Susan G. Kuchta has been tapped as the new vice president of sales and marketing for ACTEGA Kelstar’s North American business effective December 3, 2012. Kuchta comes to ACTEGA from the packaging and label division of Flint Group where she served as the vice president of sales and service. She will report to Heinz-Ulrich Stolte, president and CEO of ACTEGA Kelstar.
Flint Group's FlexiStar BRC inks for packaging applications are the first solvent-based flexo inks certified by NAPIM as a biorenewable ink with a BRC Index of 80. The inks were developed using NAPIM certified bio-based raw materials.
Flint Group has announced a three percent increase—effective January 1, 2013—for photopolymer printing plates to recover general cost increases. "Due to this special situation, we have to work constantly to secure our raw material base," says Dr. Thomas Zwez, vice president operations Flint Group Flexographic Products. "This means significant additional efforts, which tie up considerable resources.”
At Labelexpo Americas 2012, a steady parade of show attendees were treated to a wide array of new products and technology demonstrations. A major highlight of the show, the Label Industry Global Awards 2012, took place on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. Steve Lee, vice president of technology at RotoMetrics, was honored with the prestigious R Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award.
Visitors to the Flint Group Narrow Web booth at Labelexpo Americas 2012 in Chicago this past week were inspired by the company's milestone developments, such as the launch of a new series of ink technologies for UV LED curing under the EkoCure™ brand, as well as other inks. Visitors also received in-depth guidance from Flint Group Narrow Web experts.
In response to the increasing need for improved sustainable print solutions, Flint Group Narrow Web will introduce EkoCure, Flexo and Rotary Screen inks for UV LED curing at Labelexpo Americas. The company will partner with Mark Andy and Phoseon in showing the inks in a live press run on the Mark Andy stand.
With more than 400 exhibitors at this year's Labelexpo Americas in Chicago, including Avery Dennison, UPM Raflatac, Gallus, EskoArtwork, Nilpeter, Flint Group, Mark Andy, and Sun Chemical, show visitors will be perfectly positioned to make informed choices from the numerous live demonstrations of the latest machinery and materials. Three new comprehensive workshop sessions for label and package printers will also be offered.
Some of the major topics that Labelexpo Americas 2012 will focus on during the two-day conference in Chicago this September, will include the major issues facing the global converting industry, the benefits of digital printing, new technologies, diversifying into package printing and the environment.
Last month, about 80 participants from all over the world attended the Flint Group Symposium in Stuttgart, Germany. Experts from the printing industry were on hand to give an insight into the latest trends within the packaging industry and laser technology.
Last March, Bobst invited Chinese flexo printers to an open house in Shanghai. The three-day event, organised by Bobst and its Chinese subsidiary Eterna, was aimed at further developing the Chinese corrugated post-print and flexo industry.
