Industry News - July 2014

Mark Fulcer Takes Over Site Ops for Webex
Webex’s Neenah, Wis. manufacturing facility has a new site operations director. The company, which makes precision rolls for the web handling industry, named Mark Fulcer to the position, with a goal of improving efficiency and safety. Doug Knudtson, the chief operating officer for Maxcess, Webex’s parent company, said Fulcer has already been instrumental in improving the efficiency of the operations team. “Mark has led the operations team in its successful effort to improve on-time-delivery by achieving its goal of 90 percent three weeks early,” said Knudtson. “Accomplishments are never the result of one person’s effort, but there is no question that Mark is bringing people together and the team he leads is moving the needle in a very positive direction.”

It’s Hip to be Square
Mondi Americas’ latest packaging innovation, the Square Bag, offers a versatile way to package a variety of products. The multiple layers of advanced barrier films provide enhanced protection for products like food, wine, pet food, laundry detergent and motor oil. The bag can be fitted with a spout, zipper, slider or hook and loop opening, and can provide a lighter packaging option. “Many consumer goods packagers today are thinking outside the traditional cardboard box, hard plastic container and glass bottle,” says Kevin Young, president of Mondi Americas. “Mondi’s Square Bag offers these packagers an appealing alternative to conventional packages.” www.mondigroup.com

Sonderen Upgrades Press
A new KBA Rapida 145 57-inch press will have a new home in Spokane, Wash. this fall. Sonderen Packaging will bring in the new press, complete with the KBA SIS Sensoric sidelay-free infeed, the CleanTronic UV system with a pivoting washing beam, and a parallel makeready process. Keva Sonderen, principal and director of marketing, said the new press will give the company an opportunity to take on additional tasks that had to previously be sent out of the facility. “Our new KBA press will also give us the added benefit of UV ink and coating technology that we have never possessed before within our facility,” Sonderen explained. “In the past, we sent those jobs out. Now we’ll be able to utilize the UV by offering a wider range of coating effects in addition to streamlining the flow through our plant, resulting in improved lead times.”

New Die Cutter from Masterwork
Masterwork Graphic Equipment launched an automatic platen die cutting machine, which improves on previous models’ accuracy, speed and stability. The MK1060ERS brings together the feeding, die cutting, stripping, blanking and waste conveying processes, allowing one operator to turn printed sheets into a finished product in one pass. The new die cutter is highly automated and includes a stripping unit with a quick locking facility, a high quality transmission mechanism and smooth cam movement. www.masterworkgraphics.co.uk

Smart Lights for a Safe Package
Smart Vision Lights has introduced the TL305 Series lights, designed for the inspection of products with a highly reflective finish, including pharmaceutical blister packs. Blister pack inspection requires diffused lighting to ensure the quality of the pharmaceutical contents. The TL305 provides a consistent and intense output, along with the cloudy day design, which helps eliminate reflection and provides a clear view of the package’s interior. The dome lights feature a built-in individual on-axis and off-axis intensity-control lighting system, which provides strong command of the interaction between the light, camera and reflective surface. www.smartvisionlights.com

Consistent Corrugation
Beta Industries launched the BetaCorr Corrugated Analyzer in June, which provides optical analysis of nearly all elements of corrugated production. The hand held device can measure flute profile, creasing and washboard effect, helping keep the final corrugated package strong, environmentally sound and at the proper weight. www.betascreen.com

SoOPak Takes Top Innovation Award
Short-run offset printing, North American packaging specialist SoOPak, received the Most Innovative Packaging Idea at the Top 50 Packaging Ideas Expo. Carol Jiang, SoOPak’s president, credits the award to the company’s innovative business model. SoOPak offers short-run printing for packaging customers with no die and plate costs for offset printing. Run lengths can be as low as 500 boxes and SoOPak also holds the distinction of launching the first online folding carton business. The expo was held June 5 in Mississauga, Ontario.

Menasha Boosts Speed and Quality
Menasha Packaging’s Folding Carton Group has acquired an Inca Onset Q40i Digital printer, supplied by Fujifilm. In addition to cutting cost and improving the speed and output of its jobs, the group is in a better position to take on short runs of litho labels. “The improved technology of Folding Carton Group’s new digital printer allows us to more cost effectively run smaller litho jobs in our system, while allowing for more capacity on our offset presses,” says Jim Synder, Menasha Packaging Folding Carton Group General Manager. “The machine also mirrors our offset processes. Color consistency and quality on the digital press matches 80 percent of the color gamut compared to offset.” www.menasha.com

The Heat is On
Tri-Seal has debuted a new wax based technology to improve two-piece induction seals, stored or distributed in high temperature conditions. The high-temperature wax improves the stability of the seal, leading to the better protection of pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals and automobile fluids. This addresses a problem that can occur in high temperature environments, in which the wax element of a two-piece induction seal can be absorbed into the pulp layer before closure. This can reduce seal integrity during filling and capping. In some situations, the heatseal portion can curl and separate from the backing material. Tri-Seal’s proprietary wax technology is developed to resist curling for packages subjected to high temperatures during storage or shipping. www.tri-seal.com and www.tekni-plex.com