Business Management - Industry Trends

After a highly successful debut in 2015, the Digital Packaging Summit will return to the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The invitation-only, hosted summit connects label and folding carton printers and converters with the leading solution providers in digital printing.

The U.S. demand for converted flexible packaging is projected to increase 3.3 percent annually to $20.7 billion in 2019, according to a recent study by The Freedonia Group.

As the world's leading trade fair for print and cross-media solutions, a strong focus at drupa 2016 will be the advances in industrial printing, which includes packaging, glass, decorative printing and more.

Globalization is making a lasting impact on the package printing industry. The upcoming FTA Forum will address these issues with a "Flexo International" session.

Sonoco held the grand opening of its state-of-the-art iPS Studio on Oct. 27, hosting more than 100 guests including state officials, customers and community leaders. The iPS Studio is a research, development and innovation center dedicated to the invention of new packaging solutions.

During the past 12 months, the 86-year-old Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) has made significant contributions to the folding carton industry. These included educational programming, meetings and industry representation.

The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) has announced its membership roster has grown by 12 percent over the last three years.

Goose Island Beer challenged Constantia Flexibles to develop a flag label for the bottleneck of its famous Bourbon County Stout, an annual limited-release beer.

Looking ahead to 2016, Mintel has announced six key trends set to impact global packaging markets over the next year, including implications for both consumers and brands.

Donn Goldstick and Harry Manzi have joined Presstek's North American sales team as digital printing systems western region sales manager and account manager supporting thermal printing plates, respectively.