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Converting Industry News - Convertech, Inc
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Paper, Film, and Foil Converter
Paper, Film, and Foil Converter News
Label & Narrow Web Breaking News
Breaking News from Label & Narrow Web - Visit us at http://www.labelandnarrowweb.com
- TLMI converters are inspired by speakers at West Coast meeting
Palm Springs, California, is the setting for the 2010 TLMI Converter Meeting, which began Sunday night and which drew representatives ofnearly 50 label printing companies. The late winter meeting, which is limited to label converters and those suppliers who are active on committees and the board of directors of the Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute, comprises four days of networking, business sessions, and recreation. On Tuesday evening the awards for Best Managed Companies will be announced at a banquet.
Monday’s business session began with a presentation by Peter Ricchiuti, an economist who teaches at Tulane University. Ricchiuti predicted that energy prices will remain high; demand is strong in China and India, but supply is weak. New gasoline refineries will lower prices, he said, but construction of these in the United States faces a strong challenge by the NIMBY – Not In My Back Yard – folks.
Attacking what he calls a financial myth surrounding unemployment and the stock market, Ricchiuti cited as fact that an unemployment rate above 6.6 percent is accompanied by stock returns at or above 20 percent, and that unemployment below that number yields an annual stock return of about 7.5 percent. Interest rates will rise, he said, probably in the second quarter. “This is good and it means that the economy is in good shape,” he added.
Jason Jennings, an author and a researcher, presented to attendees some of the findings he has gleaned from his study of tens of thousands of companies, explaining the attributes that separate the most successful from the crowd. The first trait, he said, is cause: “Leadership in companies that grow consistently do what they do and turn it into a cause. A cause is big and bold, inclusive, the non-financial reason for doing what you do.” Causes fix things that are wrong, give meaning to people’s lives, drive momentum, fuel passion, and build cultures. “Hire people who want to be at your company,” he said, “who want to make it a better place. You can train people to do a job, but hire an attitude before aptitude.”
The second trait Jennings illustrated is the ability of leaders to let go. “An inability to let go of yesterday’s ways is what will be the demise of a company. Let go and you will be better able to deal with change.
Trait No. 3 is that everyone in a successful company knows the strategy. “If people are not emotionally attached to the company’s strategy,” he said, “they are not connected to their work.” The fourth trait is to get everyone to act like owners: “Everyone neeeds to understand how what they do creates economic value.”
And the fifth trait of companies that grow consistently is that the leaders are stewards. “A steward,” Jennings says, “values service over short term interest, abandons power over others, and knows that the only thing that counts is people and taking care of them.
“By their nature stewards share knowledge with workers, are accessible daily to workers and customers, and keep their hands dirty: They stay a part of the day-to-day business; the more you step away, the worse your company will perform. Stewards are called to serve, to give people the opportunity to grow personally, professionally and economically,” he said.
- Dean Scarborough to become Avery Dennison board chairman
The board of directors of Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE:AVY) has elected President and CEO Dean A. Scarborough to succeed Kent Kresa as chairman of the board, and has selected Director David E. I. Pyott to be the lead independent director. Pyott, chairman and chief executive officer of Allergan Inc., is one of 10 independent directors on Avery Dennison’s 12-person board.
The changes will take effect upon Kresa’s retirement on April 22 at the annual shareholders meeting, in accordance with Avery Dennison’s policy that directors retire at the age of 72. As chairman, Scarborough will continue in his roles as president and chief executive officer.
Avery Dennison Chairman Kent Kresa says, “In the five years that Dean Scarborough has been CEO, he has led Avery Dennison’s global expansion and guided the Company during an exceptionally challenging recession. He has built a strong management team and led the development and implementation of a sound strategy for future growth. I have enjoyed working with Dean and my other fellow directors, and I am confident in the new leadership structure of the board.”
David Pyott says, “Kent Kresa has guided the Avery Dennison board with a steady hand, and we have benefited immensely from his deep experience as chairman. We wish him all the best. In my additional role as lead independent director, I look forward to continuing Kent’s practice of fostering active and engaged participation by all board members.”
“Kent Kresa has been a great role model and mentor, and I am honored to succeed him as chairman,” says Dean Scarborough. “Our board participates vigorously in the development of our Company’s strategic direction, and I will continue to execute on our vision of the future on behalf of our shareholders.
“Our proposed governance changes reflect our intention to keep our practices aligned with shareholder interests and demonstrate our continued commitment to good corporate governance,” Scarborough adds.
Scarborough, 54, has been president and CEO of Avery Dennison since 2005. He joined Avery Dennison in 1983 and has served in increasingly responsible management, marketing and operations leadership roles in its converting and materials businesses. In 1990, he was promoted to vice president and general manager, Fasson Roll North America. Five years later, he moved to the Netherlands to lead Roll Materials Europe. He returned to the US in 1997, when he was appointed group vice president, Fasson Roll North America and Roll Materials Europe. He was promoted to group vice president, Roll Materials Worldwide two years later and, in 2000, was elected president and chief operating officer of Avery Dennison.
- Narrow Web Print Awards planned by Flint Group for Labelexpo Americas
Flint Group will present the 6th Annual Narrow Web Print Awards at Labelexpo Americas in Chicago this year, celebrating excellence and entrepreneurship in narrow web printing. Label converters from all over the world who use Flint’s inks are invited to submit labels of their choosing for evaluation by a panel of industry judges. Criteria for judging includes registration, smoothness of dot/vignette, overall print quality, and degree of difficulty. Entries will be placed in categories relating to technology and application.
This year a new award will be given. The Force Award is dedicated to companies whose entries are printed using Flint’s new Flexocure Force inks. “We want to reward entrepreneurs using Flexocure Force in narrow web by introducing this special category,” says Niklas Olsson, brand manager for Flint Group Packaging & Narrow. “Flexocure Force is a universal product with unique features that pushes the boundaries in UV Flexo printing, and we want to celebrate the creativity and printability this technology provides.”
The 2010 award winners will be announced at the Narrow Web Print Award Ceremony at the Flint Group booth (840) at Labelexo Americas on Thursday, September 16.
Entry Guidelines are as follows:
• Each entry must be printed using inks from Flint Group Narrow Web.
• Entries can be a commercial label, or a promotional label.
• Entries can be sent in roll or sheet form.
• Entries should be received no later than August 1.
• Entries can be submitted through your local sales representative. Alternatively, contact Niklas Olsson in Europe at niklas.olsson@flintgrp.com, or Deanna Whelan in the United States at deanna.whelan@flintgrp.com.
- Sun Chemical to raise ink prices in North American Funds
Faced with increases in the costs of raw materials and the impact of recent events in the global supply chain, Sun Chemical says it will raise prices in North America by 4 percent for packaging liquid inks with a specific increase of $0.40/lb on bronze metallic inks, 6 percent for energy curable inks, and $0.75/lb for commercial sheetfed blended colors, effective April 1.
“Raw materials and energy cost volatility have had a strong impact on the ink industry over the past 18 months,” says Tony Renzi, vice president, product management liquid inks, North American Inks. “Non-traditional factors recently began impacting the price of major feedstocks and raw materials, including supply base consolidation and capacity curtailment, significant decline in refinery margins, and rationalized operating rates to diminish demand. The combination of these factors has led to elevated fixed costs on raw material goods.
“Due to the consolidation of raw material suppliers, we now have fewer industry supply options to choose from. Until we see an improvement in demand or a supply correction is made in the raw materials industry, we will continue to face a higher cost in manufacturing inks.
Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, USA, Sun Chemical is the world’s largest producer of printing inks and pigments and a leading provider of materials to packaging, publication, coatings, plastics, cosmetics, and other industrial markets. With annual sales of $3.5 billion, Sun Chemical has 10,000 employees supporting customers around the world.
- Spinnaker Coating launches new substrates
Spinnaker Coating has introduced Semi Gloss Layflat, a paper substrate engineered to remain stable and flat after flexo and laser printing. The company also has launched 4 mil TC Matte White Polypropylene.
The company says that the Semi Gloss Layflat is ideal for businesses that would like to print a large quantity of labels for economy and ease of color matching using flexography, and then customize the labels by adding variable data with a laser printer. The product has archival quality and is appropriate to use for scrapbooking, and is well suited for hand-applied labels, boutique food labels, address labels, ID labels, scrapbooking/archival documents, and point of purchase products. The material meets requirements of ANSI/NISO Standard (Z39.48-1992) and Photographic Activity Test (ISO 18916). Semi Gloss Layflat is available on Spinnaker’s Trimless program.
The 4 mil TC Matte White Polypropylene features extra thickness, which allows it to have success in thermal transfer machines, according to Spinnaker. The stiffness is ideal for print-and-apply and print-and-present label applications, In addition to thermal transfer, it can also be flexo, letterpress, and screen printed. The facestock is available Trimless with adhesive options.
Spinnaker Coating is based in Troy, OH, USA.
- FFTA offers free FIRST press operator course at forum
The Foundation of FTA’s TEST (Technical Education Services Team) will offer a complimentary pre-conference FIRST Press Operator Certification – Level I course for anyone who is registered to attend the association’s Annual Forum, scheduled for May 2-5 at the Paris Las Vegas.
The course, which normally runs $495 per person, is the first in a three-tiered certification process designed to educate operators and production personnel in both basic and advanced techniques for consistent and repeatable printing in any segment of the flexo industry. All three levels are closely aligned with the specifications espoused in FIRST (Flexographic Image Reproduction Specifications & Tolerances). At the completion of the course, attendees will be administered the Level I Certification exam and can then begin the Level II and III courses via the online TEST Virtual Campus, to ultimately win their FIRST Press Operator Certifications.
“Let’s face it, what separates top-notch printing/converting companies from the rest of the pack is their human capital – their knowledge and skills are the most critical element for success,” says Joe Tuccitto, FTA Director of Education. “If you don’t have a well trained, knowledgeable workforce, how can you possibly expect to see increased business and repeat orders? That’s why we’re offering this free course. We want to help organizations get a jump-start to achieving their certifications, so that they can meet, with ease, CPC demands of speed, quality and cost-effectiveness.”
The free course is available to those who are registered to attend FFTA’s Annual Forum and who have booked their sleeping rooms at Paris Las Vegas. For more information on FFTA’s Annual Forum and Info*Flex Exhibition and the FIRST Certification Program, visit www.flexography.org.
- Redesigned Acpo website is bilingual
Acpo Ltd., a self-wound overlaminate polypropylene and polyester film manufacturer, has relaunched its company web site, www.acpo.com. The site offers a complete redesign, color scheme with new photos and navigation menu for easy access to product and company information.
The site is presented in both English and Spanish versions. It offers self-wound overlaminate product content with descriptions and application examples, and hosts two educational discussion forums, the first supporting industry technical topics in “Tape Talk,” and the second teaching Lean Manufacturing principles in “Dave’s Business Blog.”
The website also includes product of the month specials, various pages to assist with frequently asked questions (FAQs), request for quotes (RFQs) and email registration for product announcements.
ISO 9001:2008 certified, Acpo is located in Oak Harbor, OH, USA.
- QSX Labels installs a new Omet Flexy press
Quik Stik Label Co. – Xygraphix (QSX Labels) of Everett, MA, USA, has purchased an Omet Flexy 10” wide press with eight color capacity, hot and cold foil, combination UV/hot air drying, and interchangeable units for flexo and rotary screen.
QSX Labels owner Robert Karess says, “The Omet Flexy provides us not only with additional production capacity but also the ability to offer detailed decorative labels that our customers are expecting us to provide. We considered many different presses before choosing Omet. We were very impressed with the overall technology, design and mechanical construction built into the Flexy as well its outstanding web tension control and print registration. This press allows for easy slide-out print cassettes for fast changeovers, which is absolutely essential in today’s short-run market and also provides an extremely short web path which ultimately reduces waste and increases job versatility.”
The company serves the specialty food and beverage, high technology, consumer goods, chemical, industrial, and personal care industries. “We’ve built our business by being quality and service driven,” says Karess. “Our customers demand a quality product with short lead times. To meet this demand, we have to be very flexible and always have the capabilities, capacities and skills to deliver. The addition of the Omet Flexy will help us continue delivering the level of service we are known for as well as enable us to expand our product offering.”
Adds Operation Manager John Douglas, “I have worked with many high end presses during my 20-year career and I have never seen a press designed so efficiently or effectively. This press really produces incredible work and is extremely versatile – you really could not ask for more from a press.” Omet presses are manufactured in Lecco, Italy. Matik, Inc., West Hartford, CT, USA, is the sales and service agent for Omet in the US and Canada.
- Tesa tapes are out of this world – literally
Innovations in spacecraft development within the past 20 years have led to the ability to deploy many spacecraft vehicles on more than one space mission, a feat not possible prior to the launch of the US Space Shuttle Program. With the ability to re-commission spacecraft came the need to mark and identify spacecraft parts and components for inventory and warranty purposes. To meet this need, NASA launched the MISSE (Mission International Space Station Experiment), an experiment designed to test the durability and readability of both human and machine-readable markings and part identifiers after being exposed to environmental elements of the low earth orbit environment (50 to 1,240 miles above earth’s surface) for an extended time period.
To date, NASA has conducted several MISSE experiments, each one containing an array of marked and coded sample materials to be positioned on the exterior of the International Space Station for a defined period of time, and then removed and returned to earth to be inspected for readability. Each of the sample materials is exposed to harsh environmental conditions, including vacuums, solar ultraviolet radiation, micrometeoroids, space debris, atomic oxygen, and deep thermal cycles.
Working closely with NASA through one of tesa’s laser label customers (Sys-Tec Corp.), a tesa associate recommended a tesa labeling product for inclusion in the MISSE 6 Experiment. After gaining acceptance to the mission, the tesa Secure 6973 PV3 laser engraved label was prepared for its first space mission. The tesa Secure 6973 PV3 label is designed to work with select laser engraving machinery to produce custom marking and coding labels for new and replacement parts within a variety of industries.
Prior to launching the MISSE 6 on March 11, 2008, NASA representatives photographed each coded sample specimen and tested each for readability to document its pre-flight status. After being placed on the exterior surface of the International Space Station, the coded specimens, including the tesa Secure 6973 PV3 laser engraved label, remained in orbit for one year and 130 days.
Upon retrieval from orbit, each coded specimen was again photographed and tested for readability using select reading devices. The tesa Secure 6973 PV3 was successfully read with various scanning devices and is now considered one of the acceptable marking and coding methods for NASA.
- Western Shield Label adds a Mark Andy LP3000 press
Western Shield Label Company, a Southern California area label converter, recently acquired a 13” Mark Andy LP3000 10-color UV flexo press. With its quick-change architecture, short web path and tooling compatibility with the current presses in the company’s stable, the investment will help Western Shield maintain short lead times and a competitive cost structure, says CEO Frank Connelly.
“I am really excited about this investment," Connelly says. “The LP3000 provides us with some additional high quality capacity which will enable us to continue growing our business in a measured way while, at the same time, maintaining the quality and service that our customers have come to expect. We remain committed to continuously investing in superior equipment, employees, and materials.”
“In light of our growth and increased demands on production, this is a critical investment for the company," adds Tamar Santana, production manager. “It is important that our customers continue to get their labels on time or early. This press will allow us to do just that, while maintaining our stringent quality standards. In addition, the 13” width allows us to run multiple labels across the web, increasing efficiency and lowering costs to our customers.”
Western Shield Label Company, headquartered in Rancho Dominguez, CA, USA, has been providing custom printed labels and packaging for manufacturers, distributors, and brokers in Southern California and throughout North America since 1970.
- Shrink sleeves take center stage at Clemson seminar
“Think before you Shrink” is the name of a free seminar on shrink sleeves to be held March 29-31 at Clemson University’s Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics. The event will feature presentations by experts in the business, as well as demonstrations of the full shrink-film production process by Omet, EskoArtwork, Anderson & Vreeland, Harper, Karlville Development, Flint Group, and others.
Featured speakers include Ron Ryback, president of Ryback & Ryback Consulting Inc., who has more than five decades of flexible packaging experience; and Will Schretzman, director of packaging and technical sales at Verst Logistics Group, who has worked in the printing and converting industry for over 25 years.
The main feature of the seminar will be the hands-on demonstration of the entire shrink film decorating process. Attendees will see two bottle shapes designed, imaged, printed, seamed and shrunk to a finished product.
Sponsors and their technologies include: EskoArtwork’s 3D design in Illustrator using Studio and Visualizer, and the North American introduction of Toolkit for Shrink Sleeves & Shapes; Flint Group with ultra-thin plates; Anderson & Vreeland with plate measuring devices; Asahi Photoproducts’ water wash plate imaging system; Harper’s QD proofing system; Environmental Inks & Coatings’ Fastmatch color management system; Klockner Pentaplast’s shrink films; Omet’s Varyflex gearless and shaftless sleeve press; and Karlville Development’s K1 Seamer for digital and narrow web flexo applications, and the Tornado Shrink Tunnel, which operates using hot air.
To register, visit http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/sonoco/partner-registration.html. For more information, email Steve Leibin, Omet sales manager at Matik Inc.
- Servo 3000 simplifies multi-layer labels
Rotary Technologies Inc., Orlando, FL, USA, has introduced the Servo 3000 Infeed + Reregister System, which it says gives label converters an innovative and efficient option in producing multi-layer labels. Products that can be produced include booklet labels, extended content labels, instant redeemable coupons, and many other multi-web constructions.
Benefits of using the Servo 3000 include an unlimited amount of colors, simple operation, and high production speeds and efficiencies, says Rotary Technologies President Joe Nicholson.
“Traditional inline processes limit the use of color because the press colors are split among the number of layers and panels,” he says. “Further, the press operator must register the colors on both webs and then register the two webs together. The Servo 3000 simplifies the process by automating complex tasks.”
With the Servo 3000, no other press modification or equipment is necessary to produce these products, Nicholson adds. A video demonstration on how to produce multilayer labels can be viewed here.
- Gerhardt introduces textured flexible die
Gerhardt International, a supplier of rotary converting tooling based in Denmark, has introduced a textured flexible die that it says is ideal for the wine and luxury goods label market.
The new Texture Flexi, says the company, is an alternative to the traditional embossing method of using solid dies. According to Gerhardt, the Texture Flexi reduces tooling costs by up to 80 percent.
Use of the latest chemical milling processes means that even thin lines and the smallest patterns and details can be embossed on the label – according to the specific customer requirements.
Gerhardt has production facilities in the UK, Denmark, Poland, the USA, and Australia.
- Charlie Conover wins PLGA Global Lifetime Achievement Award
PLGA Global – the Packaging and Label Gravure Association – has presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Charlie Conover, director of sales, service and marketing for Hurletron. The award recognizes a lifetime making a difference in the gravure industry. The award was presented at PLGA’s operational conference in Miami last month.
A native of Richmond, VA, USA, and a graduate of Frederick College, Conover has worked at Inta-Roto Machine Company, Paper Converting Machine Company, Magna Graphics, Hayssen Manufacturing, and Richmond Industrial prior to joining Hurletron. Hurletron is a supplier of registration, ESA, anti-statics, and product placement machines used in the printing industry.
Conover has served as co-chair of the FTA Workshop program, 1st VP of CEMA (Converting Equipment Manufactures Association), and has been secretary/treasurer of PLGA Global since 2000. In addition, he is a retired Lt. Colonel in the US Army, and served the Richmond, VA, chapter of MOAA as its 1st VP. He is a member of numerous Masonic bodies and recently completed his term as president of the ACCA Temple Million Dollar Band.
“Not only has Charlie been a leader in our industry, he has also been one of the leaders of the PLGA,” said PLGA Chairman Randy Butler in presenting the award. “Charlie has been the quiet guiding light who has helped us keep this association on course. This Lifetime Achievement Award is well deserved.”
- Order custom labels with free iPhone app
iPhone users can now get a free custom label printing quote in under a minute with the new iLabel application from Lightning Labels, an all-digital printer in Denver, CO, USA. To download the world’s first iPhone label quoting app, users simply go to the iTunes store and search for iLabel.
"It's fast, easy and can be done from anywhere," notes Lightning Labels founder Peter Renton. "Fill out six selection fields and get a price almost instantaneously. I've been able to get the entire process down to a little over 30 seconds, a far cry from the days when custom printing quotes often took days to turn around."
The impetus for building a dedicated label printing quote application was the high volume of iPhone users getting quotes from the main Lightning Labels website, adds Renton. "We decided to make it super easy for these people."
"Quote information is immediately forwarded to the appropriate customer service representative,” notes James Lowry, general manager at Lightning Labels. “Users can tap a button to call Lightning Labels and discuss details, deadlines and any other applicable information with a rep fully apprised of their needs – saving additional time and effort."
Convenience and time savings continue past the iLabel quoting stage through project completion. "We provide a state-of-the-art web-based system for uploading artwork, and can handle all fulfillment requirements in a streamlined fashion as well," emphasizes Christy Correll, Lightning Labels’ online marketing specialist. "In the amount of time it used to take to get a custom label printing quote alone, we can now complete, ship and in some cases even deliver the job. This takes the concept of web-based printing and fulfillment to a new level."
Label sizes and shapes can be as varied as the imagination, says Renton, ranging from ½-inch circular to 11” x 17” rectangular.
More information is available at ilabel@lightninglabels.com, and at the Lightning Labels blog.
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