Printer News - June 2012
Two Awards for Ampac
CINCINNATI—Ampac has been recognized with two awards for its Tesco Finest Soups flexo retort pouch.
The Flexible Packaging Association recognized the Tesco soup pouch with a Printing Achievement award. The pouch, produced in Ampac’s Kirchberg, Switzerland facility, was printed flexographically versus rotogravure, the more common printing process for retort pouches. The Tesco Finest Soups pouch was deemed to have exceptional print graphics rivaling the quality of any rotogravure print.
The Tesco pouch also won an American Package Design Award from Graphic Design USA. The awards contest rewards products that are visually attractive and feature designs that advance the brand and forge an emotional connection with the purchaser. The matte look and style of the pouch has a high shelf impact and replaces the more traditional rigid formats for retort soups.
Hansruedi Häberli, general manager of Ampac Kirchberg, states, “The Tesco Finest Soup pouch is a departure from traditionally produced retort pouches in that it was printed using a flexographic press. This was a high technical achievement and resulted in exceptional graphics that represent the quality of the product and the store brand on the retail shelf to consumers.”
New Offices for Bizerba North America Label Division
PISCATAWAY, N.J.—Bizerba North America’s USA Label Solutions Division has moved its offices from Forest Hill, Md. to Joppa, Md. The new facility will allow ample space to house Bizerba’s customer service, artwork and design staff, flexographic printing, and new, state-of-the-art, Digital Printing and Label Converting Department.
With the growth of Bizerba’s Label Solutions Division, under the direction of President John Gomeau and Bizerba North America CEO Robert Slykhuis, and the addition of digital printing equipment, as well as expanding warehousing services being provided for Bizerba customers, it was decided that Bizerba Label Solutions has outgrown its current facility and needed to expand. The new 59,371 square-foot facility will more than double the space of the current facility.
“This move will enable Bizerba Label Solutions to continue to grow, continue to invest in equipment upgrades, and continue to create jobs,” Cheryll Ziemblicki, controller for Bizerba, said in a prepared statement. “It will also increase Bizerba’s warehousing capabilities, which allows us to better serve our customers.”
CCL Expands in Wine Markets
TORONTO—CCL Industries Inc. announced that it will make its first investment in Chile, and will invest in a new wine label plant in California.
Acrus-CCL, based in Santiago, is a joint venture between CCL and a newly created Chilean investment holding company, which has two groups of shareholders: Mitchell Kendall and David Goodman, both veterans of the label industry as former principals of Cameo Crafts Graphic Industries; and Jose Mingo, Aldo Gonzalez, and members of the Marinetti family, who have a long history in packaging and the wine and spirits market in Chile. CCL and its partner will each have a 50 percent interest in Acrus-CCL. Gonzalez has been appointed as general manager. The partners will initially invest approximately $10 million between them to create a state-of-the-art label production plant in Santiago dedicated to the wine industry.
Geoffrey T. Martin, president and CEO of CCL, concluded, “We have known and admired the principals in this new partnership for some years. This investment expands our presence in both the wine and spirits business and adds an important territory in the fast-growing Latin American region.”
In a separate initiative, CCL Label will invest $8 million to create a state-of-the-art plant in Sonoma with the latest technologies dedicated to the wine industry. The company has appointed Stephan Finke as vice president and general manager for the new operation.
Martin commented, “We know that the sector has growth opportunities and coupled with our existing investments in Santiago, Chile, and Portland, Ore., the new Sonoma plant completes the picture to give us a strong platform to become a leading player in the Americas.”
CSW Is LUX Certified
LUDLOW, Mass.—CSW Inc. is the first U.S. trade shop to be certified by MacDermid Printing Solutions as a LUX® platemaking technology provider. CSW has been using LUX since 2009, and has made it an integral part of its Gen2™ and HD-Gen2™ Digital Plate Systems.
Hammer Expands Capacity
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Hammer Packaging is investing for growth in 2012 by adding two new presses to its line-up of packaging printing equipment. It has purchased a third variable speed offset printing press (VSOP)—equipped with the latest upgrades from Muller Martini—due in mid-November.
Hammer is also growing its Flexo Division with the purchase of a new narrow-web 10-color Nilpeter UV-Flexo press starting up in May of this year. This investment will allow Hammer to keep pace with the growth of its flexo operations, which have recently moved and expanded with an additional 60,000 square feet of space.
PEOPLE
CardPak has promoted Seth Duckworth to vice president sales and marketing. He joined CardPak in April, 2011 and most recently served as national sales manager.
Manfred Minich has been named chief executive officer at Atlantic Zeiser Group and will also become a member of the board of directors of parent company Orell Füssli Holding AG.
Laminations®, part of Great Northern Corporation’s Specialty Group, announced that its president Gary N. Hietpas will retire after 26 years of service effective Jan. 1, 2013. The company is implementing a succession plan in which Jeff Strenger, vice president of operations for the Specialty Group, will assume the role of president when Hietpas retires. pP
- Companies:
- Hammer Packaging