Flexible Packaging articles from August 2006

Flexible Packaging archives from August 2006

'Complete converters' may be future of industry.(EDITOR'S FORUM)
August 1, 2006... During the height of this summer's record-setting heat wave, I found myself near the center of mainland USA's 48-contiguous states--100 miles south of the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch in Jackson, MO, at Nordenia USA's fully-integrated...

Pliant out of Bankruptcy.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Pliant Corporation has satisfied all closing conditions of its financial restructuring plan and exited Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. Conditions of the plan include instituting a $200 million senior-secured revolving credit facility with...

Harper kicks off 2006 road show in Charlotte.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Anilox supplier Harper Corporation kicked off its 2006 Solutions Tour at the Harper Campus of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, N.C., to a large audience and high praise. "It was great," said Rob Pfister, flexo group...

Acquisition for Apollo Sheeters.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Apollo Sheeters Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... In an agreement with The Bobst Group, newly formed Apollo Sheeters Ltd. has acquired the sheeting machinery business previously operated by Atlas Converting Equipment under the Apollo trade name. Christopher Rogers, founder and former CEO...

Alcan to close UK plant.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
August 1, 2006... As part of a proposed reorganization, Alcan, Inc. intends to shutter its British food converting facility, Midsomer Norton, by the end of 2006. "The proposed measures are due to challenging business realities and consistent with consolidating...

Loparex Group acquires Douglas-Hanson Company.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
August 1, 2006... Loparex Group of Willowbrook, IL, the leading manufacturer of release coated papers and films, has acquired the Douglas-Hanson Company of Hammond, WI, which extrudes polycoated papers for the packaging industry and manufactures silicone-coated...

Joint effort yields world record.(NEWSBRIEFS)
August 1, 2006... Using a new series of presses designed by Fischer & Krecke, the Excelsior Packaging Group set a world record for printing speed of a flexible package. During various print runs on an F & K Flexpress 36 S, Excelsior reached a speed of a...

MFM Group to manage FTA meetings.(NEWSBRIEFS)
August 1, 2006... The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) announced the selection of MFM Group, Inc. as the exclusive manager of its meetings. MFM will assist FTA and its foundation with the planning, negotiation and execution of its conferences,...

Calendar.(NEWSBRIEFS)(Calendar)
August 1, 2006... October 30-31: Emerging Technologies in Plastic Packaging Symposium Chicago, IL; (973) 446-9531; www.innoplastsolutions.com.

CMM International appoints editorial/conference director.(MILESTONES)
August 1, 2006... Keith Hevenor, editor of electronic publishing at PennWell and an established authority on prepress and electronic publishing issues, has assumed the newly created role of editorial and conference director for CMM International. Hevenor will...

Novatec appoints VP for system sales.(MILESTONES)
August 1, 2006... Novatec, Inc. has appointed Donald Wood as the regional vice president for systems sales in the western part of the United States. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Harper appoints new president.(MILESTONES)
August 1, 2006... Margaret Harper Kluttz, executive vice president of Harper Corporation, was named president of the global anilox supplier on July 1. A daughter of founders Ron and Katherine Harper, Kluttz has held various positions for the past 34 years,...

The FPA examination of globalization.(FPA UPDATE)
August 1, 2006... Globalization is a hot-button issue within the flexible packaging industry. From converters to equipment and material suppliers, the impact of the "global marketplace" is significant and continues to grow. The FPA Board of Directors recognizes...

FPA releases First Quarter 2006 Pulse of the Industry Report.(FPA UPDATE)(flexible packaging)(Industry overview)
August 1, 2006... The First Quarter 2006 Pulse of the Industry Report is the most recent report in a series detailing the performance of the flexible packaging industry. The focus of the Report is short term, examining the first quarter 2006 versus the most...

Call for Entries: 2007 FPA Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge.(FPA UPDATE)
August 1, 2006... The Flexible Packaging Association's Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge is a great opportunity for students currently enrolled in a packaging, design, food science, engineering or related discipline to develop a flexible packaging...

Flexible insights: Stick-Pack shakes up product innovation and drives flexible packaging sales.(VIEW POINT)
August 1, 2006... Have you noticed that there is a new "slender" pouch format beginning to make dramatic inroads in the North American market? That new package is the exciting Stick-Pack format which is being adopted by both small and large Consumer Product...

Must-have management software solutions: flexible packaging sat down with Kip Johnson at PlastiSoft to discuss the state of the management software segment and get his thoughts on what's next.(UP CLOSE)(Plastisoft Corporation)(Interview)
August 1, 2006... Q: What are the differences between a conventional ERP system versus industry-specific ERP software? A: There are two definite advantages to selecting industry specific software: Cost: "A one size fits all" program will sometimes cost...

Nordenia: a true one-stop shop; Nordenia's strengths include service, technology and quick turn-around times, when applicable, and with an impressive array of equipment and capabilities, it may be the only true one-stop flexible packaging supplier in the United States.(Cover story)(Company overview)
August 1, 2006... What sets one flexible packaging company apart from the rest? What makes a company unique? What can a company use as a point of differentiation and set itself apart from the pack? These types of questions are asked by executive management teams...

Getting your ROI from RFID: finding the return on investment from a technology such as radio frequency identification can be difficult. Hard work is required to determine specific applications that can be improved, then one must figure out what RFID options best fit the opportunities presented by those improvements.(SPECIAL REPORT)
August 1, 2006... A quote from the great Albert Einstein makes a good analogy for the struggle manufacturers and the supply chain are having with RFID: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." [ILLUSTRATION...

Handle with care: roll handling equipment design and installation require specialized engineering and system integration expertise. If machine shops or material handling vendors get in over their heads, customers are often left holding the bag while losing expensive production time.(TECH REPORT)
August 1, 2006... Industrial roll handling is a complex science, requiring equipment designers and installers to understand not only the best way to wind or unwind and transport rolls of material, but also how the material itself will behave in the process and...

The six phases of roll handling: Craig Thomson, marketing manager/regional manager at Martin Automatic, Inc., offers his views on the tricky art of roll handling.(TECH REPORT)
August 1, 2006... Thinking about the topic, there are probably six phases of roll handling, at least as it pertains to printing (disregarding how the roll gets to and leaves the printing plant). A roll must move 1) from inventory to machine-side, 2) from...

CPP EXPO educational program a must-attend event: the converting and packaging printing Expo's educational program focuses on converting operation fundamentals and innovations in flexible packaging.(TRADE SHOW PREVIEW)
August 1, 2006... CPP EXPO 2006 October 29-November 2 McCormick Place, Chicago, IL www.cppexpo.com Sharing the hottest news, ideas, services and technology from the converting/packaging and printing industry, the CPP EXPO 2006 will take place...

LabelExpo to take Chicago by storm in September: thousands of industry professionals to converge on Chicago at LabelExpo Americas 2006, seeking educational and networking opportunities.(TRADE SHOW PREVIEW)
August 1, 2006... LabelExpo Americas 2006 September 11-14 Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL www.labelexpo-americas.com Chicago will be ground-zero for four days in September as thousands of converters, suppliers, and brand...

MACtac to launch new pressure-sensitive solutions at LabeLexpo 2006.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Illustrating its forward-thinking approach to product development, MACtac will launch several exciting new products at LabelExpo 2006. These products include direct thermal and laser pharmacy labels, the all-new ultra removable adhesive and...

UV curing technology combines highest speed curing with superior control.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... The newly designed Prime UV S-2100 MiniScan 3C, incorporates the highly efficient--low heat Prime UV curing technology with the state-of-the-art Prime UV Smart 2100 control platform. Customized--Compact--Cool, the Prime UV MiniScan 3C...

Flexo press provides print quality and productivity.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... The C2 Series from Comco aims to redefine web technology and take controlled printing performance to a new level. The foundation of C2, the Intelligent Drive System (I-Drive), combines servo technology with advanced print-management controls to...

New press offers integrated servo technology.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Mark Andy's XP5000 label press uses the leading adaptation of servo technology, complete with a fully integrated design. The system allows automatic registration, precision pre-registration and re-registration, as well as an exlusive operating...

Shrink film inks work alone or together.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... New water-based and UV ink systems from Water Ink Technologies create high graphic quality, performance, and production speed for shrink film applications. Using unique shrink sleeve ink formulations, the ink systems uphold their signature...

Silage film line benefits from design advances.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Battenfeld Gloucester Engineering has applied technological advances to its silage blown stretch film line, improving the nip design, processing rates, layer ratios, PIB levels, and winding tensions to maximize quality and output rates. ...

Inline Foiler reduces costs of printing.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... The InlineFoiler PRINDOR from MAN Roland incorporates foiling into the printing cycle, eliminating the use of metallized-laminated substrates and hot foil stamping. The cold foil technique produces sharper resolution and edge definition, and...

Mirror finish produces "flawless" film extrusions.(HOT PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2006... Optical mirror finishes on Webex chill rolls yield smooth, clear finishes on plastic film and sheet extrusions. Using progressively finer stones or grits to smooth a roll surface, the finishes range from 0.1 to .5 RA, which is considered...

Ampac Flexibles provides Wyeast Laboratories with retort pouches for yeast product line.(EDITOR'S CHOICE)
August 1, 2006... Wyeast Laboratories, Inc. based in Hood River, OR, launched its first line of pure liquid yeast for making beer and wine using 50- and 125-ml retortable standup pouches from Ampac Flexibles, a unit of Ampac Packaging, LLC. This is the nation's...

New antifogger designed specifically for polypropylene.(EDITOR'S CHOICE)
August 1, 2006... Techmer PM's antifogging agent (PPM 12927), designed specifically for polyethylene and thermoformable sheets, has been approved by the FDA for indirect food contact. "Many suppliers of polypropylene films still use antifogging additives...