Narrow Web and Label Report, November 2008

Published: November 01, 2008

• Mark Andy, St. Louis, MO, is acquired by newly formed MAI Holdings, held by American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV L.P. The management and operational structure of Mark Andy will not change.

• The Narrow Web Flexible and Specialty Die business of Xynatech, Rio Rancho, NM, will be merged into Atlas Die, Elkhart, IN.

• All Barcode Systems, Garden Grove, CA, is accepted as a reseller partner with Printronix. The partnership reportedly will afford All Barcode Systems a proven product line, including RFID printers and verifiers.

• UPM Raflatac, Fletcher, NC, opens a slitting and distribution terminal in Jaguariúna, Brazil, approximately 86 miles north of São Paulo.

• EFI, Ypsilanti, MI, signs a strategic distribution agreement for its Jetrion industrial inkjet systems with Pitman, Totowa, NJ. Pitman already represents EFI's VUTEk superwide printing systems as well as the ColorProof XF solution for digital color proofing, large-format production, and photographic printing.

• Sirit reports the Infinity 510 UHF reader has been selected for Finland's postal delivery service RFID implementation. Readers have been installed across the country as part of a system to monitor and quantify the speed and accuracy of real-time postal deliveries.

Label Industry Still Resilient

ROSEMONT, IL | Labelexpo Americas 2008, held September 9-11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Ctr., drew 12,223 attendees from 68 countries, proving, organizer Tarsus Group reports, that the label industry is still a resilient and innovative sector. Roger Pellow, managing director, says, “The American economy is going through an uneasy period, and many industries are suffering as a result. Despite this, [the show] attracted a high quality of visitors who were willing to invest in new technologies and keep their businesses developing.”

Newly introduced feature areas — the Digital Printing Experience and Gather on the Green — enjoyed good visitor traffic during all hours of the show. They offered converters opportunities to see a wide selection of products and to participate in seminars and panel discussions.

Following are the global award winners for 2008:

• Neil McDonough, president/CEO of FLEXcon — the R. Stanton Avery Lifetime Achievement Award;
• ExxonMobil Chemical — Continuous Innovation;
• Graphix/Xeikon — New Innovation;
• Metro Label Group — Sustainability/Environmental Responsibility.

By the end of the show, more than 80% of the exhibition space had been booked for the 2010 edition. For more information, visit www.labelexpo-americas.com.

UPM Certified Green

FLETCHER, NC | UPM Raflatac has achieved chain of custody certification from three forest certification organizations: Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, and Forest Stewardship Council.

The certifications cover label stock manufacturing facilities located in Fletcher and in Dixon, IL, and the company's slitting and distribution terminal in Ontario, CA.

Promoting Envelopes

KANSAS CITY, MO | Tension Envelope Corp. has joined with five other leaders in the envelope industry to form the International Envelope Coalition, a strategic alliance with the purpose to enhance the products and services available to the global marketplace. The alliance includes more than 30 manufacturing plants and covers North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In addition to Tension Envelope, participating companies are Bong Ljungdahl AB; Groupe SAS Hamelin; Vigamil S.A.C.e.I; King Corp.; and E.S. Wigg & Son.

The coalition is uniting in a worldwide initiative to offer customers access to all six companies' proprietary products and services through a consolidated global supply chain.

Keeping Up With the Competition

LOS ANGELES, CA | Western Shield Label has installed a Mark Andy 2200 eight-color UV flexo press, which is enabling the converter to minimize lead times and maintain a competitive cost structure.

“I am very excited about this investment,” says president Frank Connelly. “This 2200 provides additional high quality capacity, so it will enable us to continue growing our business in a measured way, while maintaining the quality and service our customers have come to expect. We are absolutely committed to investing in superior equipment, employees, and materials in order to serve our existing customers and pursue new business.”
Mark Andy | www.markandy.com
PFFC-ASAP 308

Film Is Protective

CHARLOTTE, NC | A new product from tesa tape, designated 4848 PV1, is designed to ensure protection against stains, scratches, dirt, dust, and paint spills on virtually any surface. It is constructed with a PE backing that has intrinsic protectors against UV rays that allow it to act as a sunscreen for up to four weeks of UV light exposure.

An acrylic-based adhesive system ensures a solid bond to a myriad of surfaces yet removes completely clean when time for removal, company says.

Spear Adds PPPI Unit

CINCINNATI, OH | Spear, a supplier of beverage labels, has purchased the Precision Printing and Packaging (PPPI) unit of Anheuser-Busch Packaging Group. Terms were not disclosed. PPPI prints 28 billion labels each year for Anheuser-Busch and other consumer products companies.

Mike Harding, CEO/president of the Anheuser-Busch Packaging Group, says, “We believe this is the right choice for PPPI. We're pleased to continue our relationship as a customer of Spear.”

Guaranteeing Color

GENT, BELGIUM | Avery Dennison has teamed up with EskoArtwork and ExxonMobil Chemical to offer color-guaranteed printing to digital label converters.

As a result of this team effort, narrow web label converters using EskoArtwork software with PacVantage technology will be able to buy Avery Dennison self-adhesive labels faced with Digilyte films that activate the color guarantee.

UHF Reader Is Upgraded

TORONTO, ON, CANADA | Sirit has released a new firmware version for its Infinity 510 UHF reader, designated 2.0. Regional regulatory compatibilities that have been added include Australia, China, Israel, South Africa, and Taiwan, bringing the total to 18 regions.

Among the upgrades are advancements in company's proprietary tag acquisition algorithms, reportedly enhancing tag singulation performance capabilities and reader sensitivity.

Balkan Converters Go for Gidue

SLOVENSKA, SLOVENIA | With help from its distributor Simark, Gidue has installed a six-color F-Combat 280 at Fleksotisk Logar. The press is printing self-adhesive labels and blister packs for the pharmaceutical sector. Gidue also has supplied Fleksotisk Logar with a Quadra flexo press dedicated to short runs.

Simark was recently involved in other Gidue sales in the area: Sorex, which prints mainly self-adhesive labels, shrink sleeves, and wraparound labels, invested in a seven-color E-Combat 370; Macedonian customer Kiro Dandaro bought an S-Combat 370; Tenovis chose an eight-color I-Combat 430; and Radece Papir purchased an eight-color S-Combat 370.
Gidue | www.gidue.com
PFFC-ASAP 309

Tape Stands Up to Heat

WINDSOR, CT | Scapa North America offers 815 heat-resistant, non-silicone tape that withstands temperatures to 350 deg F. It is designed to mask and hold tools, forms, and parts for metal and composite bonding, and for masking PCB contacts during conformal coating.

Tape comprises high-temperature nylon backing, single coated with a rubber adhesive said to eliminate the potential for silicone contamination. Company says the 3.2-mil-thick tape is easy to apply and remove and withstands autoclaving if necessary.

EMA Offers Postal Report

ALEXANDRIA, VA | The 2008 Economic Jobs Study is available from the Envelope Mfrs. Assn. Foundation for Paper-Based Communications' Inst. for Postal Studies.

The report, an update to a 2003 study, says there are approximately 8.4 million jobs and over $1 trillion in revenue associated with the mailing industry. Firms associated with the mailing industry generate nearly $1.2 trillion in revenue.

For more information visit www.emafoundation.org.

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