts insert capable of producing improved fine mist spray performance and facilitating a new integrated molding and assembly process. Purposely designed for low viscosity products like water and ideal for facial skin care mist, EMT is also operational with compressed air, as well as dip tube valves or Bag-on-valve systems.

Producing a quiet and soft sound, EMT technology also achieves a better spray performance with water-based products, reducing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which helps to improve indoor air quality.

EMT can be used with any standard actuators and is ideal for a number of different personal and homecare applications, including facial mist and air freshener.

Kashif concluded: “EMT is one of our most anticipated launches yet, the breadth of markets it is able to serve and the range of advantages and benefits it brings is something we are extremely proud to have achieved. Our packaging award win is further inspiration for us to continue to strive for excellence.”

[ORLANDO, FL – OCTOBER 2018] Machine tool importer and distributor Absolute Machine Tools, Inc. received the PMPA (Precision Machined Products Association) 2017-2018 Technical Member Participation award at the association’s annual meeting on October 6, 2018, in Orlando, Florida.

Technical Members of PMPA supply the machinery, tools, materials and other items used by manufacturers of precision products. The award recognizes suppliers who share their expertise and latest developments at national technical conferences, exhibit at the association’s Precision Machining Technology show, speak at chapter and national meetings and serve as PMPA leaders. Including Absolute Machine Tools, just seven of the association’s 170 technical members will receive the award.

In announcing award winners, the PMPA said, “Through their active participation, PMPA’s Technical Members contribute greatly toward keeping the Association thriving and progressive. Each company’s level of participation for the past year is measured, with those who are truly outstanding qualifying for the Technical Member Participation Award.”

Also in 2018, Absolute Machine Tools is marking its 30 th year as a machine tool importer and distributor in the United States. The company sells and supports a comprehensive selection ofmachine tools, including its Nexturn Swiss-type lathes and Lico multi-slide CNC screw machines and twin spindle multi-slide mill/turn centers of that are of particular interest to PMPA’s precision part making membership.

Absolute Machine Tools vice president of sales – production turning Greg Knight said the award “Demonstrates the knowledge, skill and commitment of the Absolute Machine Tools team to helping its customers maximize their productivity in any way possible.”

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT), a global leader in data visualization technologies, today announced that it has appointed Jean A. Bua, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT), to its Board of Directors as a new independent director, effective immediately and also announced that April Ondis has stepped down from the Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Jean to the Board as our fifth independent director,” said Greg Woods, AstroNova’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “She is well-versed in digital technology and has a track record of success in strategic planning, M&A and integration for high-growth global companies. Her financial acumen, corporate governance experience and technology background will be highly valuable to the Board as we execute on our long-term growth initiatives. At the same time, we are grateful to April for her service and commitment to the Board during the past three years.”

Ms. Bua, 60, has significant experience in the areas of accounting policy, internal controls and risk management. She has served as CFO and Treasurer of NETSCOUT since 2011, and is responsible for investor relations, treasury, financial planning and analysis, real estate development, accounting and compliance. A financial expert, Ms. Bua also is a member of the Board of Directors of CoreSite Realty Corporation, where she serves on the audit committee and nominating and governance committee.

“I’m honored to join the AstroNova Board and look forward to contributing my financial skills and governance expertise to helping the Company extend its leadership in data visualization,” Ms. Bua said.

Before joining NETSCOUT in 2010, Ms. Bua was Executive Vice President, Finance and Treasurer of publicly traded American Tower Corporation, where she worked from 2005 to 2010. Prior to that she spent nine years at publicly traded Iron Mountain Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. Ms. Bua also has served in senior roles at Duracraft Corp. and Keithley Instruments. She began her career as an auditor for KPMG and was a management consultant at Ernst & Young.

Ms. Bua earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from Bryant University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island.

• The winning team prevailed against 14 competitors from all ALTANA divisions
• The strong innovative strength of the additive flagship product BYK®-3560 extends BYK’s leading market position

Wesel, Germany, November 15, 2018 – The specialty chemicals company ALTANA presented the ALTANA Innovation Award for the seventh time. This year, the redevelopment of specific additives was awarded. As an international team of the BYK division, Byungdu Bae, Dr. Marc Eberhardt, Mark Heekeren and Dr. Guillaume Jaunky developed a new family of hydrophilic additives based on advanced technologies and, most notably, brought the flagship BYK®-3560 from the lab onto the market. The product series is highly innovative due to the fact that it offers completely new solutions for recoatability in multilayered systems.

From left to right: Dr. Juergen Omeis (ALTANA AG), Dr. Marc Eberhardt (BYK-Chemie GmbH),

Mark Heekeren (BYK-Chemie GmbH), Dr. Petra Severit (ALTANA AG),

Dr. Guillaume Jaunky (BYK-Chemie GmbH), Jeong-sik Shin (BYK Korea LLC),

Dr. Horst Sulzbach (BYK-Chemie GmbH) (Mr. Jeong-sik Shin representing the

Korea team in the absence of Mr. Byungdu Bae)

“We are pleased to honor outstanding teamwork and state-of-the-art technology with the ALTANA Innovation Award again this year. Taking a completely new approach, the winners were able to establish an innovative product family of hydrophilic additives on the market. As a result, BYK’s leading position in this segment is further supported,” said Dr. Petra Severit, CTO ALTANA AG.

Various unresolved issues with recoatability were the drivers and motivation for developing new products with new technical solutions. With BYK®-3560 the team took a new, innovative path by drastically increasing the surface energy of coatings and thus significantly improving the adhesion of subsequent coats. “We are proud to have secured a further competitive edge for BYK with our innovative additive product series and thus successfully positioned ourselves for the future,” said Dr. Guillaume Jaunky from the winning BYK team.

The BYK Team prevailed against 14 strong teams from the four ALTANA divisions. The submitted projects were evaluated based on different criteria. The innovative strength of the projects played a role, as well as the economic advantage that the company can gain from the implementation.

The ability to design bespoke magnetizing fixtures for post-assembly magnetization will be the focus for Bunting Magnetics on stand C22 at the Engineering Design Show on October 17-18, 2018 (Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK).

Bunting Magnetics is a world leader in the supply of Magnetizers (Chargers) and Fixtures, Bespoke Technical Magnetic Assemblies, and Magnets. The European manufacturing and design headquarters for these magnetizers are based in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire.

These magnetizers and fixtures are made exclusively by Bunting Magnetics Europe in Berkhamsted and nowhere else in the world.

Permanent magnets and magnetic assemblies are fundamental to the operation of electric motors, wind turbines, computers, and cars. There is a rise in the product design of new technology that relies on high-intensity magnetic forces. However, very strong permanent magnets, such as Neodymium, are difficult and dangerous to handle.

Post-assembly magnetization of permanent magnet assemblies offers many advantages in the design and manufacturing process. There are considerable savings in assembly time due to the difficulties of handling charged magnets. This also improves the safety and health of the workforce by removing the need to handle dangerous magnetized parts. Additionally, it is easier to safely store a magnet assembly if it has not been magnetized.

The ability to model magnets after magnetization during the design phase is an invaluable tool in assessing the feasibility of post-assembly magnetization. Bonded isotropic permanent magnetic rotors and sintered Halbach permanent magnet rotors are both ideal for post-assembly magnetization.

There are a number of key design criteria to consider when magnetizing sintered Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) magnet rotors. The design process must include consideration for saturating the pole transition regions. The right energy required to saturate the whole rotor is also fundamental to the design. In order to achieve post-assembly magnetization, a compromise in the system design may be needed.

In all projects, the method of magnetization should be considered as early as possible in the design phase.

Bunting Europe’s engineering team, based at the UK headquarters in Berkhamsted, are tasked with designing magnet assemblies that can be magnetized post-assembly. Using onsite magnetizers and modeling, the engineers are able to determine the optimum configuration for a specific application. This UK-based expertise is a unique service in the industry.

Bunting’s engineers will be at stand C22 at the Engineering Design show on October 17-18 to discuss and offer advice on specific magnet applications.

To learn more about magnetizers for post-assembly magnetization, or to locate a Bunting representative in your area, please contact Bunting Magnetics.

WEST WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOT), a global leader in data visualization technologies, will issue its third-quarter fiscal 2019 earnings release before the market opens on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 and host a conference call for investors at 9:00 a.m. ET.

To participate on the conference call, please dial (877) 260-1479 (U.S. and Canada) or (334) 323-0522 (International) approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time and enter confirmation code 6597585. You can hear a replay of the conference call from 12:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, November 21 until 12:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, November 28 by dialing (888) 203-1112 (U.S. and Canada) or (719) 457-0820 (International). The passcode is 6597585.

A real-time and an archived audio webcast of the call will be available through the “Investors” section of the AstroNova website, https://investors.astronovainc.com.

WILLIS, Texas (Nov. 8, 2018) – InkJet, Inc. has recently introduced its MacroCode Large Character Drop on Demand (DOD) printing system that is suitable for use in a wide range of industrial printing applications in all types of environments and substrates.

The MacroCode printing system offers the fastest print speed available on the market at 575 feet per minute and includes a stainless-steel ink container, an auto-flushing system, and optional IP65 configuration.

InkJet, Inc’s MacroCode printing system operates in temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius to 45 degrees Celsius with software that is available in many languages.

“InkJet, Inc.’s MacroCode small printhead delivers large, clear dots and is easy to install and operate. End users who purchase this system can expect reliable DOD coding. The robust, compact design and structure of the MacroCode printing system is built for environments with materials like lumber, concrete, insulation and large pallets that require visible codes from a distance,” explained Omar Torres, Product Manager for InkJet, Inc. “End users have the option of specifying a mode that uses fast-drying ink that can print on either porous or non-porous substrates, making it ideal for any printing application for which large, readable characters are needed.”

Budenheim, Germany - 05. November 2018 With its latest product innovation BERICAP, one of the world’s leading plastic closure manufacturers, is underlining its role as an impulse-generating player in the market. A new video available on YouTube and YOUKU shows the most outstanding advantages of the new SK60/31 MAB MDR TAP closures.

“With our SK60/31 MAB MDR TAP closure system we developed a safe, convenient and time-saving capping system without contamination that fits most DIN 60 necks”, explains Jörg Thiels, Member of the BERICAP Group board. “It significantly simplifies the use of tap closures and is one example of successful research & development efforts at BERICAP.”

While the usual DIN 60 tap closures on the market are only ready to use after four complicated steps are performed - unscrew, drill to access the orifice, re-screw and screw-in the tap - and are therefore rather inconvenient, unclean and complicated, BERICAP’s innovative closure system is absolutely easy to handle. Just one simple step has to be taken to make products with a BERICAP closure ready for use. It is no longer necessary to remove the closure to apply the tap, and no additional tools are required. The protective membrane breaks without falling into the filled product when the tap is applied. Since the closure does not come into contact with any other items like a drill, the closure and the filled product remains absolutely clean and hygienic.

The closure is suitable for most DIN 60 neck finishes and allows an efficient capping process. Since it is also possible to use it as a standard closure, it can be considered a 2in1 closure solution. Naturally, it passes UN approval tests and is as well-suited for the food sector. Furthermore, a tamper-evidence band is included.

BERICAP is well-known for caps and closures that surpass the usual packaging solution standards. “One major focus of BERICAP’s R&D efforts is consumer convenience, while fulfilling customers’ expectations regarding high-performance packaging”, Thiels explains. “This is one important reason for BERICAP to invest several mil EUR per year for product development, research and improving the production process.”

The video on YouTube and YOUKU showing the main product features is part of a new video series about product highlights at BERICAP. The videos show the main product features, presented in an animated way rendering the product-unique propositions easily and quickly comprehensible. More information about one of the biggest closure ranges in the markets can be found online at www.bericap.com and in our BERICAP CapFinder.