Narrow Web & Label Reporter

Published: January 01, 2008

RotoMetrics Celebrates 50 Years as Industry Leader

ST. LOUIS, MO

In 1957 Richard R. Rosemann, the founder of Roto-Die, began designing and manufacturing simple rotary dies for early flexo press manufacturers. Roto-Die later became RotoMetrics, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary.

From the late 1970s to the early 80s, RotoMetrics added CNC machining capabilities, which ultimately replaced the pantograph for die manufacturing. EDM manufacturing techniques and other technologies followed.

The company went global in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Today it has offices and representatives in Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and India.

Looking ahead, the company sees “continued innovation and leadership. We're embracing the challenges of today, like working with evolving filmic materials and increasingly thinner liners and facestocks. We're also planning for the challenges of tomorrow, such as RFID labels, laser die-cutting, as well as developing and embracing new manufacturing, order management, and delivery technologies.”

W&D Shanghai Is Approved by China

NEUWIED, GERMANY

Winkler + Dünnebier has received the official certificate of approval from the People's Republic of China for its subsidiary W+D Engineering (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. This comes two years after the opening of the Chinese representative of W&D. The subsidiary, which has four employees, is led by managing director Dr. Carsten Jaekel and located in the free trade zone Waigaoqia. Dietmar Kurz, CEO of W&D, sees in the subsidiary “the successful continuation of our China strategy to offer our customers our know-how and our service on-site.”

Spear Now in South Africa

MASON, OH

Spear has started operations at a new 5,500-sq-m facility in Johannesburg, South Africa. The plant will produce p-s, cut-and-stack, and OPP wrap labels on a wide and narrow web press complement, highlighted by a new 1,000-mm Cerutti 960/2 gravure press.

Spearsystem Packaging Africa will operate as a subsidiary of Spear Group Holdings Ltd. and includes BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) ownership partner Lidonga.

ETI Opens Plant in China, Adds Quality in QC

BOUCHERVILLE, QC, CANADA

ETI Converting Equipment, which specializes in the conception and manufacturing of labelmaking equipment, announces the opening of a plant in Songjiang, China, for the manufacture of Metronome presses.

Says Francois Bayzelon, founder and president of ETI, “The decision to set up a plant in China comes from the imposition of a 37% import tax on all printing equipment by the Chinese government, thus rendering impossible top-of-the-range product delivery from our Canadian plant.”

In other company news, p-s label supplier Group DC, Ville-La-Salle, QC, Canada, has acquired an ETI Cohesio line in response to the growth in the security tape industry. This is the third piece of equipment from ETI to be installed at Group DC, the other two being Metronome flexo presses.

President William Drori reports that his company has been impressed with the quality of ETI equipment as well as the after-sale service.
ETI Converting | www.eticonverting.com
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SenecaSalem Now Part of WS Packaging

ALGOMA, WI

WS Packaging Group reports a definite agreement to purchase SenecaSalem, a label printer with facilities in Salem, OH, and Franklin, PA. Says Terry Fulwiler, CEO of WS, “…Adding [SenecaSalem's] superior knowledge of flexible film and their other capabilities to our product offering strengthens our strategic initiatives to be the ‘single source’ for all our customers' printing and packaging needs.”