Business Management - Industry Trends

DENVER, CO—One of the label industry’s digital label printing pioneers, Lightning Labels, is pleased to announce the successful installation of their new state of the art digital label press. The new WS4500 press from HP-Indigo, launched at LabelExpo last September, is now in production at Lightning Labels’ headquarters in Denver. Lightning Labels has long been known as one the leaders in short run label printing with two HP-Indigo WS2000 presses, but now with the increased production speed of the WS4500 press they will also be able to take on slightly larger runs. The WS4500 press can print high resolution labels at up to

New Britain, Pa.—Hutchison Millers Sales has introduced a pulp-based film that combines the ease-of-use of paper and the durability and other performance qualities that have made film an increasingly popular substrate for numerous converting applications. Because it is pulp- and not petroleum-based, “Clairifoil” diacetate film answers the industry’s long-standing demand for an environmentally friendly substrate that is easily recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. This cellulose acetate film can be used for pressure-sensitive labels and tapes, carton windows, print lamination, and other applications. “To its credit, our industry has become increasingly environmentally conscious in recent years,” says Rob Hutchison, president of Hutchison Miller Sales. “Unfortunately, the

BRADFORD, Pa.—Label.Com accepted delivery of a new, innovative Aquaflex flexo label press in December 2006. The press uses servo technology that has only recently been introduced to the narrow web label market. This is the first press of its kind in the northwestern PA region. Label presses generally have a mechanical drive shaft connected with gears and shafts. Servo technology replaces the shaft and gears in this new press. Multiple motors throughout the press communicate with a central computer to keep printing and cutting in perfect register. Although most labels are .006˝ to .007˝ thick, servo technology expands the material capabilities from .001˝ thick

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. introduced its new corporate brand identity and logo. The FUJIFILM brand has been incorporated into the Dimatix brand and logo following the acquisition of Dimatix, Inc. by FUJIFILM Corporation in 2006. FUJIFILM Dimatix combines FUJIFILM’s materials, science, and printing know-how with Dimatix’s distinguished heritage of developing and manufacturing innovative ink jet printing solutions. “FUJIFILM Dimatix is accelerating the use of ink jetting across a broad range of markets and applications,” said John Batterton, CEO of FUJIFILM Dimatix. “We are continuing our more than 20-year tradition of providing the industry’s most reliable and robust ink jet printing solutions. Now we

ANSONIA, Conn.—Connecticut Metal Industries has announced the opening of a new facility specifically designed to handle in-plant scrap for the packaging industry. The company actively recycles production scrap from laminators, metallizers, contract packagers, label makers, and film manufacturers. The new facility is designed to be a one-stop recycler for all types of production scrap including foils, laminates, plastic films, as well as containers made from plastic, tin, or aluminum. The company will also be installing equipment to recover materials from all types of RFID scrap including labels and ID cards. This facility will be the first dedicated recycler for RFID and embedded chip in

HAUPPAUGE, New York—During the 2007 PackPrint show, Muller Martini (booth #000) will be displaying a unit from its Alprinta-V press along with several print samples produced on various substrates that are popular in the packaging market. Each of the samples has been printed by the Alprinta-V continuously size-variable web offset press, demonstrating the many possibilities that this versatile new equipment can bring to businesses throughout the packaging industry. Muller Martini is the global leader in variable size web offset press technology and the new Alprinta-V is engineered to make size changeovers quick as well as less costly. The Alprinta-V series utilizes a continuously

RFID is being adopted worldwide but with very great differences of emphasis as revealed by the IDTechEx Knowledgebase of more than 2,450 case studies in 92 countries. This is a tale of four, very different continents. North America is by far the largest market for RFID in value, number of tags, and number of case studies of RFID in action. That is almost entirely due to the U.S., with its massive orders for military RFID and widespread adoption in all sectors, Canada being a late follower. The primary applications differ greatly between the continents. However, the financial, security, safety sector dominates overall and this

Like any other technology, drying equipment for package printing continues to evolve. The industry changes rapidly and suppliers must keep up. The increased speed involved with today’s printing presses, driven by market demand, is one example of how drying equipment must evolve to keep up with the presses on which it is installed. Some press manufacturers, like Aquaflex (see sidebar, next page), have chosen to design and build their own drying systems. Others use dryers manufactured by OEMs. Whichever route you choose to go when purchasing new drying equipment, there are a variety of considerations you need to keep in mind including UV vs.

To say that both packaging design and materials have taken on vastly increased importance isn’t saying anything new. As advances in ink technologies and substrates occur, packaging becomes more than just a means to transport and display product—it becomes a critical tool to draw consumers to individual products. “The function of packaging is no longer limited to containing and protecting the product,” says Amir Veresh, VP marketing and business development, HumanEyes Technologies. “Packaging [has become] a main tool for product vendors to prevail in the sales-per-square-foot war.” One group of substrates is enjoying increasing popularity as a means to attract consumers. Holographic and

TAMPERE, Finland—UPM Raflatac, one of the world’s leading suppliers of pressure sensitive labelstock and RFID tags and inlays, has recently launched a label design contest in China. The Label Design Awards 2007 encourage Chinese designers to revolutionize the way labels are designed. “With the opening of our new state-of-the-art manufacturing centre in Changshu in spring 2007, we’re launching a new era in labelling,” says Elisa Nilsson, vice president of communications at UPM Raflatac. “To celebrate this, the Label Design Awards 2007 encourage Chinese designers to create an innovative product label for an imaginary home care or personal care product called New Era, using UPM